#124: Seeking, Finding

Have you ever noticed how common it is for fictional characters to embark on their adventures in search of something? From an Odyssean longing for home to Hero’s-Journey-style quests, many great tales begin with the potent act of seeking.

Let these prompts guide you along your own journey of creative discovery — I’m curious to see what you find.

🥇 Winner

“Birth Mother” by Amanda Lieser

🏆 Winner of Contest #124

I stand in a perfectly pristine kitchen. The counter tops are covered in flour. She stands at them, waiting for me. She’s rolling out the cookie dough in deep, even strokes, like the ocean kissing the beach. Her soft humming fills the kitchen with love. Her hands lift me up; I'm in a navy blue sundress with little yellow sunflowers on it. “Here, sweetie,” she hands me an apron and I lift my little arms obediently to her. She ties it around my waist. A little teddy bear clutching a rolling pin in one soft, brown paw is splashed across my tumm...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The 10th Circle of Hell” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #124

“Virgil?” “Yes, Dante.” “Um, what’s going on here? I was told there were only nine circles of hell.” “There were only nine circles of hell in the 20th century. But for the 21st century? We needed to expand.” “You needed to . . . expand. Hell.” “Yes. We’ve added a whole new circle. Well, truthfully, it’s more oblong than circular. It’s been that sort of millennium.” “Virgil. In all seriousness, I’m not sure I can walk through another realm of the damned. It’s hella depressing.” “Well, you don’t have much of a choice do you? ...

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“A Long Way” by Sharon Harris

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #124

“Let him through!” Zac’s new friend bellowed, standing up and bumping his head on the baggage locker above him. They’d just touched down and the passengers were desperate to get off the plane.“Come ON,” hissed Luke, shoving Zac into the aisle. “Move!” he added to the man who’d snored through the whole flight from Istanbul.Passengers in the front seats were stretching, glancing Zac’s way in annoyance. He looked away, embarrassed. He’d only started talking to Luke later in the flight when violent air turbulence over the Alps sent him sprawling...

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This week's prompts

Write a story about a character in search of something or someone.

Angst – 94 stories

Start your story with someone trying to read a map.

Fiction – 35 stories

Write a story where two characters are playing hide and seek, literally or metaphorically.

Fluff – 27 stories

End your story with someone finding themselves.

Character – 39 stories

Set your story in a labyrinth that holds a secret.

Dark – 31 stories

Stories

“Birth Mother” by Amanda Lieser

🏆 Winner of Contest #124

108 comments 108

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“The 10th Circle of Hell” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #124

64 comments 64

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“A Long Way” by Sharon Harris

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #124

22 comments 22

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“Hell House” by Thomas Giorgione

Submitted to Contest #124

I put on my hazmat suit before I left. Once I zipped up my suit, once I double checked the mask, once I smeared numbing cream in my nostrils, I drove to Mother’s house. She wouldn’t be there. No one lived there. No one could live there anymore. My brother Hank named the mansion Hell House when he was fourteen, and even Mother calls it that now.After an hours drive, the giant brown building waited for me at the end of the street. My thrice gloved hand pressed a button and the gate creaked open. The “Condemned Building: Do Not Enter Prem...

15 comments 15

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“Latitude” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #124

She unfolded the map as her husband drove down the highway. “Y’know, it is a good thing that we left so early. I told you that there would be no traffic on a holiday weekend if we left on Friday and made it out of town before the sun was up.” She kept looking at the map. “Do you think that the others know what we are up to? I think that I should have called ahead before we decided to do this, but since we always head out there for the holidays, I didn’t see any point to telling anyone. “I mean, it was a different holiday last time. Not in th...

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“Party Animal” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #124

After yet another day of meetings, meetings meetings, Ronnie the Rhino was in search of a good time as he needed to let his wispy hair down and have some fun. He liked to think he worked harder than most but every now and then he wished he could go back to earlier in his career when he had more time for himself and his ever growing family with much less pressure. Knowing the frustration of his current work /life balance Ronnie’s friend Tommy Tiger had invited him to the “party to end all parties” and that was exactly what the doctor ordered....

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“Killer Delight” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #124

(Content Warning: Violence, Blood and Gore.) Legend has it that a monster emerges from the Mystic Forest once a generation to prey upon children. It does not feed on flesh but the innocence of youth. The creature has never been seen by a living soul, but the proof lies within the destruction it leaves behind and the agony of despair from grieving parents. Time is but a passage of lost memories that are quickly forgotten, and life goes on. To the east of the Mystic Forest lies a small village called Thornbrush and is home to many ...

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“Hunter and Prey” by Katie Ingold

Submitted to Contest #124

CW: Adult content, and though there is a perceived threat of SA, none takes place.“Ready or not, here I come.” A maniacal laugh echoed through the forest surrounding Jamie. He didn’t dare stop and listen for which direction it came from, even if he wanted to.An unsolicited shiver ran through him, and he pumped his legs faster, narrowly missing a low branch to the face. A late night fog had set in before he’d entered the woods, making it harder to see without the earlier moonlight filtering through the trees. He hadn’t expected it to be so da...

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“Smooth Sailing” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #124

…And in regards to the sea monster, I would like to congratulate Erasmus on losing but one leg rather than both as he battled the mighty foe. Many a man has lost several appendages fighting such creatures, but Erasmus managed to keep nearly all of us, and for that, we are most proud of him. My, doesn’t his new peg look sharp! Whittled to perfection by Antonio, to whom we are most grateful. Applause all around. Well, that about covers the old business of the day. Dinner tonight will be a light grog with a side of sea monster stew. Perhaps s...

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“Labyrinthine Prime” by David Brown

Submitted to Contest #124

My name is Ebenezer, but my friends affectionately call me Ben. Regrettably, I haven’t seen any of my old mates in a very long time, as it has now been 607 days since my incarceration in this godforsaken, labyrinthine, and altogether alien prison. After all that time, my strange jailor’s daily expectations became abundantly clear. If I refused to reveal my vast secret knowledge, I didn’t eat. Fortunately, that had only happened in the inaugural days of my internment, since once I had deduced the pattern, I had been granted access to a per di...

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“The Horror of Knossos” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

Submitted to Contest #124

When I was a child, I would peer across the sea to Knossos and tell myself I could see the Labyrinth. I thought of walls impossibly high, impossibly black. Of a great stone door that six hoplites strained to open. Of jaws, to swallow those who ventured within. Fate determined that I never saw these things, for they led me inside blindfolded. When the cloth fell away from my eyes, I was a blind, defenseless creature scrabbling in the dirt. I heard retreating footsteps, a thud in the distance. And then: nothing but the ragged whistle of s...

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“Speed Dating at Liquid Pandemonium ” by Alyissa M. Lore

Submitted to Contest #124

The underbelly of this city was frightening. I couldn’t shake the skin crawling itch of phantom insects as I stared out the passenger side window. It was as if the darkness was hungry, leaching away the streetlights feeble attempts at illumination, showing nothing but silhouettes in the shadows, and the glowing eyes of feral animals “Are you sure we are going to the right place, Lala?” I asked, reaching for her phone to check the GPS. It said we were on track and set to arrive at the abandoned building in less than ten minutes. Lala’s s...

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“Envy” by Zaara Rajaji

Submitted to Contest #124

The king was dead. Kai’s eyes trailed from the king’s lifeless body to me. Disdain filled his gaze, but barely a second later his expression flickered. Like a button, a mischievous smile spread across his face, “All that blood looks great on you, really brings out your eyes.”The door burst open and Reina was plunged out of her world. The world where anything could exist, where she was someone with an important title destined to battle kingdoms. She talked about books with so much passion, hoping one day the character sh...

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“THE BIRDWATCHER ” by Michelle SHAAY

Submitted to Contest #124

The rustle of leaves and morning air greeted Dan while he slept in the tent. He had planned this for so many weeks. "I'm finally getting to enjoy some well deserved solitude" he thought to himself. The new insulated sleeping bag was cozy and he only wanted to continue feeling its warmth. However, he got up and began semi-packing some of his gear. He packed extremely light this time since the trip was only supposed to last for two days, Friday through Saturday. March was always a little crisp and brisk in Lake Landings. This particular campsi...

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“Christmas at Midnight ” by Connie Elstun

Submitted to Contest #124

Working as an R.N. on Dementia Ward B makes it seem that a matutinal death is as commonplace as a pre-dawn birth. My dear sweet patient, Margaret Brown, joined Jesus on this early Christmas morning. I'm not sure if she extraordinarily left this world or not. I was there; I did see it, yet it all seemed like a dream. Maybe the old myth is true, Christmas at midnight is when heaven and earth meet.Margaret's story plays in my mind like the repetition of elevator-style Christmas tunes I have listened to all month; it’s most likely cemented into ...

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$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

147

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 17, 2021 EST

Won by Amanda Lieser 🏆

Title: Birth Mother

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!

#124: Seeking, Finding

🥇 Winner

“Birth Mother” by Amanda Lieser

⭐️ Shortlisted

“The 10th Circle of Hell” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“A Long Way” by Sharon Harris

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character in search of something or someone.

Start your story with someone trying to read a map.

Write a story where two characters are playing hide and seek, literally or metaphorically.

End your story with someone finding themselves.

Set your story in a labyrinth that holds a secret.

Stories

“Birth Mother” by Amanda Lieser

“The 10th Circle of Hell” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“A Long Way” by Sharon Harris

“Hell House” by Thomas Giorgione

“Latitude” by Kendall Defoe

“Party Animal” by PJ Aitken

“Killer Delight” by Daniel R. Hayes

“Hunter and Prey” by Katie Ingold

“Smooth Sailing” by Story Time

“Labyrinthine Prime” by David Brown

“The Horror of Knossos” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

“Speed Dating at Liquid Pandemonium ” by Alyissa M. Lore

“Envy” by Zaara Rajaji

“THE BIRDWATCHER ” by Michelle SHAAY

“Christmas at Midnight ” by Connie Elstun

$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

147

Stories

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