Write about someone facing their greatest fear.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 16, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 109 stories

“ Athazagoraphobia ” by Julie Gavin

Submitted to Contest #206

Word Count 1724 Athazagoraphobia Margot Davis has sat in this room twice a day every week for the past eleven years. In that time, they celebrated two engagements, a pregnancy announcement, one retirement, and countless birthdays. All the festivities happen in the tiny office basement kitchen stocked with mismatched mugs and a blue polka-dot electric kettle. Even the partners aren’t too proud to visit the bowels of the office building once in a while and dutifully drag themselves away from their busy schedules to share pleasantr...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Called to Sea” by Bret Loonsfoot

Submitted to Contest #206

“Called to the Sea” Bret Loonsfoot The frigid waters roiled around me, pulling and grasping - dragging me in all directions. The salt water stinging my eyes forcing them shut. My last panicked breath quickly depleted in my lungs. My Dad's startled shout was the last thing I heard above the cacophony of the waves and wind from a quickly appearing storm - suddenly extinguished - replaced by a cold, deafening silence as I was knocked from our small boat into the icy torrent. My eyes strained to stay open but I didn't know which way was up...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Primal Daze” by Hayley Hitchens

Submitted to Contest #206

In the beginning, it was energy. Energy of the sun provided enrichment to earlybacteria. Then plants, herbivores to eat the plants and carnivores to consume the herbivores. In between, humans evolved from ape-like creatures of habit, play and foraging. “Come on Elias! My grandma walks faster than you!” “I’m coming!” He shouted, shifting under the ungodly weight of his pack. Elias was unaccustomed to backpacking, much less hiking in the forest. His mother had signed him up for the Boy Scouts in the hopes that it may alleviate the pain wrought...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Imperfections / Atelophobia” by Leher G

Submitted to Contest #206

The beautiful melody floods the room. It’s the kind that even if you have never heard it before, you know every note that comes next. It’s the only one that would feel correct. It finds its way into everyone’s soul the way sunlight finds its way into a dark, cold room. The peace this melody brings is almost tangible. My mind is connected to a serene island as if bound by a thread, and I know that this feeling is shared by everyone here. But I feel the thread snap. It’s not supposed to snap. This piece has barely begun. Panic spills int...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Treehouses and Chickens” by Barbra Golub

Submitted to Contest #206

Roger found himself trapped in the embrace of the tree emerging from the center of the treehouse. He didn’t know how it happened. Being deathly afraid of heights since he fell from the top of the slide in fourth grade, he needed to get down. His heart raced with every creak and sway of the structure. The rustling wind and blowing leaves only added to his anxiety. Once he oriented himself, he looked down and saw his blue checkered pajamas with rolled-up cuffs and mismatched buttons. The last thing he remembered was laying down on the couc...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Too High” by D.J. Bogner

Submitted to Contest #206

“Come on, Marty. You can’t make us late. These guys don’t like late.” Jake blew out a puff of air as he watched his fellow hiker plop one foot down after the next. Marty was at least thirty feet behind him on the narrow, uphill dirt path. “I can’t keep stopping and waiting for you.” “So walk slower.” Marty was doing his best. He wasn’t the fittest guy on the planet, nor the slimmest. “My watch says it’s ninety-seven degrees. Plus, we’re carrying these heavy backpacks. What did you say you put in them?” “Supplies. All of us are supposed to co...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Smoked” by Takata Felix

Submitted to Contest #206

On nights like this Bethie thought long and hard whether a baby sister was a good idea or not. Ruthie was only 3 years old, and was more afraid of the dark than Bethie, if that were possible. So, because no amount of night-lighting or soft music or late-night glasses of water could soothe the screaming toddler, Bethie lay wide awake, left to deal with the fallout of her own fears. It was a frigid four degrees in the New England suburban town of Capeton, New Hampshire. Too cold to snow according to Bethie’s dad. B...

1 comment 1

Read story

“A Cruel Trick” by Jesse Kae

Submitted to Contest #206

The coin sliced through the air and whispered something metallic. Heads. Maybe I'll try another toss for good measure, thought Kade. Way out in the boonies, he’d walked along a familiar dirt path steadily nearing his destination. He'd come to this place for a reason. It smelled of his childhood--fresh rain, dirt and pine needles, and it carried a mixed vibe of better days and tragedy. It was the place his dad had taken him when he was a child to camp and hunt and look down upon the city lights just below the horizon line. The townshi...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Finding the source. ” by Arter Grim

Submitted to Contest #206

Tick tock. Tick tock. Says the clock a millionth time. I have been trying to sleep for the past three days now, but I just can’t do that. "Oh, take a sleeping pill before you go to bed for a good night of sleep," says the doctor. No shit, Sherlock. I can still sleep, or at least I think I can. No, I am sure I can sleep just fine. It’s just that I know it's here. It has been here ever since my childhood. "Oh, you silly boy. It’s just your imagination playing tricks on you." Says my mother. Yes, I would think. The room I am in didn’t change. T...

2 comments 2

Read story

“A Troll Jumping into Lake Superior” by Craig Miller

Submitted to Contest #206

It all started with a YouTube video called Cliff Diving. On the screen, kids jumped into Lake Superior, the coldest of the Great Lakes, from a place called Black Rocks in Marquette, Michigan. It looked, surprisingly, fun. Something I had not done before; something out of character for me. This was when I decided I should do this. Even though one obstacle stood in the way: my fear of heights. A paralyzing fea...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Here Comes The Sun” by Danielle Azoulay

Submitted to Contest #206

Dear Margaret White,We are pleased to inform you that the admissions department at Top Mount University has received your application. In order to continue this process, we request that you submit an original writing piece using the following prompt:Write an essay about an obstacle you have overcome in your life.We look forward to hearing back from you.Sincerely,Top Mount UniversityI sighed.My life is dreary. My life is depressing. My life is dark. My life is-“Wow, how very creative. I’m sure the admissions team at Top Mount wasn’t expecting...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Only Family I Need” by Giulia Fancelli Clifford

Submitted to Contest #206

Trigger Warning: This story mentions blood and the sensitive theme of multiple miscarriages and pregnancy loss.---------------------------------------------Martha woke to pain resonating across her stomach. She had eaten hours earlier but now felt like she could throw up, nausea hitting her like a slap. She put a hand to her mouth to muffle a groan and eyed the door to the ensuite, her heart quickening.Behind her, her husband Douglas was nestled to her back with his arm wrapped around her tummy.Panic hit Martha—she didn't want Douglas t...

2 comments 2

Read story

“LISTEN TO THE DARK” by Sherry Miller

Submitted to Contest #206

LISTEN TO THE DARK By Sherry Miller ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Lurking Amongst the Dark” by Brooke Curry

Submitted to Contest #206

I still remember it like yesterday, I can still recall the feelings and emotions I felt that night. Even thinking about it sends chills up my spine, however, I know I came out of it just a little braver. It had been a chilly, autumn night, one where the stars peeked out through the darkened clouds and the moon came and went just the same. What was once a relaxed girls' night had turned into an exploration into the woods behind my house, something I do often... in the daytime. I had my paths and my markers, but something about the darkened ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“I AM YOU” by Helen Nikoleishvili

Submitted to Contest #206

IAt first, I believed that my struggle was a passing phase that would eventually fade away. But as time went by, my social anxiety consumed me. I grew wary of everyone around me, doubting their love and fearing that they would harm me. It became so overwhelming that one day I made a decision: I left behind my home, my family, and my friends, seeking comfort on a secluded island, far away from the reaches of civilization. In this place, I hoped to find the peace of mind that I had dreamed of for so long.I became unaware of the passage of time...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that contains a flashback of a nightmare.

Horror – 63 stories

Start your story with a character seeing something terrifying.

Horror – 53 stories

Write about a character in a situation where they have to be brave for someone else’s sake.

Character – 61 stories

Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Dark – 87 stories

Contest #206

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Phobias

$250

Prize money

373

Contest entries

130

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 14, 2023 EST

Won by Parul Shah 🏆

Title: Shameless

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write about someone facing their greatest fear.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 109 stories

“ Athazagoraphobia ” by Julie Gavin

“Called to Sea” by Bret Loonsfoot

“Primal Daze” by Hayley Hitchens

“Imperfections / Atelophobia” by Leher G

“Treehouses and Chickens” by Barbra Golub

“Too High” by D.J. Bogner

“Smoked” by Takata Felix

“A Cruel Trick” by Jesse Kae

“Finding the source. ” by Arter Grim

“A Troll Jumping into Lake Superior” by Craig Miller

“Here Comes The Sun” by Danielle Azoulay

“The Only Family I Need” by Giulia Fancelli Clifford

“LISTEN TO THE DARK” by Sherry Miller

“Lurking Amongst the Dark” by Brooke Curry

“I AM YOU” by Helen Nikoleishvili

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that contains a flashback of a nightmare.

Start your story with a character seeing something terrifying.

Write about a character in a situation where they have to be brave for someone else’s sake.

Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Contest #206

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

373

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: