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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.

Posted in Middle School on Oct 28, 2022

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✍️ 405 stories

“Through The Eyes of A Criminal” by Pasupu .

Submitted to Contest #51

Dileep’s undeterred gaze caught sight of the twinkling stars, through the small window of his cell. Over the past few years, his cell had lost its claustrophobic stranglehold on his imagination. Not straying far from the stereotypical environment of a central jail’s cell, Dileep’s cell looked a sorry state.The cell probably wasn’t longer than 10 feet in length, and every time Dileep stretched his arms the walls always blocked him. Dileep assumed that the cell probably wouldn’t be more than 6 feet wide. Every time he stood up, his head would ...

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“She Belongs to the Stars” by Kay O'connell

Submitted to Contest #51

The night was cold, and amongst the tall grasses, in a folding lawn chair, sat an old man looking up at the night sky. How the chill must have nipped at his ancient bones, how his stiffening joints must have ached as he sat, neck craned back, counting quietly in a voice hushed by the softly moaning wind. His memory played scenes of fireflies, of crickets, of dancing beneath those sky- bound patterns. His memory played scenes of fireflies, of crickets, of dancing beneath sky- bound patterns. Content creased the multitude of folds on his face,...

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“A Point of Light” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #51

Staring up at the summer sky was the one indulgence of her day. After she put the kids to bed, she would retire to the back deck and collapse into her hammock. Some days she felt at peace, wrapped in a warm velvet blanket and other days the dark sky would press down on her, stifle her. Yesterday had been one of those days. She felt like she had spent the whole day fighting her youngest.  “Eat your breakfast.” “I’m not hungry.” “Clean up your toys.” “I don’t want to.” “Take a bath.” “I took one yesterday.” “Brush your teeth.” “No...

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“Trying to be good” by Rachel Alex Wall

Submitted to Contest #51

The stars were beginning to appear in the sky, they looked timid. She still had to wait, it was not yet full dark and what little light there still was would burn her. She turned away from the window. The special UV filtered glass had been the best thing she had ever bought. She had always loved the sun. She was determined to kill the son of a bitch who had cursed her with vampirism. She sat in the chair and stared aimlessly at in the direction of the TV, ignoring her stomach growling. It was like her hunger knew when it was nearly safe to g...

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“Lemon Bleach and Lavender” by Madeline Brace

Submitted to Contest #51

You could say that he had stars in his eyes. A vacant stare, lost to the beauty of the stratosphere, seeing but only looking within, to the darkness there. It was a glorious night, the sky awash with light not from earth but from the heavens, pin pricks in an inky canvas, arrowheads through skin. Over the course of the evening the low slung moon had swum lazily across the sky, and now sat comfortably in the blue, smiling down at the world beneath, both charmed, and oddly sinister. Behind the man were murmurs, and a scene almost biblical was ...

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“When Your Own Dream Traps You” by Rosemary Blackthorn

Submitted to Contest #51

By: Suzie Park     I looked up at the stars.     “Are you sure we are going the right way, Kelly?"     "I don't know, but I think this is the right way."     Kelly and I had taken a walk through a forest and ended up losing track of where we were. We walked more deeper into the forest as the sky darkened, hoping to find something or someone to help us.     "It's getting late."     "There's a house over there. If there's a...

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“Blue Oblivion” by Brigette Drabek

Submitted to Contest #51

Starlight reflected off of the blank control panel and into my squinting eyes. Holding a sharp breath, I punched the button labeled Light-speed Drive. My stomach twisted into knots of anxiety and hope when the ignition button lit up at my touch. The transmission of the space pod shifted into gear, but with a heave the engine died, cutting all power. Without the thrusters to correct its course, the capsule began to spin. “No, no, no, this cannot be happening…” I flicked the dead switches overhead and pressed the dark, unresponsive buttons. “...

