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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#83: Tropical Getaway

Sometimes we all need a break from our current circumstances. When the world feels gray and lifeless, thoughts of warm beaches and sunny skies can sound more appealing than ever.

Travel has been hard to come by for a while now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make an escape through our imaginations. So this week, let’s slather on the sunscreen, steal what daylight we can, and take our characters to the crystal beaches most of us can only imagine.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who goes to extreme lengths to get themselves to a tropical island.

Adventure – 91 stories

Start your story with someone emerging from the sea, and end it with them looking up at the stars.

Fantasy – 277 stories

Write about someone who’s lived on a tropical island their whole life and is leaving it for the very first time.

Dystopian – 83 stories

Write about someone who books a bargain vacation, only to be told when they arrive that they need to share a hotel suite with a stranger.

Dramatic – 148 stories

Write a fantasy story about water gods or spirits.

Fantasy – 227 stories

Stories

“The Reader of Runes” by Carole Cobos

Submitted to Contest #83

I have written records all my life. About the stars, the runes. Everything- never once have I written about myself.But here it goes; When I was young- five I think?My mom would tell me scary stories about other islands, bigger islands. Islands where the weather always changed and no day was exactly the same.Where lightning- a voltage of light and power- struck sand and trees. Where the trees fell onto houses and killed families. Where the earth shook and floods- which was when the nearby body of water acted up and drowned the area-...

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“The Blue Lady of Fallam Lake” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #83

She’s evil, she’s holy, she’s bad, she’s good, she’s a monster, she’s a hero… there are nearly as many descriptions of her as there are people who claim to have seen her. I’m talking, of course, about the Blue Lady of Fallam Lake. It’s said that she lives on the bottom of the lake, or maybe in a cave beneath the water where her hearth is warm and dry. How would that even work? I’m on day eleven of a fourteen-day assignment to try catch the Blue Lady on camera. It’s all a bunch of nonsense, of course, but that’s what they pay me to do. Despi...

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“Salt On the Air” by Jakin Files

Submitted to Contest #83

*Authors note* This story is loosely based on the events of future President, lieutenant John F. Kennedy. Commanding officer of motor torpedo boat PT-109 during WWII. Salty seawater splashed his face as the boat crashed through the rough waters. The constant hum of the engine, like a swarm of mosquitos. The cool night air felt good after the sweltering heat of the day. Ken stared endlessly into the sheer black, curtain-like night. His legs compensating for the never-ending up and down, up and down movement of the boat. Their target? A Japa...

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“Jed Pee Nong Hotel” by Colin Devonshire

Submitted to Contest #83

“Jet Pee Nong, what the hell is that?” asked the walk-in customer. “That, my friend, is the name of a magnificent hotel in a brilliant resort, on the holiday you’ve been dreaming of,” answered the overly keen sales agent at Rickets Travel Bureau. “I noticed the ‘deal of a century’, you’ve been plugging on social media recently. Tell me more.” “You are in luck. We only had one spot available, and it had been booked,” said the young man with the bright yellow blazer with the over-sized letters, RTB, plastered over the breast pocket. B...

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“Somewhere Only We Know” by Megan Stewart

Submitted to Contest #83

I had been here before, a long time ago. Back then I was just a stupid kid, not really understanding the magnitude of where I was or the opportunity presented before me. Not many people have the chance to travel to another country, to take in a new culture. Fewer people still would abuse that gift and taint it. And that’s just what I did. Stepping foot off the plane, I took my first step into this beautiful oasis. I didn’t know then that I’d meet the person that I thought would be the one. I didn’t know that he would break my heart, shat...

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“"Mother wanted" ” by Ivana Carrington

Submitted to Contest #83

Once again I wake up, our boat barely mended together. It’s been 36 days since we’ve been lost out to sea. Out ship crashed, although most of the crew died due to hypothermia those of us remaining got on the safety boats and headed out for sea. From the food on the ship each boat has 116 biscuits, 40 gallons of fresh water, and two men to man each boat. Supplies are running low, we’re barely making it out on the sea. Mother sold our house,belongings, and nearly everything that we owned so I would be able to make it out on this boat. “A...

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“No Rest for the Wicked” by Maya Ad Astra

Submitted to Contest #83

Beneath the sea’s surface, I am at peace and everything is quiet. I wish I could stay down here forever where the hardest problems I have is telling the difference between the fish that swim near me and pruny skin. But my lungs need oxygen and it isn’t long before I swim up to the surface and breathe in sweet, fresh air. Above water, I’m greeted by the sounds of seagulls shrieking and children playing at the beach with their families. As I step out of the water, every noise comforts me as it means I’m on my first vacation in a very long time...

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“Helena” by Brad Morris

Submitted to Contest #83

Well, I've been in the water long enough, guess it's time to come out.How long has it been? Hours? Days? It seems like days.Being in the water started with Helena. Wow, she was beautiful; but not in a conventional way. Those dark features; angular face, hypnotic eyes and Giaconda smile. Yes, Da Vinci could have painted her; and she was so smart, could talk about anything. We did speak about everything. Movies, art, theater, you name it. She liked talking about her dad, who apparently had started an education model that revolutionized the way...

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“Chased By the Wind” by R. K.

Submitted to Contest #83

A Tribute: To those at the bottom of the oceanThe slightest shift in the water stirs up dirt, sending clouds and leaving the space around it murky.On the seafloor, a shadow can be made out, tucked away in an undisturbed corner. A movement, hardly detected. There is a second presence to be noted. Before with furtiveness, it waited; only choosing to be given away with a whisper“You have to get up.” The Shadow continues to lie still. “You ask something of me with such expectation.”“Not, however, unachievable.” The wate...

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“Save Our Spirits” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #83

The muck in the canal always upset Janie, but she’d gotten so used to it that she didn’t notice it any more. The half-submerged trolley was as much a part of her commute as the old oak tree at the end of the path, and now the only time she reacted to the garbage was when there was a new addition, or a particularly impressive piece of vandalism. The time that someone had managed to dump a temporary security fence in there she whistled; the time they’d gotten an entire sofa suite in there she’d stopped and admired it, until her stomach started...

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“A Chance of Hope” by Jacob Rainey

Submitted to Contest #83

"Let's see here, 8,072 days... That's a little over 22 years that I've lived on this island." A darkly skinned man counted out loud. "I know, my baby boy. I know that you want to see the world beyond our home. I just wish that you wouldn't leave with them. In fact, I encourage you not to." An elderly woman spoke, as she sat down on a roughly cut conifer bench. “Lano, our family has ...

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“Missing Mermaid” by Sofie B

Submitted to Contest #83

I went up to the top of the water. I swam around and took lots of pictures with my camera. I then put my camera back in my bag. I looked at the nearby island and wondered if I ever could go there. With the beautiful palm trees and grainy sand, it looked so beautiful! If only-"Irene! Irene, come here!" shouted my VERY overprotective brother."Ben, stop nagging me!" I shouted back."Dad's expecting us, come on!" he said then swam away.Ugh. Dad. Always nagging me to come to traditional mermaid traditions. Ben always nagging and nagging to look g...

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“Being” by Emerald Lace

Submitted to Contest #83

Born of primordial chaos, It stepped out of the ancient sea and onto the primitive land. The Being looked around, confused at the sights and sounds that assaulted its new senses. The ground beneath Its feet felt course and was a clean, crisp tan in color. The water was warm, crystal clear blue, and full of prehistoric single-celled organisms. The air smelled sweet of flowers and salty water. Being stumbled inland towards two tall omnipotent beings. One had dark skin with black hair that curled down to its feet, and the other had transpa...

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“Conference in the Pacific Palace ” by Pepper Mint

Submitted to Contest #83

WARNING: DO NOT ASK ME HOW DID I GET THIS INFORMATION, BUT I HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SPREAD THIS RECORD AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. BELOW IS THE RECORD, WHICH IS BASED ON WHAT I ACTUALLY HEARD AND SEEN.Pacific, the chief of the ocean and sea gods, announced a meeting. Every ocean and sea god rushed into the Pacific Palace, for this was an important meeting. When all the gods were settled in the largest conference room, whispering to each other some alarming news, Pacific revealed himself from the drapes of kelps. All the gods rose up and bowed to...

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“the sun, the stars, and us” by Nao Nishimura

Submitted to Contest #83

If I close my eyes tight enough for only the whispering shadows of the golden sun to seep through, I can almost remember exactly what she looked like the day we came here a year ago. I can almost remember exactly what that day smelled like as the ocean tides rippled out the deep aroma of saltwater mixing in with her intoxicating perfume. I can almost, almost remember exactly what her laugh sounded like as she shoved me under the water and I pulled her leg down with me. What I do remember clearly though, was the feeling of warm, rushi...

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$50

Prize money

826

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 05, 2021 EST

Won by Madalyn Meyers 🏆

Title: Burn Damage

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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