#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 Name” by Haz Cady

Submitted to Contest #124

“The knowledge you seek is at the center of a vast labyrinth in the Mountains of Ash. There are several twists, turns, and obstacles. This will not be an easy journey. However, you seem determined. I suspect you will succeed in your quest.” The oracle leans in, dropping her omniscient demeanor. “So, what are you looking for, kid?” I'm startled by this, but I know better than to lie to an oracle. I choose vagueness. “A name." “What, like, the name of your true love or something?” I didn’t expect the oracle to not know. Or to be quite such...

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“The Faun” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #124

Being a young faun wasn’t easy. Especially when you had three older brothers who loved tormenting you. My brother Adalwolf was the largest and strongest, Alfwin, the smartest and Ansovald was the fastest but I was none of these. Even in my dreams, there was no escape from them. At least twice a week for the last year, I had a reoccurring dream that seemed to become clearer the more times that I dreamed it. In my dream, I’m surrounded by tall hedges and was walking toward a shiny object, lit by moonlight. It was a dark, cold night and a li...

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“Ain't Genealogy Great!” by Matt Ward

Submitted to Contest #124

Ain’t Genealogy Great! (Based on a true story) Walter Hanson was from East Tennessee. He was a proud southern gentleman. Maybe not so proud of the south’s slavery history, but still loyal to the memory of his ancestors. Proud that his great-great-grandfather had fought in the Civil War for the South. Proud of the tombstone in the local cemetery that, while not marking the grave of his progenitor, it did commemorate the man’s loyalty to the south with the inscription, “Jacob L. Arbeiter, Cpl. CSA, 1834 – 1865.” Proud to be the great-great...

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“The Curse of the Forever Pendant” by Joel Randall

Submitted to Contest #124

The nymphs locked the image of it from their memory. The wisest oaks swore it was a myth. The warlocks used it as a running joke. But after seventeen months, thirty-six scars, and more betrayals than the dents in his armor, the knight found it: the Forever Pendant. Sir Calvert the Fearless inspected a tiny, wooden chest between his chain mail gloves, skeptical that the container could hold what he had been pursuing for perilous months. But after the cavern maze and weeklong journey below ground, he finally convinced himself to hold his bre...

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“Looking For A Haint” by Keith Rogers

Submitted to Contest #124

He was wise for his years. He had graduated Junior High with honors and was starting High School in the fall. For finishing with all A's his parents surprised him with a gift. A guitar. A nice six-string acoustic. The one he knew from the window of the music store he walked past everyday on his way home from school! He couldn't have been happier! He loved music and was a huge fan of 60s guitar rock and the British Invasion. His passion for all things guitar naturally led him to The Blues... The Mississippi Blues to be exact! Mississippi...

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“Score” by Greacian Goeke

Submitted to Contest #124

Hear these: gloom lust truth n. Anglo-Saxon. Dense, blade-quick. Is there a one-syllable word for disgust, she wondered. Hate dread guilt gut gharghhghhgh may retch. She inhaled the gloom of the empty library, sieving it through her skin, gall, the heavy bitt...

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“The Solid White Knight” by Leela Rae

Submitted to Contest #124

All of existence was in search of the truth. The Book of Knowledge and Wisdom held all of the answers, the secrets of eternity… locked away, in the center of a city, in a glass case, guarded by a solid white knight whom had never spoke. The key had not been seen for ages. Legends claimed it was a key made of glass just like the glass casing the book was contained in. One story told of the key being shattered in a million tiny pieces by the emperor because he found his wife sneaking and reading the book. A...

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“Too Tight Skin” by Mary Fitzgerald

Submitted to Contest #124

Warning - Possible Mental Health Trigger : I could always tell the people who hadn’t outgrown their skin, they were grumpy all the time or just went about their lives on autopilot and never followed their passions. In fact, they don't even know what their passions were anymore. Life in the world is difficult enough and it’s a painful process to become who you are meant to be, and begin to share your gifts with the world. I guess that’s why so many people never choose to go through it. It is a choice. It’s th...

