Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”

Posted in Fiction on Mar 10, 2023

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✍️ 66 stories

“Owen in October” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #189

I had always found Saturday afternoons to be the hardest. Sunday afternoons were for cleaning and Saturday nights were for going out. Sunday nights you unwind and Friday nights you can grab a drink with a friend or see a movie. The Saturday afternoons were what got me. I never knew what to do with them once I was alone. Two days into October, and it felt as though there would be jack-o-lanterns decorating every door until the end of time itself. Kids ran by me in the drugstore to see what they could convince their parents to buy them f...

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“Yes” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #189

Charlotte pulled up to the restaurant, watching the sunset paint the sky from her car window. She opened the mirror in her car and checked her eye liner, lipstick, and blush. She slowly opened her car door before stepping out, her black stiletto clicking on the pavement of the parking lot. Her eyes darted across the parking lot, checking for black ice. The final snowstorm of March had come and gone, but not without leaving behind a few deadly ghosts. Subconsciously, she reached her hand up, running her fingers through her hair. Then, her han...

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“Wizard of the Lost” by Chandler Wilson

Submitted to Contest #189

The moment Jake stepped off the trail and onto the narrow path, he felt a sense of foreboding. His brother, Simon, close behind, laid his hands on Jake’s backpack. Drawing short, quick breaths, his dark brown eyes like saucers as he glanced about with uncertainty. The thunderhead in the distance was reshaping in slow motion. The encroaching storm ate up the color of the horizon, more ominous with every passing second. The full moon cast long shadows across the way ahead. Overhead, a malignant sky becoming darker by the minute. Fractures...

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“Love, and other Deadly Sins” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #189

Someone invented romantic love. Probably a woman. I hope she contracted syphilis and was drawn and quartered for her sins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Well, it’s ugly and depressing and oppressive,” Talia said, touching a countertop and then wiping the dust from her fingers. “It has some good qualities, dear.” Layla drifted through the old country house, pausing beside a window and looking out. “Those were the good qualities, Lay.” Talia grimaced at the picture hanging in the living area. A richly-colored, fat bull gazed indifferently forw...

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“DANNI'S FRESH HELL” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #189

She went somewhere outside herself after she’d landed the first thrust of the knife, as the blade sank deep into his stomach. After that, there wasn’t much she could remember clearly. She remembered what it felt like to hit bone, the sound it made when the blade could go no further. Like the thud of a dead body, the muted tone of a final utterance. She saw him as a wild boar that needed slaughtering before he could rise and attack her again. She was careful to mind the blood that accumulated on the knife handle and n...

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“AN ATHEIST AND A RELIGIOUS ZEALOT GO PARASAILING” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #189

Allan Rivers had always dreamed of visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Several of his friends had been there and raved about the wonderful hotels, lavish dining, and excellent water activities. Most of all, Allan wanted to try his hand at parasailing, and the main resort specialized in that. Arrangements were made, and Allan and his wife flew in for a week of relaxation and fun. Allan made sure to register for parasailing at the hotel concierge desk, while his wife signed up for an afternoon of spa treatment. The following mor...

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“Terminus” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #189

“Have a good night now.”All the passengers loved him. The driver said the exact same thing to everyone leaving the bus on Dark Wood Road, no matter who they were: young high school students; older women with shopping strollers; surly men looking for something they could not find; endless parents and their children trying to get through the day. They all heard the same thing. He would look up at the rear-view mirror or look over to his right and smile if they left out the front. And he did it for all of them, every single ...

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“Chrysalides” by Jay Wayne

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #189

They called him John, because he didn’t have a name. He’d been pulled from the Dusek estate during the raid, where he’d almost been shot because he refused to identify himself. Only later did they find out it was because he didn’t speak. Still, Ana finds there are plenty of other ways to learn about John and his past. On the drive to the ward, Ana sneaks several glances at him in the rearview, watching as he stares out the windows, wide-eyed, like he’s never seen the city before. When they arrive, he’s shaking so badly that Ana has to call ...

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“The Hobby” by Sarah S.

Submitted to Contest #189

Fourteen months, but if you do the math, we have only really tried for eleven. Twice I was away for work right in the middle of my fertile window. One month we both had COVID, so your sperm was probably shot anyway, which maybe actually means that three months from then, maybe that was when the sperm was no good. I don’t know. I just know it’s not working. The doctor says that by now it should’ve happened and maybe it’s time to look into alternatives. You take my hand and say this will make us stronger. You say this is just an obstacle on th...

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“Hell Is Not What We Think ” by Andrea Sumner

Submitted to Contest #189

There are nine circles of Hell, each crafted to bring its trespasser to the breaking point. But what no one tells you, is that the true hell of it, is Hell is uniquely yours. Why send the outspoken, though in pain, to a place with companions to suffer and talk to? A bond over misery is still a bond. No, their Hell consists of a room in which all life is absent. Silence their only companion. Or what about the greedy? You don’t send them off to hoard large rocks, hoping to drain every last ounce of avidity out of them through sweat and tears. ...

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“The Joy of Obedience” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #189

Obedience peered through the chain link fence. It was something she had done many times before, but this time, it was different. This time, she was on the outside, looking in. Inside the compound, Isaac's People, her people, went about their daily tasks, each in their place, each a carefully positioned cogwheel in the Great Plan. They looked so content. Of course, they were the obedient ones, while Obedience, despite her name, had always struggled doing what she was told. She'd never been content to harvest the vegetables or care for ...

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“The Loneliest Journey” by Nona Yobis

Submitted to Contest #189

The sun disappears within the canopy of leaves above me, the gentle sway of the branches a betrayal of what lies ahead. I drudge on with feet as heavy as lead, as countless people before me have done. I have heard that most people can make it through the darkest part of this wood and come out the other side. Most. Others are not so lucky, succumbing to the dark, foreboding loneliness, losing themselves along the way. If this were a journey of choice, then it would be chosen by no one. But I have no choice but to press forward. If I stop,...

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“Scenario 49” by Ben Lages

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #189

I’ve never been the type to pick up hitchhikers, and I’ve come across quite a few. I went to Burke College, which is virtually indistinguishable from the Oregon pines surrounding it. Whenever I went back to campus after a break or a weekend road trip, I’d see plenty of hitchhikers just standing out from the bushes. Maybe that’s a little callous, but if I don’t know for sure that I can trust someone, they’re not getting into my car. That’s what made this particular night so unus...

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“My New Friend Marie” by Emilie Ocean

Submitted to Contest #189

My eyes flutter shut, the corners of my mouth curling into a bright smile, as the breeze dances through the short green leaves of the grass beneath me. I giggle quietly, my toes stretching from the ticklish sensation over my bare skin, but I don’t move, allowing my body to sink deeper into Mother Nature’s embrace. The sweet scent of peach and vanilla travels to my nostrils and I eagerly inhale it, wishing this moment would last forever. “Is it always this peaceful out here, Ava?” Marie asks me, her petite frame rolling over to face me. She b...

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“Hell Thickets ” by Ericka Hughes

Submitted to Contest #189

The nervous sweat pouring off me and dripping from my forehead, burning its way into my eyes. The smell of earth, potent. My fingernails are caked with dirt. Terrified, malnourished, and running from my last scene of a crime. I force myself to be quite. I’m hiding from a stranger whom I fear , I may know a little too well in the next few moments. Recollection of recent past , runs wild throughout my head. Hell, at least what I think has been the past. I really haven’t been too good with keeping up with the times, latel...

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Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“Owen in October” by Story Time

“Yes” by Amanda Lieser

“Wizard of the Lost” by Chandler Wilson

“Love, and other Deadly Sins” by Delbert Griffith

“DANNI'S FRESH HELL” by Susan Catucci

“AN ATHEIST AND A RELIGIOUS ZEALOT GO PARASAILING” by BRUCE MARTIN

“Terminus” by Kendall Defoe

“Chrysalides” by Jay Wayne

“The Hobby” by Sarah S.

“Hell Is Not What We Think ” by Andrea Sumner

“The Joy of Obedience” by Tamarin Butcher

“The Loneliest Journey” by Nona Yobis

“Scenario 49” by Ben Lages

“My New Friend Marie” by Emilie Ocean

“Hell Thickets ” by Ericka Hughes

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where a character must continue to tell their tale to a listener to avoid unsavory consequences.

Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Write a modern version of "The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal," in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help.

Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Contest #189

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

281

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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