Write a Western-inspired story in a new genre or setting (e.g. a space western, fantasy western, etc.)

Posted in Fiction on Jun 23, 2023

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✍️ 78 stories

“An Egg for a Sword” by Mitchell Duckham

Submitted to Contest #204

Regan’s chewing tobacco pinged against the spittoon. The stuff tasted awful, though not so awful as to send him back to the smokes. Gods, he wanted one though. “Another?” asked the barman. “Aye.” The old fellow obliged, moustache bristling as he sloshed out another measure. Regan swished the cheap whiskey in his mouth, let it subsume one bad taste with another. He peered about the saloon. It was a particularly dusty, particularly empty hole, even by frontier standards. Flies buzzed lazily in the midday heat and the smell of horse droppi...

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“Starfires” by Paul Watson

Submitted to Contest #204

Clayton Connor strode down the boardwalk along West San Francisco Street. Behind him, the church clock by the Plaza struck six. Even at this hour, the streets were busy -– after all, Santa Fe was the territorial capital. A goods wagon racketed past, the horse’s hoofs thudding in the snow and mud slush. He knew people were eyeing him curiously. Unlike most men, he wore no hat or topcoat, so that the falling snow dusted his shoulders and bald pate. He did not feel cold, however. He had not felt the cold fo...

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“Remember Us” by Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #204

At first, I thought it was a mirage. After walking for two nights of freezing cold and two days hiding in any shade, a boulder, a large cactus, my tarp to escape the searing sun, hallucinations may have joined in this taste of hell. My trip started on May 24, 1990. like most, a three-hour drive from one small town to another, recording information about America's dwindling small towns in the Southwest. I took hundreds of photos of dead or dying towns. I gleaned information from old newspapers in musty basements and interview people who sh...

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“Dusty Wings” by Maria DiFranco

Submitted to Contest #204

The moonlight turned the man’s hair the color of the sun. Large wings draped over his shoulders matched the dusty sand of the road before him. His feet dragged. So did his horse’s hooves as he led the mare into the empty town. The man gazed at the buildings as he passed, his eyes in the lamplight turning the color of the wings across his shoulders. Casually he read each sign: the tanner, the smith, the healer he all passed, though blood speckled the feathers at the edge of his cloak, and the hand not holding the mare’s reins hung lim...

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“Lady with a Lantern” by William Richards

Submitted to Contest #204

TW: death, some horror * * * The hospital was like the wild west. Diseases the bad guys taking people down. Doctors the sheriffs trying to make things right. Patients dying from lost shoot outs. And a sense of lawlessness. The fact that no one seemed to be in charge. The fact that things happened here that shouldn't happen in civilised society. People would be doing fine and then suddenly – flat line. The resuscitation team arrived and did their best but the patients would die. No one batted an eyelid. It's where I met the lady with a ...

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“THE TOWER CURTAIN” by Andrew Bell

Submitted to Contest #204

John Tower is in town. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about him since Miss Albertson had broken the news in the staff canteen at lunchtime. His gaze wandered over his Grade Five class as he smiled beatifically. Twenty-four heads were bowed over furiously scribbling hands, blissfully unaware that a living part of American history was in their town at that moment. John Tower excited him, personally and professionally, and now he had an opportunity to communicate that excitement ...

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“High, Far, and Unknown” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #204

Unknownium was commonly described as a rock, glowing purple from within, that could float given the slightest jolt of energy. The exact mechanism for this was not fully understood, but it was magic - and so was given the benefit of the doubt.The Unknownium rush of ‘49 turned Vulane from a community of farmers with small town values into a metropolis with new Unknownium-powered airships landing every day. It also changed the leadership of the town from poor prey animals like mice and voles - and poor humans besides - to wealthier creatures wi...

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“Administrative Error” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #204

He did not tell them his name.And he would not tell them his name.The name was power and the power was all his, and his alone.He was a man of few words, never speaking, never introducing himself, nor commenting on the quality of the day. For he was taciturn, sparing the world of needless speech. This was noise that he could do without, so he did not create it, there was already too much noise in the world. Senseless and meaningless words that amounted to lacklustre wails and lamentations rising up from the pain of a tawdry and misspent exist...

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“Snake Bites ” by Maggie Lovitt

Submitted to Contest #204

For as long as prospectors have been trying their hand at dredging up gold to make themselves rich, there has always been one vampire in this town. In all of those years, she has kept the criminals punished, the preachers honest, and the women safe. The men had their Christ to follow and their crucifixes to kneel before on Sundays. They had their psalms and their scripture that commanded them to do good, to do no harm, and to act like the man they followed. Yet they only saw the words penned by fallible hands that gave them dominion over the...

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“A new beginning ” by Howdle Gavin

Submitted to Contest #204

The stranger rode slowly into the town of Dry Gulch, his chestnut mare looking as though she had seen far too many miles. He sported a Stetson hat and a leather vest over a faded shirt, allowing his sun-beaten face to take in the majestic orange and red sky as the sun set gently over the horizon. Every step his horse took was in unison with the rustling of dry, wind-blown leaves scattered across the moon-lit desert floor. As the man dismounted his horse, his piercing blue eyes seemed to peer directly into the souls of the townspeople. His...

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“With Apologies to Lee Van Cleef” by David Sanchez

Submitted to Contest #204

So the other day in the cafeteria Hank Mertens and Jose Gomez had a standoff. See, Hank used to go out with Jose’s sister Mayra, but it ended badly at prom when she found Hank making out with Corinne Banks. Corinne was known as the school tramp, always hooking up with a bunch of guys, and that time at prom she got her claws into Hank. Well, Mayra broke up with Hank in the parking lot and called Jose to pick her up. That night he drove her over to Whataburger for a shake and to have her get in a good cry and shake Hank out of her system for ...

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“Sunrise at Dusk” by Abbie Davis-Marsh

Submitted to Contest #204

Dusk- The moment the sun dips beyond the horizon, giving its rule to the twilight hours. Here, Dusk is place marked on the Coan’s map with a black dot. 35055 acres of dirt and the desecrated ashes of living things that prayed for a sip of water and died with hanging tongues. The only creature that thrives in Dusk lives by drinking the blood of its brethren. I know because I am one of their kind. Full of hate and jealousy, I dream in my human mind to crawl out of this pit and turn the pipe above and drown this godless place. &nb...

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“Hoofprints in the Dust” by M B

Submitted to Contest #204

(Warning: Contains a brief use of a racial slur used by a badguy) Alec was in pain. His side throbbed from where he’d been slashed and his thigh was on fire from his fresh gunshot wound. He groaned and strained against the ropes binding his wrists to the post. He was sitting with his legs straight out in front of him. “You think you’re in pain now?” One of the men guarding him asked. “Just you wait, boy.” Alec scowled at him. “Don’t call me boy. Only those I actually respect get to call me that.” The man stalked closer to him...

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“In Venom and in Vain” by Amie Moorehead

Submitted to Contest #204

The dirt was dried up beneath my feet as I felt the sun's heat bake my skin. I lifted an arm to swipe the sweat along my forehead, looking up with squinted eyes at that damned ball of light in the sky. God, could sure use some rain about now. “We have water.” I’d said those words out loud. The voice beside me was melodious in my ear, and I turned to see a warm smile greeting me that I then returned. “Not quite enough.” “You whine a lot for a married man.” “Last I checked, you agreed to marry that man.” “Silly me.” Georgia laughed, ...

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“Custer's time warp disaster” by Michael Heavener

Submitted to Contest #204

With a snappy salute, Colonel G.A. Custer embarked with the famous Seventh Cavalry on what may have been the most fool-hardy mission in the western theater of the U.S. Army. They planned to march bald-faced into what, although they didn't know it, was the largest gathering of native Americans since the French-and-Indian War a century before. His commander, General Matthew Terry, cautioned Custer to rest his men as often as possible. Custer was well-known for daring escapades, but Terry, understandably nervous, tried to impress on the brash...

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Write a Western-inspired story in a new genre or setting (e.g. a space western, fantasy western, etc.)

Submissions are closed

✍️ 78 stories

“An Egg for a Sword” by Mitchell Duckham

“Starfires” by Paul Watson

“Remember Us” by Patricia Merewether

“Dusty Wings” by Maria DiFranco

“Lady with a Lantern” by William Richards

“THE TOWER CURTAIN” by Andrew Bell

“High, Far, and Unknown” by Cajek Veilwinter

“Administrative Error” by Jed Cope

“Snake Bites ” by Maggie Lovitt

“A new beginning ” by Howdle Gavin

“With Apologies to Lee Van Cleef” by David Sanchez

“Sunrise at Dusk” by Abbie Davis-Marsh

“Hoofprints in the Dust” by M B

“In Venom and in Vain” by Amie Moorehead

“Custer's time warp disaster” by Michael Heavener

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a stranger coming to town and shaking up the order of things.

Set your story in a desert town.

Write a story about someone undertaking a long, dangerous journey.

Write a story about someone seeking revenge for a past wrong.

Contest #204

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

298

Contest entries

94

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: