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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

“Alice in Wonder” by Sean Mallery

Submitted to Contest #247

“Wake up Alice, we have reached the null point” Alice sat up straight, wiping a bit of drool from her mouth. “What?”“The Captain’s input is needed, Alice. The coordinates are already set.”“Hey Wonder, uhh I wasn't sleeping.” “Sleeping? I didn't say you were!” Wonder joked. “I don’t even know what sleeping is. How would I? I never sleep.”“Okay, smartbutt computer. Just give me the calculations of the jump”“It’s on your HUD right now. No need to check. I ran the numbers myself,” Wonder said.Alice leaned forward and tapped the HUD. Th...

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“The Renova Decision” by Jeff Macloud

Submitted to Contest #247

The seven members of the executive council aboard the Amazonian were all but touching shoulders around the grey rectangular conference table. Deputy Governor Hunter Bryant, his tunic unbuttoned at the top, wiped sweat from his temples with his sleeve. Climate control was a major issue on the 923 year-old ship. Cleo el Masry, the vessel’s operations chief paused for effect, wrapping up her report on the impending deceleration decision. She sat back, her legs crossed at the knees, her hands smoothing the wrinkles out of a precisely tailor...

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“Choices” by Alexis Acker-Halbur

Submitted to Contest #247

Choices Short Story My cell phone rang. “Detective Kirra Stirling, dead body found at Oakwood Hills Cemetery. Please report.” “Acknowledged. I’m on my way.”A dead body in the cemetery, how original, I thought to myself. Those St. Paul police dispatchers are such comedians.As a kid I remember being in the car with my parents and siblings on a sizzling summer day. As we drove past a cemetery in our old Ford wagon, I asked, “Mom, how many people are dead in there?”“Oh dear, I can’t say.”“I do, ” I chirped, “all of them.” The car filled with lau...

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“Thing” by L.B. Goldman

Submitted to Contest #247

The Charlottes live in a quaint farmhouse with peeling white paint. They are surrounded by grassy fields and forest, their only neighbors a married couple around their age (Mr. and Mrs. Hermann) living just across the street—although just across the street is at the end of a snaking dirt driveway a little over a mile long, and subsequently another similarly lengthy driveway.The vast fields are ideal for crops, as implied by a barn with nothing but a well and a bit of storage inside and an empty chicken coop built alongside the farmhouse, but...

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“Doubt rhymes with Workout” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #247

Alyssa put her hair up into a ponytail, got out of her car, and walked toward a place she never thought she would ever allow herself to enter. A gym. Twenty-five years old and overweight, Alyssa had promised herself a long time ago to never focus on the weight on the scale, to eat the foods that made her happy, to accept her body for what it could do. She went on leisurely long walks to enjoy nature, but refused to go to the gym because it held no interest for it. Why would she want to exercise in a dull place? But onc...

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“Creation” by Carolyn O'B

Submitted to Contest #247

Victor’s entire body jerked, and when he opened his fluttering eyes, he discovered that he was teetering on the edge of his mattress. He rolled onto his back and turned his head, staring quizzically at the figures on the shelves across the room. A variety of creatures looked back at him. He threw back the comforter, stretched, and tumbled to the floor with a thump. Fully awake now, he stood and lumbered over to the shelves while running his fingers through his disheveled, raven locks.&nbs...

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“Subversive Swimming” by Miki O

Submitted to Contest #247

That night, Mary would receive thirty-one phone calls from her mother. The first came the moment she knocked on the door to Crystal’s house. For a moment, she stood and waited. From behind the door, there were sounds of cheering, arguing, yelling, and eventually, incoming stomping. The door flew open, the doorknob hitting the wall inside with a loud “thunk”. There stood Crystal, with a neon blue can in one hand and a cigarette in her mouth. She chuckled at the sight of Mary. “Hey, bitch. Thought you pussied out.” Mary winced at the language....

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“discover who you were always meant to be” by Catherine Kilian

Submitted to Contest #247

Reedsyprompts #247 With such seldom exercised optimism, I foolishly doubted that anyone, least of all, my family, would be unwilling to accept my transformation, nor understand the re-evolution of my identity. I irrationally hoped that they would also be able to see the same, incredible discovery of self; this metamorphosis of woman – mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, child, human, wraith, beast – that I finally held the ability to see. I preposterously choose the belief that I have always been the person who stands in fr...

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“In Search of the Flying Women of Georgia Folklore” by Laura Holt

Submitted to Contest #247

In Search of the Flying Women of Georgia Folklore Laura Holt Montezuma Jones, Folklorist and Amateur ExplorerDiary Entry # 1 – July 16, 2023 The boo hag is a winged witch, most often a woman, with the ability to shed her skin, take to the air via a pair of bat-like wings and visit the homes of her sleeping victims at night, where she sits on their chest and drains their lifeforce from them—normally, this lifeforce is energy, although in some cultures it’s believed to be blood or soul—then returns home and steps back into her skin befor...

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“IN SEARCH OF THE GOD PARTICLE” by Douglas Render

Submitted to Contest #247

May 15th, 2035 – Journal day: -chasing the God ParticleThroughout the course of human history, the question of the existence of a divine being has sparked profound discussions and contemplation. It stands as a cornerstone of philosophical inquiry, delving into the essence of existence, purpose, and the nature of reality. Among the great debates lies the question of creation: Did a supreme being fashion the universe, or did it come into being through the mechanisms of the Big Bang theory? Some within the scientific community entertain the not...

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“The Eyes of Cortés” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #247

The following journal was found in a repository room of the British Museum, translated from the original Spanish into English by the scholar Maxwell Soverington in the 18th century. The document was misplaced in a file where it remained missing until 1981. The translation is presented here, with section breaks added to distinguish separate, non-dated entries. It is unknown how this text made it to England. 13 September, in the year of our lord 1519It is on this date that Diego and I, along with a few others, received the grace of Hernán Cort...

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“Tar” by William Malave

Submitted to Contest #247

TarDay 1, Docking Station 2H:There's a stubborn splinter, deep within the skin of my index finger, and just as large as it is painful. Some of the writing I may do for the next few days will be short and simple, rather dull in nature if my briefing is, for once, entirely accurate. The planet I have been stationed on is called Jhard, which is pronounced Jard in the Universal Dialect. Since my deployment, I have noticed one very peculiar place on the otherwise uncolonized world: The walls of Crater-1. Supposedly, there was a small mining opera...

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“The Trek” by Bill Gregory

Submitted to Contest #247

Allan Thomas had grown up in middle-class East London. From and an early age Africa had fascinated him. Scouring libraries looking for all he could find on the dark continent. Fact or fiction, didn’t matter to a young boy, it all held an intrigue that he soaked up like a sponge. After completing University with a degree in geography, he set about planning his lifelong dream of exploring. At age 24, with the assistance of a small inheritance from his grandfather, he set sail, for Africa.June 27th 1848 – Day 1After an horrendous sea journ...

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“Tell the Stones” by James Carlson

Submitted to Contest #247

Land of the White WolfIt starts White Wolf, a book by Jim Brandenburg (Northword Press Inc., 1988). So, few people visit Ellesmere Island that the wolves are not afraid of humans and the photographer lived close to them for months. “Why don’t you go somewhere warm, sit on the beach and drink margaritas” friends ask? But I am drawn to tundra, deserts, mountains, and as far away from people as I can be. I resolve that a visit to where there are more wolves and muskox than people will be my 50th birthday present. A cri...

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“Tainted Treasure” by Bec Newton

Submitted to Contest #247

Year of our Lord 1632 15th March Today we set sail on the early morning tide. The sun was barely bleaching the horizon when I had heard Captain Horatio of the Annalise calling me a fool. He was not the only one on the docks to feel this way but I am not one to listen to naysayers. It may as yet turn out that his slander is accurate but until I attempt the journey who is to say it will fail? Perhaps I should outline the reason for this voyage. An unfortunate man washed up onto the shore nearly a week gone now. The man was crazed and wea...

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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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