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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#247: The Great Unknown

Few pursuits ignite the imagination and spirit quite like exploration. From sailors discovering new countries and their inhabitants, to astronauts uncovering ancient civilisations on far away planets, we are as hungry to hear stories about exploration as we are to explore ourselves. We often feel the need to venture beyond the familiar confines of our lives, whether that’s simply exploring a new corner of your hometown, or embarking on a mission through forgotten tombs.

This week's prompts delve into the essence of exploration, inviting you to embark on a journey of discovery and adventure. So, ready your maps, steel your resolve, grab your pen, and prepare to explore the unknown...

This week's prompts

Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by an explorer as they make their way through what they thought was an untouched location.

Adventure – 66 stories

Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.

Science Fiction – 32 stories

Center your story around a character’s personal exploration, whether it's trying a new hobby, visiting an unfamiliar place, or learning something completely new.

Character – 88 stories

Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.

Dystopian – 59 stories

Write a narrative about a group of scientists exploring the deepest parts of the ocean.

Adventure – 13 stories

Stories

“The Bubble” by Brittany Mackeown

Submitted to Contest #247

Our moon colony had grown in the past few years, expanding past the main hub, which everyone but tourists from Earth called The Bubble. The Bubble was the size of a small city with roughly 250,000 permanent residents, a far cry from when my parents had moved my older brother and me up here. The growth meant more transplants from Earth arriving on a slick galactic cruise liner with their expensive SSRIs and antipsychotics. Which should have meant that Rafael’s epileptic medication would be easier to find, but sellers were on the low beca...

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“5 Stars Infiltration: A Crazy Duo's Diamond Heist” by Mymy Khan

Submitted to Contest #247

The eccentric duo, known as "Crazy One" and "Crazy Two," found themselves amidst a torrential downpour on an otherwise quiet Sunday evening in the captivating locale of Cancún. Their unlikely pairing comprised an Italian man and a Canadian woman, united by a daring mission: infiltrating the opulent hotel via a clandestine route concealed along the coastline. As they made their way along the beach, nature's fury was unleashed upon them, with the ocean tumultuously roiling and the rain descending in a deluge. Undeterred, the Italian discarded ...

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“Anointed” by Steven Joyce

Submitted to Contest #247

Larry clicked on his flip-flops clumsily as he approached the beach town’s 1970s community center. His feet were too pale and soft for this: decades spent in socks, protected by footwear, suddenly called upon to be exposed to the elements. He was uncomfortable having his big and middle toe split by the chafing nylon sandal strap. But in every picture he’d seen of people doing yoga, they all had bare feet, so he had to soldier on. ...

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“In For a Shock” by Haley Hartman

Submitted to Contest #247

Everything was quiet except for the crunch of snow under my boots. The snow sparkles on the ground in the sunlight and icicles hang on branches like bats. A small mouse scampers across the fresh snow leaving tiny tracks behind it, while an owl hoots from high above us in the tree. “It’s beautiful, Cael.” I whisper into the wind. “How did you know when the guards wouldn’t be at the hole?” There’s one spot in the wall near our houses that has a hole just big enough for Cael to squeeze through. He’s 6 foot tall, so it was no easy feat. Cael shr...

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“Mixed Signals” by Morgan Mahoney

Submitted to Contest #247

I was told to never wander, never explore. That it would only get me killed. But I just wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t. Let me start from the beginning—this morning. I woke up in our tiny loft, where we've lived since forever. It's cramped, but we make it work. Our "kitchen" is just a corner with a single burner, two worn-out pots, and a tiny fridge, powered by the solar panels we have on top of every building. Dad built a bed on stilts for me with scrap wood to give me some space. He crashes on our too-small couch. It's small, but it's home.I ...

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“BOOM” by Cheyenne Parkmond

Submitted to Contest #247

Click.Click.Click. Tems peered over his magazine; gazing at the brunette across the bay whose typing resembled a chimpanzee's attempt at Morse code. With an exaggerated sigh, he tossed the magazine aside and made his way over, his irritation mounting with each step. "Hey, what's your problem?" she protested, stumbling back as he pushed past her. Ignoring her, Tems commandeered the keyboard and efficiently finished the report before hitting send with a flourish. He turned to face her, his expression a mix of exasper...

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“The Crab's Apple” by Amanda Chan

Submitted to Contest #247

We all hide in our holes under the sand. I’ve never liked living below ground. It’s damp and moist, keeps us alive but I can barely see a thing down here. I like it when it’s nighttime on the beach, where we can roam freely without those surface giants bothering us. Major Eileen Dominicus Crab orders us to stay put whenever the earthquakes sound from above. And that today is every few minutes. The surface giants stomp around, making our bodies rock against each other. Something touches my leg, and I move to escape whatever it is....

