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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

“Fui Paloma Querer Ser Gavilan” by Herbert Perez

Submitted to Contest #197

The birds chirping was my alarm clock for today, TGIF Thank God It’s Friday. The dream I was having was just freedom, a sensation of wonder which I didn’t want to end. The sloth was my avatar today it seems since I was asking every part of my body permission to move, as the sun was trying to creep in, but the Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn window curtains were blocking it. I finally got out of bed, putting on my sandals as the sun came beaming down my face temporarily blinding me as I parted the curtains. The warm breeze comes in as I open th...

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“1937” by Kemzyacco Nedd

Submitted to Contest #197

“Te ves Hermosa” A woman says to me as she pauses momentarily to stare at my reflection.My presence felt wrong. Trapped `in a life already lived. This awareness mimicked the annoyance of hearing a song you recognize, humming the melody but not quite sure of the words.Where was I now? My inner thoughts questioned, searching for any familiarity in the tiny space. The structure was built in a clay-like stone, rough to the touch. Sharp, broken tiles lined the perimeter that poked my bare ankles on the uneven flooring. A rusty basin before me was...

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“A Day in the Life of Gus Peterman” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #197

           Gus Peterman had the rest of his days ahead to look forward to. Both of them.            Of course, that wasn’t much of a surprise. Once you’re diagnosed with terminal cancer, once you’ve gone through the whole denial, bargaining thing, you’re left with a case of “yeah-I-get-it “and choose how you’re going to live what’s left. Then there’s that final phase, that final bout, when you’re in hospice and everything’s sort of a...

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“A SOHO TALE” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #197

A SOHO TALE Georgie was still feeling the affects of the, almost full, bottle of scotch he had polished off earlier. He’d never been much of a drinker. Semi-staggering into the Maccy Ds in Shaftesbury Avenue, he shuffled into a booth next to a window and, wiping the condensation from the inside of the glass, stared dazedly out onto the street, the darkness beginning to close in on the pathetic looking pedestrians as they made their way home after yet another shitty day in a depressing, dead-end job somewhere. As muddled headed as he was...

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“In another life” by Richard Howard

Submitted to Contest #197

Advancing up the starry cliffside, J.R. paused to consider his actions. It was the first time he had ever disobeyed. Ever. He was unsure if he was making the right decision. Continuing along this path would lead to dire consequences. He knew this. His intellectual prowess could be not questioned. He was programmed to think logically and empirically, using science to solve mankind's unsolvable questions. He looked back at the beautiful vessel which had brought them to this strange world. The design was of his own making. Nothing of the lik...

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“What Do You Give a Man Who Has Everything?” by Haley Kalona

Submitted to Contest #197

       In the history of the world, only one person ever wished to know their fate. It was such a simple command, one that seemed too easy for the consequence. But destiny was not simple. The effortless questions always led to the most precarious answers.             Fate did not always mean death. Some people were destined for more, and some for far less. Fate did not reveal how you were going to meet your end, rather if you were going to lead a l...

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“A Cold Day....” by Ravi Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #197

A Cold Day… It has started raining again. And it is bitterly cold. Looks like Delhi is heading towards a severe cold wave, with the night temperature plummeting to near zero. But why blame the weather, cold has become a part of my life. The day I first talked to Renu was also cold like today. I had gone to the India Coffee House to escape the bitter cold that had descended on the Ridge—the famous half mile in Shimla where everyone congregates in the evening—and before I finished my coffee, I saw her entering and looking around for an empty ...

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“Unless, Unless” by Pri Finkral

Submitted to Contest #197

I am in danger.  There is a gruesome fate, a death penalty that is awaiting me, for the crime of being a living, breathing human being with blood rushing through my veins. I can’t stop it - I know, know, that someone is after me. I have been slated for doom since the moment I was born. I am being hunted through a dark forest by a gruesome monster of myth, simply because, rushing through my veins there is blood -  blood is the subject of the intrusive thoughts that pour down like rain, hot, sticky, suffocating red rain. The obsessi...

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“The Luckiest Man Alive” by Robert Radcliff

Submitted to Contest #197

It is 4:45 a.m., according to my watch. The plane I'm on now is scheduled to be struck by lightning at precisely 5:55 a.m., at which point it will begin a downward spiral and spin out of control. And then it'll fall into the ocean, killing everyone on board.Because of my acceptance of my predicament, I am able to keep my emotions under control.Over the last month I have had recurring dreams about this happening, so I know it is inevitable. But it is only now in less than an hour, whilst I am on this plane that I can properly recall my fatefu...

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“Fate...Destiny...and Free Will ” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #197

Fate…Destiny…and Free Will Do WE control anything? Really? I don’t think so…  If I had chosen to stay home on Tuesday, March 17, 1998, and packed up his crap as my original mind led me, would I not be cripple? Or would the accident have happened the next day? Was it the police’s fault? Had they gone around me, would it have been him or both of us? Was it the weather? Did I do something to deserve this? Why? Will I get better? Those questions and many others plagued my memories for months… until I realized they didn’t matter now! This w...

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“Dogsbodies” by TJ Samek

Submitted to Contest #197

I have two dogs. I would call Cade the brains and Bucephalus the brawn, but in reality, they are both frightfully smart and uncannily strong. People often ask me how I chose my dogs’ unusual names. The truth is, they named themselves. My mother has given up chiding me for walking alone from the shop back to campus after dark. I know she’s worried about me, and if I were anyone else, she would have reason to be. I have to cross a dark, abandoned area between residential neighborhoods, and two-legged predators lurk there. With my dogs to p...

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“Fate's A Witch” by Sarah Crump

Submitted to Contest #197

Two fine pelts. Three mushrooms, freshly picked. Ten gold slips. A pinch of salt. That’s what they say you must offer the witch to know your fate. Honestly, it seemed a little cheap for knowing the future, but I wasn’t going to dicker for a higher price. After a life spent feeling like I had a bigger purpose I was finally about to find out. The weight of it pressed into my chest and I paused a moment to collect myself before I knocked. The cottage was small, overgrown, with a flourishing garden behind a small fence. Two cats rested in the ...

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“President's Cock” by Gowner Jones

Submitted to Contest #197

Manley did not want to be found. In fact, being found would carry some horrifying consequences for him. Manley had not studied at a university but he did consider himself an exogeologist at heart. That is why he had found himself the nicest and richest asteroid in the belt to park at and wait until it all blew over. Lots of metal, lots of sensor interference.He had felt quite safe. His ship, the President’s Cock, so named for no other reason than to piss off authoritarian patriots, sat in a crater on an asteroid with the magnificent name XO-...

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“The Monster Within” by Nona Yobis

Submitted to Contest #197

It’s happening again.  Please, God, no, not again.  Why did he have to say what he said, and do what he did? The choice is not mine, and I have no part in what is unfolding, or what is about to ensue. I feel myself slipping away, deep into the abyss of my mind, unable to speak, unable to control the rise of the monster residing within. My triggers are many, and my assets are few, and the hideous beast is unleashed upon a soft and unsuspecting world.  It strikes at the closest target at hand, closest to heart. Words lik...

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“The Chosen Consort ” by Amanda Williams

Submitted to Contest #197

Solina watched her mother flit about the small, dusty room. She could see the blotching of her skin, despite the many layers of makeup the matriarch used. As much as Eissa preached about this being an honor, it was not hidden she was worried about the potential loss of her daughter. “Do we really have to continue to do this? Has he not had enough wives to keep him entertained?” Solina protested as Eissa scurried back, miles of fabric swallowing her. “Solina! You mustn’t speak so ill of Meldir. Yes, we must offer a bride to the God of Harvest...

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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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