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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#197: Fate and Free Will

It’s an eternal question. Are our lives governed by our own actions, or subject to the powers of destiny? Religions, philosophers, writers, and everyday folk have been arguing about it for centuries, and we still don’t have a definitive answer. Stories of heroes locked into tragic fates they can’t escape make up a large portion of our oldest myths and legends. Yet modern stories tend to paint their protagonists as free will incarnate. Even so, there are still plenty that play with destiny.

This week, we want to explore the age-old conundrum of heroes. Are we in charge of our fate? Or is it all in the hands of some unknowable power laying out our path forward?

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone successfully — or unsuccessfully — escaping their fate.

Angst – 107 stories

Write about a god desperately trying to get their chosen hero to follow the path they set out for them.

Fantasy – 61 stories

Write a story that includes the phrase “I’m free!”

Dialogue – 60 stories

Write about somebody who wholeheartedly believes in fate, and views every little thing through the lens of predestiny.

Character – 22 stories

Set your story in a world where everyone’s decisions are made for them. One morning, your character wakes up, and chooses not to go to work. Wait…chooses?!

Thriller and Suspense – 18 stories

Stories

“The Color of Intrigue” by Sharyn Vicente

Submitted to Contest #197

The Color of Intrigue The very recollection of the foul odor emanating from my attacker causes me to double over, retching uncontrollably, and inadvertently scattering the files stacked on my desk. It is him on my computer screen—I’m certain it is. I have never had such a deep, visceral reaction to anyone else before or since that encounter. Surprisingly, most of my sick went into the wastebasket on the side of my desk. I cleaned up and sorted the scattered paperwork related to the case I’m working on. I am one step away from becoming a ...

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“Goads of Olympus ” by Derric Perez

Submitted to Contest #197

Note: Story contains a few swear words Goads of Olympus High in the heavens, among the clouds – somewhere between cirrus and stratus – there sat the billowy throne of Percipites, the god of meteorological phenomenon. A fair-weather deity, his capricious temperament would often see him abandoning the responsibility of managing his own stormy outbursts for more pleasant distractions. Whichever way the wind blew – which was largely at his own whim – Percipites was often see...

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“The Brightest Secret” by Amanda E

Submitted to Contest #197

Thunder boomed in the dark sky, but no lightning showed itself. Several people stopped to look down at the path to the Oracle. A heavier darkness weighed on the realm and the people noticed. The landscape of crooked empty trees and barren land changed from its normal hue of dark, muted blues and purples, black, and grey to an overwhelming sense of pure blackness. A young dark elf was approaching the Oracle. As the thunder sounded and the sky darkened, her gait changed from one of a normal errand to one that trembled. These people knew someth...

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“The fairy and the exiled prince” by Ido Shachen Tov

Submitted to Contest #197

I know what I need to do. Wanting has nothing to do with it. I do think I'm ready. But maybe I only believe I am ready because Fraelie told me so. All I have done so far was follow her words. She is the reason for everything I have. Except for my lineage, of course. I was a prince before meeting Fraelie. But she gave me everything that made me worth any value. She pushed and pressured me to become a leader. A great man. She gave me an ancient magical sword and told me where I was needed. The goddess told me to follow my destiny. That I wa...

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“Undying Humanity” by Grace Whitney

Submitted to Contest #197

"Please heal my wounds. This pain is too much, I'm afraid I can't muster up the strength or courage to continue." "You have no choice. You cannot turn back. I will set the path behind you ablaze and the only place left for you to run will be into the cold, dark. I have been gracious to you, I expect your respect and loyalty in return. Praise me, or I will make your pain worse." I held back my rage. I stored it in my bleeding chest and my bloody fists. Carving my face into stone, I weakly muttered, "Greatest god, I de...

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“Summer Eighty-five” by •Bubble _ Tea •

Submitted to Contest #197

Summer Eighty-five You’re not the first Falcon hero to scale Bowman’s Tower with a panoramic lens. We wait all year for a day like today, a fauvist fantasy, maybe rapture; post-modern way to say red and yellow if you’re a patron-of-the-arts. The autumnal equinox illustrated this year with readier maple and rowdier sycamore, though you might leave that open for debate with the pointillists before making an actionable case. Clyde’s footsteps biffed on the iron stairwell and then buffed on the carpeted corridor. A solemn gilded-brass...

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“An Age of Ending” by John Weyermuller

Submitted to Contest #197

There had once been a time Marduk could create and destroy at will. He could raise cities to the ground, flood entire kingdoms, and from the ashes, flooded wastes, and plains raise up creations all his own. He would walk the earth, inspiring Kings and priests to not only worship his name but to dole out justice, based upon the laws he inspired the men of the world to write in his honor. Now, instead of praising the great and powerful Marduk, people credit Hammurabi. “As if Hammurabi could have come up with even a quarter of those laws...

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“The champion” by Zachary MIlls

Submitted to Contest #197

The smell of the succulent steak the maid placed down drowned Brolg’s nose in bliss.“Hello? Father? Hello?" Someone said with snapping fingers to bring him back.“Huh? Yes, Anna, what is it?”“The expedition.”“Oh, yes. A demon general beat us to the last God portal piece. Tomorrow, we ride out to his stronghold for retrieval before they finish destroying it. I will go with the other piece and revive the Gods then and there, right in their faces.”“And then it will be over?”“Thundor so help me, it ends tomorrow.”“And then you and Dalia will…” sh...

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“The Nag” by Miriam Anderson

Submitted to Contest #197

I called him The Nag, because he was always there, in the darkest corners of my mind, ticking like a clock, watching, laughing, whispering in my ears.He first entered my life when I was five. It was the day I told my first lie. An innocent fib, I thought. I little deceit to cover up the real story behind the lost cookies. And then I heard it. A voice, small, quiet, but firm. Demanding. "Don't say anything. Keep the truth locked up. Keep quiet." That wasn't my last lie; it was the birth of years of deceit.When I was seven, I learned what the ...

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“Celestial.” by Skylar De La Cruz

Submitted to Contest #197

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Celestial. She always felt like there was something holding her back, like she was trapped in a cage. She dreamed of breaking free and living life on her own terms. One day, she decided to take a leap of faith and pursue her dreams. She packed a bag and left her old life behind, not knowing what the future held. As she walked down the street, she felt a sense of excitement and fear. As she walked, she saw a sign that said "Circus Performers Wanted." Celestial had always been fascinated by the circus a...

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“Freedom” by Allen DeCowsky

Submitted to Contest #197

When I think about being free, I think about being free from bondage, oppression, and control. I think about people who insist that their freedom is more important than others. Let me tell you about a time my uncle and I escaped from a time of persecution and oppression. When I was twelve years old, my uncle and I were taken from our old home in Arkansas. We were taken and forced to work as slaves in a slave facility. This slave facility was beyond cruel and brutal. They took people that exhibited, what they called, "Special Mental Ca...

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“Trapped” by Josselin Cortez

Submitted to Contest #197

I sat beside her and looked at her as the wind blew her hair to the side. She had planned to have a picnic with me for a while, we both knew that things like this happen rarely because we both work very often. We were in a beautiful open space, on the grass surrounded by dandelions. As Lori takes one of them and blows at the round dandelions causing the seeds to fly all around the field. She smiles at me and returns her gaze back to the field and then to the beautiful clouds above us. She says, “Rick, we should take photographs of the...

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“One Road to Destiny” by Teresa Hovatter

Submitted to Contest #197

Henry, Henry a fierce voice cried out! Awaken my lad and listen!! Henry jumped up as if a fire alarm had gone off, wondering what kind of dream he had been having. He had never heard a voice so clear to him in the middle of the night, suddenly he began to tremble thinking someone was in the house. “Hello” he whispered and moved swiftly to his closet where he knew there was a baseball bat he could grab. Tip Toeing to the closet, he grabbed the bat and made his way slowly into the hallway. He gradually crept into the living area and kitchen to...

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“The Day it all Changed” by Avery Dinges

Submitted to Contest #197

A long long time ago, one very cruel man did a very cruel thing to the people of Bushington. The people of Bushington tried to stop him, but Abaddon De Hatman was just too overpowering. This thing that Abaddon did was so wrong that people refused to talk about it. Abaddon De Hatman made it impossible for people to do the things that they loved. The poor kids never had the freedom to celebrate New Year’s or stay up past 9:00 o’clock. But the one that struggled the most was Koda McScoon. Koda McScoon is a senior in high school or shall I say ...

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“Team Free Will ” by Carissa Cherrington

Submitted to Contest #197

Will Papasian lived in a modest house with a green front door. He put in exactly forty hours every week at the paint factory, mixing the exact same shades of pine green and off-white paint. The same colors as his house, and indeed everyone’s house. The city of Nutopia was a sea of pine green and off-white as far as the eye could see. Will had never lent much thought to this fact; or much thought to any fact, really; thoughts weren’t necessary in Nutopia. Everything here moved smoothly, thanks t...

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$250

Prize money

268

Contest entries

100

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 12, 2023 EST

Won by HR Pinches 🏆

Title: The Fate of Customer 12

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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