End your story with a character looking out on a new horizon.

Posted in Narrative on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 63 stories

“The Light of Day” by Hannah P. Simmons

Submitted to Contest #134

Three rules, if you wanna live. One. You sleep at dawn, and rise at dusk. Two. If the Thing finds you, don’t hide, RUN. There will be enough light somewhere. Three. You can’t save no one, except yourself. That’s what I’ve figured out so far. That’s what’s been keeping me and Noah alive. There weren't that many people in Presvern to begin with. Maybe a couple hundred. The Thing made quick work of whittling that down. It hit the hospital first. Wasn’t like anyone in there could really get away. The poli...

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“Where the Shepherd Dogs Lie” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #134

(Content Warning: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language.) Lee Oswald awoke to the sound of a shrieking moan not more than ten yards from his bedroom window. Without contemplation, his feet hit the cold floor running, knowing that his cattle were in danger. Rushing through his cabin, Lee eyed his double-barrel shotgun hanging above his fireplace and grabbed it. The weapon was always loaded for occasions just like this, and for a brief moment, Lee was glad he had it. Wearing nothing but white long johns, he exploded outside, ready for combat....

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“The Tumbleweed” by Amanda Lieser

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #134

This story deals with homelessness and death. The Tumbleweed had blown into the bar. It was a busy Friday night because the “somewhere” in the phrase, “it’s five o'clock somewhere” was finally here. Men in fancy button downs with watches the size of their fists approached the women with bright, red, glossy lips who flipped their hair extensions over their shoulders lazily at them. Music blared loudly. But not as loudly as some of the women attempting to laugh at lame pick up lines. This modern saloon was an oasis for all gathered. The ...

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“Broken” by Jonathan Blaauw

Submitted to Contest #134

[TW: Child loss] She was broken when I found her.I first glimpsed her frail form at the edge of the beach, where sand gives way to sea. The dauntingly unchanging vista, the site of my nightly penance, had become indelibly etched into the dark crevices of my soul, so it took a moment for me to register something was amiss with the scene that fateful night.When the fact of her pitiful presence lodged itself firmly into my consciousness, I hastened forward, a sick, familiar dread churning in my gut. Hampered by the gusting wind, I crossed ...

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“The Land of Fairytales: The Lonely Unicorn” by Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #134

Not so long ago, far away from the Land of Fairytales, Loki, the Unicorn, lived in the Land of Nowhere in a field of tall grass and wildflowers with brown, black, and tan horses. Like the horses, Loki had four legs, a mane, and a tail, but Loki just didn't fit in. He had two things the other horses didn’t have, a single horn on his head and wings on his back.One day, Loki felt so lonely. He ran away and left the field of tall grasses and wildflowers behind. He galloped through the forests and plains of the Land of Nowhere, looking for a new ...

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“Footprints on the Edge” by ROBERT Ellis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #134

The most rational of men, Josh Rowbotham founded an entirely new scientific field which he named “Astro-Biochemistry.” When Astronomy magazine, in a four-page puff piece complete with photos of Josh and his lab, asked him to describe Astro-Biochemistry, he poetically responded, “Seeking the footprints of life at the edge of the universe.” Josh used telescope spectroscopy to identify the building blocks of life on exoplanets revolving distant stars. He observed light shifts occurring billions of years ago, signs of the joining of elements i...

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“The Seed Sown” by Dan Goff

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #134

The farmer was a proud and solitary man. Though his neighbors were nothing but kind to him, the farmer had always held them in a sort of contempt and rejected all forms of friendliness, until he gained the reputation of an unlikable hermit obsessed with his crop of corn and nothing else. The farmer was fine with the verdict; he would have described himself this way, too. He often entertained an unspoken dream of living alone on a desert island, with just his plants to keep him company. But now he was on the verge of losing his plants, his on...

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“Eggs” by Clyde Laffan

Submitted to Contest #134

Eggs wasn't his name; I made that up after we had gone our separate ways, never to see each other again. From this distance - and time here is the geography; this story is 30 years old - some details are scant; pieces are missing, and I appear as a stranger even to myself. I remember the boy on the beach, the girl in the pink skirt and the sugar. Those parts of the story are clear.We had caught the same flight from London to Bangkok. For Eggs, Thailand was his destination; I was on a stop-over before returning home to...

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“Where the water meets the sun” by Aerin Diem

Submitted to Contest #134

The open sea unraveled itself like the most luxurious silken blue fabric. It’s waves rolled and tumbled, as if pulled and shaken out by unseen hands on the horizon. The moon reflected on the water like a radiant woven tapestry, one of brilliant silver string. Every breath I took in, I felt the curl of the sea in my chest. Filling me up and rolling through me like a wave itself. The wooden boards beneath my feet creaked and groaned with every sway, sounding like a chorus of desperate and unwavering spirits. I stood and stretched my arms above...

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“The Swan” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #134

Once upon a time, there was a swan. And a rather famous one too. You probably know the story, everyone does. What you might not know is the aftermath. Because there always is one. Happily ever after is, at best, a finite place of being. Things change, and trouble comes back. That’s the way of the world. This is what happened to Swan after the end. The one everyone called the most beautiful of them all. Of course, he found a mate, as princes do. She was the one they called Beauty and for good reason. Her feathers were white as snowf...

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“Green Gremlins” by Bettina Karpathian

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #134

It’s my last day of gazing up at the blue sky, spring foliage and blossoms. Instead of a grassy meadow, I am lying on a hard, cold steel table which could belong in a morgue. The only sound is the whirr of the machine. No birdsong or spring breeze here. Every now and then the tech’s disembodied voice reverberates with instructions. Move, don’t move, hold your breath, breathe. She is safely ensconced somewhere out of sight. I picture the malignant cells in my breast as little green cartoon gremlins, squealing and running for cover as the invi...

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“The Diaps” by Charlie Murphy

Submitted to Contest #134

Luke carried his backpack out of class.“Yo!” Wally called as Luke walked to his locker,“Hey, how was class?” Luke asked, towering over Wally.“Sucked. Ms. Bitchovic gave us a fuckin pop quiz on horizons.”“She did?“Yes! And I frickin bombed it!”“THAT SUCKS! What is wrong with that woman?!”“I don't know.”“You have physics tomorrow, right?”Wally groaned and brushed his brown, curly hair back. “Yes, and don’t remind me!"Luke watched as two boys with black leather jackets walked by with their spiky hair all gelled up. “Hey! I have an idea!""What?"...

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“Songbird” by Angelus Fluer

Submitted to Contest #134

Trigger warning: War, Death, loss of loved one, slight gore February twenty-second, oh, how I remember that bittersweet day. It was the day where we made a promise over the glistering sea. How long has it been since you died? Five years? Eight? No, I think it’s been ten years since year since you passed. Still, I remember that night as though it were yesterday. It was my birthday, you and I both baked chocolate muffins, my favorite sweet. I remember how we partied until midnight. It was an enthusiastic celebration, but eventually, I went...

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“In the last hours of May” by Cairo Woodward

Submitted to Contest #134

This story contains the following:Mental healthPhysical violence, gore, or abuseSuicide of self-harm Faded, I slump into the back seat of a cab I didn't call. My leather jacket looks inky in this moonlight. Muscle shell black, they called it. Looking through the pay window, I can see a hoard of exhausted cigarette stubs in the ashtray awaiting another casualty. A silvery ribbon of smoke hits me with De Ja Vu, but there's no way I've been here before. It snakes towards the car roof like hips swaying to a slow salsa. A crackling oran...

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“Stars over the Horizon” by Isaiah Wilson

Submitted to Contest #134

A blaring sound rang across the small town, it was oddly rhythmic. As if it was sounding off to the tune of that one Rick Astley song. Markus couldn't remember the name but the words came perfectly to him, as the siren blared the town began to sing in a beautiful unison “We’re no strangers to lov– Can you turn your alarm off?” Markus’ eyes shot open with a look of surprise and disappointment at the ending of such a beautiful dream. He rubbed his eyes, gave a big sigh and sat up slowly singing along to his alarm “I just wann...

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End your story with a character looking out on a new horizon.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 63 stories

“The Light of Day” by Hannah P. Simmons

“Where the Shepherd Dogs Lie” by Daniel R. Hayes

“The Tumbleweed” by Amanda Lieser

“Broken” by Jonathan Blaauw

“The Land of Fairytales: The Lonely Unicorn” by Melony Beard

“Footprints on the Edge” by ROBERT Ellis

“The Seed Sown” by Dan Goff

“Eggs” by Clyde Laffan

“Where the water meets the sun” by Aerin Diem

“The Swan” by Michele Duess

“Green Gremlins” by Bettina Karpathian

“The Diaps” by Charlie Murphy

“Songbird” by Angelus Fluer

“In the last hours of May” by Cairo Woodward

“Stars over the Horizon” by Isaiah Wilson

🌟 Similar prompts

Your character, by chance or habit, peers through a telescope. They see something unusual — what is it?

Set your story beyond our own world.

Write about a character who has a ‘hot and cold’ personality — or is affected by someone like this.

Write from the POV of someone, or something, that experiences gravity differently.

Contest #134

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

223

Contest entries

128

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: