#98: Origin Stories
Every year, on the fifth day of the lunisolar calendar’s fifth month (which happens to be this Monday!), the Dragon Boat Festival commences with gusto all across China. Within three days of celebration, people attend dragon boat races (as expected), eat sticky rice dumplings (zongzi), and hang aromatic plants around the house to ward off evil spirits.
The origins of the festival are obscure: some say it commemorates the death of a poetic and patriotic official who was exiled from the ancient Chu state. Others say it celebrates a filial daughter who lost her life searching for her father, who fell in the river during the organization of a boat race. While father and daughter were reunited in death, their misfortune connects to yet another alternative origin story for the festival: the fifth day of the fifth month was considered the unluckiest day of the year, and the festivities are carried out to keep this bad energy at bay.
Taking inspiration from these fascinating stories, and from their multiplicity, I present to you the prompts for this week! Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with the festival itself: since the tales behind this occasion are so diverse, there’s something for everyone.
🥇 Winner
“Blessed Home” by Mary Sheehan
🏆 Winner of Contest #98
⭐️ Shortlisted
“there’s plenty of fish in the graveyard; there's plenty of ghosts in the sea” by Rayhan Hidayat
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
“A Life of Regrets, Passed Down” by Otis Hixon
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
“terminus” by Katie Evans
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
“Rain” by Rebecca Weinert
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
This week's prompts
Write about someone who’s desperately trying to change their luck.
Teens – 101 stories
Set your story on (or in) a winding river.
Middle School – 122 stories
Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.
Angst – 320 stories
Stories
“Blessed Home” by Mary Sheehan
🏆 Winner of Contest #98
“WOMB ” by Mohamed Sarfan
Submitted to Contest #98
“My Life Sucks” by Stevie B
Submitted to Contest #98
“Life in Passing” by Lynn Penny
Submitted to Contest #98
“there’s plenty of fish in the graveyard; there's plenty of ghosts in the sea” by Rayhan Hidayat
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
“A Clearer Vision” by 【ↇ𝔸𝕂𝕆⇝𝔹𝔼𝔸ℝ 】
Submitted to Contest #98
“One can always Drown beneath the Past” by Kathleen `Woods
Submitted to Contest #98
“Running Down A Dream” by PJ Aitken
Submitted to Contest #98
“Humanity” by Corbin Sage
Submitted to Contest #98
“There Will Always Be More Fish in the Sea ” by Jubilee Forbess
Submitted to Contest #98
“Borne From Blood” by Yolanda Wu
Submitted to Contest #98
“A Lone Traveler” by Caroline Fonteno
Submitted to Contest #98
“A Life of Regrets, Passed Down” by Otis Hixon
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
“terminus” by Katie Evans
⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #98
$50
Prize money
751
Contest entries
0
Stories
Ended on 23:59 - Jun 18, 2021 EST
Won by Mary Sheehan 🏆
Title: Blessed Home
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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