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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

“Genesis on Ganymede” by Zach Martz

Submitted to Contest #134

Construction had finally wrapped up on the artificial habitat that stood alone in the massive rocky field. It was little more than a white canvas tent fifty feet in diameter, secured to the ground with large titanium bolts, but it was the only mark of human civilization in the entire world. The three astronauts that had built it were now seated outside the Hab in their spacesuits, gazing up at the foreboding brown-gray sky. Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, cast a gigantic shadow over their new home.“Ladies and gentlemen,” one...

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“Gravity, is working against me” by Gianluca Angelucci

Submitted to Contest #134

Gravity, is working against me.Just to be clear, I’m not a moron. I know my Newtonian physics, the laws of gravity work on me just like anybody else. The thing is, and I know for sure, the thing is that gravity has got something against me.Why would it be so aggressive is beyond my understanding, but I can feel it pushing me down, compressing my bones, my stomach. Opposing my every move.I tried to get it checked, first I got to the best physicians in the country. They tried with blood analysis, x-rays, postural gymnastics, positrons, CT-scan...

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“The Island of Women” by Barbara Burgess

Submitted to Contest #134

Once upon a time in a kingdom far from here there was an island and on that island lived a tribe of women who were so beautiful it is said you would not want to leave the island but would want to lie in their arms forever being caressed and loved. The women are tall, slender, with tanned skin, long dark wavy hair, blue eyes, small noses and full lips. It is also said that the waters around the island are treacherous, filled with sunken sailing ships that floundered on the jagged rocks and all on board eaten by the sea monsters that swam ...

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“Priscilla falls for Dr Anderson and Things Get Heavy” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #134

Priscilla floated out of bed. The idea of gravity never occurred to her before she fell for Dr Anderson.Without gravity she never “picked her head off the pillow” in the morning. She never “stood” for anything, nor felt “heavy hearted” when decisions needed to be made.Those were the types of things he said, but for Priscilla most days she happily drifted through life cleaning and organizing, checking in on neighbors. Occasionally playing a practical joke when someone wasn’t home and moving their things around just to keep life interesting.“L...

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“Defeated Through Darkness” by Lennox Ducksworth

Submitted to Contest #134

If you gaze hard enough, the cavernous ceiling turns into a sky of gold when the orb comes to our level—that’s what Uncle Nate used to say. When the warm light rose to the next level, the golden sky disappeared and the cloak of choking darkness returned. It leaves…like everyone else. The light was her companion like Ally was—was. Focus, Amalea flicked her skull. She extended the rusty telescope and searched the vast rooftops of the cramped city. Smoke rose from torn wooden and iron roofs and mild screams filled the metropolis; she bit...

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“In stars we trust” by Liv Valen

Submitted to Contest #134

My doorbell just kept ringing without pause. When I opened the door, Isaac ran right away into the bathroom like a dog being chased and said ‘heyyy’ very prolonged, door to door. “My scientific research proves that if seven seconds after entering the apartment door, you pee already while still having your coat and backpack on, you’ve been only about five to ten seconds from the event horizon.” He said while he took off his coat. “I’m really glad you made it.” I nod appreciatively and turn on the PlayStation, passing him a beer, lik...

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“Journeying Into Death” by James Grasham

Submitted to Contest #134

Just three days from leaving Afferton, Armin saw the tower built by old King James puncturing the horizon like a hundred-foot needle. Its long shadow cast the final leg of his day’s journey into darkness. One hundred soldiers call it home, guarding the kingdom of Peccothia from the foul beings that haunt the waste. Armin had heard the stories of scorpions with claws that could cut a man in two, and worms that could swallow a horse whole, he supposed they were little more than stories. As they approached, a guard hailed them from atop the b...

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“A Sky So Clear ” by Emerald Lace

Submitted to Contest #134

The sky was so clear you could see a million winking stars in an ocean of inky black. The heat from the desert subsided as the night had fallen, which forced her to pull her winter coat and hat on as she set up her telescope in its usual spot. She’d been fascinated with worlds beyond her own since she was old enough to admire the sky. In her pursuit of finding the answers to the unanswerable questions, like are we alone or where did life start, she’s traveled all over the world, but this spot of land in the middle of nowhere was the place th...

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“Lola” by Michael Danyluk

Submitted to Contest #134

He called up an escort, he couldn't handle it: he had to get her off his mind. He missed her: he missed her face; he missed the cute way she moved, the way she would cuddle up with him and make him feel like everything in the world was alright. A hooker was a good way to take his mind off her. “Hello?” “Hey, how are you tonight hun?” “I'm good, I'm good. How are you, my love.” “Good, had a few drinks and I'm looking to have some fun.” “Oh yeah? You want me to come over?” “Yeah, come over.” “Ok, It's 250 dollars for the hour.” “That's...

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“Things are looking up” by Ramona Powell Poole

Submitted to Contest #134

The buzzer on Briana’s desk phone went off. “Briana, can you come into my office please?” said the voice on the other end. “Yes, just a minute”, Briana answers. She pushes herself back from her desk, grabs her notepad, and heads into her boss Mark’s office. When she enters the room, she notices that Mark has a disheveled look about him. She sits in front of his desk and asks if he’s okay. Mark brushes his hand across the top of his head, scuffing up his hair more than it already was. “Mark, what’s wrong?” asks Briana. Mark looked...

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“The Nothingness in the stars” by Filipe Da Costa

Submitted to Contest #134

“Ola Papa,” she said as she trotted her way to her beloved grandfather,“Buenos Dias, Carina” he responded, looking away from the lens.“Oh, how beautiful you look today with your little dress. Did mama get you that dress Mina?” he asked in his thick Spanish accent.She shyly looked away with a smile, hiding the blushing from his gentle prodding.“Come sit with papa. I want to show you the universe.”“what’s a uni-verse, papa?” she politely asked. Her tone was genuine, innocent like a child’s should be. She sat perched on his lap, facing th...

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“Dakota Bound” by Kristine Bone

Submitted to Contest #134

-Dakota Bound- Chicago, July of 1875 - Clutching my valise to my body tightly, I cautiously stepped forward to board the railroad car along with the many others gathered on the wooden platform. The humid air gave me cause to wipe my forehead of sweat and then place the handkerchief in front of my nose to block the chocking fumes. This smoking monster, the Chicago and Northwestern train, would be taking its passengers away from this hot Midwestern city today. Traveling west from my Chicago home to unknown Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Da...

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“Name is Monk, Mames Monk” by Happyflix Movies

Submitted to Contest #134

EARTH: Year 2055 We people were so bloody busy destroying our homes with extra-ordinary capabilities in torturing each other’s communities and putting blames on others, that we often neglected the forthcoming dangers for existence of human species on planet Earth. Blinded with craziness for more power, we created the biological problems that even the smartest community of scientists were unable to address, forget about finding the solution to earlier blunders we committed. Yet, some of our own species have had a good heart and soul, w...

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“The Secret Of The Primordial Flame” by LaKeisha Hart

Submitted to Contest #134

Morriell Meadowsweet stepped out the back entrance of the Trixie Pixie into the crisp night air, adjusting the straps of his satchel more securely onto his back. The relief of quitting time was almost intoxicating; he breathed in the cool, sweet air, and exhaled hard, letting the tension from a ten-hour day over a hot stove drain away. The Trixie Pixie was the most popular nightclub in Faewyne Village. It attracted ‌all denizens, male and female, far and wide, from all walks of life. There was anything for anybody inside those walls, as well...

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“Left for Ruin” by Ashley Porter

Submitted to Contest #134

Eighteen years old and I've never killed a person. An outrage, many would call it. Others would argue and call it quite an accomplishment. I call it life. You live with it, you deal with it, you're stuck with it, and you eventually die with it. Or, in other words, you're killed with it. The only way anyone can survive a day in Vildran is if they don’t trust anyone and don’t give anyone a possibility to betray them. There are hardly any young people because parents don’t want another possible traitor. The few exceptions a...

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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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