Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.

Posted in Dystopian on Apr 19, 2024

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✍️ 59 stories

“Dangerous Ink” by Torvi Skarsgaard

Submitted to Contest #247

Thirty years ago, a stranger saved me by purchasing my life. I cost one pound of coffee and two pounds of sugar. It was the opinion of everyone in the village the stranger had overpaid.The gates of my village closed behind us the next day, and I began to cry. The stranger stared at me and climbed onto his two-wheeled machine, beckoning me to do the same. I had been bought, so I did as he desired, holding on to his waist and letting go of my family. The roar of the machine drowned out my sobs, but nothing could still the fear in my heart or q...

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“All The Same. ” by Josefine R. Dalsager

Submitted to Contest #247

Every day is the same, the clock rings to wake us up in our side by side beds. In rows we get up, synchronized after years of routine. In tact with each other we make our beds, beat by beat, the same every day. We walk in one neat line out to brush our teeth, our hair, standing up right, sleep long since away from our minds. The mirror we look into are all the same, uniform circles, and the faces we see look so much alike now, that we can look at each other and see ourselves. We put on our white dresses, our clean white shoes. Wide white smi...

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“Exploring Real LIfe” by Peter Wallace

Submitted to Contest #247

Oliver had been thinking about doing it for quite some time. He knew it would be tricky. He would have to somehow deceive the surveillance systems into thinking he’d taken his “Daily Dose,” as the managers called it. His Dose was formulated specifically for him, taking into account his genetics, state of mind, and God knows what else. Although, that was just an expression these days. They had been told there was no God. Despite the effe...

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“Forbidden Frontiers: A Tale of Curiosity and Rebellion” by Kayla Flemming

Submitted to Contest #247

In a world where exploration is forbidden, where borders are tightly controlled and curiosity is seen as a threat to the status quo, one young woman dares to defy the rules in pursuit of knowledge and adventure. Meet Jade Thompson, a spirited teenager with an insatiable curiosity and a thirst for adventure. Born into a society where conformity is prized above all else, Jade has always felt like an outsider, a square peg in a round hole. But Jade refuses to be confined by the narrow-mindedness of her peers and the oppressive regime that gove...

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“Silver Spurs, Silver Bullets” by M.L. J.

Submitted to Contest #247

It was under the heat of high noon sun when Buck rode out of town for the very first time. She had nothing but a sack of Dukes in her pocket and Pa’s .44 strapped to the hip. In the chamber were no more than five silver bullets. She lost the sixth the night before in a game of cards with Sunset Ridge’s most renowned cheat, Twigs O’Malley. It’s not that she wasn’t wise to his cheating. Buck only thought she would out-cheat him first.Buck has plenty of bullets back home. But even with an aim as good as Buck’s, lead is practically worthless pas...

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“Never ever.” by Rose Lind

Submitted to Contest #247

Warning Swearing words. 15/04/23 Last night, I dreamt that I was married to a successful and popular redhead. All the church girls wanted him, but I wasn't happy. When I told my mother, we both laughed as she advised me to text him and end things. As the alarm rang, I smiled, thinking back to the rigid sect I grew up in and how my mother had also relaxed in later life. The new workplace had a vibe. Jacko, my manager, had sharp, pointy hair and a toned body with a square-buckled new leather belt. Mary's presence was like sour milk, while J...

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“"Outside"” by Era McNeely

Submitted to Contest #247

I’ve never hated time more. At most, I’ll have eight minutes before someone gets suspicious, and ten before they send someone after me. I need to move quickly if I’m going to do this. The chimney is my best bet - the door’s hinges could wake the dead, and I’m not tall enough to jump out the window. I press my back against one side of the fireplace, plant my feet on the opposite wall, and slowly inch my way up, never taking my eyes off the sky above me. Only five more feet. Three. One. Standing above the chimney, staring out at the town, I re...

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“The Elsewhere Dead, by Sage Knight” by Hugh Knight

Submitted to Contest #247

IMy wife dies at 3:45pm. Natural causes; we’ve been at that age for a while, so it isn’t surprising. I call the Undertakers at 9:53pm. They arrive five minutes later with their white gloves and black veils over their heads. Always in threes, they come: one to Mourn, one to Comfort, one to Watch, then all to carry away. Death is sacred in Vigil. The next morning they send Roger, my son, to fill in the paperwork. &n...

