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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#58: Lights Out

Whether it’s a summer storm or a blizzard, we’ve all had the “pleasure” of going about our day when suddenly the lights flicker out. No matter what you were doing before, it’s fair to say your plans are now disrupted — and may be for quite some time.

In the modern era, electricity is the backbone of pretty much everything we do. From keeping our food fresh to helping us stay connected, it powers our daily lives. These days, it’s even how many of us get to work.

This week’s prompts invite you to consider what happens to your characters when those routines are broken. Do they flounder, or do they thrive? And what lengths will they go to in order to return to normal?

This week's prompts

Write about someone who purposefully causes a power outage.

Thriller and Suspense – 146 stories

Write a story where the power goes out on a spaceship or submarine.

Adventure – 86 stories

Write about a character who’s stuck in an elevator when the power goes out.

Thriller and Suspense – 252 stories

Write a story about someone feeling powerless.

Narrative – 284 stories

Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.

Funny – 111 stories

Stories

“A Turn of Fate ” by Aya C

Submitted to Contest #58

The cheap watch which hung off his bony arm, almost making its way to the floor, served to remind him of the shortness of the tea break he had snuck off for, down to the local stall. It was ten minutes past ten. The glass over his watch had been broken for a fortnight now, yet, he had not found it within himself to repair his FastTrack. As long as time could be told, he had concluded. Besides, even if he had wished to trudge down to the watchmaker’s darkened alley, the luxury was not something he could have afforded. Overworked and unde...

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“Suffer the Children” by Tracey Carvill

Submitted to Contest #58

The graveyard was empty except for the woman in the veil. She let the tears run down her cheeks behind it, not bothering to wipe them away. What did it matter? No one else was here to see. Clasping her rosary in tight fingers, she read the freshly carved words on the headstone once more. Such a short epitaph for her darling boy. 'Albert Caldwell, born 1879, died 1885, drowned in Rotterdam Harbour'. It said nothing about the joy she and her husband had felt after he'd survived beyond his infancy. Nothing about the pride they'd felt as he'd ...

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“Ah Vous Dirais-Je Maman” by Simply Me

Submitted to Contest #58

He liked stars. He loved the constellations, he loved looking at pictures of the Aurora Borealis online, he even asked to buy a telescope. He liked stars. He loved to see them, to watch them, to stare at them. He liked stars, and I knew nothing. If there was one thing that he liked more than stars, it was mama, and it was me. That’s it. He didn’t always like stars though. My brother used to hate everything about the sky. He feared the unknown. But mama, mama would bring books to the dinner table, eve...

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“Elevator” by KYRA ROBIN

Submitted to Contest #58

The click of heels echoed in the hallway of the hospital. She wore a deep blue pants suit that was almost black, like the color of the ocean during a storm. Matching shoes strode confidently across the hallway and into the 8th-floor elevator. Her eyes were green, like old money. Long dark hair pulled into a high a ponytail tight enough to make your head hurt. She pushed the G button and waited for the doors to close. The elevator went down a floor. The doors opened, a doctor walked in. The woman and the doctor exchanged a polite sm...

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“Blackout” by Tim Maddox

Submitted to Contest #58

She reached the base of the access stairs and looked for the access panel. Her role in the operation was simple compared to most of the others. After the halo drop, she had made her way to the main power station, where she would wait for Thrasher’s program to let her disable power to the entire complex. Once both Thrasher and Whydah had secured the data they were here for, she would plunge the base into darkness and the team would escape without casualties. The panel opened easy enough, but before starting her role she used her night vision...

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“The Stranger.” by Patricia Green

Submitted to Contest #58

Martha slammed the front door shut, turned and raced out the front gate. It was a bitterly cold morning and she could feel her teeth chattering already, so she needed to keep moving. “Hi Martha, nice morning!” Her neighbour chuckled as he picked up his paper from the ground and hurried back inside, his large black bathrobe pulled tightly around him. “Yeah, great.” Martha thought. Martha walked briskly to the bus-stop shelter on the corner, just as the bus appeared through the gloom.. She thankfully sat down in the heated bus and rubbed her g...

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“Reed's Needs and Deeds” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #58

Reed’s Needs and Deeds Reed Carson had lost his treasured computer that had all of the important information on it. Then later on, he had found out that someone had stolen it. Not just anyone, but the evil Chloe Wong, his arch enemy. The girl hated him with a passion and would stop at nothing go destroy him. The Harrison household was heavily guarded. Her father had been a high-ranking officer at the Pentagon before retiring into civilian life and one of the perks was full-time bodyguard for his family at all times. ...

