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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#222: Show Me The Way

When navigating life’s challenges, we could all use a little guidance — someone who can show us the way, or give us the wisdom we need to follow the right path. In literature, much like in reality, coaches and mentors are often central to a protagonist’s development, offering training, advice, or tools to succeed in their Hero’s Journey.

What's fascinating about mentors is that they come in different shapes and forms. They might be a nurturing figure, who offers wisdom and support; a harsh and unyielding professor, who demands the impossible; an unconventional thinker who brings a unique perspective. Sometimes the guidance doesn’t even come in human form: perhaps it’s a dream, a spirit, a faith, or an item, like a totem, a book, or a map.

This week’s prompts are all about people (or things) that, in one way or another, have a pivotal role in someone’s journey.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a student on their first day of apprenticeship.

Teens – 18 stories

Write about a character who has a love/hate relationship with their mentor.

Character – 36 stories

Write about a mentor whose methods are controversial.

Character – 22 stories

Write a story about a character who finds guidance in an unlikely place.

Dramatic – 81 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “You’ve got this.”

Dialogue – 53 stories

Stories

“What's Your Favourite Type of Pie?” by Chris Miller

Submitted to Contest #222

“How long have you been doing this?”“Twenty-five years, sir.”“Remember your first, do you?”He did.*The air was so cold that the thick skin of clean white gloss that covered the room of steel and brick could have been ice.“Now, Albert, remember everything we talked about. We’re here to do a job. Simple as that. I’m the lead, you’re assisting. Easy money for you today, you’re here as a witness more than anything else. I’ll see to his bindings. Nothing for you to worry about.”“Yes, Uncle Tom.” As they waited Albert found that his main concern w...

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“Thank you, Lyddie Loo ” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #222

An early winter chill infiltrated the otherwise mild weathered town of Seaview, catching the residents and University students completely off-guard. Overnight packages from popular online shopping venues, containing sweaters, coats, hats and gloves dotted every front porch for miles, including that of college senior, Lydia Wyatt. Grateful for overnight delivery, Lydia spared little expense as she stocked up on winter wear, she never anticipated needing and truth be told, may never need again. Indulging in frivolous retail therapy and convinc...

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“Goodbye Darkness, My Old Friend” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #222

There must be some way to cheer the world up. It's rained recently. The clouds are moody and the grass is drooping, covered in tears. The tree in our back garden moans in the wind, trying to tell us how lonely it is. No-one listens but me. No-one ever listens but me. My parents call me into the living room to receive my presents. Florida hands me hers first, and I take it gently. The poor thing is trembling, scared that I might hurt it. I try to smile reassuringly, willing it to be calm. "Thank you," I say, more to it than to Florry. I...

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“Psychopomp, Day One” by Humble Sparrow

Submitted to Contest #222

The job description might have suggested bringing a vehicle suited for off-roading. Somehow, my sedan survived the overgrown trail with an intact undercarriage. At least I’d brought sturdy hiking boots, which took me safely down a wooded path to a cave. An aging man stumbled out of the shadows and glanced me up and down.“Feminism’s scraping the bottom of the barrel for male-dominated professions to infiltrate,” he huffed. “Not ...

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“The Avalanche” by Nicholas Andrew Clark

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #222

Most people think they’d hear it coming. They imagine it like the movies–a low rumble that grows into a roar, as of an awakening giant. In reality, once you pass the trigger point into the convexity, the slab makes almost no noise at all. It sloughs and sighs, a gruff whisper that builds at your back and pelts you with shards, its full magnitude only apparent when it’s too late to do anything. In the next breath, the mountain swallows you whole, using its thousand-pound jaw to crack your skis and snap your ribs and t...

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“The Wisdom of Trees” by Aaron Galassi

Submitted to Contest #222

Trey had never taken a vacation. It was not for lack of interest, but rather lack of means. Everyday was the same. He woke up, dressed for work, worked, and went home. His life had become predictable which he both liked and despised. Trey was a home body with aspirations towards exploration. His nine to five paid the bills, but left him with no room for the exploration he craved."Trey, when are you going on vacation? You're here every day. You have the time banked," Marie put a hand on Trey's shoulder. It was gentle, and he thought he could ...

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“Teaching Tanri’Sal” by Cecilia Englishby

Submitted to Contest #222

Hail sat with his fellow fifth years between the winter-chilled stone walls of Beshquey Hall, all of them around fifteen years of age. He adjusted his position and accidentally jostled his friend’s elbow with his own.“Watch it!” Colt protested.“Please fool, I barely grazed you through all these layers.” Hail jested.The first of the Magiceres had arrived to take their seats on the stage and the hall’s rumble started to dull.“Ha! The nerve you have to call me a fool when you are the one who chose Windleby as your mentor!”“Not this again.” Hail...

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“The Devil's Own Children” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #222

It was just another day in Brooklyn. The spilling of blood was an appropriate offering to the denizens beneath the city whose cries for punition were unending. Eddie “Prime” Pino was driving his Mercedes Roadster with the top down on the Belt Parkway by Coney Island in the gray November dusk when he saw the emergency strobe lights of an unmarked Gray Chevy Impala blare behind him.As he pulled over on the side of the freeway, Eddie reached into the center console and pulled out a Beretta Model 71 pistol loaded with .22 caliber bullets, which ...

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“The Eggcentric Apprentice: Finnegan's Whimsical Way” by Pino De Francesco

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #222

Alright, let's spin a yarn, shall we? Gather 'round, and let me tell you a tale most extraordinary about a young lad named Finnegan Potts, who lived in the quaint, magical village of Whistleberry Hollow. Now, Whistleberry Hollow wasn't your ordinary hamlet; nay, it was a place where the trees whispered secrets and the rivers hummed lullabies. But our tale isn't about the peculiarity of the village—oh no, it's about Finnegan's encounter with the most bizarre mentor any hero-in-the-making could stumble upon. Finnegan was the sort of fellow w...

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“Staying Alive in Slovia” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #222

The war against Blogaria has been raging for three years. It’s all we talked about in high school–our chance to fight for the glory of Slovia someday–so right after I graduated, I enlisted in the Slovian Army.As the chill early morning wind whips through the clearing, I stand tall and sing the national anthem of Slovia at the top of my lungs. The other fifty cadets around me do the same thing. I sing even louder. It’s our first day of deployment to the front line. After weeks of training, we’re finally here to show the Blogarians what a real...

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“Theon the gemini” by Malaika Shaikh

Submitted to Contest #222

“Again.” Repeated more than 20 times in the past hour, Caelin was sick to her stomach of hearing that word. Theon rapped his wooden staff on the stone floor when she paused to breathe, she’d sprinted so many laps around the room that she’d lost count.“Did I say stop?” He growled. She gasped for air as nausea overtook her stomach. She didn’t even have time to warn Theon before she vomited all over the stone. Theon clicked his tongue and called for a servant to begin cleaning the mess. He approached her and smacked her back with his ...

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“Mentor” by Helen A Smith

Submitted to Contest #222

TW: Some sensitive content.Mentors come in many forms and their influence can last forever. I always knew I’d meet him again. So, why am I so nervous?There’s a bite to the air the day before Halloween. Smoky fumes rising from decaying leaves pressed down by the tramp of countless feet, catch the throat with their pungent odours. Fortunately, the sky is clear and cloud free which is just as well because I’ve left my umbrella at home. It’s a blue and white spotted affair with a dainty handle which I bought specially. I had planned on wear...

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“In the Box” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #222

Riding the elevator up, Ernest dried his palms on his shirt. ‘Is it me? Or is it always this difficult?’It had been years. They never communicated. Would his father even be there? He almost stopped his ascent into the forbidden zone.Elevators terrified him. Could anyone design a better place to make one feel isolated and alone? Ernest hoped not.Except for the slight rocking, and hissing from the vent, there was no sense of movement. Claustrophobia hovered.The floors ticked by. The elevator slowed and stopped at the penthouse. The doors slid ...

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“A Real Ham-and-Egger” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #222

As a kid I was obsessed with “Macho Man” Randy Savage, but macho I am not. Ever notice how we are all fascinated by stories about our opposite? Take me. I’m a pussy. Not in the sense of being a girly man, but in the sense of being a lazy coward. So, naturally, I am obsessed with Rambo, Full Metal Jacket, Pumping Iron, and any narrative involving one very jacked man fighting his way through a sea of enemies, with certainty of purpose, zero fear of death, wearing his weight in ammo, and possessing an uncanny ability to make everyone in their p...

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“The Blood-Stained Shore” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #222

Old Hugh’s toothless jaw seemed to move independently from his skull, restlessly searching for its place. He picked up a beer in his cadaverous hand, sipped off the foam, licked his dry, cracked lips, and his craggy face relaxed for an instant, repose from constant agitation. “Give me a moment to savor this nectar, my dear”, he said, looking at Kelsey with hooded eyes that seemed buried deep in his skull, and seemed too intelligent to be trusted. His voice sounded like it was struggling to get out of his body, like he hadn’t u...

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$250

Prize money

210

Contest entries

101

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 03, 2023 EST

Won by Audrey McKenna 🏆

Title: Just Like Him

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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