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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#96: Xenia

In Ancient Greece, it was believed that gods in disguise walked the Earth. While this might sound like fun, there’s a tiny catch: a blunder (like turning away a stranger in need of shelter) could get you into a deity’s bad books.

So what did the Greeks do? They lived by the principle of xenia: extending their hospitality to anyone and everyone without exception — in case a god was among their visitors. I make it sound like a life hack, but the Greeks approached xenia with real reverence, and the custom features in many works of the time — most notably Homer’s timeless classic, The Odyssey.

Ever since Odysseus made the journey home to Ithaca (where his unlucky wife was duty bound to entertain 108 unwanted suitors due to the sanctity of xenia), the delicate, shifting balance between stranger, guest, and friend has been a fertile source of conflict in stories. With that in mind, this week’s prompts invite you to explore the relationship between guest and host, or negotiate the path from strangers to friends. You can choose to embrace the concept of xenia, or not — I’ve left it up to you. Happy writing!

This week's prompts

Write a story about strangers becoming friends, or friends becoming strangers.

Fluff – 262 stories

Start your story with the arrival of a strange visitor in a small town.

Horror – 187 stories

Write about someone welcoming a stranger into their home.

Thriller and Suspense – 161 stories

Start your story in an empty guest room.

Horror – 150 stories

Write about a character who has to rely on the hospitality of strangers.

Fluff – 97 stories

Stories

“The Gateway Rattle” by James Holgate

Submitted to Contest #96

The clanging of metal and the blazing of fires erupted from the blacksmith as yet another day began. Houses of oaken materials stood solemnly within the shielded confines of the hamlet known to most as ‘Lindlow’. Such a hamlet had been laid down upon the restless earth for almost 500 years and in such time has had little advancements in technology. However one thing that the small village did have was a thriving community and a distinct lack of visitors. Nevertheless, tables can turn. Strolling past the well-crafted walls of the village, a...

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“For Lina” by Ashley Hassan

Submitted to Contest #96

In retrospect, I really did not think that she would have become such a huge part of my life. I don't know why it happened but all I can say is that I'm glad it did. It's funny how the littlest things tend to have the biggest impact on our lives. I've noticed how as time goes on, people never tend to separate the significant moments from the insignificant. But to me, and to her, we were the most significant people in each other's lives. It started in eight grade, I was so intimidated by everything. School hasn't exactly been a “saf...

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“The Cursed Town” by Wild Rose

Submitted to Contest #96

Content Warning- Murder/SuicideHe walked up through the dusty road which led to the small town of Temans. It was twilight and a light wind was blowing. Far away, the crop plantations acquired a greenish orange colour due to the light of the sun. On the other side, one could catch a faint glimpse of the Temans church, with its tall steeple standing majestically high up in the sky. The yellow- orange hue of the sky washed the town, and the muddy red road was illuminated with a touch of gradient yellow. The whole town looked peaceful ...

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“Weren't meant to be ” by Grace Aurore

Submitted to Contest #96

My grandmother once told me:" Lemme tel'ya a secret baby girl. Always be mindful and carefree. Most important, be gentle and polite to everyone. You never know what life's gonna bring to you. Our most important ones now were once strangers." But as I look at you now walking past to me without a glance, I realize she forgot to tell me how hurtful things turn out when those strangers you let enter your life as they are pleased, those you let your thoughts be with, minding if they are okay, those you innocently begin to care for, to give impo...

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“Sanctuary” by Kylie Wallis

Submitted to Contest #96

Sybella Ramsey had lived in the small town of Medlow Grove for her entire life. It was also where her mother was born. Beverly knew Colin back in high school and they had been good friends for a while. But it wasn't until one New Year's Party, when they kissed, that the two of them realised there was more to it.Six years after they got married, Beverly gave birth to twins, but only one survived. They called her Sybella. She was a bright and cheery child, and as she grew up, became a favourite of many long term residents. Sybella would think ...

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“A Saturday in October” by Christina Marie

Submitted to Contest #96

She appeared on my front step at 4:38 a.m. on a Saturday in October, dark hair a wild mess of tangles that mimicked the fury of the black autumn wind that raged around the house.Raindrops slipped like tears from the shoulders of her leather jacket, glistening under the suspicious glare of the porch light. Her hands hung limp at her sides. Her bottom lip, slashed and lopsided in a plump pout, quivered. Her fierce eyes bled a blooming nest of blue and purple. They grazed my face and down my neck to the scars on my collarbone. I tugged my ...

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“Starbucks for Zombies” by Link Arneson

Submitted to Contest #96

The bell rang once, then twice as the woman opened and then slammed the door shut. She looked around behind her wildly, all while maintaining a death grip on the handle. Her hair, pulled back into a ponytail, was frazzled; she wore athletic clothes, and a trickle of blood leaked down from the hem of her shorts. The people in the coffee shop stared at her. They were a motley crew: a high school student studying for exams, a businessman waiting for his order, an aspiring screenwriter with a laptop, a couple of teenage girls, a few employees, a...

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“Ordinary” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #96

The black sedan makes no sound as it comes into view.The sort of car you might see parked behind any number of offices across the country. Its shape somehow conjures up all car manufacturers and none. Your gaze trawls over its sleek onyx curves. It could be a Mercedes or an Audi or a custom job from a nameless government-employed garage.It rolls down the street at the precise speed limit. Not slower. Not faster. Bang on. It signals when necessary, and stops at all the lights and crossings. It gives way to other vehicles but does not hesitate...

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“What Katy Did” by Mary Sheehan

Submitted to Contest #96

Katy arrived on my doorstep drenched from a summer shower with a single plastic bag full of her belongings. Her social worker, Siobhán, smoked under a chic umbrella, dark sunglasses over red lipstick. I offered Katy a towel, while Siobhán stubbed out her cigarette in my trinket dish and tossed her sopping umbrella over a houseplant. It didn’t take long to give the house tour of my ramshackle home. The two trailed along behind me, Siobhán inspecting, Katy drifting, as aimless as a ghost. I opened Katy’s room and stepped aside. I had stri...

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“Rosa Mori” by 𝕊𝕚𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕥 ☾

Submitted to Contest #96

Author's Note: I don't really like this story but it's my first step to get back into writing again... so constructive criticism is always appreciated!!! Rosa Mori is Latin for 'dying rose' which you would later make sense of towards the end :) Thank you to Ruth for helping me fix my grammatical errors!We were moving again. My dad had left us to confinement within the empty barriers of that cold, unforgiving room. That room bound me through its dead walls, walls that lay a pale grey as those suitcases were ready to be piled again.The tuft of...

629 comments 629

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“Born To Be Wild” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #96

Wendy and I bought our first house through an advert in a local North London newspaper. The woman who owned it was leaving the city and moving to Wales. It was a ramshackle Victorian terrace that needed modernising, but it had a peaceful ambiance and a mature garden to the rear that was perfect for a small family. #It’s a well-known fact that most people spend more time choosing a pair of jeans than viewing a new home prior to purchase. You know when clothes feel right and you buy them on that basis. Using the same logic, we almost made...

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“Pulling Threads” by R K

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #96

At the beginning of each summer, there was the necessary trip to the hardware store to comb through the aisles for glue traps. Each year, she counted how many traps were needed, based on what she found as she bent over couch-backs, crawled into corners, and reached behind bookcases to pull out the previous year’s traps. There were wolf spiders mostly, but occasionally a centipede, who had wandered onto the smooth, sticky surface. She examined the paths of the creatures who somehow managed to crawl deeper and further into th...

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“The Tale Of Deimos The Wine Merchant” by Ben Hulme

Submitted to Contest #96

The sun sat high in the cloudless spring sky, rays illuminating the green leaves above, hanging low across the track, branches drooping. Kastor reached up from the back of the cart to grab one, his mother, Melina pulled him back down, holding her hands firmly around his waist. ‘You’ll fall, be careful,’ said Melina, wondering how on earth he had survived these past eight years. Deimos, sat at the cart's front turned and smiled, ‘What’s the boy doing now?’ he called. ‘You keep those eyes on th...

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“A Murder” by Niveeidha Palani

Submitted to Contest #96

c.w: gory scenes, disturbingAuthors Note: I tried something new. It's different from what I usually write. I meant for this to be a very short passage. Enjoy. :)The roads were soaked, with soggy puddles and the blades of thin grass were drenched in water. It was still pouring, however, from noon, and dusk had forged already.Thunder clapped around the Bringston Village and stringy, thin streaks of lightning whipped the skies. Everyone stayed in, sipping hot cups of cocoa, and staring at the sky, minding their own business.He'd turned up at du...

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“The Four Post Majestic Bed” by Geshanie Dias Desinghe

Submitted to Contest #96

It all happened in that Lonely Guestroom as she stood there.The tall slender figure of Namali stood looking at the door at the end of the Corridor with thousands of memories gushing and rushing into her head. Namali started walking the corridor.She approach the door at the end of the corridor. She held the broad brass door knob and pushed the door open. A single ray of sunlighet and rushed through the parted curtain brightening the entire room. She entered the Guestroom allowing the door to close by itself. Namali ...

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$50

Prize money

858

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 04, 2021 EST

Won by R E 🏆

Title: unoccupied

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.

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