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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#204: Wild, Wild West

The days of the old American West have long held weight in the collective imagination of storytellers. There’s a mythic power to it. Tales of survival, revenge, and itinerant gunslingers still draw us in, whether for a bit of adventure or to ask deeper questions about morality and philosophy.

The desolate desert landscapes, the struggles and conflicts between settlers and Native peoples, the wandering heroes, all these elements and more have inspired writers across genres, from George Lucas to Stephen King. Perhaps the best thing about a Western is its malleability and creativity: its ability to be set anywhere from America in the 1800s to a galaxy far, far away. So this week get your cowboy hats (or space helmets) ready as we go to explore the great unknown.

Plus, you're invited! 🎉

The second issue of PROMPTED, our literary magazine, is coming soon — and to celebrate, we're holding a live online event next Thursday! Find out more and get your free ticket right here.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a stranger coming to town and shaking up the order of things.

Character – 56 stories

Set your story in a desert town.

Adventure – 52 stories

Write a story about someone undertaking a long, dangerous journey.

Adventure – 39 stories

Write a Western-inspired story in a new genre or setting (e.g. a space western, fantasy western, etc.)

Fiction – 78 stories

Write a story about someone seeking revenge for a past wrong.

Dramatic – 73 stories

Stories

“The Navajo” by Gregg Punger

Submitted to Contest #204

Ithel was carefully guiding his brown horse threw a dry creek bed when a light breeze drifted across the sandy plains and for a brief moment sucked some of the heat from his red, sun scorched face. As Ithel luxuriated in that brief moment of relief, he looked up in wonder at the gorgeous shades of red, orange, and brown in the mesa that rose up out of the earth before him. Unfortunately for Ithel at that same moment he happened to let his mind wonder and to loosen his grip on the reins, a rattlesnake slid across the path causing his horse t...

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“Maev and the Dragon Quest ” by Daniel Rosas

Submitted to Contest #204

Bengt had the worst luck. His father, who his mother had told him had been a great knight, was killed in the Battle of Antiok leaving behind him, his brother and mom. Then his brother up and left them as soon as he was of age. So, it was just Bengt and his mom with the stories of his father and the occasional visit by his brother when he needed money or a place to crash. Bengt’s mother worked all sorts of odd hours as a nurse at the regional hospital, which left him pretty much alone to his own devices and imagination. That imagination helpe...

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“The Number” by Elaine Burgess

Submitted to Contest #204

The Number It was a beautiful day in October 2021…I thought about not going to the local Wild Horse & Burro BLM adoption event happening in our county, but as always, when one was more or less local, I attended… you see, since the 70’s, I have been active in Wild Horse and Burro advocacy , the overwhelming drive and something in my soul just said go.. go... go... go... to this event today. I got up before the chickens with my cats and coffee, got dressed that morning early, my usual jeans shirt boots and off I went. Oh, how I wished I ...

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“Joker Jones and the Asteroid” by Ray Taylor

Submitted to Contest #204

It could hardly be called an asteroid. Barely 150 meters at the widest and weighing in at a few thousand tons. A mere pebble in the Asteroid Belt, it had only been discovered and registered two years before. But it was his asteroid, ‘ZZTP0DxQ’ which he had named Asteroid Charlene. Well, strictly speaking it wasn’t his asteroid. Not in the strictest sense of what it means to own something. Space law did not permit ownership of an asteroid or any celestial body, but he had registered his mission with the Space Resource Utilization sub-com...

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“The End to a New Beginning” by Janade Lugo

Submitted to Contest #204

I breathed in a long breath, tossing my braid to the side behind my shoulder and hefted up the bucket full of water, grunting at the effort it took to lift it. I needed to get back to town, my mom was expecting me soon I was sure but the bucket being heavy wasn’t the only thing that was slowing me down, the heat from the sun that was bearing down with full force didn’t make things easier. I hated the heat, always had, and living in the desert where you couldn’t even escape the sun certainly wasn’t helping. Grunting again I shuffled to...

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“What's Stranger Than a Stranger?” by Jay DeBurgh

Submitted to Contest #204

They say humans will one day be grateful to be extinct, then Aliens will come and pick their bones, creating museums of their past. "Marks Town next stop Jennyville in two hours, so go freshen up and eat." "Oh my aching bones Neville, I think we could settle here rather than Jennyville, don't ya think?" "Sure Ma,” said Neville Prendergast, at seventeen with thick flame red hair and pale skin. Because he was gentle, he had been bullied everywhere they had settled. So his mother took them far from civilisation, hoping she wouldn't regre...

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“Trouble Walked In” by Janie Holliday

Submitted to Contest #204

The saloon door creaked open, heralding a hot breeze and a figure silhouetted by midday sun. Not a few eyes glanced up from their mugs to squint at the shadow as it meandered through the doorway. The bar man — a man with a bushy beard who was wider than he was tall — paid the figure no mind until they strolled over to the bar. He continued polishing a glass stein as the stranger poured themselves into the seat in front of him. The character was as distinct as they had attempted to make themself indistinct. They wore a wide-brimmed hat, ...

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“Silver Bullet” by Cedric Busteed

Submitted to Contest #204

Chanam could feel Luna’s gaze on him as he loaded the rifle. The girl was curious, which was a given considering she’d fallen out of time. And as her closest living descendent, Chanam had a responsibility to her. He carefully calibrated the scope on his rifle. Naturally, she thought he was fully occupied, but the biological and synthetic modifications he’d undergone in his youth gave him more than just quicker reflexes. One stream of consciousness calculated various atmospheric conditions, another watched her through one of the OAD’s many...

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“The Mechanic Remy LeRay” by Matt Wallace

Submitted to Contest #204

The Mechanic Remy LeRayRemy could smell the acrid smell of blast pistol fire. The silence that echoed off the tavern’s previously raucous interior was nearly deafening. A place like this should only be quiet when it’s closed. His pistol was lazily smoking in his tight grip, the rising smoke entrancing. For a moment, he thought the smell of burnt metal might be coming from a hole in his chest where the officer’s energy round had burned through. He was wrong of course because he felt his heart thudding in his chest and heard the ragged intake ...

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“The Spotter on the Path” by Neil Achary

Submitted to Contest #204

The sun was rising when the Spotter crossed the trickling stream into the Borderlands. His steed was a black Rhodanian horse, known across Errat for their fierce tempers and immense strength. It was the only horse that he could ride, and this one he had tamed personally. "Steady, Quickbeam," he whispered as they rode onwards. On the horizon, encircled by orange hills, was Triumph, a town founded after the Genocide. The perimeter of the town the Empire had named was fortified with crooked palisade fences. As the Spotter and Quickbeam entere...

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“Iron in the Heart, Kindness in the Hands” by The-Burrowing-Owl- Author

Submitted to Contest #204

The tunnel was cramped and dark and damp. Fortunately it was impossible to get lost in this part of the underground, because though Inessa couldn’t tell the difference between the dirt under her hands and the backs of her eyelids, there was only one way forward. It was both terrifying and reassuring. The air was musty and stale. This passageway wasn’t built for frequent travel, and the ventilation was laughable at best. This was no safe place to linger in. The tunnel began to slope upwards. Inessa instinctively tried to duck ...

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“Heat” by Brittany Anderson

Submitted to Contest #204

1“These are decisions we should be making together!” Ibón shouted at the wall, because he can never look me in the eyes when he was angry, apparently even in dire situations like this.He kicked the table in front of us and a cloud of dust glimmered across the sun rays. I turned to the window behind him, seeing the unknowing waves draw back to leave a long desert of white sand. The only boat in view bobbed by the half-wrecked dock, the two occupants shielding their eyes to look out for us.“I know we just met them, but this is our only chance ...

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“His Name Didn't Matter ” by Grace Melstrand

Submitted to Contest #204

The earth had shriveled up under the scorching reach of the sun. Loose dirt rose in clouds with every gust of dry wind, unrestrained by the absence of the roots which once held it in place. Dirt was the only sign of nature here, if it can even be classified as such. The dirt had taken it upon itself to remind any soul brave enough to cross its barren face, of their place in its kingdom. By the way it filled boots as though it had been hand poured, seeping through even the toughest wool socks. It always found its way into eyes, blurring visio...

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“A Somber Calamity ” by Donna Kessler

Submitted to Contest #204

The log cabin stands still among shapes of gloom, surrounded by a haunting silence. The brightness of sunlight has not touched the building since the happening of a heinous tragedy. The wind blows, scattering ashen hues across the barren land. A man sits in the shadows, crippled by the memory of his wife. Each moment that passes, he could still smell the overwhelming scent of her blood, he could still see the imprint of faded crimson on the floor. He could still feel the coldness of her flesh as he held her dead, battered body in his arms...

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“Shattered Dreams and Vengeful Skies” by Sophie Chipping

Submitted to Contest #204

The scorching desert sun beat down on the gallows, casting long shadows across the scene. The executioner tightened the noose around my neck, and the crowd held its breath, their eyes fixed on the tense anticipation of the impending execution."Listen closely, partner! This court has decreed that you'll be taken from this very spot and locked up tight until the sun sets. When that time comes, you'll be escorted to the gallows, where your life will be cut short, swinging by the neck until you breathe no more. May the Almighty above show mercy ...

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$250

Prize money

298

Contest entries

94

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 30, 2023 EST

Won by Katy B 🏆

Title: The Ungentling

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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