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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about an adventure in the desert.

Posted in General on Mar 4, 2020

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✍️ 23 stories

“Desert Escape” by Joey Gozum

Submitted on 09/23/2019

The sweltering heat made John sluggish, and it did not help that the sun's rays felt like the sting of being slapped on the skin. His water bottle was nearly full, but he did not account for the temperature to affect the liquid inside. He took a gulp and nearly spat the water out, it was boiling hot. He capped the bottle and proceeded east trudging over the sandy dune when he spotted another traveler. He hoped that he was not seeing things, and rushed towards the unsuspecting person.“Hey!” he yelled, waving his hand. “Hello.”

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“The Desert Mouse” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted on 09/20/2019

The mellow sun rises over the shifting sands of the Sahara Desert. Dawn.Over a ridge, far in the midst of the desert, peeks a small golden desert mouse. It gazes over the rippling sea of sand, rubs its nose, cocks its head, and does an about-face to go back down to its hole alongside the oasis.It freezes suddenly as a slender, striking, evil head rises menacingly before the mouse. It is one of the Yellow Snakes; snakes so venomous it can kill a man in thirty seconds. C...

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“Reverse” by Will Lopez

Submitted on 09/25/2019

The sun came up. Its warmth seeped into the icicles that had formed during the night, sending a wave of crackles across the mountaintop. In his snug, rock-walled house, Norbu blinked a few times, rolled to his feet, and stretched. His mate Dalha stirred beside him, but did not wake. Norbu padded into the next chamber, where their two children sat curled in a bed of brightly colored cloth. That was good; if the sunrise had not woken them, they would sleep for at least another hour.He shook his head, clearing the f...

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“Cobalt” by Viktor Rain

Submitted on 09/27/2019

Her bare feet crunched white sand beneath. The march seemed never-ending. Step, crunch, repeat. Step, crunch, repeat. Her calloused toes no longer hurt, but felt lifeless, tiny slabs of flesh and bone displacing insignificant swirls of silvery dust. Endless dunes stretched as far as the eyes could see, a vast, dry ocean of nothingness. She gazed up at the blank canvas above, her amber eyes tearing up from the sun.She coughed and hot air grazed the inside of her dry throat. Fingers clasped around her waterskin, she shook it, but no ...

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“The Sands of Sa'arad” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted on 09/24/2019

"... 'And here the rising sun first touches the golden earth, and the glory of Zoltaeg, the Risen, still lives in the hearts of the people of bronze.'"The words were whipped away from him by the rising wind, and he sighed, lowering the tattered book in his hands with gloomy disdain. "I'm going to kill Wensley."Beside him, knee-deep in snow, a bundled figure coughed loudly into one heavy fur glove. "It's not - a-kaff! - all bad... I'm sure we must be close."But his words were lost on his companion, wh...

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“When nature is on an adventurous trip” by Shazia Bano

Submitted on 09/28/2019

Vikram and Rehaan are two best friends and their common interest is travelling. Safari with camp stay in desert was in their bucket list for long. They planned a week trip for this not knowing that nature was also planning her adventure trip in the same week.They started their journey by Bus from Delhi and reached the Manesar district. It was a mesmerizing look to observe the point where sand and sky met at a far distance. Sand was shining like Gold and because of enormous sun-light, it was not possible to open the eyes with...

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“Mirage” by John k Adams

Submitted on 09/26/2019

It felt like being in a crowded parking lot, when someone way up ahead is waiting for that choice spot. No one can move in or out. Or forward. Only we were in the desert, not in a parking lot. There were no cars around. Not even a road. Scrub, dust and old rock filled our view all the way to the pass leading to Mirage, our destination. Oh yeah, it was stifling hot.The three of us walked steadily, but we made no discernible progress.Avery and Joe were my companions. We had water, extra shoes, sun block and our p...

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“When We Get to the City” by Charlie Noble

Submitted on 09/22/2019

I could feel my skin burning, but it felt so good. My eyes seared. Aggie looked ridiculous. She was wearing her wide straw hat and a shawl was wrapped around her head and face. Her eyes were hidden by her darkened spectacles. ‘Bobby, you’re burning.’ I danced away from her, spinning in the sand, relishing the glorious burn of the sun on my skin. ‘Aggie, the air,’ I said, ‘isn’t it the sweetest thing you’ve ever tasted?’ I took a comically big gulp of air, as if I had filled my cheeks with something delic...

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“Iota” by Warren Woods

Submitted on 09/22/2019

Just west of Socorro, New Mexico where the highway splits from the interstate due south west, the soapweed yucca and sage brush screens the vast flat land as far as sight allows. Yellow wild flowers grow in the shade yearning for the hot desert rain. The arid sand floor is alive with creatures, indistinguishable from far. At a blurry distance the surrounding earth appears pale terracotta.He shifts his big rig downward as he approaches the paved descent. The inside of his cab smells of stale air. The pine-scented air freshener bough...

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“JOHNNY TALKS TO SNAKES” by Eric Skinner

Submitted on 09/22/2019

A flat tire. What’s there to cause a flat tire? There’s nothing out here! Johnny looked at the left front of the car, and there was no denying it; the tire was flat. Grumbling obscenities, he walked back to the trunk. Thank God, there’s the spare. He searched for the stuff to change it with. There! What’s it called? A jack. He looked at the flimsy thing and wondered. He shrugged his eighteen-year-old shoulders and placed it under the left front quarter panel. What now? How w...

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“Oasis in the Storm” by Lori C

Submitted on 09/27/2019

The setting of Deserts Khretior, year EA 792, represent a special memory to me. I was hiding behind a rock from the sand storm, struggling not to get buried alive. My clothes had enough sand for a construction site. I could hardly breathe through the mask, fearing if I would fall unconscious every second. My body somehow was sweating. A sharp pain nailed my feet, hurting like hell. I wanted to grab my chest, while sadness surrounded my soul. A part of me wanted it. Sometimes you happen to become addicted to sadness,...

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“The Wave” by Katherine m. Kean

Submitted on 09/28/2019

The main obstacle to my adventure in the desert was actually getting there. I was leaving from London, and there are no deserts in England or within easy reach of London. So, at the least it would mean an expensive flight, and a stay in a seedy hotel or motel. Worse, this was the tail-end of summer 2019. Thomas Cook, the world's oldest tour operator at 178 years of business, had taken my plane fare before filing for bankruptcy. I had not started my travels when the owner filed, and I had only booked a fl...

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“Across and Beyond” by Stephen Berg

Submitted on 09/22/2019

It was the summer of ’86 and I had just finished my final exam. If I passed I’d be a qualified diesel mechanic.New Zealand mechanics were in demand worldwide and I was keen to travel. But not to anywhere anyone else was going, that was for sure.   Mum lived in Perth and I wanted to spend Christmas with her and tell her where I was headed, she’d understand. I told Dad I was off to Perth to see her, but would be back soon. He didn’t mind too much, it had been a bitter divorce, but that was long ago—besides, he thought I’...

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“The Search for the Garden of Eden” by Cheza Vidal

Submitted on 09/25/2019

This was about the sixtieth time I’ve licked my lips. The wind had thrown itself against me from all directions. The heat was bearable, but not for long. I know that at some point, I would stumble and fall, ending the one main purpose why I still willed myself to live: The Garden of Eden. It was, as one would think, an impossib...

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“The Crying Crow” by Lindsay Larsen

Submitted on 09/25/2019

The sun beat down mercilessly onto Landon’s shoulders. With each step, he could feel the dry, hard earth crackle beneath his feet. He raised his canteen to his mouth and took a long, deep gulp. With each sip, he felt the water travel down his throat and hit his empty stomach. Right on cue, a low growl echoed from his belly. Taking the last of his jerky from his sack, he nibbled slowly on a piece. Only allowing himself to take the tiniest bites, chewing long and thoughtfully...

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Contest #8

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This week's theme: Off on an Adventure

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Ended on 23:59 - Sep 27, 2019 EST

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Title: Astro Naught

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