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“An Adventure in Marrakesh ” by Abhishek Todmal

Submitted to Contest #58

"Are you ready Mira ?" "I'm scared." "You're ready" She closed her eyes and held his hand as a symbol of hope. "On my count then," the boy whispered. Three. Two. AND. One. The lights to Marrakesh died and led to an uproar from the streets below. Hawkers and street peddlers dismayed at the potential loss of customers. Above them, galloping across the red asphalt, Munir and Mira jumped over two succinctly separated rooftops and stuck their first landing rather flimsily. There was no time to waste. The lights would be back in exactly s...

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“Out in Space” by C Britt

Submitted to Contest #58

"Med-bay for Commander. Over.""Go for Commander. Over.""We're hav.... s... sporadic power ou... here. Can you co... Over."The automatic door next to the intercom slides open. Pilot Symanski walks through and returns to her seat. The faintest hint of a smile shows on her face, but the Commander is too distracted to notice."Med-bay, go again. Over." The request goes unanswered. The commander finally presses the button and speaks again, "I'm on my way. Over and out." Commander McDowell pivots away from the intercom to address the flight crew in...

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“The Legend of the Triangle” by Paige Spencer

Submitted to Contest #58

"Ok, Claire are you sure you have everything you need"? The captain asked nervously. "Yes Bill, don't worry it's just two weeks then I'll be back up with so much new information you won't even know what to do with it," I said reassuringly. Bill gave me a sympathetic laugh and extended the prettiest looking journal I've ever seen. He said, "Here, so you can record all this new information you're talking about." It was really immaculate looking. It had hand-pressed paper and was bound by a nice leathery brown cover. On the cover was a latch an...

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“Crumbs of Passion” by Cheryl Fulks

Submitted to Contest #58

Crumbs Of Passion Waking up from another dream, hot and sweaty. The tornados were everywhere as well as the snakes. Night after night the same dreams. Out of control weather and vicious poisonous snakes on the ground everywhere you step. Melanie couldn’t get past the dreams. She stayed up as late as possible until she thought she was exhausted enough to fall into a deep sleep; but she found it didn’t matter. The nightmares were waiting for her as soon as she closed her eyes. Melanie hadn’t always had the...

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“WHITE WIPES!” by Khadija A. Kasuri

Submitted to Contest #58

“What did they say?” my mom asked as soon as dad showed up in the corridor. He turned off his flashlight and replied with a sigh, “They are not answering. Many other people are trying to contact but the signals are out of coverage.”Our city, North Dakota, had just hit with a blizzard. They recorded to be one of the strongest of all time in four decades. Many lives were lost. The infrastructure was highly dented. Water pipelines had frozen. Power pipelines had cracked that had caused a blackout throughout the whole city. We had been stu...

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“THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT ON GEORGIE” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #58

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT ON GEORGIE By Andrew Paul Grell Stupid song, but the Skipper could no more not sing it before running a test than he could piss on the induction coils. “So, hoist up the Georgie’s sails, and see how the main sail sets.” I never got the point of the original song. Did they go anywhere? Were they carrying cargo? Tourists on a three-hour tour? Naturally, I was compelled to answer his dramatic tenor with my lyric coloratura. “My father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light, slept with a me...

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“Desolation noir. ” by T. Rezy

Submitted to Contest #58

''Another rainy day in Lomont. Typical.'' I mutter to myself whilst warming my hands on a mug full of freshly ground Javan coffee. I stare out at the city from my cagey appartement. Raindrops streaking down in seemingly unquantifiable numbers. The gloomy streets are illuminated by the white and red of the cars lights and the yellow huw of the street lamps. Buildings so tall they hold up the heavy grey sky above. The inconspicuous notes of rain playing a tune of melancholia. Below, the wind blows an empty plastic bag along in its gust, waltzi...

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“Child of the Blessed” by Kate Reilly

Submitted to Contest #58

Elia stares down at the water, her breathing labored as she removes the gilded helmet. A mockery now- a mockery of what she once stood for and believed in. The cold water reflects sunlight, a pretty sight. She leans forward to gaze at its depths, to calm herself. A sharp, rattling breath. She needs to calm down. Nothing good will come if she gives into her rising panic. With shaking hands, she reaches down to scoop the water to her mouth. Blood. Dark, dried on her hands. She feels herself gag, as though her body is not her ...

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$50

Prize money

879

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 11, 2020 EST

Won by Julie Bissell 🏆

Title: In the Dark

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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