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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#205: Ritualistic

Since time immemorial, humans have developed rituals to deal with change, and all manner of life situations. From birthdays to funerals, to holidays and weddings, to personal habits and rites of passage, these ceremonies often help us find solace, meaning, and belonging in an otherwise chaotic existence.

Rituals exist across all ages and cultures, and take all kinds of shapes and forms 一 from dancing, to praying, to performing 一 and while some have existed for centuries, new ones are created every day. In this week’s prompts, we explore this universal aspect of human culture.

Plus, in case you missed it...📚

The second issue of PROMPTED, our literary magazine, is officially out now! You can download your free copy right here.

This week's prompts

Start your story during a full moon night.

Mystery – 81 stories

Make your protagonist go through a rite of passage.

Character – 54 stories

Write about a character who develops a special ritual to cope with something.

Angst – 89 stories

Make a character perform a ceremony to set something or someone free.

Dramatic – 55 stories

Write about a character who breaks free from a tradition to create a new one.

Character – 26 stories

Stories

“Walking out the Soul” by Jenn Johnson

Submitted to Contest #205

It was the height of the pandemic; our visits had declined significantly to the emergency room, but the acuity had gone up as people had put off coming into the hospital unless they were really very ill. This was the case as someone who had rung the call bell and I was the only one available to answer it. The patient was in isolation as according to the COVID screening she had symptoms that could be linked to COVID. I gowned-up, privately wondering in my head if this was the person who was going to expose me to COVID and if I would get ill, ...

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“I Trace Her Smile” by Jillian Ross

Submitted to Contest #205

I trace her smile, and then her blonde curls. I spray her scarf with her favorite perfume and sniff her as I place it around my neck."Jillian! What are you doing?" I hear in the living room. "I am getting ready to leave. Aren't you coming?" The TV is blaring, and it sounds like a busy train station in there."Leave me for a few hours. It's that time of year again," I yell back, a bit irritated that I have been interrupted. "I need the space please. Take a long time, and have fun!" I say in the most cheery, heart- felt voice I can muster....

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“The Timeless Reaper Has A Name” by Asa P

Submitted to Contest #205

"Daddy E, no! Edwin, please, not in front of our…."My brother was over a year and a half older and somewhat smarter. As soon as he had peeped and realized what was up, he had instantly fallen over, covering his ears tightly with his hands and screwing his eyes shut tight."Appa, please, no! Mama!"One gunshot was quickly followed by another and then another. I had the ignorance or misfortune to open my eyes just as my father's body crumpled on top of the still-twitching body of my mother. I did that to make sure he wasn't still holding the gun...

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“2D Godhead” by Alexander Durig

Submitted to Contest #205

I’m not that fascinated with 3D space anymore. That’s a lie, I am completely obsessed with it. But it has only led me to a new and even bigger obsession with 2D space. That’s what I meant to say. After all, a 3D image is accomplished by blending two 2D images, right? So, to be fascinated with 3D space for long enough, is to become obsessed with 2D space. That is what happened to me. But, although my original foray into the dimensions of space and perception were crude and physical, just graphic and simplistic, something happened somewhere al...

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“There’s No Place Like Tea ” by T Mithawala

Submitted to Contest #205

Elizabeth had two weaknesses: a good cup of tea, and the homeless. And though I was more of a coffee drinker, it didn’t take me long to learn just how she liked her morning brew; almond milk microwaved for twenty seconds, a touch of brown sugar with a strong English breakfast blend, steeped for seven minutes.Every morning, our little ritual would begin. While she showered, I’d make breakfast. Then she’d join me at the table and take a leisurely sip. She’d squeeze my hand and smile, and all was right in the world. *Someone had ...

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“Sincerely, Lia” by Sravya Lekha

Submitted to Contest #205

Grampa was the one who taught me how to ride a bike. I was seven and had refused all of Dad’s prior teaching attempts out of fear of knocking my head on the ground and slowly bleeding to death. Grampa bought me a purple helmet and said it was okay to be afraid of falling, but if I avoided everything that could hurt me, I’d never learn to fly. I was 10 when he died. Before then, it never occurred to me that I would have to live most of my life without him. He took me to every soccer practice, whistled at my horrible choir recitals, and pain...

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“Asking My Pendulum for Help 1885 words ” by Barbara Smith

Submitted to Contest #205

Kimberly suffered from anxiety and panic attacks a lo when younger. These days its every now and then. Usually some event will trigger the fears. She was easily frightened for as long as she can remember. Her mom was always warning her as a child. “you better be careful when you walk to Margie's house. Don't talk to strangers! If you do, you could get kidnapped and murdered and other terrible things.” If they went out and got back after dark her mom always scanned around the house for a person that could jump out and harm them. She lea...

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“Linus” by Lula Gibbs

Submitted to Contest #205

“When I grow up, I want to be a fighter-fighter.” Linus threw the ball towards me, and it landed in the bushes. “A fire fighter! If that’s what you want to do buddy, I support you 100%.” “Hey, dad?” “What’s up bud?” “It’s hot out here. Can we go inside and get some ice-cream?” It was close to bath time anyway. “Let’s get you cleaned up and have some dinner first. After you get your belly full then you can eat all the ice-cream you want.” Inside I could hear my wife rushing around in the kit...

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“To Bed with the Devil” by GW LeCroy

Submitted to Contest #205

Walter’s breath poured before him in a haze, goosebumps scaling his skin. A demon was here, and it had to be Zalagoth. Jean tried the lights, but none of the switches worked. “The chill freezes the wiring,” Walter said as he opened his bag, sifted through it with a hand, then produced a long wax candle and set it into a candlestick with a bridged plate. A second later came the matches, and then– light. Or as much light as they were likely to get. The glow extended about three feet, depending on which direction it was aimed. For the foyer, i...

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“Break his chains” by Juju Honors

Submitted to Contest #205

I couldn't stop them as I was held back by my father. The men started to drag my lover away on false grounds. "He isn't a witch or wizard, he is a man of the lord. I was never bewitched by him. Please stop your hurting him" I screamed in agony as they struggled to tie him to the stake. He was going to be burned as a witch and I couldn't allow it. I let out a blood curtling scream that shook the very ground we all stood on causing them to fall as well as my father. My lover was secured on the stake so he did not fall. "Gu'n cluinneadh na diat...

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“To be a Father” by Relvin Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #205

It was just like having a dog, to had been a father. The dog laid there on the piece of carpet that faced the bathroom door as she took a shower, my wife, and put a pause on its joy until the faucet was off. It was just like that, only worse. Another being considered me a second citizen in a country I help build from limestone and sweat. Heck, my hands were still dirty with asphalt and sulfur from cobbling up the streets that my son’s car would roll on, and every morning I plucked the remnant splinters from the time I built him a white oak c...

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““Unleashing the Light: The Enchantress’s Liberating Ceremonies” by Simone Knight

Submitted to Contest #205

Once upon a time in the mystical land of Eldoria, there lived a young enchantress named Elara. Elara possessed a special gift—the power to communicate with the elements. She could feel the whispers of the wind, hear the secrets of the earth, and witness the dance of fire. Her heart was filled with a deep compassion for all living beings, and she sought to bring harmony and balance to the world. One fateful day, Elara stumbled upon an ancient scroll hidden within the depths of a forgotten cave. The delicate parchment contained the tale of a...

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“Aela and the Kola Nut” by Lunar Moon

Submitted to Contest #205

There was no one alive who knew that this broad, harsh savannah was once a fertile river basin. But if Aela did know, he might have cursed the earth for changing its mind about that. In Benin, 1750, Aela needed to grow his yams, and here he was forced to obey the whims of drastic seasons and his place in time, and an awful drought. As he looked over his field of silent mounds of dirt with tuber seeds buried underneath, he felt in the pit of his stomach that this would be a disaster year. His family would make it through, but he knew others i...

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“Midnight Drive” by Lashun Williams

Submitted to Contest #205

Note: Story contains death and car accidents Cars took my entire family. Mom died in a car accident. A drunk truck driver took my two sisters. My dad lost his life in a head-on collision. And my aunt, uncle, and cousins perished at the hands of a reckless semi driver. It’s easy to blame the human behind the wheel. Tell that to my brain and body. My godmother, who swore off driving since her best friend, my mother, died consoled me at their funerals. Although all of these events happened a few months apart, the quick rate ...

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“The Dark Is Nothing Without The Light” by Zachariah Gold

Submitted to Contest #205

Two small hooded figures sit on a stone floor in near absolute darkness. The only light a single candle casting its glow across a strange tome one of them is flipping through. “You’re just going to get in trouble like last time,” the little one says. “Then why did you come?” the bigger one asks. “Because causing trouble is fun!” the little one exclaims smirking. “You’re not wrong about that,” the bigger one says wearing the same mischievous smile. “But this time will be different I promise.” “What makes you so sure?” “Because thi...

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$250

Prize money

305

Contest entries

129

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 07, 2023 EST

Won by Lindsay Flo 🏆

Title: The Walk

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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