People have gathered to witness a once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon, but what happens next is not what they expected.

Posted in Mystery on Apr 5, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 46 stories

“Too-Cute Eclipse” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #245

Too-Cute EclipseRussell paced. Held the phone close to his face. Pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes as he felt the tension rise.“He's a grown man. He'll be alright. I'll do what I can but it could take all night.”“.............”“I know, I know, I KNOW. I can't be there, you know.”“..............”“I have a job. I have a life. I can't drop everything.”“.............”“I'll talk to him. It's all I can do. I'm too far away.”“.............”“What's that you say?”“.............. ..................... ..................... .................

41 comments 41

Read story

“The Morning Star” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #245

My husband lies in the hallway as a mangled corpse, and only I would ever know why. It is with this morbid knowledge that I am sitting here now, against the wall, preparing to blow out my own brains, out of fear that I should meet the same fate as him. It was April 8th, the day of the solar eclipse. My husband – John – myself, and our dog, Edgar, sat on the hill behind our house. Edgar chewed happily at a stick he found while John and I sat o...

17 comments 17

Read story

“Waiting for the Midnight Sun” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #245

Zac and Derrick are two bros chillin in a field. They’re waiting for The Midnight Sun, a meteorite two miles in diameter that will pass by Earth at a distance of roughly one hundred fifty thousand miles. That’s closer than the moon.Zac pulls a bag of weed from his pocket and says, “What do you say? You want to burn one?”“Hell yeah! Let’s do it.”Zac flips on the dome light and starts rolling a joint. “What do you think, D? Some people are saying this meteor is a sign of a new era, like the beginning of a spiritual awakening or something.”“Z, ...

11 comments 11

Read story

“A Silent Night at Last” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #245

Knock, knockHello, are you awake? May I come in?Yes, sorry, shhh…I know. I’ll speak quietly. I promise I won’t wake the baby. He’s a tiny thing, isn’t he?I, um, well, I traveled a long way to be here. I’m glad I didn’t miss it. The star, you know. It gave it away. Been watching that star now for weeks, since it appeared in the east. Well, OK, Melchior has. He hogs the telescope, but you know it’s so bright now we don’t need to use a telescope anymore, so I’ve been watching it every night.Oh, here, this is for you. I know, I know, it’s not mu...

23 comments 23

Read story

“Once in a Life” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #245

It was quite a party. The whole neighborhood had gathered. I saw people I had never met before. Well, because I was the new kid on the block. And let's face it not the most popular one.But I should start at the beginning.I graduated in the mid-sixties with an associate's degree in business. You know, one of those nothing degrees, marginally more useful than philosophy. Luckily, I had what my grandmother called chutzpah, so I landed on my feet. For twenty years I, along with a small army of lawyers and a very good malpractice policy, have kep...

27 comments 27

Read story

“BROMO ECLIPSE” by Viga Boland

Submitted to Contest #245

**The Banters are back and Martha’s not happy about that eclipse!**Martha, is something wrong? You seem really out of it tonight. Did I upset you in some way that I don’t know about?No, Matthew. It’s not you…Phew. Glad to hear that. It usually is me. Well, since I’m lousy at reading minds, especially yours, what’s up?Oh I’m just BROMO today.BROMO? You need a Bromo? I’m not sure we have any. Want me to check?No Matthew. You’re thinking of Bromo Seltzer and it hasn’t been available in the US since 1975 because one of the ingredients was consid...

26 comments 26

Read story

“BONES” by E.L. Lallak

Submitted to Contest #245

Flush-cheeked, gravid Rebecca Bradford extended her right arm behind her, swatting at the air, reaching for something to support her bulging body while cradling her sacred vessel with her left. With a relay of faith, she shut her eyes and fell back onto the plush sofa. Her husband, Tom, shouted, “TIMBER!” Just before she landed. The impact caused a tuft of air to poof him off the cushions a meter while Rebecca sank onto the sofa like a submerged submarine. She grimaced and rolled her eyes at his time-insensitive joke. Tom then swooped down a...

7 comments 7

Read story

“The Fading Light” by James Moore

Submitted to Contest #245

Dylan had been walking steadily uphill for what felt like days. It had, in fact, been 3 hours and 37 minutes, a climb he’d completed many times in his life.He was lost.Or simply exhausted, he couldn’t tell anymore. Nothing around him made sense, he had started to notice this feeling come over him more often on his hikes. Since turning 50 his mind couldn’t keep up with his body and the exhaustion would go straight to his head. He had lived in these hills his whole life, losing his way wasn’t something Dylan did, but now as he looked up throug...

13 comments 13

Read story

“Moon Eyes ” by Patrick H

Submitted to Contest #245

Moon Eyes Mark gathered his equipment excitedly into.his leather bag, while his partner, Andrea, grabbed the laptops, the telescope and other equipment and loaded the van. Both Mark and Andrea were grad students who had apparently stumbled upon something significant during their tracking duties at the observatory. Unfortunately, when they reported the data to their supervisor, their conclusions were dismissed and they were reassigned to another project. Mark was ready to let it go, but Andrea was far more headstrong and e...

6 comments 6

Read story

“A Tale of Two Realities” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #245

In the hushed murmurs of a sleepy East Texas town, authors gathered, eyes skyward, as the celestial dance between the Devil Comet and a once-in-a-lifetime total eclipse promised to grace their corner of the world.Their expectations included a short duration of four minutes and twenty seconds where darkness enveloped them, followed by a day brimming with the exchange of captivating stories among their kindred tribe.A feeling of unease engulfed Clyde, sending a cold shiver down his spine, foreshadowing that the day would deviate significantly ...

13 comments 13

Read story

“Emerald Nightfall ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #245

You can tell when it's coming. Sunset brings on a strange vibration even that the sylvan creatures feel. The birds change the mood of their twilight songs to a more somber melody. We hillfolk know all the signs of this rare phenomenon that is coming at night fall when the clouds float like ancient spirits and a wave of rich emerald bathes the rocky landscape. It is the night of their return and woe to those who do not heed the coming of the Emerald Nightfall. Some of the creatures start to howl or screech ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Night the Sky Fell” by Jennifer Fremon

Submitted to Contest #245

CharlotteWhen Charlotte was 11 years old, she met a boy named Jimmy by the lake. Jimmy had blond hair and blue eyes, and a smile that was as bright as the sun. He was carrying a stick with a fishing line and a hook attached to it. It was not a fishing rod, as those were expensive, for the families who owned the boats docked by the larger lake over in town. The big lake people lived here year round, had winterized homes and generators for the months where the entire town was buried underneath three feet of snow. The people at Smoke Rise Campg...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Don’t Look” by C.N. Jung

Submitted to Contest #245

“I say there’s nothing dangerous about it... can’t be worse than looking into the sun. All that happens when you do that is you get a little burn and some eye floaters.” The two boys sat outside Kenny’s house. They reclined in lawn chairs, seated around a crackling bonfire. Kenny took a drag from his cigarette. He squinted at Bobby, who’d brought forth this new strand of conversation. “You sayin’ lookin’ at the eclipse can’t be worse than lookin’ at the sun?” Bobby took a gulp from his beer can—one of the six that Kenny had taken from his pa...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Ethereal Lights” by Kara S.

Submitted to Contest #245

As a group of onlookers gathered around a roaring bonfire that resembled a scene from Dante's Inferno, I twirled my crimped hair around my finger, annoyed by their mindless chatter. My insides shook like an earthquake, not only because of the chilly winter air, but the foreboding feeling that washed over me. I started wondering why I came, except my friend, Stephen, said I’d regret missing the show. Letting out a huff, I bent down to adjust my pink leg-warmers, then grabbed a wine cooler.The surrounding dense, fog-laden woods seemed swallowe...

4 comments 4

Read story

“A Family Tradition in the Sky” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #245

Ralph’s grandfather Jack had long been his hero. More than anything else, he liked to hear of his grandfather’s research when he was at university. Before he retired, Jack had been a high school science teacher, and his area of greatest interest had been astronomy. It still was. His literally stellar research essay that had earned him his Bachelor of Science and the enduring respect of his professors at university, had been on the subject of astronomy, with an emphasis on comets. Grandfather Jack had a special relationshi...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story during a total eclipse — either natural, or man-made.

Fiction – 74 stories

Write a story in which a character navigates using the stars.

Adventure – 27 stories

Imagine an origin myth that somebody might use to explain an eclipse, or some other celestial event.

Fantasy – 51 stories

Set your story in a world where astrology and the movements of celestial bodies deeply impact the lives of inhabitants.

Fantasy – 38 stories

Contest #245

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Heavenly Bodies

$250

Prize money

236

Contest entries

96

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 12, 2024 EST

Won by Olivier Breuleux 🏆

Title: Everything is Connected

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

People have gathered to witness a once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon, but what happens next is not what they expected.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 46 stories

“Too-Cute Eclipse” by Mary Bendickson

“The Morning Star” by Nicholas Thomas

“Waiting for the Midnight Sun” by Ty Warmbrodt

“A Silent Night at Last” by Michelle Oliver

“Once in a Life” by Trudy Jas

“BROMO ECLIPSE” by Viga Boland

“BONES” by E.L. Lallak

“The Fading Light” by James Moore

“Moon Eyes ” by Patrick H

“A Tale of Two Realities” by Scott Taylor

“Emerald Nightfall ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“The Night the Sky Fell” by Jennifer Fremon

“Don’t Look” by C.N. Jung

“Ethereal Lights” by Kara S.

“A Family Tradition in the Sky” by John Steckley

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story during a total eclipse — either natural, or man-made.

Write a story in which a character navigates using the stars.

Imagine an origin myth that somebody might use to explain an eclipse, or some other celestial event.

Set your story in a world where astrology and the movements of celestial bodies deeply impact the lives of inhabitants.

Contest #245

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

236

Contest entries

96

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: