#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.

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

“The Transformation ” by Gabby Agho

Submitted to Contest #124

He knew that to find out who he really was, and who he was to become would involve an inordinate amount of work. He knew something was missing in his quest to become fully Human with feelings and emotions, wishes and dreams. What it was, he had yet to discover. And discovery was not without its risks! Here he was, trapped between two realms. Could he transform and return, or was he destined to evolve in this realm? Would the quest to find himself be too great?He was told about ...

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“The Road Less Traveled” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #124

I’m pulled over on the side of the road, my hazards flashing red against the pure white snow every few seconds. It’s literally 0º outside and the heat blowing fiercely from my vents is quickly stolen from me by my window. My gloved hands grip the map tightly. I have no idea how to read this thing. Who knew GPS wouldn’t work in the middle of the freaking mountains. My iPhone, the one thing I can always be found holding close to my face, has been tossed onto the passenger seat, completely useless to me after snapping a few shots I plan to post...

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“True North” by EDC& TheThree

Submitted to Contest #124

He knew it would happen, One. Fine. Day. And Here. We. Are., he thought. He really should have brushed up on the life.skills 101 - he thought. He remembers 'How To Read A Map' being in the top 5 life.skills. He thinks. He isn't sure of that. He is sure he had a HUGE.CLUE that day, about three and a half years ago, when he and about four of his closest friends, could not grasp the concept of working a rotary phone. 'Let your fingers do the walking' was only for dialing, not web-surfing? Maybe. He knew that day, about three and a half year...

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“The Secret of the Pocket Watch” by Kelly Steele

Submitted to Contest #124

Before her unexpected death, she gave me a dead pocket watch for the girls to play with. She tried finding a watchmaker that could fix it, but eventually gave up. I forgot about the damn thing the moment I gave it to my girls. It wasn't until I decided to do another toy purge before Christmas nearly 2 years later, that I saw it again. It was thrown at the bottom of their toy bin, or rather on top and it slid through the open crevices, winding its way to the bottom. As I picked it up, the golden steel was alarmingly cold. My finge...

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“Remembrance of Things Past” by Martha Sanipe

Submitted to Contest #124

AgatheShe struggled with the map, giving her shoulder a good heave forward to keep the strap of her ample handbag from sliding off. The strong breeze certainly wasn’t helping as it grappled with her for possession of the map.She had just managed execute a few folds and wrestle the thing into a small, compliant square when she heard someone speak. She glanced up reluctantly from the now subdued map.In front of her stood a smiling man, probably a little older than her father. He was pleasant looking and appeared to be in his right mind. In her...

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“From Fear to Fearlessness” by Mercy Shelton

Submitted to Contest #124

Gary stared at the map as if he had no idea what he was looking at. Nothing about it made sense to him. It was like a mass of scribble on a page. A foreign language he couldn’t decipher. “Where the hell am I?”, he said. He turned his head to look out his driver’s side window just as a massive caravan of sixteen-wheeler semi’s hurled past him going at least 90-100 mph. The gust of wind that whipped off them was so fierce, so strong, it made his rusty, 1985 Subaru nearly flip over on its side. “This is insane,” he said ...

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“For the Love of Maps” by Barb Brown

Submitted to Contest #124

Marjorie hadn't been there that long, but long enough that she had somewhat settled in and had developed her own new daily routine. She was sitting in her comfy chair at the table, a cozy blanket wrapped around her legs, studying the map with a hatpin poised in her hand, her expression locked in total concentration. Maps fascinated her and often occupied a good part of her daily studies; she loved a good map. She preferred her old-fashioned fold-up road map, like the ones on the racks at the local convenience store, and ...

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“Swiss Army Man” by Daniel Hafertepe

Submitted to Contest #124

Billy held the map in both hands. A trail of dots led his eye from one hand-drawn clue to the next. The dots and clues zig-zagged across the map from left to right and back until they stopped at the last clue.On the main floor above him, his mother and grandmother argued in muffled tones. It was always about something. Today, they argued about the same “something” that drove Billy to this basement after the funeral two years ago.Back then, he had found his grandpa at the workbench. The old man motioned him from the darkness of the basement a...

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“Bloody forest” by Ethan Grant

Submitted to Contest #124

Trigger warning Self harm, blood This stupid map is going to get us killed, I thought to myself as I tried to read it through my ski goggles. My hands shook like they were going to fall off the snow and the wind was fighting hard to rip us off the mountain. Fortunately, my parka kept me warm and the gear in my backpack was a good reminder that I can survive this. “We’re lost, Adam. My friend yelled in my ear. “You have to admit that now.” It’s been… I-I don’t know how long it has been, but what I do know is that it's been more than a week." ...

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“Hide 'n' Seek” by Jolinne Balentine-Downey

Submitted to Contest #124

Dang! It’s dark out here. Well, duh! It’s nighttime. Actually, it isn’t. Isn’t what? Night. Of course it is. Nuh uh. It’s after midnight. So technically, it’s morning. Well, it is early morning. Very early morning. Middle of the night morning. That it is. Still dark as night morning. It really is. Dark as night. Too dark to be out walking. That is definitely true. Too dark to be out walking alone. Not the best idea I ever had. You should have thought about that. Agreed. I definitely should have thought about that. Before you left. I should h...

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“The Dreaming Game” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #124

“I can’t believe you made me a dog.” Ryber glanced down at the small animal padding along beside him. “A puppy, Griss. Not a dog.” “But why?” the puppy asked, his tone that of an exasperated man, for all that he looked like a little beagle. “I had everything ready for the Delve. All my gear and weapons. Now I don’t even have hands.” He lifted a paw. “I told you why,” Ryber said. “In your true form, you’re a hulking, bearded, scarred pirate. If the subject saw you coming, you’d scare him awake, rules of the game notwithstanding. Besides, gear...

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“Beyond the Corridor” by Elizabeth Burchman

Submitted to Contest #124

Perhaps it was a dream, she thought. Perhaps if she pinched herself, she would wake up. But she didn’t want to wake up. She wanted to stay in this dream where he was… She looked around her and all she saw were doors. There was a familiar metal one in front of her, a daunting red one behind her, a mysterious green one to the left of her, and brilliantly bright blue one to the right of her. She could hear the faint sound of a piano playing through the metal door, she took a step closer feeling the sense of comfort this door and room provided ...

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“Apes” by Alex K. Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #124

Roberto Dean was lead down a tall, narrow and grimly lit hallway to his seat in the left upper mezzanine. The hastening echoes of his best dress shoes on the white marble floors announced his anxiety of tardiness to the punctual and, he feared, already seated theater-goers. He thought about skipping ahead of the large man leading him, after all he knew the Boncraft Theatre by heart, even though he himself had never been chosen to attend despite his many attempts; however his temporary warden was so wide that he took up most of the hallway by...

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“Never really lost” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #124

I keep having this feeling that I have lost so much: time, creativity, my voice, myself… Truth is, I lost myself in stagnation. I blamed a virus going around. It sure as hell didn´t make things easier, but it wasn´t entirely to blame. I turned the blame on the muses, for no longer visiting with me. It was too easy to blame the loss of my creativity on them. I came to the insight that I needed to tame my mental resistance and welcome the muses back, and allow myself to be inspired. To be creative is to embark on a long journey, and neve...

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“Things Are Not What They Seem” by Chandra Anderson

Submitted to Contest #124

How long had it been? Taylor glanced at her watch. It read 11:43 a.m. just as it had the three times she’d checked it before. Had it stopped? She didn’t know, because all around her it seemed as if everything had stopped. Except her. She was the only thing moving in the office. Stopped, in mid-sip of the latte he drank every day, was her boss Pete Elliott. Eyebrows raised, lips pursed to blow on the hot liquid, and tendrils of steam suspended in the air above the cup. He didn’t move. He hadn’t moved. ...

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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!

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#124: Seeking, Finding

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.