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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#108: Elemental

Water, air, fire, earth, and void: together, these five elements make up one of the earliest systems used to understand our world. Ancient cultures in Greece, Persia, India, and elsewhere all believed that everything they saw could be broken down into these five core categories. While the system doesn’t hold much water scientifically, we still hear echoes of these ancient classifications today — from the groups of astrological signs, to the magical systems of fantasy worlds.

For this week’s prompts, I’m going back to basics, and exploring each of the five core elements in turn. I’m excited to see what you build out of the building blocks of — well, everything!

This week's prompts

Write a story about a voyage on a boat.

Adventure – 42 stories

Write about a person or object vanishing into thin air.

Thriller and Suspense – 44 stories

Write a story about a team tunneling down into the centre of a planet.

Science Fiction – 6 stories

Start or end your story with a house going up in flames.

Dark – 55 stories

Write a story about a character who’s trying to fill an empty space, literally or metaphorically.

Angst – 55 stories

Stories

“Ready” by Hanna Levine

Submitted to Contest #108

I bit Mateo’s neck lightly and could feel his pulse with my tongue. My nose wandered up to graze the outside of his ear. His shampoo smelled like the woods behind our condo after a rainstorm. He turned his head to meet my lips. We languished like this for longer than I could afford to. My bus would come at seven-thirty-eight. I didn’t check the time but my internal alarm was already going off. He seemed to be thinking the same. He broke free from my lips long enough to say, “You have to be in at eight-thirty?”My answer was as ...

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“Void No More” by J.B. Dixon

Submitted to Contest #108

“Gimme another, Joe.” “That’s four already, Ryan. You sure you want another?” “You can cut me off after this.” “Alright.” Ryan sighed as the barback refilled his whiskey double then slid the glass over to him. “Cheers.” The musician didn’t throw it back right away but nursed it as he mused over the events of the last four days. “Bloody hell,” he chuckled. “I supposed I should be glad I got out when I did. Now I see what my friends were getting at.” He sipped the spirit, wincing at the burn. “At least they’re not heckling me about it...

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“Down the river” by Björn Rudolfsson

Submitted to Contest #108

Mitros stepped onto the boat which wobbled gently underfoot. The boatman pushed off the dock straight away, and Mitros stumbled before finding his balance. He was the only passenger tonight. He trod gingerly down the length of the boat. It felt quite stable, but he had always been a bit skittish when it came to boats. He didn’t quite trust them. It was a beautiful boat though, no matter what he thought about being on the water. Long and narrow with high prow and stern, like a larger version of one of those gondolas they had in Venice, made...

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“That Time On The Inner Tube” by Morgan Moir

Submitted to Contest #108

I hate riding on boats.Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s summertime. So that means the thing to do is either hang out BY the water, IN the water, or ON the water. Personally, I hate sweating & the wind messing up my hair, so none of those options really appeal to me too much. And they never have. However? I do thoroughly enjoy working on my tan, & even more so than that, drinking. And everybody knows if you’re out on the boat all day, drinking is not only expected, but encouraged. So here I am, on a boat. But at least I get to drink while I’m...

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“Champ” by Paul Brassard

Submitted to Contest #108

Shaking, Neala sat in the small canvas-covered boat, waist-deep in flopping mackerel and seawater. At the other end of the teeming curragh, her Da lay on his back, unconscious and bleeding, a torn piece of fishing net floating beside him. For three days now, Neala and her father had gotten up hours before the sun—and Mam—to secretly practice rowing and netting in the dark, for the spring mackerel run was happening soon. She had never done any real fishing with Da before today. In fact, she’d never even so much as set a foot in a working cu...

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“Journey to Atlantis” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #108

Thalia, an adventurer came upon an ancient scroll that tells of a world that was buried at the bottom of the ocean. Wow, my god this scroll tells of Atlantis. The Atlantis of myth and legend and I am going to be the one to finally discovery the ancient city. Thalia put the scroll in her backpack and left the cave of Crete. She walks happily back to her hotel to look at the scroll more intently. Thalia discovers the site of Atlantis is right where she always believed it was, in Andalusia west of the Mediterranean. Thalia is beyond hap...

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“Whispers of a fly” by Holland Wells

Submitted to Contest #108

The moon was full and the air was stale on a hot and humid August night in southern Georgia. It was getting late and the two twins were sure they would be in trouble if they didn't hurry and get home. The boys knew their ailing mother would be anxiously awaiting with their hot dinner ready for them. Lonnie and Jimmy had just got done mending fences on the Brooke farm and still had a forty-five minute walk home."Hey Lonnie lets cut through the woods and cross the river at that old train bridge dad used to take us fishing at, that will cut of...

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“Elements and Allegory” by Carrie Fitzgerald

Submitted to Contest #108

It’s raining now, as I write this, which matches my memory of the day I lost my mother for the first time. It rained at her funeral too, but I’m getting ahead of myself. With all that’s happened recently, my therapist wants me to write my story, “like I’m telling a dear friend.” There was an analogy there too- something about lancing a boil and getting the poison out, but that doesn’t sit quite right with me. I don’t feel full of poison. I don’t feel full of anything. I’m empty, even if the tears still keep flowing- a seemingly inexhaustible...

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“THE MERMAID” by Michelle Gregory

Submitted to Contest #108

TW/domestic violence/miscarriage/suicidal thoughts It was a cold night as I sat shivering on the beach, listening to the waves crash onto the shore. My eye was throbbing with pain, turning as black as the night sky. This beach is my only solace away from home. Away from hell. Away from him.It wasn’t always like this. In the beginning he was charming, handsome and a perfect gentleman. Those qualities changed the minute we got married. I remember our honeymoon like it was yesterday. What was supposed to be a night of r...

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“Salty Closet” by Dell Bell

Submitted to Contest #108

(CW: Mental illness, allusions to abuse and suicide)She didn’t hear the small pop that sounded a few inches from her face. Her muffled sadness covered it up. A few minutes passed before she lifted her eyes enough to even see it, the top of her head brushing the clothes above her. At first, she thought it was a trick of the light. When she was young, she used to play with the wetness in her eyes. She would stare up at the ceiling, squinting and opening. Squinting and opening. Watching the rays from her ceiling light distort, lengthen, an...

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“The Orb ” by R.S. Louvierre

Submitted to Contest #108

“You believe in alternate realities?” Chavis asked his long-time buddy Claude, skeptical of all the alternate dimension nonsense. He was stroking his short, brown curls through his plump fingers. “I do, yeah” Claude replied. “I think it’s not only possible, but likely.” He had his chin tiredly cradled in his palm with his fingers rubbing his bottom lip. His shaggy raven hair swept to the side. “I don’t know, man.” Chavis said after a moment of thought. “If there are alternate realities, why haven’t we found them yet? Has anyone found ...

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“My Best Mate Disappeared” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #108

The date is etched on my mind. – It was the day Robbie disappeared, the 17th June, 1974 – forty seven years ago, and it changed the lives of family and friends for good. It left a small space in my heart and it’s still there today. Robbie would be 60 this year. In twelve days’ time it will be his birthday, but there won’t be a special ‘who’s an old man now’ party. I will raise a glass to my best friend and wonder where he went. He was just an average thirteen year old kid. He lived at home with his mum and dad, his brother and sister and hi...

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“Don’t Make Me Say” by Ionel Rusanu

Submitted to Contest #108

“Willie, don’t make me say twice!” said Brent with a terrible annoyance in his voice. “You’re coming with me and that’s it.” His younger brother was such a wuss, as always. It could be his age of just twelve. Sometimes Brent hoped that teenager years will bring Willie some ‘cojones’ like their Latino neighbor would say. For sure, that worked fine for him. At sixteen, he was now more confident and ready to do anything to achieve his goals. Today he needed to make some cash and opportunity knocked when Luiz, their neighbor, suggested to him ...

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“Goodbye Party ” by Rome Giuliano

Submitted to Contest #108

"Hello." Jim answered the phone after the fifth ring. “Are you coming tonight!?” said the voice on the other end. “What?” Jim said not ready for that response "Jim! What's going on?" The voice on the other end said with drunken excitement. "Nothing, Steve. I'm Just sitting here watching Home Improvement. Man, I'm glad I don't fuck up like that guy. Other than that, nothing much. Judy got the chance to work some over time tonight and you know how we need it." Jim answered in a less than enthusiastic voice. "Hey did you forget it was Bob...

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“ MEGAN” by Joan Wright

Submitted to Contest #108

Megan awoke to the acrid smell of smoke. it hurt her throat and she couldn't stop coughing. She jumped from her bed and ran to her bedroom door. She felt the door like she'd been taught. IF THE DOOR IS HOT, DO NOT OPEN IT. The door was so hot she could hardly touch it. She looked out her second story window and there were reddish orange flames as far as she could see. She was trapped! There was no way out!!!Then the screaming began. "Someone help me, Mom wake up! Then her screams were interrupted by uncontrollable coughing. Is this how her l...

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$250

Prize money

202

Contest entries

207

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 27, 2021 EST

Won by Rachel Kenley Fry 🏆

Title: I Leave the Six Blank

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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