#39: Earth to Writers

This was a big week for celebrations. Wednesday was World Earth Day and yesterday was World Book Day.

But to us voracious readers, doesn't every day feel like Book Day? So for this week's prompts, we're giving a big shout-out to the little blue dot in space we all call home.

(And if you'd like to combine your World and Book Day celebrations, here's a sci-fi reading list that's out of this world.)

🥇 Winner

“sole mate” by Masha Kurbatova

🏆 Winner of Contest #39

There’s never been a cigarette so impotent as the Yellow American Spirit, but I was twenty-five then, and I didn’t know any better. My roommate asked me to buy cigs at the gas station and the man behind the counter stared at me as if he didn’t believe that I was, in fact, twenty-five and not some eighteen-year-old with a fake I.D., so I panicked and pointed at the prettiest-looking package, not realizing that yellow is code for “mellow” which is code for “flavorless.” “It’s not even that pretty,” my roommate Stacy whined. “If you were ...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“And the Roots Grow Deeper Still” by Matt Strempel

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #39

She is barely two feet tall but has already witnessed the destruction of her entire family. If the farmer had noticed her, she would have been torn down just like the rest of the forest. She survived the winter massacre and now stands alone, exposed, in the dank, still earth. Waiting for something. But what she can not tell. All she knows is that the hushed song of her kind as they swayed to the music of the wind is gone.Remnants of her ancestors can be seen here and there; mangled limbs of once-mighty aunts, uncles, grandparents. Older...

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“When The World Caves In” by Georgia Perlah

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #39

I’m on my back. The unseasonably cool August grass tickles the back of my neck. But it is not unpleasant. I wish I could describe the feeling, the infiniteness of the stars staring down at me as I, a fraction of a grain of sand, a microcosm in the universe, am gazing up into the midnight sky. I point out The Big Dipper, to no one in particular, it is just a comfort to know that it is always in the sky, as I am always on the ground. Somebody once told me that they think of me when they see The Big Dipper and now I can’t help but to give the l...

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“Braccata” by Dey Knight

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #39

Her gaze flicked to the stars, each one twinkling against the pitch-black blanket of the sky. She had the type of gaze that tends to make people uncomfortable. Too sharp, with eyes that could strip you down in a moment. Too critical, evaluating and assessing more than she should. She had the type of eyes that suggested she knew all of your secrets, that she had already laid you bare in her mind. It was the type of gaze that makes people flinch away, trying to cover the barren truth from her inquisition. Above, a raven cawed its war...

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“Press Release from Relevant Time” by Erica Hampton

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #39

Have you ever watched time turn backwards? Well, it starts with waking up and seeing the sun rising out over your backyard, which is weird because you know your backyard faces West. And that is just the beginning. Then, you notice the birds are flying backwards, and the leaves are falling up instead of down. You might choose to ignore all of this at first and go along with the walking backward and putting on conditioner before shampoo. That’s what I normally do, anyway. I go along with it and hope it all will stop. Usually, I make it to pour...

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This week's prompts

One day, the sun rose in the west and set in the east.

Fantasy – 72 stories

Write about a person experiencing the 'overview effect' (a feeling astronauts report having when they first view Earth from outer space).

Science Fiction – 48 stories

Write a story about a Google Street View driver.

Adventure – 39 stories

Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.

Teens – 388 stories

Two people who thought they were the last people left on Earth end up meeting by chance.

Science Fiction – 147 stories

Stories

“Haven” by 16 Shades Of Irony

Submitted to Contest #39

I shook myself awake, although now that my eyes were open , I wish them closed. My head is throbbing horribly and darkness still surrounds me, something strategically placed before my eyes. A musty sort of smell wafts from the surroundings and I start feeling sweaty and clammy. A drip-drop sound echoes, and as if everything else wasn’t already giving the cliché feeling of being kidnapped, this definitely did. I try to pry my limbs apart but they are bound together at such odd angles THAT IT could easily cause pain if I so much as shuffled.On...

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“sole mate” by Masha Kurbatova

🏆 Winner of Contest #39

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“This World” by Ai Jiang

Submitted to Contest #39

I will tell you now that in this world, there is no love. But because there is no love, there is also no pain. In this world, the moon sits in the sky during mornings and the sun shines in the night. In this world, you are not walking away with your blonde ringlets and cold, clear eyes. In this world, I do not love you because, in this world, you do not exist. I am now walking in this world to the usual coffee sh...

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“The Dead Dream.” by Nandita Mishra

Submitted to Contest #39

Someone looking up at the stars, slowly and carefully, tears falling apart. I walked into that space, I carefully noticed him. Oh! He was a dear friend, a friend I had lost contact with in my school days. He slept on the grass, full of mist, put his hands under his head, and kept looking up. He gazed those stars with heavy, passionate and dedicated eyes. He looked as if he had lost himself there somewhere in the sky.I walked upto him. In that space of garden. "Hey! Hailey here, from high-school" "Hey Hailey! I umm. I didn't recognise you." "...

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“Morning Darkness, Illuminated Night” by Laiba M

Submitted to Contest #39

Sofie woke up to darkness. It was as if obsidian and coal had clasped hands around her, fingers brushing her face and hair. Confusion sketched itself on her face as she groped around on top of the nightstand for her phone. The screen eerily illuminated her face, instantly painting the room a neon blue. The time flashed across the screen, and the sight of it ignited a fiery gasp that left Sofie's throat stinging. The phone slipped from her hands, the light of the screen sinking lower and lower until it hit the floor with a soft thud. It was 9...

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“The Meteor Shower” by Tina Laing

Submitted to Contest #39

Joseph is laying in the grass looking up at the night sky. His family decided to take a walk through the woods.To see, what he has been working on all week with his best friend. They came into the house a couple days ago, looking for supplies to used. They scrambled back and forth carting supplies from the shed. It was the supplies that was leftover last week from his Dad. He built a Garden box for his mom to plant her flowers in and he asked his Mom, “Where is Dad ? He asked? She told him that he was out bac...

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“By the Stars” by 🆇🅰🆅🅸🅴🆁 🅶.🆂. 🅵🅴🆁🅶🆄🆂🅾🅽

Submitted to Contest #39

By the StarsBy Xávier G.S. FergusonAtla sat staring at the vast abyss of the star-filled sky. Her father was telling her a story, but there were other things on her mind. The voice seemed to echo in the wells of her mind. Thoughts even were silenced. Seeing the stars always casted her mind into a state of awe. Her father stopped talking. Atla brought her mind away from the sky, and instantly felt bad for not listening. She had to put together the bits that she had heard of her father’s story.“Wow!” she said so that he wouldn’t be hurt, ...

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“The Gourmand” by Srijani Ganguly

Submitted to Contest #39

Before it all happened, before everyone from his life disappeared forever, Greg prided himself on being a gourmand. Every week he set his sights on a restaurant and chose an appetising dish from the menu. Never did he behave like the other food bloggers, who subtly suggested they get a free meal in return for a good review. He always paid for his food, even when he went out on behalf of a newspaper or a magazine. And he always sent his compliments to the chef, more as a show of gratitude for the food rather than an appreciation for their art...

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“THE TIME HAS COME” by Pranathi G

Submitted to Contest #39

The time has come.If you are a finding this, then either you have passed away - or you’re about to.No one else knows this place but him.If you do, then you can’t go.If he has let you come this far, then you can’t live.Don’t try to call the cops - it will be too late anyway.Don’t try to yell - he made sure no one can hear you.Don’t try to catch him - he won’t be caught unless he wants to.Don’t try to run - he won’t let you get far.Don’t try to hide - he will find you.Don’t try to live - he has confirmed your death.Don’t try anything - he will...

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“Harriet Olson stellar pixie book 1” by C.J Dunstall

Submitted to Contest #39

Chapter 1Harriet Olson was a stellar pixie. She loved looking up at the stars at night. They were particularly beautiful tonight. They were her ancestors and she loved them with all her heart. They told her, everything would be ok, if she just followed her destiny. But Harriet didn’t know what her destiny was yet. One day her friend Takeshi Trescothik, came with grave news. Takeshi was an elf and Harriet’s best and only friend. He was blonde and loved archery. He was also in Harriet’s opinion not all that bad looking.“The troll king had decl...

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“Nightfall: A Reimagined Twilight Story” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted to Contest #39

It was cool and clean outside, the dusk just beginning to fall. Somewhere in the treetops a little nightjar was singing full-throatedly, accompanied by the handful of crickets the late-spring heat had lured out of their sleep.Iz sat on the outside of the deck with her feet dangling over the dewy ground, looking up at the heavy night sky, drained of stars. It had recently rained: the wooden deck was damp and the earth smelled distinctly of dark new things poking up from the inner dirt, worms and seedlings and birthed white grubs. Killdeers an...

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“A fun night ” by Miles Gatling

Submitted to Contest #39

He blew smoke and opened his eyes"No stars tonight. You see any?""No, there must be clouds. I can't even see the moon.""God, what a party!""Haha yeah, it was awesome dude!""Where's Freddie?""Passed out on the living room sofa. He had a lot to drink.""Should we wake him?""Nah, let him sleep it off. His folks come home tomorrow night.""Dude we should clean this up before they get here…"They looked around the backyard. Empty beer cans, wine bottles, flipped chairs were scattered all over."Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much. His parents are stoked ...

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“The Big Apple ” by Shawna King

Submitted to Contest #39

Imagine a world without people. In this world, concrete buildings stand tall against pale blue skies, their interiors left completely vacant. Streetlights flicker when dusk emerges, but the illuminated streets remain silent. Living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms become time capsules, preserving the remnants of a once lively human race. Now imagine, you wake up one Sunday morning to the sound of your alarm clock; the rest of your house deafeningly quiet. You make your way through the corridors, expecting to be greeted by someone you love. ...

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“Dissociate Trigger Warning” by Chloe Alistar

Submitted to Contest #39

That's not me. The person with contorted legs barely visible by the now deflated air bags. That's not me. The person whose head hit against the passenger window leaving a circular crack in the glass of the passenger door like a red spider web. That's not me. The limp frame that can not move. That's not me!The person slumped over the steering wheel, blood coated on olive skin like a new crimson overcoat. That' s not you. Moments ago when you were driving and we were singing. Before, when we had the radio blasting, vogueing to Top 40. Moments ...

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“Listen” by Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #39

"Help me!" "Help!" My cries were inaudible as I felt myself tossing this way and that. Nobody else seemed to notice me, and passed right through me like I didn't exist! Hoping for some sort of rescue from this terrible fate, I managed to steady myself enough to grab the controls. Someone yanked me from the back and pulled me into the capsule, but I was too overcome in shock to realize who it was. "None of us will survive if you don't listen to me. Right here, right now." The mysterious stranger shoved me in...

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$50

Prize money

694

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 01, 2020 EST

Won by Masha Kurbatova 🏆

Title: sole mate

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!

#39: Earth to Writers

🥇 Winner

“sole mate” by Masha Kurbatova

⭐️ Shortlisted

“And the Roots Grow Deeper Still” by Matt Strempel

“When The World Caves In” by Georgia Perlah

“Braccata” by Dey Knight

“Press Release from Relevant Time” by Erica Hampton

This week's prompts

One day, the sun rose in the west and set in the east.

Write about a person experiencing the 'overview effect' (a feeling astronauts report having when they first view Earth from outer space).

Write a story about a Google Street View driver.

Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.

Two people who thought they were the last people left on Earth end up meeting by chance.

Stories

“Haven” by 16 Shades Of Irony

“sole mate” by Masha Kurbatova

“This World” by Ai Jiang

“The Dead Dream.” by Nandita Mishra

“Morning Darkness, Illuminated Night” by Laiba M

“The Meteor Shower” by Tina Laing

“By the Stars” by 🆇🅰🆅🅸🅴🆁 🅶.🆂. 🅵🅴🆁🅶🆄🆂🅾🅽

“The Gourmand” by Srijani Ganguly

“THE TIME HAS COME” by Pranathi G

“Harriet Olson stellar pixie book 1” by C.J Dunstall

“Nightfall: A Reimagined Twilight Story” by Zilla Babbitt

“A fun night ” by Miles Gatling

“The Big Apple ” by Shawna King

“Dissociate *Trigger Warning*” by Chloe Alistar

“Listen” by Amiable Sorceress

$50

Prize money

694

Contest entries

0

Stories

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“Dissociate Trigger Warning” by Chloe Alistar