Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write about someone who’s lived on a tropical island their whole life and is leaving it for the very first time.

Posted in Dystopian on Oct 26, 2022

Submissions are closed

Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or use an email address:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 83 stories

What’s Beyond Life?

Submitted to Contest #83

My life will begin soon.The cold water rushed against my bare legs as I sat alone on the beach. The sky was turning a dark blue and the clouds were starting to make way for the moon. By this time, everyone was starting to pack up their things and head back towards their hut. When it was time for us to leave, I had told my Mother that I wanted to stay for a couple more minutes. A couple more minutes turned into hours and now, here I was: planning my escape from the island I once called home. I began to think about leaving the island when...

110 likes 85 comments 85
Read story

'Adieu'

Submitted to Contest #83

The crashing sound of waves against the rocks broke Andy's sleep. From the time his wife Molly expired twenty years ago, this was  routine, he didn't need any alarm to wake up.  Standing by the window he saw the crystal clear water and the pristine white beach bordered by coconut trees swaying gently. It was, indeed, "paradise". He would miss all this. His daughter Carla, would be here soon to take him away to England. He was eighty-six, and things were getting difficult for him to manag...

68 likes 57 comments 57
Read story

Butter Chicken and Heaven

Submitted to Contest #83

“Come on people, line up in single file! Lady, I said SINGLE FILE!”I sighed and brushed past the flight attendant, her voice screaming through the megaphone.“Single File! All aboard the Kanarli Airlines, heading to the Islands Of Paradise!”I scoffed, thinking Why would I go to the Islands when Heaven is already paradise?I was a ghost.Supposedly.If all of y’all are thinking about YOUR vision of Heaven. . . just stop.I’ll tell you what it’s really like.Not everything was made of clouds, though a lot were. The clouds were a variety of pastel co...

65 likes 325 comments 325
Read story

Away From Paradise

Submitted to Contest #83

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more glorious and titillating than waking up to catch the blissful scent of lilies and ever blooming purple hibiscuses scattered strategically across your backyard lawn, especially if it's on an island, just as mine was. And there is nothing more relishing than the euphoria that comes with the swishing leaves of overhead palm trees coupled with the dainty warm glow of the morning sunshine. And of course how could I forget the sea, the magnificent view of the brightly colored blue sea that supplied the ...

46 likes 28 comments 28
Read story

Trouble in Paradise

Submitted to Contest #83

The glorious sun lifted through the horizon, making sure it was known by everyone in the neighborhood. Rays of liquid sunshine spit through the windows of the sleepy town off the coast of natural land. Major waves kissed the edge of the quarry before sloshing back to great depths, leaving fluffy froth in its path. Slimy, writhing fish flopped helplessly in search of their lifeboat, struggling to extend their lives just a little bit further. Sun rays reflected off of the glassy exterior of recently deceased aquatic animals, making rainbow pat...

42 likes 27 comments 27
Read story

Twas Beauty...

Submitted to Contest #83

You step from your cave and stand on the edge of the mountain slope. You stretch the sleep from your muscles as the sun climbs upward. Moment by moment, the sun burns away the morning fog and the island below is revealed.The curtain of gray fog peels away. You stand at the island's highest point and look down into the valley. The river glimmers as it catches the first rays of the sun. The jungle is a mural of lush shades of green. Orchids, plump fruits, and multi-colored parrots lend pops of bright color to the canvas of vegetation.You unhur...

39 likes 37 comments 37
Read story

Is It Really Goodbye?

Submitted to Contest #83

Splash. Splash. Thunk. I watch my little grey stone sink into the expanse of the lapis blue water. The sky is filled with the humming of the birds and I know they call to me. They tell me all is fine. But do I know that myself?I sigh and I pick up a lazurite sitting on the bank. Even the ground below tells me it will be alright. This piece is a keeper."Maiya!" A friendly voice calls from the scrambled bushes near the sand. The plants part, revealing a beautiful girl.I smile. "Hi Susuri. I'm gonna miss you." I hope my aquamarine eyes show it....

28 likes 4 comments 4
Read story

Talk to Me

Submitted to Contest #83

Talk to Me She wakes and dread seeps back into her like a tide, cold and inescapable. Please talk to me, she thinks. Let it be today. Across the bedroom, the window sill glows blue-grey beneath the shudder, and the room is dark and cool and vaguely antiseptic smelling. She must have cleaned for him; he loves a clean place, or rather he loves watching her clean: naked cleaning, they call it. There’s also naked dinner, naked TV (though never during his gameshows, she’s tried), and on one memorable occasion, naked car washing. They lead to...

27 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

'We do not go to the Water'

Submitted to Contest #83

Rātia raced the wind through the trees, climbing over the long brown branches effortlessly. Her wavy, long brown hair danced behind her and her soft laughter merged with the sound of the waves. In her eyes lived the reflection of the sea, a swirling blue mass with an edge of white. The island was Rātia’s home. She was the only human on the island, and she had never met another human in her life. Her friends were the animals that lived there; the monkeys, the elephants, the dolphins and the whales. A small lizard lived on her shoulder, she na...

25 likes 6 comments 6
Read story

Mistakes at the Movies

Submitted to Contest #83

Mistakes at the Movies. Taking a deep breath, Dr. Rosalina James looked upon her creation. It was beautiful. Not 'it' but rather 'she' was beautiful. A little girl named Andrea, currently had the same fiery red hair, emerald green eyes and slightly pale skin that her mother also bore. Although red-heads often stood out from the crowd, bearing a resemblance to one's parents is natural. Thus, little Andrea was able to blend in with the people around her. If she learned she simply did not care for her appearance, or had a sudden need for a ch...

24 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

The World Beyond This Sea

Submitted to Contest #83

A dark wall rose above the horizon, and a once glorious sun vanished into cold, unforgiving waters. The creaking of the wood echoed below me as I leapt off the dock and onto the deck of my ship. Voices behind me raced through the wind, but their cries fell on deaf ears as the hull of my vessel freed itself from the clutches of the island. The first wave struck, a massive sheet of darkness against the wooden body of my ship, and immediately, I went flying forward. Salt water lurched over the side and splashed against my face, and before I co...

24 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Wet and Cold

Submitted to Contest #83

(THIS IS NOT GOING TO REPRESENT MĀHINA AND THEIR GOVERNMENT ACCURATELY THEY WERE USED FOR PLOT PURPOSES ONLY) Cold. All Auau could think was cold. How cold she was. Auau lives in Māhina, French Polynesia to her mom Ura and her dad Ahurei. Her mom was pregnant with Auau’s brother. But Auau knew that couldn’t deter her, she had to leave. Māhina was corrupt, in debt, and had low budget schools, Auau wanted to do things, good things. But she couldn’t, at least not here. Auau knew she had to go to America so she could go to a good high school, ...

21 likes 12 comments 12
Read story

Peregrination

Submitted to Contest #83

The winds of the west prevail in the essence of twilight. The oceans of the earth lay omnidirectional, spreading like a virus across the crust. The many machinations of Knox’s mentality lay unprovoked upon the scorned terra firma of ‘The Isle of Helheim’, previously known as ‘The land of Jubilation’ until more recent times when an overwhelming gust of depression sliced at Knox’s mindscape. Contrary to popular belief, Knox’s elongated 7 years of pure isolation were self-implemented, for he required an escape from the mammonism of mankind. 7 y...

20 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

My Little Island

Submitted to Contest #83

I take one final glance at the large, golden orb of holy light standing alone in between the misty, cotton candy skies. She waves goodbye to the world before finally disappearing behind the wonders of the curious blue depths of the ocean, where she rests.I feel the soft, little particles of brown sand embracing my small, tanned feet like Earth's own giant blanket. I walk silently and gently over to her beautiful blue waters as they rush to the top of the shore, dampening my toes.I take one last whiff of the salty air that I can almost taste....

20 likes 43 comments 43
Read story

the Promise

Submitted to Contest #83

A bright light appeared in front of the moon, at first the Chief thought it was a shooting star. It zigzagged across the sky erratically then shot high into the atmosphere, almost disappearing from sight. The villagers noticed their Chief staring upward and looked to see what had caught his eye. As they all watched the star, it danced across the Heavens. It darted back and forth and up and down in a frenzy of motion. The villagers watched in amusement with the Chief as the star performed it's strange antics. The Shaman was the...

18 likes 7 comments 7
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who goes to extreme lengths to get themselves to a tropical island.

Adventure – 91 stories

Start your story with someone emerging from the sea, and end it with them looking up at the stars.

Fantasy – 276 stories

Write about someone who books a bargain vacation, only to be told when they arrive that they need to share a hotel suite with a stranger.

Dramatic – 148 stories

Write a fantasy story about water gods or spirits.

Fantasy – 227 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel