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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

“Roseline's Escape” by Bernie Rhodes

Submitted to Contest #197

There was only one small window but it was tented, and I couldn’t see through it. There were no clocks, so I lost all sense of time. I struggled to remember what happened. A man who called himself Max came in and warned me not to attempt an escape. He kept calling me Roseline. There was nothing in the small and confined room that could be used as a tool to break out. I found nothing to use as a weapon, and could never overpower him, for he seemed too strong. His appearance repulsed me. He was morbidly overweight, and he stank ...

4 comments 4
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“Nausea” by Moludan Moore

Submitted to Contest #197

Jean Paul lay in a meadow; half asleep, half aware of the sheep grazing around him. His mind hummed with the blissful vibrato of unconsciousness: he heard nothing, smelled nothing– in part away, in part aware of his being away. Each passing thought animated behind his eyes, in fleeting brightly coloured images, whose sense was not analysed, but felt. He thought, in his far away mind, that his self must be exempt from his body, if, while the body sleeps, he is thus alighted. Yet he knew at once to be true, should his body die, he must die alo...

1 comment 1
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“The Eyes of a Child” by Amanda Blackwood

Submitted to Contest #197

I walked out of the door to my temporary home in Scotland with nothing in my pockets but one cigarette and a lighter. I wouldn't need more than that, I figured. I didn't have more than that. I walked the short mile to an ancient graveyard where I sat on the church steps for an hour or two, praying somebody would find me and take me inside, to tell me I would be okay and that life was worth living. Tears were shed. They soaked into the beautiful red stone steps and disappeared into the cold. I wanted to do the same. Nobody came for me. ...

11 comments 11
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“Hercules Shrugged” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #197

Hercules Shrugged“Are you coming to church, Wally?”“Yes, I have a special intention.”“No, Wally, you can’t do that.”“Why not, Gladys? If you can pray for your beast of a sister to recover from her big toe surgery, I can ask for a little nudge to get Junior headed in the right direction in life.”“Wally, you can’t ask God to get your kid to play football. Besides, it’s his life. You have to let him do what he wants to do, allow him to pursue his dreams.”“Gladys, the kid is 6’2’’, weighs 215 lbs., and runs like a freaking gazelle. And he’s just...

7 comments 7
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“Vampire Teeth” by Olivia Lake

Submitted to Contest #197

Katherine had asked Jim to pick Tiffany up after school. For Jim, this was either a sign of Katherine’s unfounded optimism, or her profound desperation. The first and only time he met Tiffany was a disaster. Katherine told him that Tiffany loved Italian food, so he took them to his favorite restaurant. Katherine and Tiffany both showed up looking disgruntled, and the tension was palpable from the moment they stepped through the door. “Sorry we’re late,” Katherine sighed as she gave Jim a hug. “She refused to change her teeth.” “Her wha...

4 comments 4
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“The Untold Story of Caledon Hockley” by Ian James

Submitted to Contest #197

From the opulent confines of a grand estate in Pennsylvania, a thirty-year-old Caledon Hockley lamented his lack of a wife. Though he was blessed with wealth and good looks, his haughty demeanour had turned away many a potential suitor, leaving him alone and longing for companionship.Desperate for a solution, he turned to me in prayer, entreating me with all the sincerity of his heart. "Oh, divine Lord," he beseeched me, "guide me to the woman who will be my perfect match. I will cherish her always and provide for our children with all the r...

6 comments 6
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“Morana's Mission” by Gunjan Awad

Submitted to Contest #197

It was a dark and lonely night. The peaceful, lush and beautiful city of Rolumique was fast asleep, and every thing was normal. But the gods were watching. Some of them were good. Some of them were evil. And the evil ones - known as the Devils - were setting up evil plans to cause a war between the two countries of Rolumbique and Carnia, causing massive deaths, starvation, hunger, loss, and pain and suffering. If either country lost, then other countries would also fall victim to this plan - for both of these countries held important supp...

0 comments 0
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“Dear Editor: Sorry About Your Arm” by Lisa H. Owens

Submitted to Contest #197

Dear Editor:It is nice to meet you and so interesting to hear about the series of events that led to your success (sorry about your arm!) in coding, website design and eventual creation of two creative writing websites. I believe every decision we make in life changes the course of our lives; however, in your case, it was an injury to your arm that initiated a career change. Turn left instead of right at a traffic light, or slip while attempting to put out a dumpster fire, injuring an arm in the process, and the course of one's life cou...

4 comments 4
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“Carrick's Coffee Tavern” by Julia Potter

Submitted to Contest #197

Carrick’s Coffee Tavern was the epitome of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It was a ramshackle building with peeling black paint and oddly placed windows that made one wonder if the architect had been quite sound in the head. After its first host building had collapsed in on itself, it relocated to the backwater district of Winterstown where there was next to no parking for carriages and even less space for the moderners who used automobiles. Its backyard overlooked the Chastoll Creek, which flowed for hundreds of miles down fr...

0 comments 0
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“Aiden” by Bruce Callahan

Submitted to Contest #197

Josie’s new babysitting gig for the Harpers down the street was perfect. The latest family to move into their cul-de-sac, was a family of three. Mr. and Mrs. Harper, plus their sole child, a seven-year-old boy named Aiden. No potty training, no teenage attitude, the perfect start to her babysitting business. Do well here, and I’ll be getting work from the rest of the neighborhood, thought Josie. The Harpers hired her for only two hours of work, for some Halloween office party at Mrs. Harper`s company. Fifty buck...

0 comments 0
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“THE CHAUFFER” by Sylvia Smoller

Submitted to Contest #197

When the air raid alarm went off on that gray September dawn of 1939, Rachel like many others believed that this was just another drill. But the large radio in the dining room was blaring out:       "The German Army has invaded Danzig. All citizens follow instructions. This is not a drill. This is not a drill."  Sofie, who was living with Rachel and Aleks in Warsaw at that time, appeared in the corridor outside Rilka’s room, and pushed the still sleeping child into the corridor.. "The gas masks, t...

11 comments 11
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“The Lighthouse Keeper” by J. D. Lair

Submitted to Contest #197

Another body washed ashore today, hand-delivered by the sea, just like me. There was no wreckage nearby, but it is normal for broken vessels to get buried in the depths. Survivors are few out here near the Island of Abyss. When their initial lifelines sink, there is no driftwood nor buoys to cling to; not even the birds flew out this far. Most often, they sank into the deep darkness exhausted from trying to keep their head above water. Sometimes a fortunate beast happened upon them and swallowed them whole. Some would say the latter is a gre...

16 comments 16
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“Fate.” by Skylar De La Cruz

Submitted to Contest #197

Stella had always believed in fate. Ever since she was a little girl, she had been told that all things happen for a reason and that the universe had a plan for her. She had faith in the idea that her destiny was predetermined and that no matter what she did, everything would eventually fall into place. It was a comforting thought, and one that she clung to dearly as she made her way through life. She saw the world through a predestination lens, and she tried her best to go with the flow and follow the path that had been laid out before her....

8 comments 8
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“The Accuser” by John Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #197

“Archamirades!” said Jonus, standing on the high cliff of Mount Mapley as he looked over at the Mountain of the Gods over 50 miles away. The gods were so fickle – waiting for the perfect opportunity to reply, never wanting to seem too eager. Jonus stood there, his tattered rags soaked all the way through, his feet penetrated by spines and rock jelly. What could this mere mortal have that the gods would want? Or was it the other way around? “They’re not hearing you, my lad,” said Shella, Jonus’s wife and loyal companion. Jonus couldn’t help b...

2 comments 2
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“Unwelcoming Hands” by Idella Blythe

Submitted to Contest #197

I should’ve bombed this place when I had the chance. The intrusive thoughts kept me awake at night as I shrunk myself into the mattress. My blanket provided some form of comfort as I made sure the pillows would drown out my vision. I was livid. No, even more than livid. Felonious. The banging on the upstairs floor kept repeating itself. I wanted to scream at whatever was causing it, but I had a complete lack of self-control so I kept to myself. I knew confronting it would only make the situation worse. I knew my father was in one of his...

5 comments 5
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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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