Make a character perform a ceremony to set something or someone free.

Posted in Dramatic on Jun 30, 2023

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✍️ 55 stories

“To Bed with the Devil” by GW LeCroy

Submitted to Contest #205

Walter’s breath poured before him in a haze, goosebumps scaling his skin. A demon was here, and it had to be Zalagoth. Jean tried the lights, but none of the switches worked. “The chill freezes the wiring,” Walter said as he opened his bag, sifted through it with a hand, then produced a long wax candle and set it into a candlestick with a bridged plate. A second later came the matches, and then– light. Or as much light as they were likely to get. The glow extended about three feet, depending on which direction it was aimed. For the foyer, i...

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“Aela and the Kola Nut” by Lunar Moon

Submitted to Contest #205

There was no one alive who knew that this broad, harsh savannah was once a fertile river basin. But if Aela did know, he might have cursed the earth for changing its mind about that. In Benin, 1750, Aela needed to grow his yams, and here he was forced to obey the whims of drastic seasons and his place in time, and an awful drought. As he looked over his field of silent mounds of dirt with tuber seeds buried underneath, he felt in the pit of his stomach that this would be a disaster year. His family would make it through, but he knew others i...

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“The Witch and the Madman” by Mitchell Stephens

Submitted to Contest #205

Orgoth kneels under the threshold into a bronze musk candlelight of the local inn. Filled with an assortment of farmers, merchants and vagabonds, the room was festive in nature in spite of all eyes finding to linger on Orgoth. He stood taller by any other man in the room easily by an arms reach, and bore a great beard that was graying from black, braided in trinkets wild and unkept, matching the upkeep of his fur hide over a weathered leather tunic. The only item on his person that showed any sense of caretake was his Greataxe that was tight...

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“Back to Black” by Lorelai Quinn

Submitted to Contest #205

There was a mouse in the window.The glass was coated in a thin, cracking layer of frost, abstracting the view of the little creature just enough to prompt a curious glance outside. There were often small animals creeping about, but that particular mouse, curled up against the window, was a dreadful sight. The satin curtains over the window were white as the snow. The house was gray, nearly the same shade as the sky. The lazy cat splayed on the splintered porch was brown, the trees were pale, and the sun was silver behind the clouds. The...

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“The Grawg” by Lily West

Submitted to Contest #205

“Tonight the stars align for the first time in a century.”Big Chief Honcho flexed his leathery green muscles. He loved a good speech as much as any politician. Luckily, orcish speeches tended to be brief. He glowered at the motley company of magic users gathered in the feasting hall.“We gather for grog. And to repay old debts.”The politician nodded his tusks at the one-eyed dwarf who tightened his grip on his battle axe. Famine racked the plains and the pillaged ale was gone. To let the liquor run out would be both political and physical sui...

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“The Lantern Corridor” by Mary-Ann Vosloo

Submitted to Contest #205

Lanterns hung from every doorframe and windowsill down the street that led to the centre of town. If you stand at the end of the street and look towards the centre, it creates a spectacular picture of a corridor filled with colour and warmth. This is the street that reminds me that the new year is almost here. It is the night when we come together to say goodbye and thank you to the year that is passing. The air is filled with excited chatter and smells that tickle the tongue with longing, as the townspeople are all slowly coming to the st...

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“The Faith Paradox” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #205

The year is 2027 and Maureen finds herself back in Rishikesh, back on the shore by the Ganges, with yet another pouch of rice. A cow sleeps on the sand a few metres away and a scruffy, white dog—that’s been following her since she left the astrologist’s—sits beside her. She’s quite sure it’s a stray and yet it has no fleas or injuries and is smiling up at her with an endearing silliness, its tongue dangling from the side of its mouth as it smile-pants. There’s a smudge of orange dust on its forehead, the orange glow of the sunset in its spar...

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“Free” by Alessia Machado

Submitted to Contest #205

I thought that suicide was the only way to set myself free. There was nothing left to do. I tried repairing broken relationships. I tried to make myself feel useful. I tried to reconnect with the world, and I even tried therapy. Nothing worked. It was 10:00 pm on a Tuesday evening. I had nothing. All of my friends had moved away a couple of years ago. My family basically gave up on me and my depression. They bought me this small, crappy apartment that I’ve despised, but it was better than living on the streets, I guess. I had lost my j...

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“The Great Grand Stand” by Ian McKenna

Submitted to Contest #205

Cedar and old dog piss wraps around our scene. A dropped feather could fill the space with sound. A round table covered in a white cloth and a ring of candles sits in the middle of several individuals. In the flickering glow, Robert DeMois could see their shapes, some being small, tall, and in various widths. Yet there faces had lost their features. All the curves of the flesh were there, but gone were the blemishes and crevices that life paints with. Shadows pooled in the hollows of their cheeks and eyes. If not for the occasional twitch, R...

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“My Right Hand” by Julian Luse

Submitted to Contest #205

When Ealin was 15, like all of his fathers before him, he was bonded to his knight. Despite it being so long ago, he still remembered the ceremony well. Every tiny detail had been planned months in advance, everything from the tuning of the lutes to the color of the curtains set in meticulous detail. The full October moon shone brightly through the skylight, lighting up the ballroom floor as Ealin stood watching the guests. Usually, this hall was filled with people, but tonight there were only a few, standing at the edges and helping themsel...

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Make a character perform a ceremony to set something or someone free.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 55 stories

“To Bed with the Devil” by GW LeCroy

“Aela and the Kola Nut” by Lunar Moon

“The Witch and the Madman” by Mitchell Stephens

“Back to Black” by Lorelai Quinn

“The Grawg” by Lily West

“The Lantern Corridor” by Mary-Ann Vosloo

“The Faith Paradox” by Carina Caccia

“Free” by Alessia Machado

“The Great Grand Stand” by Ian McKenna

“My Right Hand” by Julian Luse

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story during a full moon night.

Make your protagonist go through a rite of passage.

Write about a character who develops a special ritual to cope with something.

Write about a character who breaks free from a tradition to create a new one.

Contest #205

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

307

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: