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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write about a cat living in an ancient temple, like the Acropolis.

Posted in Fiction on Feb 24, 2023

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✍️ 17 stories

“The Cats Under The Cherry Blossoms ” by Angela Monroe

Submitted to Contest #187

We left the city of Changsha behind hours ago, having only been in China for a day so far. Changsha had been pretty for what little I got to examine it before my mother put me in a rented car and hauled me to the countryside if that’s what you wanted to call it. She swore to me that she had found us the best place to stay at. Changsha hadn’t even seemed real; I couldn’t imagine a place better than that.            “Aren’t you enjoying your time in China?” my mother, Lauren, asked. &nbsp...

1 comment 1
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“Lotus Decrees” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #187

I see you all here begging at the foot of our Great Lotus. Lotus, Goddess of Fresh Fish from the Sea. Lotus, Goddess of Comfort on a Cold Night. Lotus, Goddess of the Hunt When the Hunt Involves Rather Small Animals Such as Mice or Things That Look Like Mice. I see you all here, but only on the Feast Day of Lotus. Only on this, the day of her birth, the day when all come to worship. But where are you the rest of the days? Where are you when Lotus fills up her defecation box and it must be changed? Where are you when her hair is matte...

21 comments 21
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“Involuntary Recipient” by V. S. Rose

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #187

Drip. Drip. Drip.I don’t know how long it’s been. My hankering for water and parched lips suggest more than a few hours. The screams from my ravenous stomach say longer than a couple of days. Weeks maybe? Would I have survived weeks?Drip. Drip.What’s that dripping sound?My head feels like it was squeezed in a table clamp. I can’t tell if my thinking’s foggy from my throbbing head or the lack of food and water. This pitch darkness sure doesn’t help. God, I’m thirsty.Brands of water bottles materialize in the darkness: Aquafina, Dasani, Evian,...

37 comments 37
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“Delphine of the Tombs” by Christopher Kelley

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #187

The last twilight tour ended, and the cemetery hushed to its nightly mystique, scored by the distant echo of tavern trumpets and jazz drummers.The gate closed and locked. And the moon-dipped monuments were, once more, ruled by the dead.Then…a crunch of footsteps.A warm body strolled the walled-in city of graves. A tour guide named Rocco. He whistled past the oven vaults and above-ground tombs, pausing only to huff and snuff the raised candles along the shell-paved pathways. He also broke his tune to chat with Delphine—another warm body. But ...

14 comments 14
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“When The Fates Have Got Your Number” by Alia Bath

Submitted to Contest #187

The temple of Apollo in Delphi was a glorious, golden-stone, sun-drenched ruin high in the mountains, which you could see perfectly well from the parking area. Fortunately, you could also access the coffee stand from the parking area, as the locals were pretty astute when it came to avoiding regulations. I used my fairly meagre retainer to grab a cup, which I figured was a better use than spending it on the entrance fee. Technically, my client might think otherwise. Technically, I wasn’t entirely convinced by some of the things my client ...

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“Don't be an idiot (a story about a boy and a cat crossing paths in Classical Athens)” by Belladona Vulpa

Submitted to Contest #187

************************************************************Lying on the ground, in the mudGrass between my fingersHeart beating painNo courage to pull out the blade.Contemplating my destiny patientlyThe caring touch of rain on the earthWhat an ancient and sacred groundEons and eons, layer over layerDifferent colors of soil, different texturesIron, bone, and voidRoots spreading beneath, into another world.To the mystical powers of Gaia, the giantess, and her childrenTo Hecate, the goddess sorceressThe earthly Hermes, who accompanies the soul...

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“The Sacred Curse” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #187

The cat sauntered through the temple. Sauntering in the haughty way only a cat can, but this was haughty sauntering taken to a whole other level. Temple cat level.When the cat sat, it was evident why the Egyptians of old held a special place for its kind. Revered, divine beings, placed on the Earth to remind people of what awaited them in the next life. How that reminder worked on a detailed level was left to a lot of interpretation and divination. A job left to the learned and devout temple priests.The cat’s aloofness afforded it an invisib...

4 comments 4
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“A Gift” by Lexi Rose

Submitted to Contest #187

I set out three weeks ago to make the journey to the Great Synagogue. This is the first time I've ever left home on my own, but the gods have called down from above for me to venture out. They came to me in a dream, and in my mother’s the very same night–a great treasure has been given to me and the people of my village, long as I claim it. I’ve almost made it, yet I feel as though I haven’t done enough to actually go in the old temple. Every boy wants to have the chance of adventure they hear of in folk tales–and I had that chance and it wa...

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“Two mice please!” by Marija Rozman

Submitted to Contest #187

This story is based on mythology of Galinthias, some detailes are true, some are added. I was mortal once, they said I betrayed Gods but I was only trying to help my friend. They would let her suffer, ah, my dear Alkmene, continuous birth pangs put on her by Moirai and Eileithyia almost killed me watching it. I was her servant, but actually, we were best friends. When Heraklo was born, I felt like he was a nephew to me, I wanted to hold him, but I couldn't. Moirai was mad, he was furious that I stopped their spells and, together with Eil...

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“Life in the Shadow of the Monster.” by Elijah Rose

Submitted to Contest #187

Aryeh was not a giant hunter like other cats that once roamed this place. Or at least that's what he thought as he passed the sun bleached skeleton of an ancient hunter. It's skull was large enough to fit Aryeh's whole body within it, and it had only recently been exposed by the winds sweeping waves of sand across the desert. Aryeh trudged on, the soft fur on his oversized paws being all that separated him from the scorching sand. Aryeh was a skilled hunter, bringing a kill home to his family on two out of three nights, this night had not ...

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“Touched by Time and Paws” by L. R. Clocks

Submitted to Contest #187

Passing along these ancient ruins of Ephesus, tourists felt the same nostalgia one experiences when they see an abandoned lot. A sense of human kinship for a time never lived through. A sadness at the remains of what was once a bountiful landmark. The happiness and pride in man-made architecture that has stood the test of time. The immortality of human creation. Travelers could rest easy knowing that one day their descendants would look upon their skyscrapers with the same nostalgia they felt in the crumbling Arcadian Theater. They could alm...

1 comment 1
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“General Sharpless” by Melissa Baird

Submitted to Contest #187

GENERAL SHARPLESS Aged and slightly frayed General Sharpless lounged on a divan pillow embroidered in fine silver and gold. He was cleaning his face with his deeply tufted paws and dreaming of an adventure once upon a time. He had been a protector of King Quonex's tomb hidden in a desert far away. Of all temple guards he was the most feared. Night after night he strutted bravely at the entrance, tasked with keeping the magic safe. He was never sure what harm could come to a dead king's magic but as the outside threats mounted, he remained vi...

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“Interview with a Tiny God” by Shawn Wier

Submitted to Contest #187

The humans brought high-quality offerings this morning. They laid fresh fish and rotisserie rat at the feet of their statue meant to honor me and my siblings, and the bounty was delicious. Now, lazy with fullness (and cat-ness), I must do my part to hold the temple in place. It would be catastrophic if it were to get too light and blow away in the breeze, so I'll be right here, ensuring that my body mass will contribute to the safety of all who enter this holy space. Thankfully, these humans don't seem to be the type to stumble around carel...

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“A Cat's Purpose” by Renie 🦋

Submitted to Contest #187

It’s not easy being cursed… or at least when everyone thinks you’re cursed, but what’s the difference? Even if you’re not, what does it matter if everyone thinks you are? After all, if everyone thinks you’re ugly, then you are even if you’re not, because of what the people around you think.  That’s how it’s always been for me, being a one-eyed cat living in an abandoned temple. People walk in, kids, adults, teens... even the occasional old couple. They come looking to play around, but when they see me walk around the corner they scream...

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“Feline Promachos” by Alaina Armendariz

Submitted to Contest #187

It wasn't a simple job to serve as the protector of the Acropolis, but oh, it had certainly been a glorious one.  The sun began its customary ascent into the sky, casting golden rays of light across the city of Athens to stir its sleeping inhabitants. Within a few hours, tourists hailing from the city and never-ending cruise ships would swarm the promontory. They would take countless photos of the ruins and learn about the ancient history, only to let it slip from their minds by the time they returned home to their beds. But Ailuros ne...

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Contest #187

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