Write a story in which an endangered species (of plant or animal) plays a central role.

Posted in Middle School on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 94 stories

“The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary” by Nina Chyll

🏆 Winner of Contest #90

Content warning: terminal illness IMBIBITION: the absorption of water by a seed, stimulating the enzymes required for growth. They’re visiting the quiet grandparents when her father says, ‘One day, you’ll find me here, too. Nothing is forever.’ His voice sounds like it’s coming from under the ground, like he’s already training her for what’s to come. The girl is so small her feet dangle off the folding plastic bench. She stares at her grandparents’ names and oval photos in which they don’t smile, and then at the oak casting a shadow on their...

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“Just another Easter Sunday on Easter Island” by Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #90

“Hey! How’s it going? My name is Tu’u ko Iho. I am one of an estimated nearly 1000 moai that were hand-carved from stone by the Rapa Nui people over 500 years ago. Our actual number, as concluded by a recent moai self-headcount, is closer to 887. My deep elliptical eye sockets, which were crafted by the native Rapa Nui, held eyes made of coral that they extracted from the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and possessed pupils formed from either red scoria or black obsidian volcanic rocks. They stare stoically over the island toward the coast, and ...

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“The Brave One” by Alex Auclair

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

CN: poaching Author’s Note: This fictional story was inspired by the very real women of The Akashinga. These female warriors protect the animals of Zimbabwe from poachers. Akashinga translates to “Brave Ones.” I have the deepest respect for these women and what they do. “If you so much as move a finger, I will kill you,” Tonderayi hissed. The man holding the gun froze. He thought this was his big payday; that killing the black rhino and sawing off its horn to be sold to the highest bidder would make him rich. He hadn’t heard the girl ...

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“The Tiger's Soul” by Svara Narasiah

Submitted to Contest #90

"Just be very, very quiet," Susie tells me, "and we might spot him." She holds up her hand, signaling for me to stop, and crouches down behind a bush.I'm nearly bursting with excitement. I've been waiting for this day for goodness knows how long--five years? Six? It doesn't matter now. I'm here, in the rainforest.Looking for a tiger."Quietly, now," Susie says, as if she can hear my heart pounding. "We don't want to scare him off...""Are you sure he won't be the one doing the scaring?" I whisper.Susie smiles a small smile, her full attention ...

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“It’s Not the End of the World” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #90

Biblical plagues don’t seem so bad anymore. In the bible there were only ten. Here in the bunker where I’ve watched humanity blink out of existence I wish I was an Egyptian facing the plagues or one of the heathens who watched Noah’s arc sail away while they drowned. What they have over me is the knowledge that someone would go on after them.The sea rose, how could it not? If you melt ice cubes in soup you get more broth. The rising sea levels weren’t the only problem though. Fish that had evolved to live in certain concentrations of salt wa...

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“Paul Junior ” by Rose Quartz

Submitted to Contest #90

It was a humid, sticky day in Ecuador. When I opened the door to the car, I felt overwhelming heat swallow all the energy in my body. My name is Paul, and today was my first day on the job. I was training to be a marine biologist, and I wanted to be a solo diver. I did not necessarily have the job yet, however, if I completed the task, I was guaranteed the job. It was only a matter of time before I figured out what that task was going to be. Suddenly, I was encountered by a tall man with no facial hair but still looked in his fif...

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“A Rose by Any Other Name” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #90

Author's Note: To the best of my knowledge, the violet moss rose does not exist, but the Novalis novel “Die Blaue Blume” or “The Blue Flower” most certainly does! Jodie Marlowe grew up hating something that she wasn’t even sure existed, and that would most certainly have done her no harm. She knew that. But at times she hated the violet moss rose with a veritable passion, and thought she would have had no pangs or compunction about tearing one to pieces or trampling it underfoot. It was true the hatred came in waves and variants, and at ti...

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“Don't tickle me” by Barath Harish

Submitted to Contest #90

Joju- I opened my eyes after a good nap. Who is that? I could barely see anything. Is that Harish? But why he is taller and looking aged? And who are the other people? Why are they surrounding me? It took me a minute to realize that a cuckoo's nest was blocking my sight. I swayed my branch; the cuckoo flapped its wings; I hoist my branch; the cuckoo shrieked, I lowered my branch; the cuckoo cooed. Now it's clear. I perceived the four branched moving creatures who call themselves humans looking at me. There were ten of those creatures s...

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“Zippy” by Sachi Shah

Submitted to Contest #90

I have been called many names over the years.Before the poison seeped into the waters, the small children that played on the sandy shores named me ‘sea-dragon’.Although I was barely a hatchling in those days, I spent long hours propelling myself through the cool waters of the Pacific, imagining I was as marvellous and grand as the children believed I was.But then, the evil arrived.It travelled in great ships that threw out terrible devices which swallowed the entire ocean up whole.Once, when I accidentally swam into one of these nets, the Fi...

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“The Will Of Daniel Hughes” by SpaceHuman 🌌

Submitted to Contest #90

SpaceHuman's Note: "I'm just going to start this off by letting out a deep breath. YAY MY STORIES FINALLY MADE IT TO THE DIRECTORY. I is happy. Also shanks a lot for 20 followers, it means a lot. This story is basically someone's will if you are ever confused. Well idk if it's a will, but it's the note the person writes that is to be read when they are dead. Heh I can rhyme. Now, on with thy story :)" The only sound to be heard at the moment is the calling of the birds, or the splashes of the playing alligator that isn't too far from where w...

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“Discovery in the Wyldwood” by LM Konkel-Dixon

Submitted to Contest #90

Neri hugs her cloak tighter to her. "That woman is deranged. I don't care if she is a queen. She's deranged." She huffs. "Making us stomp all the way out in the Wyldwood just for... some cherry berry tart thing." There was a time when Neri's life was incredibly normal. She would have even called it boring. Then she inherited a manor from a relative she never knew existed and discovered that distant cousins from the 1920s were alive and well. Not only were they living, but they were the queen and her brother over the Court of Madness. "Oh, I...

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“Where Elephants Tread” by Peter Stanley

Submitted to Contest #90

WHERE ELEPHANTS TREAD My wife, Mame and I were dining with Reggie, a Director of Carson’s who looked after the tea and rubber estates in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. One of the foremost hunters in the country and head of a well known family, he lived in a fine old colonial house with his family and a retinue of ancient retainers; both he and his wife Yvonne were well known for their hospitality. As an agriculturist Reggie had considerable knowledge of the island's soil and climate, the ingredients of the meal we were eating came from the ...

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“Neither Lowly Nor Humble” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #90

I hope you are ready to hear the story of an endangered species. I hope so, because it's my story and I really want to tell it. People need to know about me. Furbish’s lousewort - in Latin, Pedicularis furbishiae, here to tell my story. I may not be beautiful, but I am Maine’s only endangered plant. Other plants may be threatened, but I am the one who is teetering on the edge. Please don’t tell me you don’t care or that I’m just a weed and not a very pretty one. Do not tell me I don’t matter, because I do. To prove it, please allow me to...

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“The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica” by Ella Eichel

Submitted to Contest #90

“You don’t want to be late, honey!” Maria's mama yelled. Maria ran out the front door, but then frisked back inside to retrieve her lunch bag. “Oops,” Maria said, “I suppose I was so excited it slipped my mind.” “I figured,” her mama said with a smile. She kissed her on the head and Maria sprinted out the door. This was going to be the best day ever; she was going on a field trip to the coolest place in the world: The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica Maria rushed out the door and her friend, Esperanza, who lived down the street, was al...

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“The Land of the Tigers” by Darya Silman

Submitted to Contest #90

For Abbey ForrestIA Siberian tiger was old. The last winter, when the temperature fell to minus 40, took its toll. The Tiger didn't have the strength to enjoy the fast-pacing spring, brooks growing into rivers and rivers becoming mighty, insurmountable streams. The lukewarm sun couldn't reach the underwood through the still naked branches, and the first pheasant's eyes on clearings coexisted with deep snow lumps in the ravines. Green blades of grass stretched upward, piercing the wetness of yesteryear fallen leaves. Golden petals with white ...

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Title: The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary

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Write a story in which an endangered species (of plant or animal) plays a central role.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 94 stories

“The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary” by Nina Chyll

“Just another Easter Sunday on Easter Island” by Stevie B

“The Brave One” by Alex Auclair

“The Tiger's Soul” by Svara Narasiah

“It’s Not the End of the World” by Graham Kinross

“Paul Junior ” by Rose Quartz

“A Rose by Any Other Name” by Deborah Mercer

“Don't tickle me” by Barath Harish

“Zippy” by Sachi Shah

“The Will Of Daniel Hughes” by SpaceHuman 🌌

“Discovery in the Wyldwood” by LM Konkel-Dixon

“Where Elephants Tread” by Peter Stanley

“Neither Lowly Nor Humble” by Kathleen March

“The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica” by Ella Eichel

“The Land of the Tigers” by Darya Silman

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that weaves together multiple lives through their connection to a particular tree.

Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.

Write about a community that worships Mother Nature.

Start your story with someone sitting on a crowded train and end it with them looking out over beautiful natural scenery.

Contest #90

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

814

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: