Lost & Found
MicroZine Image Prompt #1
Choose one:
You lost a key. How did you lose it? Where? And what does it unlock?
You found a key. Where did you find it? Are you able to uncover what it unlocks? If so, what?
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.
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 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, and has one final continuation at 100-words.
[6-word story]
Bloody key. Midnight rendezvous. Nemesis appears.
.
[50-word continuation]:
Sarah found a bloodstained key hidden in her case file, with cryptic coordinates for a midnight meeting. Heart racing, she approached the rendezvous point. A shadowy figure emerged - Elizabeth, the notorious assassin she'd hunted for years. Both reached for concealed weapons as recognition struck.
.
[100-word final continuation]:
They grappled, blades glinting in the moonlight. Sarah noticed the key glowing faintly in her pocket.
Gunshots rang out. A third party was watching. Without hesitation, Sarah and Elizabeth became reluctant allies, dispatching their attackers with lethal efficiency.
As silence fell, Sarah revealed the key. Elizabeth's eyes widened in recognition. "So you're the one," she murmured, voice low and dangerous.
The key unlocked a hidden vault containing evidence to bring down a global criminal empire—implicating them both in its dark operations.
Elizabeth smirked, holstering her weapon. "Partners?" she purred, eyes gleaming with intrigue.
Sarah nodded, realizing this deadly dance was far from over—and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted it to end.
Hey Bec, what’s this key for?