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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 allure to paradise.” by Sibusiswa Radebe

Submitted to Contest #83

She did not only sink her vangs and leave you alive, she was no ordinary vampire. She wasn’t just thirsty for blood, she was hungry for flesh. An attractive young woman with beautiful tanned light brown skin, eyes that changed whenever she was in the water or on land. All alone, without a home, she was a hunter. Her purpose was survival, all she knew was living to feed herself. She had nothing or no one to live for but herself.When you begged or pleaded she did not understand, she couldn’t talk for she had not learned. Living in the woods an...

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“The Stoicism of an Unrequited Love” by Paula Jonek

Submitted to Contest #83

Christopher Lark was devastated, wrecked, ruined and bold enough to share this with all of his friends who hadn’t asked. He learnt from the university lectures that as far as you accept the relativity of the adjective bad in relation to things that happen in life, you are going to achieve a peace of mind and be satisfied for the rest of your days. He wondered whether Marcus Aurelius would have said a girl’s no could be called relative.Miss Gloria Hancock was called a child of the stars and she indeed seemed to have a clos...

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“Hidden at the bottom of the sea” by Anna Takhmazian

Submitted to Contest #83

No human eye had ever beheld such amaranthine beauty, living in the depth of the ocean where no light could ever reach them. The little girl in the white cotton dress with bows of silk, was sitting on the shore, taking deep breaths in excitement every time the waves swept over the dark sand. Her eyes admired the hundred tints of yellow and red in the horizon, her fingers craved to touch the sunlight reflected in the water. She and her mother were both paralians, living near the sea in a small cottage core built on a wooden frame made by her ...

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“Faithful” by Eric Jacobsen

Submitted to Contest #83

One day, a grand ship sailed upon the crystal clear seas of the tropics. They were blessed with strong winds and crystal clear skies. Because of this, the crew was brash. They set sail without giving proper tribute to Imi, goddess with dominion over water. All neglected tribute bar one. Cathius, a pious and superstitious sailor sacrificed an octopus he bought the morning of sailing in addition to the normal tribute. Hearing the insolence of the others, he felt it necessary. And loe, because of the hubris of the sailors, their blessing, their...

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“The water gods of Ahgondoa” by Joan Opoyi

Submitted to Contest #83

Down the river of Ahgondoa;in a quiet place with no one but Joyce,surrounded by tall trees with the sounds hollowing from the water. Joyce heart was shattered with so much fear,her head was spinning around. Trees were moving around her, with big yellow eyes as they stared at her and laughed continuously. The ground was shaking from the laughter that was an echo throughout the woods.Joyce fingers were a stopper to her ears,but invane it didn't help,but,the sound became more loud and louder. Stop! "am feeling dizzy - She fell onto th...

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“Spirits of Thule” by Shae Dandridge

Submitted to Contest #83

“You know, maybe you should be worried?”Alun looked up at his friend, brushing away his cyan hair from his face. A lofty grin played on his lips. “You shouldn't be so uptight, Clyde. What could the humans do to us now?”Clyde snorted. “They made plastic. That’s concerning enough on its own.”Alun let out a merry laugh. “Oh, please. We’ve survived for thousands of years already. The humans couldn’t possibly pose a threat to Thule anymore. Don’t worry about it, Clyde.”“Whatever you say, Alun.” Clyde cast him a stern glance. “But Thulans still ha...

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“Sea glass” by Charlotte Sully

Submitted to Contest #83

The seawater aroma tickles my nostrils with a tangy scent of salt. This.This is where I belong. For me the ocean is more than a place, its the place I go to find myself. I think I love the ocean because it's calm, beautiful, and infinite. But also it's harsh, angry, and magnificent. And that what intrigues me.I lay my starch white canvas on the smooth wood of my easel. For ten years I have lived by the sea, and for ten years I have come to this very cliff to capture its splendor, and for ten years I have failed. No words, artwork, ...

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“Hashi and the river godess” by Harikrishnan Nair

Submitted to Contest #83

“Be quiet, let Korbo not hear you,” said grandma Munshika to her grandchildren as she lit the Night Lamp.It was nearly midnight. The children in her thatched hut were difficult to contain.“At 80, I have to handle two children! Oh Korbo, what did I do to deserve this?,” Grandma Munshika could be often heard when things got tough around the house. She didn’t really mean it of course.The village of Nangria located on the banks of river Korbo is supposedly the oldest in eastern India. Around 50 houses dot the village; there could have been more ...

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“Drowning” by Ifunanya Emmanuella Obi

Submitted to Contest #83

Drowning. He starred at his reflection in the ancestral gold mirror- carefully sculpted by the best gold craftsmen in the 1900's and hanged in the hallway of his family's mansion by his great grand father. His family's name; Nwammiri which meant child of the water in his native Igbo language was boldly engraved on the top of the frame. It was the most priced possession of his family but he hated it. He hated it because each time he looked at it, it reminded him of the man he had become and the man he would be forever. He hated that man that...

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“Ocean Master ” by Jennifer Russell

Submitted to Contest #83

Tethys looked on from the shallows as he did every dawn. He enjoyed watching the humans get into their boats and chase sea life all morning. Some would drag themselves onto the docks like they needed just one more precious hour of sleep. Others, well they were just too eager. Even for him, he thought he was pretty energetic. Must have been whatever was in those tubes they drank from as they loaded their boats. These humans were different from the ones that had the huge commercial fishing boats. These humans only caught what they needed to...

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“Those Who Control The Water” by RIC .

Submitted to Contest #83

“The humans are getting out of hand.” Three brothers, all alike in dignity, sat along a secluded spring. The second brother looked at his elder with interest. “How so?” he asked. “You didn’t hear? Our poor lion friends have lost more of their land. The goats keep moving further up the mountains,” he explained, “and the crabs have started attacking the humans who dare step foot...

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“Lonely Waters” by Rajesh Patel

Submitted to Contest #83

What can I say? For weeks I have been on this rudimentary raft that I found on the shore. I could not take this anymore. The urban life. The fast-paced environment. The traffic. The bills. The debts. The obligations. The responsibilities. The destruction of nature. How come can I not think about myself? How about what I want? Okay, to be honest, my goal was to escape my creditors. I got into a huge debt. I blame myself. It all started due to a so-called friend that I thought had the best interest for me. He did not. He made money on my...

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“Water Gods” by Zach Brown

Submitted to Contest #83

Tell me your story child.The first time I heard of the Water Gods was when I was nine years old. I had a seashell in my hand and four on the ground next to me when my grandpa, Ellios came running after me. He was setting up the ceremonial fire on the white sandy beaches of our island. Four big logs forming a cross pattern were laid in each direction. One to the sun, to the night sun, to the big island, and one to the Sea. I heard him yelling and the soft sound of footsteps running through sand after I heard the ...

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“Farfetched?” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #83

“Lay down here on this couch. No need to be skeptical. For some reason this is called a psychiatrist couch; if I were you, I’d…but then, it is not my place think on your behalf. Remember, it is in reality, just a stuffed bench with a built-in head rest, nothing more, nothing less. Anyway, lie down and tell me why you look like the spice of life has left your menu. I’m a good listener, or so I’ve been told.” She is like that, helpful. Sometimes too helpful. She is the kind of person who finishes sentences fo...

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“Persistence-and Where It Can Sometimes Lead You” by Anneliese Ravenwood

Submitted to Contest #83

Talina von Dego gazed sadly out of the window of her work. She was bored, and her continuous wondering about whether her dreams were completely dashed never seemed to cease. "Talina!" a voice rebuked her. Talina looked up to her strict boss, a skinny tight-lipped lady in a short business dress and heels. "Get back to work!" She said her name, "TAL-I-na". Talina said, "Yes, ma'am," watched her boss saunter away, and returned to her job. Only four short days ago, she had planned to go to Yuisuigi, a beautiful tropical island, for two weeks-b...

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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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