Legacy

GENRE: Science Fiction

ACTION: Applying Sunscreen

WORD: Bulb

He sits, deep in the Earth between leaden walls and breaths of vented air. Particles smash, raw and fast and cataclysmic. A Big Bang of miniature proportions, until finally, the blazing bulb of a man-made star roars in an armored chamber.

His hands spread mud mixed from the dust of a distant sun-scorched planet as skin reddens, then flakes. He has planned for this. Lathering, repeating, lather, repeat. Rays of poison ripple past precautions, exceed his careful calculations. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Like a dream that flew too close, he burns. But imagine the look on their faces.

Round 1: Submitted March 22, 2025

8th place in group - See official feedback from the judges!

A Chilly Night in March

GENRE: Ghost Story

ACTION: Attracting

WORD: Declare

My rocking chair creaks from our porch as I beckon to the mist-cloaked woods. I can’t rock for long, lest other evils find me first. The hills of Blue Ridge have shifted and churned for a billion years, creating cracks in an already thin veil.

Can you hear it? The moan of my chair echoes the vows we declared. The vows you dissolved too early, ten years to the day.

A gust flutters the fuzz on the scarf you made. Trees like guardians rustle and sway to let you through. I smile as your chair begins to rock.

Round 2: Submitted May 17, 2025

Honorable Mention (10th place does not advance) - See official feedback from the judges!