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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#220: Out of Place

The air’s beginning to chill and goosebumps are rising on your skin like mushrooms on a log. With Halloween not far off, everything’s beginning to feel a little… strange. It’s got me thinking about all things odd, and one of the most unsettling sensations of all — noticing something that’s out of place.

From things that shouldn’t be where they are, to protagonists far from home, this week’s prompts explore the bizarre, and the uncanny feeling of things being where they don’t belong.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character walking through a desert landscape, when they stumble across something unexpected. “That shouldn’t be there,” they muse.

Dialogue – 50 stories

You arrive at a destination you promised an old friend you’d visit after they passed, only to find them there too.

Mystery – 65 stories

As a child you’re helping your grandparent bake. When you’re sent to the pantry to fetch an ingredient, you discover something odd.

Mystery – 41 stories

Begin your story with a protagonist taking shelter under a bridge during a thunderstorm. An animal scurries past which shouldn’t exist. Against their better judgment, they decide to follow it out.

Fantasy – 50 stories

You’re awakened from your nap by someone asking, “Are you hungry?”. You fell asleep somewhere else entirely.

Mystery – 45 stories

Stories

“The Voice of Giza's Skies” by Erik Van Mechelen

Submitted to Contest #220

The voices in his head had already silenced themselves by the time he touched the first stone. Unable to sleep, well before sunrise, Sam had trudged across the sand, almost in a trance, toward the Great Pyramid. It should really not be there. Despite the Egyptologists and archaeologists and historians who ambitiously—no, arrogantly—insisted on descriptions of how it came to be. "That shouldn't be there," he said aloud, his hand on a block at the base of the marvelous structure. "How do you KNOW?" boomed a voice from deep withi...

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“Terrier’s Shop Of Curiosities ” by Damien Exton

Submitted to Contest #220

He looked down at his feet. Are these my feet? I don’t recognise them at all, he thought to himself while absentmindedly massaging his left earlobe between thumb and forefinger. The world was a carpet of sand and dunes, which reflected the phosphorus sun into his naked blue eyes. His newly found feet temporarily bruised sand grains which caught in his hair but were invisible amongst it. I have sandy hair, he realised. How curious.He surveyed the vista through eyes which were being mithered by the golden fringe falling into his face. It ...

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“Mystery in the Desert” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #220

He was looking at the map Mat left him and couldn’t believe this pile of dirt was the spot. It was under a tall palm tree several yards from the bay. It was hard not to be distracted by the crystal-clear blue water. Jack had travelled all the way from Oregon to Ras Mohammed National Park in Egypt in search of clues. What happened to Mat? He left Jack a cryptic text before his disappearance then several more two months later. There was a photo of a handmade map with an X on the spot where he buried some sort of clue. Ironically, many yea...

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“Happy Birthday Liam” by Venus Lucy

Submitted to Contest #220

The sun dipped below the horizon—clocking in for the night, and Eve stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast expanse of the ocean. This was the spot she promised Liam she’d visit after his passing, a promise she made seven months and thirteen days ago. Their spot. She promised that every year on his birthday she’d give him this gift; She’d angle her head heavenward and tell him about her life. About how she was living for Liam who no longer could. Are you sure I shouldn’t angle my head towards the ground instead? She had jokingl...

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“Howler” by Lori Colt

Submitted to Contest #220

Coffee skin and almond eyes, Rae had the most ferociously infectious laugh. I was in awe of her ability to stir up humor in the most dire of predicaments, her head often rearing back exposing a mouthful of cackling teeth. It never mattered what we did, I knew it would always be a deep dive into something that would fill my otherwise dreary little life with wonder and surprise. Once we found ourselves abandoned in the city, the bus leaving our seventh grade field trip without us. I had begun my meltdown, while Rae crafted us an unadulterat...

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“Pass the Peonies, Please” by L.A. Slaton

Submitted to Contest #220

October 25, 2023 At a ceremony in downtown Atlanta last night, local chefs gathered for a milestone occasion during which Michelin presented its coveted one-, two- and three-star distinctions to area restaurants for Atlanta’s inaugural Michelin guide, globally renowned as the gold standard for identifying restaurants that deliver extraordinary culinary excellence. Receiving a rare Michelin three-star distinction was The Psychedelic Rose, a restaurant owned by Chef Justin Wallace, critically acclaimed for his dishes specializing in edibl...

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“One Last Time” by Vivacity Rex

Submitted to Contest #220

The sweet aroma of baked bread and chocolate chip cookies filled the kitchen. Flour covers the countertop as Sarah flings another handful at the chunk of lumpy dough in front of her. “Ma would never allow me to throw the flour!” I exclaim, craning my neck to look up at Grandma Berti. As she leans back, her laughter breaks through the serene melodies of the always-present AM radio. She works her smooth, round dough with expert hands. “Baking is meant to be messy. Grab another cookie, dear.” I love being at Grandma Berti’s. R...

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“Witchin' In The Kitchen” by D.P. Bryant

Submitted to Contest #220

Mark's Grandma, Jo, was a woman of many mysteries. She lived in a charming cottage at the edge of a dense forest, surrounded by a garden that seemed to be perpetually in bloom. Her kitchen, in particular, was a place of enchantment, filled with the aroma of spices and herbs that seemed to dance in the air. For as long as Mark could remember, his visits to Grandma Jo's were nothing but spectacular, and today would be no different.Mark had spent the morning helping his grandmother prepare for a special occasion. But the reason for the celebrat...

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“Thank Gods” by Michael Novak

Submitted to Contest #220

Boom! There was the thunder again. This time it was so loud it was as if there had been an explosion in the air. The lighting stretched across the sky in hot white fingers, before vanishing just as quickly as it had come. The rain was still pelting down, just like it had been for the past half hour. Tommy Hayes, age 11, sat by the side of the deserted highway under an overpass. Out here, it was pretty normal for him to walk the couple of miles between his house and where his grandmother lived. There were hardly ever any cars on this stre...

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“The Bridge” by Jeana Budnick

Submitted to Contest #220

The sky was angry. Black clouds roiled above, flashing with lightning as sheets of rain came pouring down. Instantly, I was soaked through. The weather forecast had not called for this. It was supposed to be a sunny, only slightly cloudy, day. Where had this storm come from? Squinting through the torrent of water, I see a structure up ahead that could provide some shelter. Hugging myself, I sprint out into the storm and duck under the structure – the bridge as it turns out. Of course it’s the bridge, I chastise myself...

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“The Wraith of the Bridge” by Raven K. Storm

Submitted to Contest #220

It was raining; I shouldn't have left my home. My sister was all alone, but if I hadn't left to find food... I didn't even want to think about what would happen to us. I looked at my hands – wet and muddy. My knife was the only thing on me that remained clean. I sighed and leaned my head back against the stone foundation of the bridge. Water dripped from my ears, but at least I had finally found shelter under the bridge. I had managed to start a fire, though with great difficulty, merely hoping to warm myself up a bit. Ma...

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“Tap Twice for Paradise” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #220

Anson “Ace” Allison smiles as he turns over his cards. “Two queens, and a pair of tens.” Monty Moneymaker, Dimples Davidson, and Sid ‘the Shark’ Silverstein let out a trio of groans. “That’s three hands in a row,” the Shark whines in a nasal tone. “Even Wild Bill Hickok wasn’t that lucky.” “Actually, Wild Bill was very unlucky,” Ace points out. Davidson smiles, his dimples enhancing his playful nature. “I don’t know how you’re doing it Ace, but I know your cheating.” “Me? Don’t complain about my little streak. I know you count cards,...

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“Oasis” by John Werner

Submitted to Contest #220

The wind stirred the crystalline grains into a swarm of stinging shards that bit his heels in the dead of the starlit night. It eddied and flowed in grand sweeping currents like a great churning sea beneath the soles of his cracked and bloodied feet. They embedded themselves in those jagged red canyons, breaching the surface of his flesh and driving deep into his core, searching relentlessly for bone.It had been days since he had felt anything other than pain. The blisters that swelled and burst beneath the mop of his once fine hair now left...

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“2099” by David D'EttoreUser

Submitted to Contest #220

2099 There was an eerie silence enveloping the unknown, decrepit building that had likely been ravaged by Millennial forces. It didn’t show on surface or satellite maps and shouldn’t be here. The aura remained, like the still before a storm, or the final moment as one waits to die. I can’t fathom being 150 years old. I feel better now than when I was 80. Science and technology have come a long way but it is exactly that technology, manipulate...

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“The Tent of Gehenna” by Rich Kopacz

Submitted to Contest #220

The Tent by Rich Kopacz “That shouldn’t be there,” Hadassah mused as she trudged slowly through the sand, her weary legs fighting the burn of ascending the steep incline. But th...

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$250

Prize money

251

Contest entries

129

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 20, 2023 EST

Won by D. Grimes 🏆

Title: Fae Touched

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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