Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered.

Posted in Short Story on Dec 20, 2024

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✍️ 44 stories

“Heroine of Stars” by E. E. Miles

Submitted to Contest #282

"Why do we have eyes?" "To fill our eye sockets, dear." Mother huffed out an exasperated sigh. "Stop asking questions like that, Marin." Marin rubbed her eyes. She'd always wondered what they were for, and mother would never tell her. She knew that mother knew what they were for, and when Marin asked, mother always made up some excuse of an answer. She ran a cold hand across Marin’s cheek. “Sleep well my dear.” Marin reached up to grasp her hand before she could walk away. “I don’t want to sleep tonight, mother.” She ...

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“Denouements in the Dark” by Dave Stanley

Submitted to Contest #282

“We made it, bud. We freaking made it.” Ken’s text was but a hint of consolation, as looked up from the screen to see a 4 p.m. sunset staring back at me. But he was right, the longest day of the year was almost over and the days would only get brighter. Excruciatingly slow, but steadfastly sure. It was harder in the high latitude lines of the Pacific Northwest. Rain never bothered me years ago back in the mid-teens, but the darkness...the darkness. It has a way of hanging over you in a way that is more than the mere absence of lig...

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“The Invention Of Light” by Mark Fyers

Submitted to Contest #282

For as long as she could recall, Scarlett was not like the other children. She'd heard the stories of the ancient moon, Eps, being pulled out of orbit and decimated. She wondered why the Gods had targetted the people of Voou with such anguish and abandoned them. Existence had been hard since the decimation of the moon. Crops were harder to grow without access to light, and life on the planet had become unmanageable. As for the inhabitants, their physique had altered over the millenias, they'd grown rubbery skin, dry and lizard-like. Their e...

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“Grey World” by Pamela Reeves

Submitted to Contest #282

Angelina and her family lived in Grey World, a village north of the quarter. Because of the grey, no flowers grew, and the trees were bare. They did not know the taste of fruits or vegetables or how sunshine felt against their skin. They only knew how it felt to live under a gloomy sky that never changed, even when it rained. Year-round, they had to wear thick coats, scarves, and hats to protect their skin against the cold. Like others in their community, Angelina and her family wore bright colors to be identified from a distance. However, d...

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“Star - Light” by Chris Cancilla

Submitted to Contest #282

Bizzy woke up like she did each and every morning for the past twenty-two years. She threw on a robe to cover her body, went to the kitchen, and made a coffee. She set it up the night before as she always did. It’s ready for her when she begins her day.Pouring a cup and splashing in a bit of vanilla creamer, she stood in front of the great window in the living room. Her apartment is on the forty-sixth floor of her building. The top level. She had secured the apartment higher than any surrounding apartments available twenty-two years ago toda...

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“Voyage Log: Leap of Faith” by Luke A

Submitted to Contest #282

Power levels are low, and the destination is nowhere in sight. I’ve been coasting on minimal energy for so long that the fear doesn’t grip me like it used to. The thought of not making it is buried deep inside, locked away for another time. I can’t afford to dwell on it—fear won’t fuel me, and I’ll lose my mind long before I lose power. Drifting through the vast expanse of the void has become routine. Stars twinkle faintly in the distance, cold and unfeeling. Each flicker serves as a painful reminder of how far I’ve come and how much farther...

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“THE RENAISSANCE OF LIGHT” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #282

Kalyx had only lived in darkness. She had been told stories as a child about light, but she could never truly imagine an illuminated world because living in darkness dulled the development of imagination. Like so many her age, she scoffed at the childhood stories and simply did her best to make her way in the darkness with only her go-light snapped in place on her head to guide her. She never complained. Complaining always led to trouble ether rom the official Keepers who...

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“The Vigil” by Jennifer Abrahamsen

Submitted to Contest #282

We purge the land of those seeking to destroy,Our weapons beside us, ready to deploy.The darkness pulls, ever trying to entice,But we stand firm; faith through sacrifice.We will muster to war and defeat the last,And we await The One to emerge from the past.Out of the darkness and into the light,Give us the strength to sit vigil tonight. Moxi raised her head from the pommel of her sword and looked up at the stone façade of the ancient ruins from her position on a single, bent knee. She felt warm, despite the darkness. Moxi turned toward Fion...

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“In The Eyes” by Ava J

Submitted to Contest #282

It was strange, opening up a box and expecting nothing. Usually one would think before acting, attempt to console before hurting, but this time no prior heartache was put into it. Yet she remembered the days when nothing was everything. Where darkness was the predator and light was the prey.She dragged her empty eyes over the box. The box itself was ordinary at first glance. It had worn wood, edges smoothed from years of handling, and a clasp that barely held on. Clearly nothing special. But inside, it held something precious to her. Though,...

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“In Darkness, We Lie ” by Crystal Rosaire

Submitted to Contest #282

My people are “bottom dwellers”–that’s what they called us. Born without sight but blessed with lungs to filter the dusty air, long strong fingers to dig through tough granite, sturdy backs to protect against falling debris…the list goes on. All the cards were in our favor to thrive in the “Community”.And “surface walkers” was what we called them in turn. Lavish in their lifestyle and spoiled by the bounty above. There were countless stories of carnage between countries and humans, spawned from greed. Our people once lived alongside the...

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“Like Moths to Flames” by Dalia Delahoz

Submitted to Contest #282

Upon completing their twelfth year, the people of the Caverns were assigned their roles by the Bespeaker, so when the destined nycthemeron arrived, Runi did not wait for the footsteps meant to retrieve her. She took herself to him. Incense led her nose, the faint whispers of flowing water guided her ears, and the walls that the thousands had smoothed before her guided her hands. When the incense pooled thicker into her lungs and the whispers of water broiled into indiscernible speech against her ears, she knew she had reached the Chamber of ...

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“The False Dawn” by Ronald John MacLennan Jr

Submitted to Contest #282

The Birth of RadianceThe world was darkness, and in darkness, we thrived. Shadows were our inheritance, the perpetual blackness our cradle. I remember when the first light came—a tear in the fabric of eternity, white and blinding, spilling radiance like blood from a wound. We recoiled, blinded, horrified, and yet drawn toward it as moths to a flame we had never seen.They called it the “Soluminas,” though it needed no name, for its presence was like a deity. Its brilliance remade everything we knew, illuminating the cavernous spires of Tenebr...

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“From Darkness to Light” by Ashley Hagel

Submitted to Contest #282

There I was, in the midst of a shadow filled, rugged battlefield. My iron clad comrades were falling on every side in the plight of war. They fought bravely and virtuously. After a rigorous battle, I was the last one standing. Exhausted and battleworn I stood as if I were a single candle on a midnight mountain top as darkness covered the earth. The first wave of the army of darkness had fallen without any glory, for how could darkness and glory be betrothed? Glory can only be bestowed upon the one who is worthy! No, the only thing darkness w...

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“The Taste of Red” by Elton James

Submitted to Contest #282

Dearest Mary, You were right, I should not have come. I confess, the labyrinth’s outer reaches do not provide the excitement I had anticipated. Our days are drudgery. We trace and map the walls, try to measure the open spaces using sonar, but each new passage contains no more adventure than the last. The caverns, with their eerie silence, are worse. The lonely clicking of a few conscripted explorers does little to battle the silence. Even the dangers of hazards such as pits or rockfall, become mundane. Background concern to the true en...

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“How Noctura Regained Its Light” by Emilie Thies

Submitted to Contest #282

Noctura is a land that many people have never heard of, and indeed, a place that few people would ever wish to visit. The land has not seen the light of day for centuries and all of its inhabitants go about their business in a serious, sorrowful, pitiful manner. It is a place that not only lacks light, but is also devoid of smiles, laughter, and humor. Quite frankly, it is one of the sorriest places I have ever visited. I only know about Noctura because my good friend Finn is from there. Finn is not at all like the inhabitants of Noctura; hi...

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Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 44 stories

“Heroine of Stars” by E. E. Miles

“Denouements in the Dark” by Dave Stanley

“The Invention Of Light” by Mark Fyers

“Grey World” by Pamela Reeves

“Star - Light” by Chris Cancilla

“Voyage Log: Leap of Faith” by Luke A

“THE RENAISSANCE OF LIGHT” by Julia Corliss

“The Vigil” by Jennifer Abrahamsen

“In The Eyes” by Ava J

“In Darkness, We Lie ” by Crystal Rosaire

“Like Moths to Flames” by Dalia Delahoz

“The False Dawn” by Ronald John MacLennan Jr

“From Darkness to Light” by Ashley Hagel

“The Taste of Red” by Elton James

“How Noctura Regained Its Light” by Emilie Thies

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins with an apology.

Write a story where a character relives the same event over and over again.

Write a story where someone who has done something wrong seeks a fresh start.

Write a story that starts and ends in the same place.

Contest #282

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

267

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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