The Monolith | A StoryStack Challenge
The Monolith | A StoryStack Challenge
MicroZine Image Prompt #12
The Challenge:
Write a story using the following rules:
Must be exactly 6-words, 50-words, or 100-words in length OR between 101 - 500 words. Title is never counted towards word count.
Any genre is allowed but if a Trigger Warning is needed, please indicate so behind the title. (Ex. TITLE [TW])
Share your story in the comments or Substack Notes. Remember to TAG
for a chance to be featured in future posts.
DIGITAL ISSUE OPPORTUNITY
If we receive submissions from at least 5 different people, then one of them will be selected to appear in the next issue. I haven’t decided yet if the chosen story will be based on judging against the others or random or community votes. And, to make things more pressing, this offer is only open to stories submitted in the next 72hrs! For consideration in the next issue you must use the below template in the comments section (stories shared in Substack Notes will not be considered):
SUBMISSION TEMPLATE:
Word Length:
Story Title: [doesn’t count towards word count]
Story:
OPPORTUNITY CLOSES: Wednesday, October 2nd at 9pm EST
[This is only for those who wish the opportunity for their story to appear in a digital issue. Otherwise, please contribute a micro fiction story anytime.]
Good luck!
Bonus Challenges:
For those of you who like to push yourselves beyond what you already know you are capable of…
Write a story using ALL of the unique story lengths: 6-words, 50-words, and 100-words.
Write a STACKed STORY. This is a story that starts as 6-words then is a continuation story at 50-words, then has a conclusion of 100-words.
It’s Not What You Think it Is
Maybe it’s a Memorial After All (6 words)
The stone monolith stood like a lonely granite sentry overlooking the surrounding woods. It had appeared overnight and drew the attention of the Corps of Engineers.
“It’s new but constructed to look weathered. That’s not easy to do. We need to get this material to the lab to be analyzed.” (50 words)
The lab results were in.
“It’s not just a monument. First of all, it extends about a half mile into the earth’s core. And the material is like nothing we have ever seen. Especially the metal filament at the top. If is not any element from our periodic table. And it is very conductive. Highly, highly flammable. Incendiary even.”
“So what is it?”
“Well, we think it’s like a wick on a candle. A fuse. Something ignited for a detonation.”
“You mean to trigger like a bomb to explode?”
“I mean to trigger like the whole freakin’ planet to explode.” (100 words)
6-WORD STORY
Gentle river meandered under the bridge.
✤
50-WORD CONTINUATION STORY
The swollen river, now a roaring beast, swallowed the bridge whole.
Townsfolk watched in horror as the structure crumbled, sweeping dreams and connections into the relentless river.
Years passed. Thoughts of the bridge faded.
Nature danced around the site, vines creeping over the remnants, reclaiming what humanity had once birthed.
✤
100-WORD CONCLUSION
Fifty years later, the area is a lush testament to nature’s resilience.
Ferns sway where gravel once lay, and trees twist around the remains of one cement pylon, standing tall like a monolithic offering to forgotten gods.
Children play in a nearby park, unaware of the flood, the bridge—stories lost to time.
The river sings a different tune now, a gentle lullaby paying homage to the past, yards away from the pylon.
In the stillness, the pylon seems to whisper secrets of connection and loss, a solemn reminder that even the strongest structures are vulnerable to the forces of nature.