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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

“My Window, I was just a blank sheet” by Hafni Hafsah

Submitted to Contest #205

My window, I was just a blank sheetNow, my window has disappeared, the window that used to be where I looked out when it was raining, while sitting on one of chairs’ handrail next to it. Chairs made of teak, which I used to think were worthless, because the colorful couches at my friends’ house were softer and more valuable. But now I see that chairs displayed in someone’s big house porch who happens to be the owner of teak furniture near my rent residence.Wow! Then a thought came to pay a visit, how valuable the chair was, even though it's ...

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“The Ceremony of Ju” by Gert Van Buiten

Submitted to Contest #205

It began long ago. Too long to express in your language, unsurprisingly - but think back to the beginning of the universe.What, Big Bang? Ha! I had forgotten about that, but no, I mean the beginning. While the fluffy stuff you call space was still in a jar and the thing which you call light was still enveloped in the dreams of my father.You’re right, I’m not making much sense am I? Forgive me, for it has been a while since I have spoken.In any case! Sat around the table, so to speak, was myself, still young then, gleaming with curiosity and ...

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“She Talked to God Every Morning n the Shower” by Holly Witte

Submitted to Contest #205

Prompt: Write about a character who develops a special ritual to cope with something She Talked to God Every Morning in the Shower &nbs...

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“Where the waves sing” by A M

Submitted to Contest #205

Sarika hurried through the streets of New Orleans to the old abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. She kept her head down, her face covered by her dark hair and the black hood of her hoodie. She passed closed stores and all-night diners where jazz bands played their bright spunky music. The milky light of the full moon illuminated the path behind the factory that led to a cemetery. Her watch vibrated. 3 o’clock. She picked up her pace and slipped through the familiar hole in the mesh fence. She approached the headston...

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“Five” by Glenna Agnew

Submitted to Contest #205

Five I couldn’t breathe. I felt my anxiety building. Escalating. I tried to take some cleansing breaths. Instead, I started gasping for air. This wasn’t working. Think of what your therapist told you. The little voice inside my brain urged me. Which one? I can’t even remember his name. Focus. I can’t. Focus on your breathing. I breathed in a deep breath, held it for a moment then breathed out. I repeated it four more times. Five was the magic number. It was working. I’m not going to die. My name is Monica. Monica James. I’m a travel ...

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“The Funeral” by Eric Falvey

Submitted to Contest #205

*TW Substance abuse (Alcohol)--Mental Health--Suicidal Ideation—-Language.Here I was dressed in black, prepared to say my last goodbyes to someone I thought I would share my life with. I suppose that's one of the greatest fallacies we suffer from as people; the idea that something could last forever in a world where nothing lasts forever. Then again, this could just be my embitterment talking. I had a tendency to "detach myself from humanity in moments where I might have to show vulnerability...." according to my therapist at least. And yet,...

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“The Grand Illusion” by Dawn Locklear

Submitted to Contest #205

“Yo Larry, what is up with you? The frustration is spewing out from you. I can almost see the steam blowing out your ears! And your face, neck, you are red as a cooked lobster, burning up.” “Oh man, don’t I know it. I just can’t believe that friends and family aren’t believing in me with this incredible company. They’re not even considering it. They blow me off immediately. They call it a pyramid scheme. Don’t they know those are illegal? Damn it anyway. “Sure, I’ve been burned before.&...

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“Breaking free from only rolling cheese” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #205

Breaking free from only rolling cheeses Ladies and Gentlemen I declare the opening of the 197 edition of Gloucester Cheese rolling competition and afterwards I invite you to the European cheese fair. The duchess of Windsor has kindly agreed to open the proceedings. Let the competition begin. The duchess stepped forward and cut the ribbon holding back the competitor before they rushed down the hill. The cheeses were hurdled down the hill chased by their owners. The crowd roared, the chase had begun. There were many falls and many bruises. I...

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“Love Spell” by Marisa Billions

Submitted to Contest #205

The moon is full and fat. They say it’s a supermoon tonight. When the moon is full it is a time for abundance and to bring what you want in. Bring a desire to fruition during a full moon. The clearing is lush and the grass is soft. The smell of pine and earth fill the air. With the moon so full and fat and close, it’s almost as bright as daylight. Cicadas sing their songs in the surrounding trees and the breeze is soft and warm. Night creatures are stirring nearby in the woods as twigs snap and bats flutter past, and an owl makes a l...

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“Under a spell” by Kayla Murray

Submitted to Contest #205

The warm night air blew in soft whispers across her bare skin, like the hungry breath of a lover’s kiss. The full moon shone down upon the field, casting the scene in an ethereal glow that only added to the magic being performed. Small torches, no taller than Freya's waist, adorned the field, their flames flickering no larger than a fist. Some of the women had brought crystals to be charged during the ritual. They had scattered their gems throughout the grass, the jewelled faces glinting in the moonlight. Every member of the Neothine Coven w...

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“The Hidden Moon ” by Daniel Rosas

Submitted to Contest #205

There was death waiting for him. In a cold, haughty embrace that terrorized Urloc to his core. Nervous beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face and he closed his eyes to try to steel his nerves, but her vengeful cackle filled his mind and his eyes shot open in a ripe panic. White streams of moonlight cast through the window in front of him. The light shone as if it were a sun but with no warmth, no heart no soul. Instead, it was but a reflection. A hollow, fathomless well where there was no joy, no empathy...only misery. A mise...

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“Crimson Enigma: Unveiling the Moon's Secrets” by Yurou Su

Submitted to Contest #205

Night, shrouded in darkness and silence, unveiled its ethereal secrets. The moon, casting its luminous gaze upon the earth, felt akin to a watchful eye, a ravenous beast hungering for its prey. I lifted my eyes, drawn upward to behold a crimson full moon, an ominous spectacle. Whispers escaped my lips, an utterance to myself: “Oh, how magnificent, how enchanting. Moon, you are the embodiment of my devotion, you are my love.” With caution, I carried the sacrifice ascending to the rooftop. To my astonishment, a convergence occurred as a mult...

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“THE BECOMING CEREMONY” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #205

FULL MOON NIGHT ONE ALPHA The moon is high in the sky, a good time for a howl. My Midnight Pack is gathering. Tonight begins the Lycan Blood Pact. A ritual in which a pup becomes a Lycan wolf. Once in a generation when a pup reaches maturity, he/she will perform a rite of passage called the Lycan Blood Pact in the Becoming Ceremony and they will transform in front of the entire pack. Tonight, as the Alpha pf the pack and as a proud father, I will watch my daughter Mystic as she performs the Lycan Blood Pact. One day Mystic will become a ...

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“Unscheduled Lunar Touchdown” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #205

The July humidity continued to hang across Delmarva’s Ayers Creek this Friday long after the sun set and the full moon encased the area in its heavenly glow. The hot moisture imprisoned the lone fisherman floating his kayak along the surface like a straight jacket. Yet Dr. Fulbright at first had embraced the relatively minor discomforts of the eerie evening. He thought they would provide a quiet retreat from the pandemic-induced terror he had faced in six months of 18-ho...

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“The value of being seen” by Lynel Black

Submitted to Contest #205

It was going to be a clear and bright night. The sun had finally released its warming grip giving way to a cool ominous breeze. It had been a long and gruelling, but very fulfilling day on the bicycle. Fred and Wylma. They had become a tight team over the months of riding. Wylma: the two wheeled metal pack mule that never gave up. They had set off together over a year ago to see the world. As is his ritual every day, Fred began his search for a place to camp for the night . He found a rough single track that eventually led into the sharp a...

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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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