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“Between Reality and Fiction” by R L

Submitted to Contest #124

A breeze, soothing but not welcomed, disturbs the world. It is my own world, where I imagine all who I could never be. Simple thoughts, then daydreams – reality is fierce. Its unavoidable purpose is to greet me gently and always against my will. This time it is slowing tires and chains and smoke returning to the intricate city life, because in front of me stands a strain.The door opens, my cue to enter. I do, without hesitation. I waste a paycheck on a ride I might enjoy, so I think better than to call it a waste. My feet and their proud whi...

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“Pashovsky Airport” by Elyse Garrett

Submitted to Contest #124

Pashovsky Airport July 27, 1996 ~ Pashovsky Airport, Krasnodar, Russia Lauren had booked a flight on a newer plane, a Russian YAK-40, instead of a train from Moscow to arrive in Krasnodar as fast as possible. Lauren waited in the gate area surrounded by sweaty passengers, tobacco smoke, and cheap perfume. The waiting passengers pushed against her and made her squeeze her satchel into her body and grip the lock on the front flap. It contained everything she needed, notarized, and apostilled dossier and certified documents, all held to...

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“Perfecto” by Jessica L 🦄

Submitted to Contest #124

Annette Schumer had Marie-Kondo’ed her past with the efficiency of a professional organizer. She’d gotten rid of any memories that didn’t spark joy, had a serious powwow with her future self and set goals and deadlines that could distract her from any notion that she had been anything but stable and predictable. It had been easy to discard the past like a pair of stockings with holes in them. Perhaps that was why it was a complete surprise when she opened her email one Monday morning to see “Reunion St. Thomas High School Class of 1994 .”&nb...

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“The Dentist and Colonel Bogie” by John Valentino

Submitted to Contest #124

The Dentist and Colonel Bogie Words: 2682 Replacement Lieutenant Mike Mose had a weekday off from his hated FDNY light duty assignment, cane, and all, when a phone call interrupted his early morning breakfast resulting in a stare down with wife, Mary. After the fifth ring, she gave in, as Mike made sure he had enough egg yolk on his bacon, before putting it away into his food-friendly throat. The tone of the conversation, he did not like. All she kept saying, was, “Oh he’ll do it, oh it’ll be all right with him, and sorry I can’t d...

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“Somewhere in Time (Part 2) ” by Eric D.

Submitted to Contest #124

“Take courage, my heart: you have been through worse than this. Be strong, saith my heart; I am a soldier; I have seen worse sights than this.”― Homer, The OdysseyKeya walked into the kitchen of the wealthy high-rise suite to find Rosa absent, instead one of the idols was there squinting at an ugly toad balancing on his hand. He kissed it and rubbed his cheeks against it, calling out its name in a playful tone. "Rosa, such a sweet girl. You missed your oppa, didn't you?" "You turned my friend into a frog!" shrieked Keya which made...

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“The Hidden Daughter” by Jenna Thompson

Submitted to Contest #124

Something was… off. It wasn’t too noticeable, nor was it very subtle, but Isaiah Huxley couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He knew that he’d be scolding himself for being so stupid once he found out what it was, but right now he was just trying to quell the anxiety that was slowly rising. Currently, he stood in the mudroom off the side of the kitchen, just past the drawing room where most of the Gazember family sat, talking quietly to each other. Of course, not all of the family was there; the youngest, Alice, had been kidnapped recently,...

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“Hope, Life, Joy” by Manolis Kokogiannakis

Submitted to Contest #124

Where have the days gone? The days when I will run outside, into the pile of leaves. The different colours of leaves represent multiculturalism that we had. I will jump into the pristine pool. It represents the health of our world. And my parents...well, they contribute to our lives, each day and night, each dawn and dust, each lunch and dinner, all the time. But now...where have the days gone? Now all I see are ashes, flames, and a polluted sky. Barely anyone lives here, only about 60 people. It is hard to imagine the city we used to live...

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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.