Forums » Art & Creativity » Official Contest: Short Story Challenge 2022

And by short story, we mean really short stories. The shorter the better.

• One entry per user.
• Only users, no posts from characters will count.
• Roll a 1d10 in this topic. Whatever number it comes up on, that’s the theme you need to write your story on.
• Entries should not an exceed a PG-13 rating.
• Edit the post where you made your dice roll to insert your story into it when it’s done.
• Maximum 100 words! Here's a site that might help you: https://easywordcount.com/
• Your story must have a beginning, middle and end.

Themes:

1. Coping with disaster
2. Courage
3. Betrayal
4. Mystery
5. Love
6. Immortality
7. Misunderstanding
8. Discovery
9. Forgiveness
10. Identity

Prizes:

• RPR tote bag (Real life prize - we’ll ship one to you) Totebags won in contests have some surprises inside them!
• Set of RPR pens & Special Epic Week sticker sheets, including your own game avatar! (Real life prize - we’ll ship one to you)
• Greater Wand of Epicness (3 month epic for groups, or 6 for a user)
• Wand of Epicness (2 weeks epic for groups, or 1 month for a user)
• Greater Oil of Epicness (1 month epic for groups, or 2 for a user)
• Dragon's tooth (5 addtl character slots)
• Book of blank pages (7 extra pages for either a user or a group)

Deadline:
Get all your entries in by May 22nd.

I haven't written flash fiction in years! Let's see ... mystery!

---

Well now this is an interesting addition...

Edit:

Topic - Immortality

He'd finally done it. It had only taken two thousand, three hundred and fifty two years. Still, here they are.

At the thirty year mark he had started to worry that keeping his promise was impossible. After the first century it seemed assured. He's ashamed to admit he forgot about it completely after a full millennium. Then three years ago a familiar looking tomb was unearthed...

Their special place has changed dramatically. Rolling plains turned to harsh desert. Time hadn't changed his heart though. As the ash is caught by the wind, silent tears slip down his cheeks once again.

Let's give it a shot!

Of course we have to try this!

Sounds like a ton of fun!

EDIT: Here goes nothing! I hope everyone is having a lot of fun.

---

Gabriel-9 was built long ago with a purpose, like every star is. They remembered the sparkle in Doctor Choi's eyes upon their birth. That they had so much shining potential.

They didn't realize what destruction it wrought.

In the dust afterwards, she'd risen from the ruined city.

"You're a hero now."

She'd pat Gabriel-9's dome.

"Please forgive me."

But in an iron-red field of broken demons, their metal rusts. Their digits froze.

Are they all safe yet?

The intercom's voice confirms it. Gabriel-9's optics close.

I forgive you. . . Doctor.

Oh man beginning, middle and end with 100 word limit? That's a doozy. Let's give it a go.

Edited:

Forgiveness

Every ache in my fragile bones and fracture of my heart was caused by her hands. The years I spent searching for a version of myself who would not cower in the darkness, I could never get back.

One night, I crawled my way to a home, safe and sound. A place where I could curl up, warm and comfortable. Still, I was plagued by her pleading. Hollow, but desperate.

It wasn't that I was unable to forgive her. I simply could not bear it. To forgive would mean pretending that what she did was forgivable.

It never would be.

I haven’t written anything like this in so long!

I have no idea if I *can* but I'm gonna roll to get a theme and give it a try xD

It's short story time...

Max 100 words? That’s gonna be interesting.

Ooooh that's great! Let's see what my theme will be...
Edit 1: Betrayal! Oh-oh I'm intrigued. I love this contest already
Edit 2: There it is - betrayal in 99 words
____________________________

He was a spy. He had always been faithful.
It took years to convince the infamous witch to allow him joining her secret coven.
Now he lived among her people, waiting for the emperor's call to ultimately destroy everything from the inside.
For this alone he had been trained all his life.
Yet still, when at last the time had come for him to fulfill his mission, it was unexpected.
Sleepless nights. Fear.
Gathering all his courage, he finally knew what to do.
"The emperor set up a trap, but I know how to avoid it. Follow me, mistress!"

yikes! 100 words!


Edit: Identity .... hmmmmm.... Need to ponder ...

Here we go. I was super bad at not going over word count in Speech class, this should be fun!

Edit: When I say this was hard... I'm not sure I understood the assignment but we did it, exactly 100 words lmao.

"This was the new normalcy, wasn't it? Julia had been afraid when the Divide had ravaged the Earth's crust. She'd felt as though there was nothing left to do but perish like so many of her friends and family.

Now, maybe six years later as she looked at the old mutt slumbering beside her, Julia felt like there was still some surviving to do.

She cracked open her latest round of treasure from scavenging- a can of peaches. She sipped the syrup, savored the flavor of something different than boiled water. Julia couldn't survive if she didn't let herself live."

Over a week to plan the surprise. Tracking down the little details that they wanted to include from the pressed flowers on the outside of the card to quotes from the messages that they had shared inside. They knew what he enjoyed stylistically of course, and so it was using the rich textures and oil painted details that they gave their Valentine's card a Pre-Raphaelite feel. It was sealed into the envelope with wax, and they used a stamp in the shape of an ammonite to seal it. The address written, the ink dried, the letter poster. Their love, sent.

Theme: Forgiveness

The coffee shop was nearly empty except for Amy and an elderly gentleman sitting at a table near a window reading his newspaper. Yohan rubbed his sweaty palms on his worn blue jeans before he pulled open the door.

The bell above the door announced his arrival, but her breath caught as she saw him. She didn’t mask the hurt in her eyes. It took only a few steps to be near enough to whisper. "I'm sorry."

She didn't trust herself to speak, but nodded. He returned the gesture before he left. It would be enough for now.

Let's see if we can give this a go...

Alrighty, it's done! I'm not sure how good this is but I did my best! I've never tried to write something in less than 100 words before, so this was a fun challenge!
The prompt I got was identity. The word counter said I used 99 words.
The story I wrote:

Melanie Oak's silver eyes descended, her fingernails met the Earth and clawed into it. "R.I.P, Bethany Oak," she murmured, repeating the tombstone. Melanie adjusted her well-traveled backpack, stuffed with something that rustled when she moved. "...This was supposed to help." Melanie stood after exhaling a burdened sigh. "...what am I to do now, take my flight home?" -- It became clear that no matter how much she chased the past, it wouldn't bring her clarity. It was gone.

Melanie stared at the setting sun. She paused awhile. Breathed. Sighed relief. Smiled... and finally walked away.

Perhaps it brought clarity after all.

Oooo how fun!