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“Zombie No More” by David Michaux

Submitted to Contest #247

Dawn had barely shone through the trees when sirens blared from the town’s encircling wall. Morgan pretended to panic. She knew that’s what would be expected of everyone. While she ran and faked a scream, she kept her eyes on the action outside the large gate. Taking note, too, of the guards stationed on the wall.A rustle in the bushes 20 meters out. A man – or what would have been a man before the Water War – ran from the bushes toward the gate. Morgan could see wild eyes, blood smeared on his face like war paint, and a hefty tree branch he...

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“Beyond” by Jasmin Park

Submitted to Contest #247

It’s been 80 years since exploration of our world became forbidden. Our cities, surrounded by 100-foot walls, keep us from leaving. The oldest member of our city was only a child before this law was created. She has also been kept in the dark all these years as to why. No one knows for sure why we are to be kept from the rest of the world. Why those who lived during the initial passing of the law were sworn to secrecy. There have been rumors of dangerous creatures roaming the earth, people from other cities who wish us harm, and even disease...

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“Tap Tap Tap” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #247

“We don’t go past the Hatch. Ever.”I stand before Mal, hands shoved in the pockets of my worn jumpsuit, a sullen glower on my face. “Maybe if we did, we’d know why our world is falling apart.”For as long as anyone can remember, we’ve lived here, in the Habitat Section. We don’t know where we came from, who put us here, or why they did it. And no one seems interested in finding out. Mal scowls at me. “No one believes that, Wit. Our world is just fine. The Habitat Section has lasted this long; it will keep going. The Machines will see to that....

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“Beyond the Wall” by Susan Lamphier

Submitted to Contest #247

I surprised myself. What did they expect I would do? I'd spent decades of following the rules, staying on the narrow track, spouting the party line. I'd done what I was supposed to do, turning in the radicals and insurgents, the ones who questioned our leader growing girth, and the rumors that followed his wayward glances. But now my curiosity began to niggle at me. What was beyond the wall? I had spent so many years teaching children that it was full of monsters that would eat them, or quicksand, or poisonous gasses. I bel...

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“Reach Out” by Morgan Crain

Submitted to Contest #247

Earth had become virtually uninhabitable. People had been forced underground to escape the dangerous UV rays of the sun. Pollution levels made the air thin and nearly unbreathable. Clear-cutting rainforests had decimated ecosystems far and wide and caused frequent mass flooding. Agriculture suffered from droughts and a substantial increase in pests, so food was hard to acquire. Since the year 2000, forty percent of all plant and animal life had become extinct. Sickness spread easily as medicine became more difficult to find and the human pop...

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“Into the Great Unknown” by Big Mac

Submitted to Contest #247

Right. Right. Left. Down Main. And I am the Keep. Up Main. Right. Left. Left. And I am at Line 56: Home. There are four blocks between home and work. Three hundred and sixty-seven marble slabs line the streets. Seventy-three doors. Nine hundred and forty-two windows. And two security clearances. Day in and day out. Right. Right. Left. Right. Left. Left. Nexilia is divided geographically into fifteen segments. Each segment is comprised of a ring of land segmented off from each other. Our Placemakers lie within center city. Our governmen...

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“To Explore is to Defy” by Kritika -

Submitted to Contest #247

The sun shone on me, and its rays dripped on everything around me. It is so warm, like a blanket of feathers wrapped around me. The sun looks so radiant sitting in that blue sky of his. I wonder what’s up there in that blue sky that treads for miles and miles. I do feel dejected to think that no one will ever come to know the secrets it hides within itself. The world we live in is as bare as can be. We live to fulfill our basic duties of work, eat the food we earn, and sleep to start the morning again. We meet up to indulge in parties ...

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“The Sphere” by Jazmin Quito

Submitted to Contest #247

It had been years since they put the sphere up. Blocking out the outside world and hiding us from the sunlight. They said the world was gone and that we were the last of our people. That everything had gone to shit. Our grandparents all told the same story, “The outside world is gone, there's nothing out there. The sphere is perfect. Why would you want to go anywhere else?” The government forbade people from asking questions about the outside, others forgot about it. It was a controversial topic that got people beat in alleyways. Others were...

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$250

Prize money

258

Contest entries

101

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 26, 2024 EST

Won by Madeline McCourt 🏆

Title: DANGER: UNSTABLE GROUND

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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