#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 Thief in the Garden” by Austin Seaver

Submitted to Contest #124

Born as the only son of an absent father and an ill mother, Oskar lacked every resource for success; except the desperation only an empty stomach could provide. A desperation that was cultivated by the untimely death of his nurturing mother at age five. If there had been an ounce of luck in his body, Oskar would have been adopted by the holy man that laid his mother to her eternal slumber. Instead, he was cursed to hunt for scraps of food that fell from carriages, into horse manure that littered streets of the great kingdom.Despite being for...

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“Hidden Apostate” by L.J Sunwing

Submitted to Contest #124

“Oof”, Ripley falls onto her bed. The comfort holds her body like a coffin. The warmth cradles her amongst the stress of midterms which is almost over besides a project to hand in tomorrow. With that being finished, she is excited to relax for the first night since the Summer. The window is slightly open and the fall breeze comes in and brushes her face. Despite having track practice tomorrow, she was happy to spend an hour alone while her roommates were gone. This left an empty and quiet apartment for the book worm. She looked at the book s...

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“DIG #235” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #124

“Seek and ye shall find…” The script in English was cut deep into the wall of the ancient structure recently revealed at Dig #235. The young archaeologist trembled as her brush swept sand from the last word. How long ago had humans lived on this world? This was always a key question in the work of interstellar archaeologists. She had been assigned to this section of the dig to search for clues about the human diaspora as historians had come to call the centuries of humans migrating across the Universe. There was documentation from archaeolog...

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“Santa Claus’s Secret” by Laura Simmons

Submitted to Contest #124

“Ok, let’s not panic, Bumpkins! The North Pole has to be here somewhere!” Bumpkins was talking to himself, as usual. His GPS wasn’t functioning for some reason, and he had to resort to reading , and at the thought Bumpkins sighed deeply, a paper map! “Great, genius, you’re reading it upside down!” He turned the map right side up, and then saw the problem. He had traveled 90 miles east when he should have been going north- west! This far north, there were few road signs. That was no consolation, though, when he had to be at the Clauses’ ...

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“Without A Map” by Sheila Wilensky

Submitted to Contest #124

Without a Map By Sheila Wilensky I took a left on 5th Street and stumbled into the past. Another left onto 4th Avenue, strolling back through the years, I noticed that nearly every business had a closed sign in front. The buildings were constructed of wood -- not of bricks or concrete -- like today. No shiny Priuses, no yellow streetcars, or steel tracks could be seen in the center of the street. In fact, there was no asphalt street. Antigone Books and multiple purveyors of tchotchkes didn’t exist either. Ha, I knew Tucso...

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“Mountain Drive” by Catherine Duffy

Submitted to Contest #124

“I think we keep left here” I say, folding the corner of the interstate map. He turns the wheel with one hand while the other rests upon my knee. The windows are open- not too far- but far enough for a few strands of hair to break free of His knit hat. The sharp winter air sends energy through my lungs and even though we’re driving down the freeway, the whole world feels frozen in time. It’s early in the morning- so early that the sunlight has yet to shine through the mountaintops. We drive in silence, neither one of us re...

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“The Alaskan Olive Oil Hunt” by Choki Chocat

Submitted to Contest #124

“Tracy….Tracy…. TRACY!!” “Sweet Jesus, what do you want?!” McKinley points to the map Tracy was holding. Daniel was leaning on a pole smoking a cigarette. Four young adults have been standing on a corner for about 5 minutes looking at a map some homeless bum just gave to them. The reason being they were looking for some olive oil, but not just any olive oil, EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil. Only quality ingredients for these food connoisseurs. What did the map have to do with all this? Well, the bum tha...

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“Der Wind hat mir ein Lied erzählt” by Aborigen GTS

Submitted to Contest #124

Kyle threw himself into an alley, no longer caring whether he soiled his jacket. Fuck, fuck, fuck! His shoulder bounced badly off the brick wall and he collapsed too soon, hastily tucking his legs in after him. He froze, holding his breath, ignoring the cold puddle under his hip, the stench of the trash bags a yard away. The voice rang out: “Yoo-hoo!” Are you shitting me? Who even says yoo-hoo? He pushed himself up to a nearly standing position. There had to be another exit. Cautiously he receded into the alley, picking his way around ...

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“Found” by Rob Ryter

Submitted to Contest #124

Wednesday 16 February: Hide and Seek“I know you’re in here,” Molly called out as she pushed open the oak door, her cheery voice floating on the hollow feeling that she ought not to be doing this.For that matter, neither should Mary, whose feet Molly had spotted, under the curtain. Holding her breath, she padded across the faded rug and jerked the velvet aside, to expose her sister’s hiding place.But Mary was not there. Just her shoes, the glossy leather reflecting the window’s wan light.A hand clapped down on Molly’s shoulder. “God, Mary, do...

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“Hide and Seek ” by June O'conner

Submitted to Contest #124

Alright, just breathe, relax. Chase Green had a beautiful mind, dripped in honey and malt, pure genius. She's the one who said we should play. In December when the ground was frozen hard as stone as the weather took a turn. In December when the air smelled of spiced pears and cracked pepper. It whirled around us as we ran, streaming in luxurious patterns from the homes lining the old dirt road. There were five of us then. First breathe in. Asher Kent had a poisonous mind, washed in salt and syrup, absolute darkness. He’s the one who ...

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“The Couple on the Hill” by C.B. Oates

Submitted to Contest #124

In my early forties I began to doubt myself. Had I accomplished enough so far? Did I have enough time left to achieve the lofty dreams of youth? Which would be longer, the trail behind me or the path ahead? I wouldn’t say that I had a mid-life crisis, because no one wants to think of their days on a timeline, but I did do something somewhat spontaneous.It was a windy, fall day in late September. The sky- a heavy, gray blanket- was waiting for the right moment to weep. I was on my way home from work and wrestling with my inner monologue. At w...

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“Defining Yourself” by Jane Curtis

Submitted to Contest #124

I survived my birth mother's attempt to abort me. When I was a few hours old she wrapped me in newspaper, went down an alley, and pushed me deep into a trash can. My big brother who was 4 followed her. He fished me out of the trash and took me to a neighbor's house. We children lived mostly under the house for protection. We were not bathed because the bruises would show. My big brother & sister took care of me and then when I was 2 my little sister was born, and I cared for her. When our little brother was born less than a year later, I...

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“In Search of Sophie” by Sophie Smith

Submitted to Contest #124

Everyone has a wall built around themselves, there to protect them from the dangers occupying their world. For some people, their wall only consists of a few bricks. Looking more like an ancient ruin than an actual wall. They are the lucky ones. The ones that haven’t had to experience trauma. They haven’t needed to protect themselves from the world. Other people like me, their walls are sky high with no chance of escape. No way out. No way in. Mine resembles a tower. So high up in the sky that all you can see ...

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“The Mural” by Kevin Schenk

Submitted to Contest #124

The water was flowing quickly on this beautiful and sunny day. The air was crisp and the rolling green hills gave way to the local flora and fauna. He squinted as he stared out into the distance of the rolling plains and saw from a mountain-side a glistening light. It reflected light from the sun, but to, to Pojo or He Who Hunts in his local tongue, it was a sign of the gods. A sign that the gods had spoken to him, chosen him, to go to that spot. Their sun god was the main being who gave all things life. The chemical reactions that it's rays...

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“The Reaper's Run” by Brooke Freeman

Submitted to Contest #124

The Reaper’s Run By Brooke Freeman Momma drew the coat collar close around my neck and buttoned the last button. She then smoothed the edges of the sleeves before giving me one last quick squeeze around the waist. "Remember," she said somberly. "The crows are your friend." I nodded, throat tight and unable to speak. It was time to go. And we both knew it. The town was waiting for us. It was a cloudy day outside, ominous grey clouds hanging low over the village. It often was on Harvest Day....

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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.

Stories