Start your story with a character walking through a desert landscape, when they stumble across something unexpected. “That shouldn’t be there,” they muse.

Posted in Dialogue on Oct 13, 2023

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✍️ 51 stories

“Mirage” by Jake Burkley

Submitted to Contest #220

“That shouldn’t be there.” He mused dryly. Throat constricted and rough with thirst. Nights spent walking on weakened legs, without food or shelter. Body sinking into the immobile, orange sea devoid of end with each restless sleep. Stuck between waking world and dream, he grew distrustful at the sight before him. Stark against the still sands and shrubs of yucca and creosote was a concrete foundation. As if a room was warped from its origin and plastered on the warmth-tinted flatlands. Walls missing, the foundation housed what looked like a...

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“A Story for the Ages” by Paul Crehan

Submitted to Contest #220

i. I came because Dr. O’Meara wouldn’t tell me over the phone what she had discovered. “You won’t believe it,” she said. “I don’t.” “I’ll believe it,” I said. “You won’t. And I’m afraid you might think the desert has gotten to me, and maybe it has. The locals tell me they see it, too, but I can’t be sure they’re not humoring me. They’re paid by the day. If I have to go away for treatment, they lose work.” “You do sound distressed.” “For good reason. For god’s sake, Del, just get here, okay?” As it touched down, the helicopter th...

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“Message in a Bottle” by Jeremy Stevens

Submitted to Contest #220

My grandparents’ house was on the crest of the Sandia Mountains, and from their house, as a kid, I would venture out with my Batman utility belt to solve that episode’s conflict, which was never anything more than poking termite hills, examining alien footprints with my magnifying glass, and confronting my nemeses—the cactus, the cholla, the prickly pear—with my lightsaber as I collected desert artifacts for lab analysis. “Murdock to base, over,” I reported into my handheld. “Base. Go ahead, Murdock “ “Found something that definitely...

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“The Pool” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #220

If you could cure the world, would you?I took my family on a little camping trip in the desert. It was supposed to be a time of bonding before Melanie, my daughter, went off to college. Of course, she would much rather have spent the time with her friends, so she didn’t want to be there. She got angry the first night, locked herself in the car to read, and fell asleep, draining the battery. That left it up to dad to trek across the desert to the closest town for help.Six hours into my journey and the twenty-four ounces of water I took with m...

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“One Last Plot in Skeleton Town” by Jackson Bruce

Submitted to Contest #220

She was Reagan Fitcher from Copperhead Creek. She was born in 2004, on February 7th. This much the woman knew, having read it off her driver’s license in the flickering headlights of her car. She couldn’t say where she was, nor could she say where she was going. Neither of these ignorances were as troubling as the fact she couldn’t remember precisely who she was, passed Reagan Fitcher from Copperhead Creek. She had no other hints as to her identity - only her wallet, a ring of unlabeled keys, and a cellphone shattered beyond use. Two things ...

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“Remnant of the Serene Days” by Christa Dor

Submitted to Contest #220

Cold.Even as the rays of sun rake my bare arm.Cold.My inflamed pores squeeze out chubby beads of sweat on my damp clothes. They trickle down and die once they come in contact with the scorching sand of the desert.I don't belong in this infinite sea of faded gold. I have been dumped here hours ago, maybe days even. Time is such a useless resource when your system whines for shade and alkaline liquid. And then, my senses blaze into life when my eyes fall upon it. In the distance I see it— a glimmer of rich colors spread upon a soft fabric defy...

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“The Guardian of the Silver Spheres” by Gail Ormsby

Submitted to Contest #220

The heat of the desert sun beat down on Sarah's head as she walked across the barren landscape. She had been walking for hours, and her feet were starting to ache. Sarah was beginning to lose hope. She had been lost in the desert for days and had no idea where she was going. Suddenly, her foot caught on something in the sand and tripped over an object. Sarah fell to the ground, and her hand landed on a smooth, metallic object. She picked it up and examined it. It was a small, silver sphere about the size of her fist. "That shouldn't be here,...

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“Under the Rock” by Fernanda Prieto

Submitted to Contest #220

Under the rock. By Fernanda Prieto I walk down a little sand mountain, well, not walk, just letting myself fall, so it feels like surfing. Once I am down, I go directly to my favorite spot, a big rock in the middle of all this nothing. When I have finally sat down, and placed my umbrella in the little hole I have cut in the stone with several days of work in the past, and taken out all my snacks and books out of my back pack, I breathe better. I’ll take my diary out of my pocket in a few minutes. I really need it, especially today, I...

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“Don't Tempt the Sky” by Anise Kaljmyer

Submitted to Contest #220

Not again. Many sharp rocks are lying guiltily on the path behind my bike, too many to accurately identify the culprit responsible for the hole in my front tire. Some shortcut that was. Making the practical choice is not in your DNA, you say. Well, this is good evidence. Yet how is it that your mother’s impractical choices led to heroism, and yours just lead to inconvenience? I take off my helmet and pull up the hood of my coat. At least my ears won’t freeze now. I straighten up my bike and start walking it towards the observatory. ...

