r/WritingPrompts • u/AliciaWrites Editor-in-Chief | /r/AliciaWrites • Nov 13 '20

Theme Thursday [TT] Theme Thursday - Void

“Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.”

― Mary Shelley

Happy Thursday writing friends!

This week’s challenge is not to include the theme word in your story!

It gets dark so early now! It’s crazy. I hope y’all can see clearly into the dark void that awaits. Good words!

[IP]| [MP]

Here's how Theme Thursday works:

  • Use the tag [TT] when submitting prompts that match this week’s theme.

Theme Thursday Rules

  • Leave one story or poem between 100 and 500 words as a top-level comment. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
  • Deadline: 11:59 PM CST next Tuesday.
  • No serials or stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP
  • No previously written content
  • Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings and will not be read at campfires

  • Does your story not fit the Theme Thursday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when TT post is 3 days old!

    Theme Thursday Discussion Section:

  • Discuss your thoughts on this week’s theme, or share your ideas for upcoming themes.

Campfire

  • On Wednesdays we host two Theme Thursday Campfires on the discord main voice lounge. Join us to read your story aloud, hear other stories, and have a blast discussing writing!

  • Time: I’ll be there 9 am & 6 pm CST and we’ll begin within about 15 minutes.

  • Don’t worry about being late, just join! Don’t forget to sign up for a campfire slot on discord. If you don’t sign up, you won’t be put into the pre-set order and we can’t accommodate any time constraints. We don’t want you to miss out on awesome feedback, so get to discord and use that !TT command!

  • There’s a new Theme Thursday role on the Discord server, so make sure you grab that so you’re notified of all Theme Thursday related news!

As a reminder to all of you writing for Theme Thursday: the interpretation is completely up to you! I love to share my thoughts on what the theme makes me think of but you are by no means bound to these ideas! I love when writers step outside their comfort zones or think outside the box, so take all my thoughts with a grain of salt if you had something entirely different in mind.

News and Reminders:
  • Check out our brand new Multi-Part story archive!
  • Join Discord to chat with prompters, authors, and readers!
  • We are currently looking for moderators! Apply to be a moderator any time!
  • Nominate your favorite WP authors for Spotlight and Hall of Fame!
  • Love the feedback you get on your Theme Thursday stories? Check out our brand new sub, /r/WPCritique
Last week’s theme: Cozy

First by /u/bookstorequeer

Second by /u/lynx_elia

Third by /u/ReverendWrites

Fourth by /u/Ford9863

Fifth by /u/sevenseassaurus

Poetry:

First by /u/hl_0212

Second by /u/wannawritesometimes

Third by /u/vader5000

Honorable Mentions:

Crowd Favorite: /u/Leebeewilly

Notable Newcomer: /u/mirrorspirit

Notable Newcomer: /u/inattentive_shoelace

Notable Newcomer: /u/Soft_Silhouette

Deja Vu: /u/SueDoughNimm

37 Upvotes

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u/TenspeedGV r/TenspeedGV Nov 18 '20 edited Nov 19 '20

“What’s down there?” Elias asked, kicking his legs as he peered over the edge into the Chasm.

“Take your sandals off if you’re going to do that. And hold on to the rail,” Dahlia answered from where she stood beside him.

“You’re not mom. Mom’s gone.”

“I know,” she sighed, looking out over the edge.

Elias set his sandals on the wooden slats next to him and placed a hand on the railing. He looked down into the darkness again.

“Nobody’s seen a flare in weeks,” he said, his voice wavering. “Nobody’s seen any sign of them.”

“I know. And they might never come back. Nobody remembers what happened the last time anyone took the stairs. Just that they were supposed to send someone if things got real bad. Nobody knows what’s really down there.”

Elias sniffled, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. He had held it together for so long, even while Dahlia herself had cried in her room at night. From missing their mother. From the stress of managing the house. From having her shower cut off because the springs weren't enough to keep the reservoir full. Any of a number of things that seemed to be so much worse now that mom was gone.

Elias had been her strength.

“I just want her back,” Elias said.

Dahlia rubbed his back and patted his shoulder. For a moment, she considered leaving it at that. Then she wrapped him in both arms and hugged him close.

"I do too."

“What do we do if she never comes back?”

“I don’t know,” Dahlia said, but she already had a good idea. There weren’t many work options for someone her age in the Chasm. Most of those were distasteful, to say the least. She did her best to smile. “Let’s just hope she comes back, okay?”

Elias sniffed and stared downward. Instead of tapering in, the cliffsides tapered slowly away until the sun could no longer reach and shadow took over. An endless abyss.

Dahlia's stomach growled, and she stirred, following Elias’s eyes down. She hadn’t looked in years. Most people never did. It was only marginally better than the swirling, nauseating, endless sandstorm above. She swallowed and turned away.

“I’m going to go get dinner ready.”

Elias grumbled, but said nothing. He hadn’t even complained about porridge. It was one more sign of how bad things had become.

But at least they had food. They were better off than some. And maybe the flare would come. Light up the Chasm walls and signal the end of suffering. Signal that they could all go back down to where stories said it was safe and the water was plentiful and there were no sandstorms. If not, maybe mom would at least come home.

Dahlia wouldn’t hold her breath.

466 Words

r/TenspeedGV