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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 Mask of Erlik” by Ben Parrack

Submitted to Contest #247

The following account was found after the disappearance of two researchers in Northern Russia in the subsequent investigation. It was written in a journal found in the coat pocket of a 30-year-old researcher on an expedition, Dr. Daniel Moore. The investigation has affirmed that the entries in the journal were written by Dr. Moore, whose body was discovered in a forest near Lake Taymyr by local law enforcement.Entry 1 | 09/07/2008Tim and I arrived in Syndassko today. We're on a research expedition to search for signs of climate change in the...

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“WestBlock One” by Madeleine Hunt

Submitted to Contest #247

Dear Reader, If you are reading this message, our mission was successful. We have landed on WestBlock One. Day OneDay one was great. I know they trained us for how hot it was going to be, but after being put in those freezing chambers for six years, everything feels hot. I know we’ve landed on a dessert, but it’s still going to take some getting used to. I’ve never seen red dust quite like this, when the wind picks up, it’s the only thing you can see. Once we set up camp, Marina and I were selected to be on patrol duty for the afternoon. It...

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“Telling a Story” by Edward Brown

Submitted to Contest #247

Telling a Story DAY 1Once she’d thrown two plates, shattered on the kitchen floor behind me, I knew this was not the usual anger. Janie picked up a third plate, so I surrendered, apologized, and made a promise. That was yesterday. Now I haven’t done what I promised. Mind you I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink. What I did say is I’d deal with my drinking. “Start dealing” is more precise. I said it to Janie, under great duress, that I’d get help. So, I’m going to a meeting. Since we moved in together, it’s been rules. More rules. And rules that ex...

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“A Walk Through a Cave” by Charlie M

Submitted to Contest #247

Day Before Travel (July 1st, 2024)My name is Stacy Mitchell. I am 27 years old, and I am going into the ‘Eternal Cave’, found in Lansford, PA. (I would like to point out that the only reason I’m writing any of this down is because I am being forced by the Cave Diver Association to help with my mental state in the cave. I find this completely pointless, but I want to keep my job.) The Eternal Cave was found a few weeks ago by the coal mine tourists that got a little too curious. When others tried going down it, they came back rambling about h...

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“The Ice Wall Adventure” by Noted Moments

Submitted to Contest #247

Entry 1 - January 03, 2048Today I wokeup feeling restless... I keep thinking about what my wife said before she died. How she saw many visions of different lands beyond the wall almost every night in her dreams. How they say, no one has ever been on the other side, and they are keeping us from knowing the reality of what lies there. She became desperate to go on a trip after months of what started to seem like night terrors to me. Her waking up and freaking out, writing down everything she saw, telling me she needs to know before she dies, a...

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“Quandary” by Lyle Closs

Submitted to Contest #247

I don’t like people. Never have. Arrogance, ignorance, mendacity, self-importance, superiority... I don’t like lists either. I’m not a prepper. If the end of the world comes I’ll be out on my porch with a welcoming smile. I have so little - they can have it all. It adds up to a pile of nought and a root cellar full of dust. My great pleasure is to sit out there and watch the days rise and subside, the mountains glow then surrender to the clouds. The snow falls like ash, the sun claws into my skin, the wind reaches through the cracks of ...

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“Cosmic Catastrophe: A Space Adventure Gone Awry” by Kayla Flemming

Submitted to Contest #247

The hum of the spaceship's engines filled the air as Captain Jackson surveyed the vast expanse of space stretching out before them. They were on a routine mission to explore the far reaches of the Galaxy, charting new star systems and collecting valuable data for the Intergalactic Alliance. But as they ventured further into uncharted territory, a sense of unease settled over the crew. There was something off about this sector of space - a feeling of foreboding that sent shivers down their spines. As they pressed on, their fears were realized...

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“Echoes” by Carolyn Neal

Submitted to Contest #247

The event horizon is the most terrifying and mesmerizing location in the universe. The one belonging to Navier-11, located just a few months' trip from the nearest outpost, was to be avoided at all costs under normal circumstances. The supermassive blackhole had a consumption rate comparable to the next three largest combined. There were always murmurs of it being linked to the beginning, a forever echo of the unzipping of the universe, slowly making its way towards zipping all matter back up. There was even a religion tied to it, the Singul...

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“My Last Breathe Close to Mars ” by Raven Rhodes

Submitted to Contest #247

Ever since I was little I wanted to explore space and explore my curiosity of a world unexplained. After I graduated high school I told my parents how passionate I was of going to college for astronomy and astronautics. They weren't proud nor happy and thought little of the accomplishments of NASA and told me no. They were not even willing to help me pay my way through college. So I took the pain of rejection and I remember crying and looking at old books and exploration tapes because it was not fair. That's when I decided that I was going t...

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“Excerpt from 'in the river running or choking on water and white bread.'” by Adrian Pedraza

Submitted to Contest #247

that day was spent of more kicking of the rocks and scouring of the parking lots and we walked along dusty lonely freeways that led around and through orchards orange and yellow and vibrant and wet and just so wonderful i wanted to travel the world. she spoke of mexico, i spoke of france, and we both agreed on new york: man what would that be like? we never thought we would know, but the symbolic beauty of it, its cities and towers and lights and people and one-dollar food–the whole lot of it, how amazing! i feared our romanticizing of such ...

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“Clara's Melody” by Sofia Peralta

Submitted to Contest #247

He had found the stone brick tower overgrown with moss and ivy. This was strange since it was currently wintertime and the earth was swaddled with a blanket of snow. Even stranger was the feeling of warmth that the boy gained as he entered the tower. It was like spring was trapped here, existing forever in this place. The tower was in a deprecated state. There was little inside besides a few closets and a large staircase that went up.What perplexed the boy the most were the stacks of papers. Some were torn, others stained. The sheer amount ...

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“The Son of a Hero” by Aeryn Goodspeed

Submitted to Contest #247

(Glossary included at the end)I am a shadow within a shadow.Dusk pondered over the words he’d scribbled in the margins of his worksheet. The stone pulp of the paper had absorbed the ink of his idle hand easily enough, but now he was having trouble absorbing it into his brain. What had he just done? He’d been starting to draw something–a stick figure, maybe, of an Ortuxan with a sword. Or one with a spear. But what had flowed from the ink was instead a picture of a different kind; one that he hadn’t learned from–“Duskauger,” said a voice from...

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“Your move, grandad” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #247

The lounge in the nursing room was silent apart from a young man listening to his elderly grandfather. “So this piece, the bishop, moves in a diagonal line and this one…the…the?” “…the rook, grandad.” “The rook moves in a straight line?” “That’s right. And the knight moves in a sort of “L” shape, moving two squares in a line and then one square at a right angle. All the pieces are different.” “Oh no no no. I don’t think I can start a new hobby at my time of life. What’s it called again?” “Chess.” “Chess. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that...

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“The Foggy Mist” by Ed Wooten

Submitted to Contest #247

THE FOGGY MISTED WOOTEN Physical fitness, confidence, and drive for exploration have been my assets since high school. I’ve always maintained good physical conditioning and regard myself an avid outdoorsman. I’ve even considered auditioning for the Naked and Afraid television series. I recently celebrated my fortieth birthday and decided to prove I still possess my prowess in mountain climbing. In addition to mountain climbing and exploring nature, I also pride myself as a novice writer and a photography buff.Six days ago, I began this mid...

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“Run Rabbit” by Mark Buro

Submitted to Contest #247

Warning: Religious themes and graphic content. All day, every day, August Wittman is accompanied by the ticking of the clocks. They maintain tempo in his monotonous timetable. The clocks exist as a metronome, producing a steady beat for August to operate through. He reinstalls the weight to the first chain of the old grandfather clock, the minute-hand pulsing as though blood was being pumped into its mechanical heart. August's own body comes into synchronization with the clock, the pendulum swinging as though an extension of his breath. Al...

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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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