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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

“You Buy Cheaply, You Pay Dearly” by D. Owen

Submitted to Contest #83

“Welcome to the Coral Sands Resort. What name is your reservation under, please?” “Hannah Graham.” “I see your suite mate has already checked in.” “Suite mate? I don’t have a suite mate. There must be some mistake.” “No, there is no mistake Miss Graham. It states right here on the online booking contract that in order to offer our un...

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“Hotel Sweet Memories” by Sreedevi Mahapatra

Submitted to Contest #83

Getting down the tourist bus , Kavita’s eyes caught the name of the hotel “Hotel Sweet Memories” .A dry smile appeared on her lips at the irony that she ended up at the words which she wanted to escape “The Sweet Memories”. “ Ma’am here is your room key, 105, WiFi details on this slip”, a beautiful manicured hand of the front office girl handed the plastic card to Kavita. Kavita tried to have a three sixty degree view of the hotel lobby. A four star hotel, which had great reviews on the internet, affordable ...

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“The Trip That Changed Her Life” by Stone Burn

Submitted to Contest #83

Amy was super excited. She had found a really good deal on a hotel for a vacation. It was a very cheap one person room. It had a bed, a couch, a bathroom, and a little kitchen area. She was going to Klosa, She was 21 years old. She twirled her long blond hair with her hands. Her green eyes sparkled in excitement. Amy had been trying to save money for this trip. She started packing her bags. She delivers pizzas at a place called Classic Pizza Parlor. Her boss had approved for her to take a vacation. She had 6 weeks off. It took one day ...

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“The Stars Are Dying by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #83

The Stars Are Dying Captain's Log: HMS Star Chaser; Twenty-ninth Cycle- Year of Apocalypse, Galileo Sea There is little time to do more than mark our identity here, and the date of The Ultimate Cataclysmic Event. No time to list the names of my crew, who, having served His Majesty with valor, have all preceded me in death. Alas, my only companion is my ghostly reflection in the glass of my cabin window. It is clearly visible against the pitch-black-void surrounding the ship. A never-ending, ...

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“Spirits of the Parana” by Matias Matias

Submitted to Contest #83

Sebastian must have been seven of age, as he recalls, when he first saw a mask, as he referred to them. He was running amongst the trees along the Parana river when he fell into one of the streams just as a massive ship carrying a stack of containers powered through the waters, momentarily draining the streams thus sucking Sebastian out into the current of the river. It had happened so quickly that all that he felt was being thrown around the river-bottom like a rag doll being thrashed about in the mouths of two Pitbulls. He was the ragdoll ...

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“Arenia” by Sean Hanson

Submitted to Contest #83

The waves crashed against the sides of the canoe. Cosmo gripped the hull of the boat with everything he had to stay above the water. As his small ship rose and sank with the aggression of the midnight storm, the fisherman knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his stability. With every gust of wind and pelting of seawater, Cosmo was quickly losing strength. He’d been on the water for only 2 hours when the skies began to darken, and the temperature dropped rapidly. He’d been planning this fishing trip for months, and when the time finally came, he ...

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“Arthurian Bureaucracy ” by Edward Teather

Submitted to Contest #83

It was not a nice lake. The water stewed murkily. It was hemmed in by concrete. Domesticated and canalised into an ugly circle in a dingy park. The trees and sprawling roots which once covered its banks were long gone, the thick green grass now weeds and mud. Empty cans and sat where shining pebbles had. It was a sunken lake in a sunken park. The only ways to it were through dingy subways, with dirty beige tiles and a thousand unwelcome scents. One tree raised itself into the fading light, only to be hit with overpass fumes. Traffic and sire...

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“Shark Beach” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #83

Shark Beach I am sitting in a very friendly open-air bar by the beach of the first tropical island that I have ever visited. I feel like I am in the set for a Jimmy Buffet video, even though I do not drink margaritas and don’t wear flip-flops. The general good feeling that the people in this place have produced for me, makes me think that I can ask the question that has been buzzing in my mind ever since I checked into my cabin by the beach. As I ask the bartender for another scotch, neat, I say to him. “So why do they c...

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“The Banishing of the Sea” by Hannah Ehrlich

Submitted to Contest #83

Disclaimer - this is not a real Greek myth, I made it up, although the characters are real in Greek mythology. Hope you enjoy.Pontus was pacing, nervously. His crab-claw horns snapping restlessly upon his head. He was walking next to his favourite body of water; the Aegean Sea, but even that didn’t seem to calm him. Not nearly enough people have heard of Pontus. Although most of those people have heard of his ‘all-powerful’, ‘master of the sea’ son, Poseidon. Pontus thought this begrudgingly. Who did those people think gave him those powers?...

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“THE KELPIE SPIRITS” by Jacky Parker

Submitted to Contest #83

Loch Coruisk at the heart of the Cuillins is a magnificent freshwater loch and is said to be the home of the Kelpies. This idea of water spirits being familiar creatures in an isolated loch located in wild Scotland held a strong fascination and lured me into a path of discovery. I booked into the Sligachan hotel well before the onslaught of the virus when all the world was wholesome and pandemics were reminiscent of a long-forgotten past. It is a beautiful old hotel with welcoming comforts that make a holiday such a pleasurable experience. O...

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“A Sailors Fate” by Kate Grissom

Submitted to Contest #83

The thing was huge. I'd never seen one before. I was only sixteen and didn't really care for the likes of them. But I was gonna be married soon, and I wanted one last bit of freedom. This thing had it for me. Going to Ireland is where I'll stop. It was a large ship. Freshly painted in various blue and green hues. The sails were as white as snow. I stood, taking it all in, when the captain yelled for everyone to board. It was like taking my first steps again. Something felt wrong. Not knowing the outcome of the voyage frightened me. O didn't ...

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“The Missing Trident: Triton's Adventure. ” by AARON LEE

Submitted to Contest #83

It was a normal day in the Aegean Sea for Poseidon. Or so he thought, little did he know his trident would be stolen from a certain few people. In Poseidon's palace. "WHERE IS IT?!" he thundered. Triton, his godly son, just swam in and asked "What's happening? Why's dad so angry?" Delphin, the dolphin god and one of Poseidon's most trusted advisor said "Big Man's lost his trident, if we don't find it fast, he'll tear up the entire Aegean Sea!" It was true, because since Poseidon was the sea god, the sea usually reflected on his emotions. S...

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“The Big Moon, and The Large Waves” by Masha Sizova

Submitted to Contest #83

I rush along with the breeze as little strands stick to my face, while I blindly run to the rusty playset. I skipped across the street to the sand which tickled my toes, and watched how the sun slowly began to set. Colors splashing the sky, like watercolors blooming on a blank wet page. With sigh, I realized that the swing was occupied and walked over to the bench with a pouty face and my lips jutting out in an upset manner. I wait as stars begin to blink on and off behind the wild colors. I began to start heading home but then the little bo...

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“A Death Too Wonderful” by Alealealoe ''

Submitted to Contest #83

Bubbles. As if floating, these delicate, transparent creatures arose to the surface of the emerald-blue waters. They giggled with excitement. "The Princess is coming!" "She's coming our way!" "Make way!" Their little voices never ceased to amuse the Princess, and so her heart always paid attention to them. Her round dress, which was weaved with rolling waves, swept across the bubbles, tickling them in a light-hearted way. "The Princess!" "The Princess!" "The Princess!" The chorus of jittery voices watched as the Princess began to s...

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“Sea Spirits Save Manatees” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #83

The Florida Manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, is a large, slow-moving marine mammal with an elongated, round body and paddle-shaped flippers and tail. Manatees are herbivores, feeding solely on sea grass, algae and other vegetation in freshwater and estuarine systems in the southeastern United States. Florida manatees can be found as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts during summer months, but during the winter, manatees congregate in Florida, as they require warm-water habitats to survive. The tour guid...

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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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