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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 – 65 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

“The Watcher” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #232

The time is approximately 12:30 a.m. An astronomy student sits on a hill near the clearing of a sleeping forest. Her grey SUV – which she used to arrive at this point which was miles away from the nearest town to ensure the night sky was clear of any possible light pollution – is parked here, cold and quiet after being turned off for over an hour at least. The grass beneath the astronomer's feet is a vibrant turquoise in the pale moonlight – her shoes are off so she can feel the relaxing dew; a literally g...

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“The Purple Night” by Christiana Crawford

Submitted to Contest #232

The Purple Night happens the same time every year and it’s said to be the most beautiful of occurrences-so alluring that you would lose all your senses. That you would walk right into the fae realm.Most families had a space underground and spent the night there until morning. Strange occurrences happen during The Purple Night. People go missing, never to be seen again. The ones that eventually return have no recollection of anything at all. Not who they are or where they’ve been, nothing except The Purple Night.I was only ten when I decided ...

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“Buy A Parrot Next Time” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #232

“You’ll never see it if you keep giving Keith all your attention.” I prodded at the koala plush my brother’s tiny fingers were fumbling with. T was going through an antipodean phase. Which was strange enough for a six-year-old whose peers wore screens as extensions of their noses, but stranger yet to name it ‘Keith’. I was hoping, praying, that tonight’s celestial event would out-strange both T and his toy. “Why are we here again?” T whined, cheerily thumbing Keith in his glassy black eyes. “For Lonergan’s Comet. For the hundredth t...

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“Aurora” by Adrian Fahy

Submitted to Contest #232

Giant teardrops lay shimmering on the cold sand. Leo examined them from every angle, marvelling at nature's artistry. "Look, Dylan, you can see where the iceberg split from.... I think it's called The Breiðamerkursandur glacier. " He knew exactly what it was called and took great pleasure pronouncing it correctly. Dylan, who was more enthralled by his phone than by Diamond Beach, barely regarded the prodigious jewels. He stuffed the device back into his pocket just as his Father turned around. They only landed the previous day, and 'Dylan, g...

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“Stoke the Embers” by Brian Dunne

Submitted to Contest #232

Her breath mixes with the fumes expelled by the exhaust pipe of the wrecked 4x4. Her figure is distorted by the cloud of haze as she leans against the trunk of a frozen birch. Though I can barely make out her shape, there will never be a time in our lives when I don’t see her. Never. Shortly, both her breath and the vehicle’s exhaust will cease to exist. The former is preventable. Maybe. The latter is a foregone conclusion. The loss of either spells the severing of a vital lifeline. There’s no point in seeking shelter within the cab...

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“May Fire Fade, Forever Keep The Flame” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #232

In honor of John Milton and Hidetaka Miyazaki.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------In the boundless expanse of existence, where shadows dance in eternal tandem with ethereal radiance, there resides a figure cloaked in mystery—The Fire Keeper. A maiden of unseen lineage, she emerges as the harbinger of hope, a vestal guardian whose eyes, shrouded beneath a regal crown of ivory, perceive not the visual realm but the luminous threads of destiny that weave through the tapestry of time. Clad in a somber ...

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“The Fire” by George Beasley

Submitted to Contest #232

The Fire Recently, I was challenged to write a story about someone who must keep a fire burning, surrounded by total darkness. I have been thinking about this for a few days and have been pondering what type of emotions I will have to explore to write this story. This has triggered a host of troubling emotions and thoughts. The darkness in my life has always been real. The memory that stands out to me is when my brother, Mike, and I were dropped off at this lady’s house during the week. She ran some type of off-grid daycare. We wer...

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“Cosmic Joke (But I'm Not Laughing)” by Hannah Kolbinger

Submitted to Contest #232

Miles has never believed in miracles. He does not search for meaning in tea leaves or surround himself with crystals or polished rocks–he doesn’t believe that rose quartz will bring him love or in the healing energy of amber. He doesn’t believe that a hack in robes can read his fate, his future, or his past simply by tracing a clammy finger across the lines in his palm. He stopped believing, at the tender age of six, that a jolly fat man in a red suit made his way to every single one of the world’s countless children on Christmas night–that ...

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“What We Find in the Dark” by Stephanie Ziders

Submitted to Contest #232

Chapter 1 “Hey, Collin, I’m back,” Fiona said, shutting the hotel door behind her. Her fingers clutched the tall hurricane glass in her hand, careful not to spill. Fiona turned. Her sandal wedges squeaked on the polished wood floor as she turned toward a shuffling noise behind her. Fiona’s blue eyes widened, watching the scene before her as if it were a movie in slow motion. “What the —,” Fiona’s words were cut off in her tightening throat. The crashing of glass shattering off the floor rang throughout the bungalow-themed hotel room. Col...

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“The Tigers That Came For Tea” by J. I. MumfoRD

Submitted to Contest #232

[Contains mystery meat, groping, and violence.]I often think of the beasts that came to our window.The day I saw the first beast, I had had been standing at the sink washing dishes. My mind wandered, as was often the case. My main illumination was the bulb over our kitchen window. It flickered with each gust of wind that rattled the glass.I’d lost count of the days since I last saw the sun—flecked with spots, like roasted chestnuts, sinking behind the mountains. The darkness had settled heavy as damp wool across the valley.Back then, we stil...

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“Flesh A-Flappin’: An A.I. Chatt Paranormal Mystery With Bonus Passion as Anita Brake AKA J.D. Robbed” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #232

Note: This is a companion to Ilaanni Nanoq Pivat.“My wife was murdered,” Arrell Stein insisted.“Yeah, I get it,” Alexis drawled, struggling to keep the edge from her voice. “I’m sorry, but could you please put that down? You’ll rub the fur off.”And likely find your rotting, crae-crae walking dead spouse waiting on your doorstep, she added silently.Stein started, and sheepishly returned the Monkey’s Paw to the wormwood desk. A.I. cursed the Maine horror writer who’d gifted the thing, the paranormal investigator suspected as a curse itself. De...

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“Game of Planets” by Heather Henderson

Submitted to Contest #232

Polar Night. A three-month tournament of planets, ice and magic. Altrus had finished the first game: the Mercury-themed find-a-clue, which would have been babyish if it didn’t end in the possible death of a polar bear. To the inhabitants of the North Ice, polar bears represented resilience and might and as such were held as sacred. “Easy.” Altrus smiled confidently, knowing that his mind was sharp enough to pass the contest without much problem. Alina laughed. “For you.” She creased her eyes into half-moons, then gave him a little smirk. “No...

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“Saving sparrows in Antartica” by FJ Morris

Submitted to Contest #232

Saving sparrows in Antarctica My little sparrow keeps score of how many dolphins she sees, slicing through the waves, guiding us like sentinels on our mission through the worst seas. She keeps score of how many albatrosses sweep around the bridge of the ship, tracing halos in the sky. She keeps score of how many sparrows hitch a ride on board, singing blessings of relief. But a sailor tells us they will never make it this far away from land. So each day, the count becomes less. Each day, the numbers fall. We see land without the su...

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“True North” by Aaron Mooney

Submitted to Contest #232

Night reigned supreme over the small town of Kinnemuck, Alaska, as it had for the past three weeks. While not the northernmost town in Alaska, it still suffered from the curse of polar night. What granted the townsfolk some comfort through this abysmally cold part of the year was the aurora. For some reason, Sheriff James Breaker was having trouble finding the joy in seeing the greenish hues dance among the clouds tonight. The town boasted a population of a whopping three hundred and five souls—or people, if you’re not the religious type. I...

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“Ember Light ” by Spencer Gordon

Submitted to Contest #232

The world of Aethel was a canvas painted not in vibrant hues, but in varying shades of twilight. Sol, the once-proud sun, had shrunk to a pale ember, its life force ebbing away with each passing cycle. As a result, light was a coveted treasure, hoarded by the wealthy in glimmering crystal orbs and doled out to the less fortunate in rationed spoonfuls. Elara, a young woman with eyes like pools of moonlight, belonged to the latter. Living in the forgotten corners of Lumen City, she knew darkness as intimately as her own breath. Her days were...

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$250

Prize money

280

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!

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