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“Candeo” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #247

“Never go out without someone who knows the way.” That was the rule. I always thought that rule was rubbish. “You can go and explore if someone who knows the way goes with you, Carli. You just need to ask, and someone will.” I said inside my head that it was not exploring if someone was showing me the way. But even if someone had been there before, I decided it was exploring if I was discovering something for myself. “This place is safe.” Safe from what? I never asked aloud. “There is danger you don’t unde...

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“The before time” by Bruce Callahan

Submitted to Contest #247

In the before-time, water was plentiful. You could turn on something called a faucet and fresh, clean water would spill out for all to enjoy. The wasters, as the before people came to be known, did not worry about the day when the water ran out. They used it to grow a decorative grassland in front of their dwellings. Filled up exclusive wading areas meant for recreation. They dammed up rivers to feed their gluttonous ways. Changing the landscape, changing the world to fit their needs. By the time, the wast...

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“The Captain of El Dorado” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

Submitted to Contest #247

Chapter 1: All That No Longer Glitters The New Byzantine Empire wrapped its sterile fingers around the throat of the world. Within its beating heart, the State Archival Repository, the air hung heavy with antiseptic and the silence of a soul meticulously dissected, every thought cataloged and controlled. Every day, Larissa Vale bled a little more into the monotony, her once bright spirit dulled by endless rows of artifacts, sterile histories, and the ever-watchful eye of the Directorate. Oh, but what a farce it all was – the meticulous order...

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“What's Beyond the Fig Trees?” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #247

For as long as I can remember, I’ve not been allowed beyond the fig trees. Heck, I’ve not been allowed around them. Every harvesting season, I watch our people pluck the big, purple beads all the way from my window. Dad says I’ve called them that ever since my first vision. I was six when it happened, and it was fig-induced. Mary says my eyes turn purple when I eat them. Like twinkling gemstones, she says. I wouldn’t know. Dad doesn’t allow mirrors in the prophecy room. Something about light refraction. Not that I’d be able to see myself, an...

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“Forbidden Knowlege” by Kayla Wikaryasz

Submitted to Contest #247

(CW: Story contains allusions to the Salem Witch Trials; death; religious trauma; and the incorrect usage of "Indian" when referring to "Native Americans;" hinted to racism towards Native peoples.) She hid the leather bound book in the corner of her room where the floorboards were loose, where she could pry them up with ease to reveal the secret hiding spot. Where she kept the forbidden knowledge away from her mother, father, and sister, Lucy. It was knowledge that her world, the world upon the banks of the Salem Port, feared. Still, the for...

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“Shadows” by Nicole Ashcraft

Submitted to Contest #247

I walk to the end of the side street and peer through the largest crack in the concrete partition. A piece of rebar protrudes from halfway up the wall and into the space where I stand; I cannot get closer without risking impaling myself. From my tiny window, I see two children chattering as they sit outside at a table covered in white paper and acrylic paints. A girl, about twelve, makes broad strokes with a brush while a younger boy writes something in the corner. He lacks the motor skills to hold the marker correctly, and his scrunched-up ...

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“THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #247

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW “There’s a blind spot. I’m sure of it. I’ve checked it out several times. We could be out of here before anybody even realises...” “What’s with you, Cathal? This constant talk of escape? We have everything we need, right here, man”. The two brothers were walking back to their home at the end of another day’s toil in the fields of their commune; another day, similar in every way to all others. No stress, no strain, no angst of any kind. Peaceful labour that exercised the body sufficiently to make their evening meal somet...

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Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 59 stories

“Dangerous Ink” by Torvi Skarsgaard

“All The Same. ” by Josefine R. Dalsager

“Exploring Real LIfe” by Peter Wallace

“Forbidden Frontiers: A Tale of Curiosity and Rebellion” by Kayla Flemming

“Silver Spurs, Silver Bullets” by M.L. J.

“Never ever.” by Rose Lind

“"Outside"” by Era McNeely

“The Elsewhere Dead, by Sage Knight” by Hugh Knight

“Candeo” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

“The before time” by Bruce Callahan

“The Captain of El Dorado” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

“What's Beyond the Fig Trees?” by Carina Caccia

“Forbidden Knowlege” by Kayla Wikaryasz

“Shadows” by Nicole Ashcraft

“THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” by Charles Corkery

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by an explorer as they make their way through what they thought was an untouched location.

Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.

Center your story around a character’s personal exploration, whether it's trying a new hobby, visiting an unfamiliar place, or learning something completely new.

Write a narrative about a group of scientists exploring the deepest parts of the ocean.

Contest #247

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

258

Contest entries

102

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: