Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#232: Polar Night & Northern Lights

Winter solstice has come and gone here in the northern hemisphere and we’re slowly heading towards brighter days. Above the arctic circle, however, inhabitants will have to wait a bit longer to see the sun. There, polar night — where the sun doesn’t rise for months — still keeps its grip. Inhospitable as this may seem, entire communities have adapted to the long night, and the northern lights playing across the sky provide a reminder that light will eventually return.

This week's prompts are inspired by polar nights, human resilience, and, most of all, the glimmers of hope that make it all worthwhile.

This week's prompts

Set your story during polar night.

Winter – 37 stories

Write a story set in a world with a dying sun, or where light is a scarce resource.

Science Fiction – 64 stories

Write a story about someone witnessing — or trying to witness — a celestial phenomenon.

Adventure – 38 stories

Write a story about someone who has been tasked to keep a flame burning, surrounded by total darkness.

Character – 84 stories

Write a story about someone looking for a sign in a dark sky.

Angst – 56 stories

Stories

“Anything For You” by Ian McKenna

Submitted to Contest #232

“Will you stay with me?” “I’ll be right here.” “Will you?” “Yes.” A silvery shadow fell from the sky. A chain, as wide as the moon and the length from it to the Earth, lumbered down into the western horizon. A billion rockets, burning til they exploded, slowed its descent. Vincent, a tall and slender man, would have faced quite the wind if not. The rockets worked fine, though. In a moment, the chain will slip into its bolt with the force of a feather. Seeing the rockets, unaccountable sparkles surrounding a metal megalith, he sighed at ...

Read story

“The Candle” by Daniel James

Submitted to Contest #232

The Candle “Why are you here?” A lone light flickered before me, the flame atop the candle that continued to burn in the darkness of the world. I was alone, except for it, whatever it was. Its voice slithered and hovered around me, coming and going as it pleased, feasting on my doubts, on my longing, on my despair I tried desperately not to listen to. I huddled around the small flame, protecting...

Read story

“Uneaten” by Angela M

Submitted to Contest #232

It’s difficult to forget what human flesh tastes like once you’ve had a bite. It’s not the uniqueness of the flavor or the texture that made the meal remarkable but the forbidden act of chewing and swallowing a chunk of someone’s forearm. The smell, the similarity to beef, the way it felt when it traveled down his stomach would be seared into Mr. Chen’s mind for eternity. Ever since he lost his vision, Mr. Chen’s memories had become even more vivid than before. In his hospital room, he’d spend every waking hour mumbling to himself, l...

Read story

“Dying Sun ” by Renee Yancey

Submitted to Contest #232

It hasn't always been this way. The old ones talk about a time where the sun shone bright, warning the earth so it was hot a quarter of the year. They speak of a time where the grass was green and the plants grew outside. All this is unimaginable now. As long as anyone except the oldest among us, can remember, the plants have been grown in growing pods, lit by growing lamps. Natural light is rare. All are encouraged to be in it at least a half hour a day. Announcements are broadcast reminders of the importance of Vitamin D. Stepping out ...

Read story

“Keep Your Hand on the Stove” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #232

CW: This story contains themes of suicide and suicidal ideation. Read only if you are in a good place. The suicide hotline is 988.The room was filled with the smell of metal and the rushing torrents of blood swirling around infinitesimal tubes. There was a pounding in every space, a rhythmic thump that was both harsh and soft, beautiful and overwhelming. Mucus, bile, and fluid invaded every millimeter of the void. Everything was covered in warm liquid. Electricity danced across the tubes and wires and muscles, carrying information across the...

Read story

“Lumina” by Radek Michalik

Submitted to Contest #232

When the invasion arrived, nobody noticed. A vast armada, hundreds of vessels, thousands of beings. Advanced interplanetary craft descending through our atmosphere, into Washington DC, Tokyo, Mumbai. And every tiny hamlet in-between. FIRST CONTACT! The pundits should have screamed. WE’RE NOT ALONE! BUT DO THEY COME IN PEACE? Never underestimate the selective focus of homo sapiens, especially when there are elections, when the markets are going haywire, and did you see about what our daughter’s friend poste...

Read story

“The Pipe Collector” by Stephen Stanner

Submitted to Contest #232

The Pipe Collector A short story by Stephen J Stanner. This story is set in a small village deep in a Columbian Forest. The village consisted of large huts, built from timber and mud gathered from the surrounding land. Many orphaned children were in the village due to encounters with other villages fighting for supremacy. My story focuses on two individuals: a small boy named Gomez, aged sixteen, nicknamed "The Fire Builder" by the villagers, and Rodriguez, the village leader. Gomez was a tiny boy and extremely underweight. He was of thin...

Read story

“Me, the Darkness, and the Light” by Caroline Austen

Submitted to Contest #232

It was always just the ten of us for as long as I could remember. Just us, the darkness, and the light. It never dampened our spirits, the darkness surrounding us. We’d dance, and sing, and talk, and laugh to fill the dark and empty void as we walked, my father leading us all with the glowing orb of light mounted on the carved staff of white oak.But this year was the first year I had to do it alone. It was just me, the darkness, the light, and the memories. Everyone was gone, it was just a simple mistake. The light had dimmed just enough to ...

Read story

“Flames of Hope” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #232

Ashley let the flames hypnotize her, watching the scrawny river of heat and light flow up from a small pile of sticks and brush, foolishly carving out a tiny bubble of warmth amidst the powerful darkness that pressed in on them from all angles. It was horrifyingly wimpy compared to the raging fires she normally thought of when flames came to mind. She nervously glanced over her shoulder and quickly returned her gaze to the dying fire, her heart thumping loudly in the deafening silence. The darkness was absolute, a gruesome, thick absence o...

Read story

“Na Fir-chlis” by Amanda Zambrano

Submitted to Contest #232

Flora Somerville, God love her soul, had worked her way into my life and heart and had managed, beyond my stubborn resistance, to become a friend. It started when I began taking Wee Rabb to the library for children’s books. It was Flora who introduced me to Burns for children (who doesn’t want to read Burns for Bairns?) and an absolutely darling book in Scots about a wee dug named Shug. I enjoyed learning Scots along with Wee Rabb and only wished I was brave enough to attempt Gaelic. That, I supposed, would have to be left to Rabbie. But ou...

Read story

“The Flame of Chinon” by Ray Britton

Submitted to Contest #232

My father often recounted tales of a mystical flame, a legacy deeply ingrained in our family's history, stretching back centuries. It was more than just a mere fire; it was the heart and soul of France, a symbol of our nation's enduring strength and resilience. Passed down through generations, we were entrusted with a sacred duty to keep this flame alive. As a child, I listened to these stories with a sense of wonder, yet the true magnitude of this responsibility eluded me – until the fateful day the English laid siege to our land. "Héloïs...

Read story

“One Night Stand (script)” by McKenna Johnson

Submitted to Contest #232

LOGLINE: "Ahead of the inescapable heat death of the universe, a quiet observer attempts to accept her fiery end with the accompaniment of a poorly-timed hookup." --- OVER BLACK. SUPERIMPOSE: PROLOGUE. We hear bodies pushed against walls. INDECIPHERABLE BANTER, LAUGHTER. RAGE MUSIC in the distance. Then, the JOSTLING OF KEYS. FADE TO: INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT MALLORY, a shaggy-haired 20-something, stumbles in. Drunk as ever. Nearly drops her KEYS. AYDEN slides in. Attempts to be cool and catch her keys, but almost trips. Recovers. Make...

Read story

“Not a Lick of Sense” by Mary Lynne Schuster

Submitted to Contest #232

The radioactive factories put out enough energy to power things. I’ve read about how it was before – the world was too cold at the poles, too hot at the equator. Most people shuffled around in the in-between zones, the temperate zones, managing their clothes and buildings to deal with the hot or cold. Even people changed – I’ve seen pictures of Eskimos and Aborigines, hardly looking like the same species because they changed to meet their environment. It's like that. You live closer to the factories and hulking remains ...

Read story

“Under the Medallion Star” by Olisa Okoye

Submitted to Contest #232

Pegasus could be seen from any spot within the gigantic expanse of the stadium. Oris and his best friends would occasionally stand at the base of the stadium to observe the radiant glow and ring of dust floating around Pegasus. Something about this celestial body could steal your breath. It was a majestic spectacle for all to behold; it stood gallantly bright and fierce as its light penetrated every corner of the cosmos. All citizens of Centauri b revered Pegasus because it outshone every other star in its constellation. But th...

Read story

“Morphogenesis” by Flavia Gazdovici

Submitted to Contest #232

“If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil The low, rumbling noise from behind the crackling fire did not illicit any fear in the Being, nor any doubts or worries or even sympathy for what was clearly an excruciatingly painful growl of something suffering to the degree that, even the ominous silence that permeated the ether customarily was now splintered with agony. The Being stoked the small flame in front of it, forever impe...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

279

Contest entries

106

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 12, 2024 EST

Won by Jonathan Page 🏆

Title: The Lantern of Kaamos

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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