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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#134: Look Up

This Friday, the 18th of February, marks the 92nd anniversary of Pluto being discovered — and though it’s no longer considered ‘big enough’ to be an official planet, it will always have a big place in our hearts. With it’s hot-to-cold cycles and snow-capped mountains, this almost-planet almost looks like home. (That said, we still wouldn’t recommend it for your next vacation!)

To mark the occasion, this week’s prompts are a love letter to our favorite forgotten planet, and the spirit of discovery in general.

This week's prompts

Your character, by chance or habit, peers through a telescope. They see something unusual — what is it?

Dystopian – 53 stories

Set your story beyond our own world.

Science Fiction – 50 stories

Write about a character who has a ‘hot and cold’ personality — or is affected by someone like this.

Character – 30 stories

End your story with a character looking out on a new horizon.

Narrative – 63 stories

Write from the POV of someone, or something, that experiences gravity differently.

Science Fiction – 27 stories

Stories

“My Forgotten LIves” by Marc Graziadei

Submitted to Contest #134

Reincarnation still remains a wide enigma throughout the course of humankind; some have considered it as a ratings game. The interpretation that I currently understand is that of an idealist feature of changing lives with the irrelevance of its’ gender. Once the first given existence is completed; one supposedly proceeds accordingly with the successions onto the next life span. This process would depend on how did the individual’s behaviour and personality got along with humanity in the previous one. This continuous of flow of linked humanit...

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“Life without you” by RAKESH MATHUR

Submitted to Contest #134

The sketch pad lay open on the table as Abhilash twirled the 4B pencil. His brows were knitted, forming a deep furrow on his forehead and beads of perspiration stuck there like mini pearls in clams. The fan overhead moved listlessly and in futility, as the voltage dipped again. Abhilash felt his inspiration evaporating in the unbearable heat of the mid- day sun beating down relentlessly. The fan moved in ever slowing circles and finally came to a stop.“This place is just terrible to live in now”, Savi shouts from the bedroom.Abhilash feels h...

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“Serendipity” by Rodd Dana

Submitted to Contest #134

Serendipity Michael McAllister ran in trying to catch a breath, announcing triumphantly, “I did it, Sully! Check your screen. My Garmin 530 reads, 4.59.09. That’s under five minutes,” greedily grabbing another breath. “I said I’d do it! You owe me fifty bucks. The man behind the counter scowled at his screen, saying. “I don’t believe it! Close to five minutes in ‘cross-town-traffic is the record for a nut-case who’s dead now. But you imibicile, doing it is less than five is not only impossible, but insane!’ “Well, I did it! Your computer...

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“Beyond” by Alp Kuzu

Submitted to Contest #134

The flickering lights of the spaceship woke him up from what seemed like an eternity of sleep to him. The humming of the engines grew louder with the buzz of electricity until both reached complete stillness. The pod gently slid open and Cole pushed himself to a sitting position. The effort alone was enough to bring much needed heat back to his muscles, but before attempting to get up, he made sure he stretched every inch of his body very, very cautiously as if he were handling a thin glass vase. He slung his legs down the pod, but they didn...

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“A New Dawn” by Daniel Garza

Submitted to Contest #134

From wherever it is our souls come from when we sleep, Or 'die', Or both, he awoke with a jolt gasping for air like someone coming out from being underneath water for just a bit too long. But with the big gulp for a breath came a terrifying dry cough when he began to choke with the dirt he had just sucked in. His right cheek had been directly planted on the ground from him falling face first the night before. He hadn't known nor even pondered that he would lose consciousness while walking, if not he ...

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“Dear Bob” by Sarah Ann Mellstrom

Submitted to Contest #134

February 15, 2022Dear Bob,It has been about a year since I wrote you, for that I apologize. Someone so dear as yourself deserves correspondence more frequently than once a year. But here I am, another Valentine's Day, celebrating your birthday writing a letter.It was our eldest granddaughter that reminded me, though she didn't know at the time that it was your birthday. She sent me a box of homemade gingerbread cookies and a gourmet cat treat for my new cat on Valentine’s Day. A cat? I know, we never had a cat when we lived together, three b...

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“The Heaviness of Waiting ” by Avery Thomason

Submitted to Contest #134

I open my eyes as I feel the sunlight coming through my apartment window and struggle to take a couple of deep breaths. I can already feel the crushing weight against me once more as I glance at the clock on my nightstand. It’s 10:23 a.m. I release a heavy sigh and grind my teeth in aggravation. Why am I not used to this already? Why does it feel the same every time? I think to myself, trying my hardest to roll over so I can at least face the window. I feel so useless with this constant weight on me; all I want is to be like everyone else. I...

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“The West Hill” by Madalynn Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #134

“Amber! Amber! You have to come see this!” Fredrick was paralyzed as he peered into his telescope, unable to decipher what it was that he saw. He had hoped that when he opened his present that he would see extraordinary things, but nothing prepared him for this. “Fredrick, you just set it up! Did you really find something?” Amber yelled as she came running through the back door, her strawberry blonde hair already in a bun ready to see what her little brother had found. “Mom said it’s time for cake, so we have to be fast!” Amber ...

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“The Divide” by Hans Pohai Müller

Submitted to Contest #134

Faint rays of light beamed through the sole observation window of the landing module. The light cast shadows that danced across the compact interior before falling again to darkness. The module’s many control panels and sensors flashed a rainbow of colors while various calculations ran across rows of dimly lit screens. These numbers accounted for everything a Navigator needed to carry out a successful flight. The module even had a powerful instrument that measured, in real time, the radioactive decay of the water and rations aboard the vesse...

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“A Real Boy” by Senta Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #134

Sensitive content: animal crueltySomewhere in the countryside of Merida. Mexico, a bruja blanca knelt in the womb of a dark and wet cave. The witch’s shadow climbed the wall behind her as she set the lantern down. Her chest rose and fell as her breath came out in a warm mist. Only then did the middle-aged sorceress begin to dig at the virgin clay before her. The clay squelched as she added another handful, and then another until it began to take the form of a small human. Concepciòn had never created an alux before, but her grandmother ...

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“The Lonely Moon” by Chante Duran

Submitted to Contest #134

WARNING: This story features suicidal ideology and sexual content. He stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing out over the sea. It was midnight, and the skies were crystal clear. He could see every star in the sky. The sea itself was smooth as glass, and as black as ink. It’s as if it were an obsidian mirror, reflecting each star perfectly on its surface. The sea and sky were one, and it was a beautiful sight to behold. If only he weren’t so lonely. Only one moon was visible in the sky, which would explain the calmness of the sea. This pl...

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“Controlled Burns” by J.W. Mack

Submitted to Contest #134

The window over the sink was larger than it needed to be, a seemingly frivolous luxury for the tiny kitchen. In a house that exuded pastoral simplicity, it seemed out of place. Maggie imagined the discussion they must have had during the construction. “Let’s put a big, nice window here.” “We don’t need anything like that.” “Yes, but wouldn’t it be nice to have but one thing that we want?” Freckled hills and hardwood forests filled the view. It could be a pretty view, she thought. She ran her fingers down around the window’s edges, feeling ...

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“Two Horizons” by Mark Hebert

Submitted to Contest #134

Two HorizonsA Tale From The Silver Exodus SeriesMarcus AbearCopyright February 2022mfabear@icloud.comOn my last morning on earth, I decided to get up early and watch the sunrise for the last time. The eastern horizon turned from dark orange to a brown and yellow haze as the rising sunlight filtered through the dust and gas in the atmosphere. Over the last three weeks the Yellowstone Supervolcano had pumped enough dust and gases into the air that the skies had turned into what I could only explain as LA smog on its worse day.I kept everything...

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$250

Prize money

223

Contest entries

128

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 25, 2022 EST

Won by Story Time 🏆

Title: The Hovering Age

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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