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“Stars” by Jinx York

Submitted to Contest #51

A bright light streaked across my vision. It flared and winked out almost before I had time to even register its existence. I smiled and closed my eyes, breathing deeply as I made a secret wish to myself. Opening my eyes again, I stared into the indigo blue of the midnight sky. Stars shimmered and twinkled, shining even more brightly due to the moon’s absence this night. They looked almost alive. As if they were watching me as much as I lay there admiring them. Despite their twinkling curiosity, I imagined they did not pass judgment or har...

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“CARMELLA'S SKY” by Isobel Carson

Submitted to Contest #51

What drew me to her was her to-the-waist gleaming light brown hair. I spotted Carmella one evening at a Unitarian Fellowship party on the deck and my feet took me to her almost before I was aware of my own steps. "Your'e hair is so beautiful," I said and she turned her face to me and we knew we had met a co-spirit. Soon we were talking about everything that mattered, including our mutual obsession with the game of Scrabble. Carmella, I soon discovered, was to me, the depth of the earth and the height of the sky. She taught me how to understa...

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“Formations” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #51

Just imagine the stars behind the wall. They see her while she sees them on the app called 'Constellations'. She lays in bed and swipes the stars, holding her phone ahead of her like a torch, a compass. She remains down below the wall, within her walls, with the door locked and the light turned off. Dust collects around her cheeks. She wipes her nose and waves a moth away. Each formation flickers for a moment before she gets bored with it. North Star. Orion. Little Dipper. Ursa Major. Next. This is unproductive. She should be productive...

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“Summer night stars” by Tabetha Paulsen

Submitted to Contest #51

“I‘m sweating“ Tatania screamed from the bed of our Chevy 1500. As we swerved around a corner on a gravel road headed to our favorite watering hole to star gaze. We packed the telescope and also what ever we needed for this weekends star gazing marathon. ”Tommy slow down“ Tatania shouted as we swerved to miss a raccoon running across the road. “Wow that was close“ I said under my breath as I watched the critter scamper into the grassy ditch. Approaching our destination a deer jumped out in front of the truck. “ that was close.” Tatania...

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“Find me in the stars” by Carly Cooper

Submitted to Contest #51

Stars are exceptionally bright tonight might be because of a clear sky. Not a cloud is visible.  "Grandma, I miss you." A tear slipped out of my eye.  - "Ella, what have you done, you little trouble maker?!" My grandma asked me playfully and started to laugh after she saw the state I am in, that being me covered in mud. It rained the previous day, therefor my grandma's yard was full of muddy puddles. And me being a five-year-old rascal, decided to jump on each and every one of them.  "Sorry, granny!" I apologized even thou...

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“Proposals can be lame.” by Jane Syphert

Submitted to Contest #51

Jay didn't usually recognize beautiful things around her. She didn't believe in the magic that filled her entire world. She thought herself rather sensible. The fire that raged inside of her was only scientific. But there was one thing that she thought was completely magical. That was the stars. She was currently laying on her back on a grassy slope staring at the heavens. It was midnight, and she couldn't sleep, so she was looking up at the sky. There wasn't a blanket under her, like most of the people who went star-gazing. Of course, the...

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“The Backyard” by Jessica Mills

Submitted to Contest #51

“Without the mask, where will you hide? Can't find yourself Lost in your lie I know the truth now I know who you are And I don't love you anymore” Amy Lee’s haunting voice flooded the small backyard. The lead singer of the band Evanescence, Amy, had written the song to highlight fakeness of celebrities. But Buttercup knew that Jeannie connected with the song on a much deeper and personal level, relating it to her own feelings of being a complete fraud. In fact, Jeannie had played the song each night for the last three nights. At the pres...

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“The Center” by Scott Doran

Submitted to Contest #51

“See that!” “That little bit of light from that star was created like billions of years ago and it’s been travelling and travelling through deep space ever since.  It’s been bent around stars and galaxies and grazed meteors and comets and been through more space and time than humans could even imagine… I mean like way longer than human existence, like even before the dinosaurs… maybe even like before the first amoebas.  That’s how long it’s been on its trip - thousands and thousands times longer than civilization has...

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