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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 Writing Process ” by Anne Reed

Submitted to Contest #197

Here I am again, staring at another blank page - well, not page, I write stories on my phone. You know those moments during the day when you have nothing to do at work so you take out your phone when no one is looking? Then you stare at the blank screen and commit yourself to the gods of writing, if there are any, but you’re fairly certain that if they existed, the writing gods would really enjoy tormenting the people who worship at their altar and - gosh darn it, I think that’s a run-on sentence. It’s so hard when the screen keeps scrolling...

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“Hidden” by Nandar Min Naing

Submitted to Contest #197

The bass of the music echoed around the club as if to trap the people in it with its sound of heavy oompf-oompf overlayed with a rap verse that consisted entirely of cuss words and a detailed description of women shaking their buttocks. Women clad in stringy bikinis and opaque teddies tramped up and down the walkway, some finding a seat on laps of leery men and some convincing over-eager twenty-something year olds to celebrate their bachelor party in the club's most costly, private VIP rooms. Podiums with erect poles were set up as strippers...

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“TEA TIME” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #197

TEA TIME No.74. Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre, Bad Nenndorf, Lower Saxony, British Occupation Zone. July 1945. British officer, Captain Smith, sat at the conference table and continued to brief his newly arrived commanding officer. “So that’s two more in custody, sir. They’re both in denial of course but we shall crack them pretty quickly with the help of Klein”. “Ah, yes. This Klein. What can you tell me about him, Captain? I hear he’s been a tremendous help to us in the hunt for these Nazis”. “First rate chap, sir...

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“NIKO'S FATE: A TESTIMONY FROM PRISON” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #197

What is fate? Fate is determined by the choices we make. Are the choices we make good or bad? Has fate finally come to get me? I ask myself these questions every day of my life. I governed my choices, my fate on what I thought I was supposed to do and because of my choices I landed in a place I never imagine I would be in. My name is Niko this is my story on how I landed in the most unimaginable place Prison. My story begins in my neighborhood of South L.A. where I grew up in a single parent home. My father wasn't in the picture, in fact I...

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“A Hero In A Random Place” by Candace Bellamy

Submitted to Contest #197

Why must I feel lost while everyone else around me seems to have it all? They obtain it with such ease making sure to showcase it all to everyone else. I am the one that defines my path for destiny, but which way is my route when it all feels like dead ends? There is a way out as long as my will stays strong, but I do not know if it can. It makes me think, why did my parents not do more to help me succeed in my journey through life? I have come to learn I can do better without them and their love for me is no longer there. Parents and teach...

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“Hopelessly Intertwined” by Gigi Hinton

Submitted to Contest #197

Alcohol thickened the air, the smell clogged my nose and made my head pound. Slowly shutting the door behind me, I made my way blindly through the dark room. I always hated this more than any other in the mansion, it always smelled like this no matter how much the room was cleaned. Feeling my way around, I stumbled towards the candle illuminating a small corner and the desk it sat upon. The candle’s light allowed me to see papers scattered widely along the desk, some covered in drops of alcohol from the large, half-empty bottle placed haphaz...

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“What Came Next” by Michael Dunnavant

Submitted to Contest #197

Daphne sat on their porch, quietly watching the neighborhood. She smiled as she realized that It would not be their porch much longer, comforted in knowing what was to come. It was good to know things before they happened. No reason to worry. No surprises. She never liked surprises. They made her uncomfortable. Assurances were far more peaceful to live with than doubts. Knowing what loomed around the corner made for easy living. Her palms suddenly started to sweat. She rubbed her hands nervously on her legs, ...

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“Fate's Loyal Passenger” by Jules Truong

Submitted to Contest #197

The office bumbled with people speaking into their telestones and conjuring scrolls to scribble report upon report of the happenings around the continent, whether they be studies being conducted in Pluviot, the City of Tears, or in the far off port city of Ochole and the shipments they were receiving. Most were determined, faces set grimly as most of the information and news flowing through the Archives Chamber were typically quite bad: natural tragedies, murders, disappearances, and of course, reports on the Affliction spreading, especial...

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“'ICKY MADE ME DO IT'” by Kajsa Ohman

Submitted to Contest #197

“ICKY MADE ME DO IT” When Danny saw the starburst of forks strewn across the floor, he mumbled, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” And knew he was lying. Of course he had meant to. How could you accidentally knock over a heavy metal container with a cast-iron bottom? But the truth—Icky made me do it—was one truth he was never going to tell. “That was just plain stupid,” Mrs. Mommy was informing him, as if he were in fact stupid. “You need to stop making these messes, Danny! What are we going to do with a bad boy who won’t ...

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“The Cycle of Hope and Despair” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #197

Warning: miscarriage and struggles with pregnancy “I don’t know why we keep trying,” Yolanda said. “We keep trying because it’s something we deeply want,” Thomas replied. “But is it something we deeply want anymore? I am so sick of this whole thing being so prescriptive and failing every time.” Yolanda put her face in her hands. Her red curls seemed to swallow her finger tips. “It wasn’t always so prescriptive, you know?” “I know,” Thomas laid a thick hand on his wife's back. “We had fun in the beginning.&nb...

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“Jane's Escape” by Hollie T

Submitted to Contest #197

“Well, fuck you in the eye with a skewer then,” Jane quietly muttered. Whether her comment was heard or not wasn’t totally apparent, but the conversation continued. “I’m just reminding you that it’s always been this way. Every being has a purpose and this is yours. We all have to come to terms with our lot in life, although you do seem to have more trouble than most accepting this.” The priestess looked at Jane for what seemed like a long time, and then when there was no response, she went on. “You can call it Fate, or Destiny, or whatever y...

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“In Evils We Hide” by Heron Pluvio

Submitted to Contest #197

NOTE: My take on fate has been the way we have organised society to push everyone into the same life (school, college, work, retire, die) We, as humans, always seem to be looking for something to blame. We tell stories, create worlds, and in many of the most popular instances, the evil is not human. We wish to convince ourselves that there is something worse than us, that commits atrocities we would never be able to overlook, but when you look to the real world, and look for those evils that we wish to blame for all that hurts us, it is ou...

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“To Rolling Hills of Wildflowers” by T Joy Fink

Submitted to Contest #197

[Trigger warnings: ideas of death, gun use]It was a bright day when I was born, or at least that’s what Darla told me. The first sunny day after a long bout of rain. Mud puddles everywhere, but luckily lush patches of grass, too.I have a faint memory of my mother. Beautiful, shiny black hair, but crooked ears. A hefty broad, who held her weight in all the right places. Nice wide hips and an outspoken demeanor. What I remember most distinctly were her eyes. Big and brown, like they knew what I was thinking. Always knew when I needed a snack o...

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“A Message from A Time Past” by Esteban Illanez

Submitted to Contest #197

The year is 2052… The day played out exactly as the one before it, and that one also played out as the day that preceded it, which also was exactly the same as the day before it. Darcel was tired. Not even exploring the carefully crafted worlds of the virtual simulations satisfied him anymore. He wanted a real experience. He looked at the window. Outside a vibrant forest with tall green grass and enormous trees expanded into the horizon. Darcel yearned to get lost in its woods, exploring every little detail hidden underneath the tall grass...

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“Of Dreams and Donuts ” by Joseph Niesen

Submitted to Contest #197

Twila and Thumbs sat in a pea-green booth next to a large picture window. The early morning sun slowly turning the stale air around them into a tropical inferno. “You sure I gotta do this?” asked Thumbs. “I don’t even know where to begin.” “It’s easy. It’s mostly just talking to them; watch,” said Twila. Her mop of carrot-red locks bounced as she rose from the booth and sauntered over to the counter where an employee stood emptying the basket on a large drip coffee machine. “Woah there!” said Twila. “Before you go brewing up anoth...

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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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