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“Ice-Sand and Glass” by Nik Alxndr

Submitted to Contest #220

Windswept grains of coarse blue-black sand pelted Liam's layered bung-bison pelt coat and thick scarf. Granules rained horizontally on the goggles he inherited from Elder uncle Myro. The straps had been recut from cured hide, but the glass was too old to put a number to it. Countless family members had worn it, until death or retirement. “Oye! Why are you out here? This is my section!” That voice; Dirk Skymark was working the ice-sands too. Of course, he was. “Sand doesn't have sections Skymark. Just as how the sky doesn't have marks, but h...

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“The Ghosts of Zargos” by Graham Holliday

Submitted to Contest #220

The Ghosts of Zargos “So these ghosts” said Shu Ping, “these ghosts”, he repeated to make sure he got my attention, “what were they doing way out there? and I've never heard of a ghost donkey before, in anybody’s experiences, ever”, he emphasised And to be honest I didn't really know, and I was a little annoyed at her question like she was challenging my ability to distinguish between reality and the possibility of spirits existence however far fledged it sounded. The cheek of it I thought, after all Shu Ping is herself a fictional narrator,...

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“School” by TJ Rowland

Submitted to Contest #220

One more dune before I succumb…a lie told by thousands of doomed souls before me. I crest the hill, speak the lie again; crest another hill, speak the lie again. Finally, the lie is supplanted by a pulsing, undeniable truth expanding in my chest: there are worse things than death. Many things. Worse by far. Another truth: death is absolute. So why not now? I accept. My lower lip bursts, bleeds as my smile widens; the viscous liquid, greedily gathered by my tongue, swallowed, soothes my throat. It is a parting gift from a benevolent God, or ...

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“The Find” by Chase H

Submitted to Contest #220

The desert was hot, the sun bearing down hard on the back of Rayton’s neck. The skin would be red and raw at the end of the day and Rayton hoped he had some more of the ointment from last time left over. He had always been told to put sunscreen on but never did, out of laziness more than anything else. He looked to the faint moon visible in the sky and sighed, bringing his eyes back down to the mounds of dirt and debris. He was out looking for scrap, this area being the dumping ground of the Solids when they were decommissioned and...

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“Death Valley” by Henry Labelle

Submitted to Contest #220

Aaron stumbled in the sand. He tripped and fell flat on his face. He spit out a mouthful of sand as he raised his body from the blazing ground. He brushed himself off, and looked back to where he’d fallen. There was a gleam of metal amidst the sand. He walked to it, brushed the sand away, and stood back for a long moment in disbelief. “That shouldn’t be here” He mused. Laying before him in the sand was a Marlin 30-30 lever action rifle. He picked it up, and admired its smooth finish. It was in excellent condition. A piec...

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“Treasure Hunting” by Charlotte Vaughan

Submitted to Contest #220

Kyp found the spot easily of course, even though he had never been to the third planet of this solar system before. He had the instinctive sense, as all Throns did, which drew him, much like a magnet, to where the mineral unbinilium could be found. This ability also could lead them to other metals and minerals like gold, emerald, silver, platinum, etc. But they primarily sought out unbinilium, a soft, malleable blacklight-emitting material. This was the fuel that powered the life dome over their world. They had used all the...

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Start your story with a character walking through a desert landscape, when they stumble across something unexpected. “That shouldn’t be there,” they muse.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 51 stories

“Mirage” by Jake Burkley

“A Story for the Ages” by Paul Crehan

“Message in a Bottle” by Jeremy Stevens

“The Pool” by Ty Warmbrodt

“One Last Plot in Skeleton Town” by Jackson Bruce

“Remnant of the Serene Days” by Christa Dor

“The Guardian of the Silver Spheres” by Gail Ormsby

“Under the Rock” by Fernanda Prieto

“Don't Tempt the Sky” by Anise Kaljmyer

“Ice-Sand and Glass” by Nik Alxndr

“The Ghosts of Zargos” by Graham Holliday

“School” by TJ Rowland

“The Find” by Chase H

“Death Valley” by Henry Labelle

“Treasure Hunting” by Charlotte Vaughan

🌟 Similar prompts

You arrive at a destination you promised an old friend you’d visit after they passed, only to find them there too.

As a child you’re helping your grandparent bake. When you’re sent to the pantry to fetch an ingredient, you discover something odd.

Begin your story with a protagonist taking shelter under a bridge during a thunderstorm. An animal scurries past which shouldn’t exist. Against their better judgment, they decide to follow it out.

You’re awakened from your nap by someone asking, “Are you hungry?”. You fell asleep somewhere else entirely.

Contest #220

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

253

Contest entries

129

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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