Opennovellacontest2022 Stories

Cereal is a necessity to Connie Darwin, and so every day she goes down from her room of solitary and opens the fridge to find the milk. Then she pours her milk. Then she plops in the cereal and heads upstairs again. And the cycle repeats, until she finds her best friend, Clementine Lund, dead in her room, where she wasn't before. When her parents call her for a family meeting, she sees Clem again. And from then on, she starts using orange juice, because Connie needs those calories to get her energy up. When you find your friend dead, you don't panic. You investigate. (Follows prompt 68: You saw her dead, but she is having dinner downstairs with your parents)

Lila Unwinter is not a very talented witch; she mostly has a lot of ambition, determination, and enough spite to last her a few hundred years. How else was she supposed to survive the past sixteen years, after she lost both her best friend and her family over something she can barely even remember now? They're not dead, of course, but for all that they care about her, she might as well be. But then her magic decides to send her home for lunch break one day, and she not only finds out about a curse that's taken hold of her way back when she was only six years old, but also reconnects with her childhood friend (who's considerably less alive now). A series of events unfolds that may well redefine Lila's perception of both love and magic itself. Featuring: way too many ghosts, the town at the Edge of the world, knife and sword-wielding girls, sapphic childhood-friends-to-lovers, ghost kitties, weird magic and magical creatures, and a certain three-headed dog. ________________ an entry for the open novella contest 2022

*entry for ONC 2022* prompt seventy: his [her] eyes were cold and lifeless as he [she] stared at me. "you have no idea who i am, do you?" - It's only been three weeks since Vera Watson and her father moved to Goldhurst Lighthouse. She's trying her best to settle in, but it's hard when they're the only non-white family living on the property. And to make matters worse, she's never worked at a lighthouse before. But when a storm rolls in--the first one Vera will experience since moving here--everything changes. In the middle of the raging tempest, Vera finds a strange girl by the rocky shore. Wearing a white dress, her skin pale white and her hair as dark as the night, she looks like a ghost. Thing is, she is. And she's asking Vera for help. © myrawritess 2022. all rights reserved.

Between 1813 and 1819, the great composer, Ludwig van Beethoven almost disappeared from public life. Many stories passed about the reason, but none could ever hope to know the truth. Until now. In 1818, Bernhard Gerber experiences something terrifying and heartbreaking, bringing him in contact with the great man, Beethoven, himself. Though Beethoven proves nothing like the person known all across Europe. Between them, the two men take on the task of ridding the world of the greatest horror ever to walk the Earth and, in the process, perhaps lay to rest both men's greatest tragedies and guilt. A deadly serious story with a character that doesn't know it. And doesn't care. A novella, written for #ONC2022. Based upon Prompt No. 70 and in the 'Creature Feature' category. Cover created in Canva, using an AI generated picture.

Entry for ONC2022 Cheryl is a young woman who runs her own catering company. Her apartment isn't the best looking out there but it is her home. She has a reputation to uphold but what happens when a few customers give her trouble? A new neighbour moves in and immediately starts trouble. What happens when she goes to confront this person? Will it be sunshine and rainbows or will it just blow up in her face? Cover by @Exequinne

In a frozen world, Kismet rules. Following Kismet's rules is the only way to survive. So what happens when Kismet has determined you die? **** In the frozen wastes of North America, a biodome holds the market on heat, providing light, energy, and a suitable life for a sizable population of humans. Amy, who has spent her entire life in the Youth Camp waiting for her chance to be admitted, is finally about to enter her new life, the life written for her by Kismet. But all Amy gets in her file is a single line, identifying her as a murder victim. Kismet writes everyone's lives, determines every aspect of existence within the biodome. But in order for Amy to have that life, she would have to submit to being murdered. ONC 2022, Prompt #85

In a dingy karaoke bar, sparks fly. - Amirah Begum has always believed in happy endings. Even after everything she's been through, whether it be years ago when she lost her favourite pair of light-up sneakers or three days ago, when she got dumped by the girl she thought was the one of her dreams, she hasn't lost her dream of a happy ending. So, when she finds a brooding stranger doing the exact opposite of what she lives her life by, she makes a pact to help them get their happy ending, and maybe re-evaluate her own definition of a happy ending in the process. - started: february 3rd, 2022. completed: april 24th, 2022.

When one door closes, another window opens. Meet Jang Miyeon and Park Siwoo, two strangers who meet after experiencing devastating life-changing events. Life can change in a split second, but different people adapt to changes differently. When her boyfriend of four years suddenly proposes a breakup, Miyeon's daily routines change drastically. To get over him and fill the vacancy in her heart, she decides to fulfil the bucket list they planned together alone. In another part of the city, under the same sky, Siwoo receives news that his girlfriend of seven years has lost her life in a tragic traffic accident. Things go south from this moment on, and it feels like the world is against him. With the encouragement of his family, he decides to fulfil their bucket list to honour her life. As the two meet while trying to heal from the pain of loss, they decide to help each other fulfil their bucket lists. Amid their grief, perhaps they can form the light at the end of each other's tunnel. *** [Open Novella Contest 2022] Prompt #74: After a bad breakup, you decide to fulfil the bucket list that you had planned with your ex-partner alone. On halfway through fulfilling your bucket list, you meet a person who is going through the exact same situation and you decide to help this person out. Ideated: 1 February 2022 Started: 26 February 2022 Completed: Ongoing

Will the love still remain the same even after the wall that has always stood in between them has been destroyed?

"There was something inside [her] that wouldn't stop until the whole world was blood." The kingdom of Ostrova has been at war for centuries, and to feed the unending cycle of violence, every year, the day after the New Year, every sixteen-year-old in the realm is conscripted. A notoriously difficult exam called the Proving determines where in the military they will be placed. Norah Tasca is a peasant girl from Ostrova's oldest colony, Navaria. When she passes the Proving with a perfect score, she becomes only one of a handful of commoners ever admitted to the Citadel, the training program for Ostrova's future commanders. But at the Citadel, Norah is an outsider, and all is not as it seems. Those chosen to train there were not chosen for the intellect or their aptitudes, but for something else, something that challenges everything Norah has ever known about the world and the balance of power.

When a strange old woman comes to the village of Little Plimpton, her arrival sparks a conflict that could bring the entire population to the brink of war. And by 'war', read 'a series of petty grievances aired in public'. Humphrey, caught in the middle of the ensuing whirlwind of accusations, threats and mildly aggressive and/or violent actions, must try his utmost to bring Little Plimpton back to some semblance of serenity and, if he has his way, at least quiet. If only so he can read his newspaper in peace. A novella, written for #ONC2022. Based upon Prompt No. 6 and in the General Fiction category. Cover created in Canva, using a Pixabay stock picture.

Jane doesn't quite believe the magic bean is real when the tooth fairy accidentally drops it into her sister's bed. She plants it anyway and finds herself climbing to the sky on a giant beanstalk, just like her cousin, Jack. The Giant catches her and gives her an ultimatum: steal her weight in gold from the dragon or never go home again. Fortunately for her, there are good friends to be had, but will they be enough to overcome an ancient dragon? Jane is determined to try.

"People come and go, but video games are always here for you." That is something Felix Baker has decided to fully live by ever since a bad breakup he wishes to completely erase out of his mind. In order to get his life together and move on from his heartbreak, he gets back into one of his old-time hobbies: gaming. Through his gaming journey, where he starts uploading gameplay and gaining popularity and support, he accepts a single friend request. That is the start of a beautiful friendship that Felix cherishes from the bottom of his heart. After three years, the two decide to meet up, but what will happen when the person that Felix meets up with is the one who originally broke his heart by cheating on him? Will he truly be able to recover, or will he be giving his heart a second chance to either be mended or shattered even more? *** [Open Novella Contest 2022] Prompt #77: Having had your heart shattered into pieces by a particularly tough breakup, you turned to a popular multiplayer online game, through which you met your new best friend and virtual soulmate. After three years of talking and playing together every day, both of you agreed you were long due for meeting up in person. But when you meet, you realize it's the same person who broke your heart all those years ago - the person you caught cheating on you. Cover by @calistacyq

Noor has only one goal: to not be caught! As restraint against illegal books in the state grows,it causes even more illegal books to flourish and the Emir orders anyone suspicious to be arrested. As she publishes under her pen name, she also exchanges letters with another poet. Enamoured by each other, they think they hold all the love in the world for each other. Unfortunately for them, Fate loves to play. After one explosive encounter unravels a series of trusted betrayals, heart-wrenching games, and a pack full of hidden identities, can each of them find their Paradise? [ ONC 2022 Historical Fiction Entry] [Prompt: What good can come from being tangled with a Duke, especially when you're a commoner without noble status.]

Welcome to Belsgate. There's not much here but a sleepy, dusty town, lots of farmland, big open sky and an inter-dimensional gate, that by all appearances, seems to lead straight to the depths of Hell. Zeph is a small town mechanic with an impossibly big responsibility. For generations, members of his family have guarded this: the last known active Gate, making sure that demons don't mingle with the regular spirits of our world. The Gate has remained mostly dormant for decades, but this period of inactivity seems destined to come to an end. With Gate activity slowly rising, Zeph is going to need help if he intends to keep things under control, or better yet, close the Gate for good. Prompt #58 - The motion sensor light at the back of your house keeps turning on and off, finally you go to investigate. Prompt #63

Ten years ago, Julia Reddings's girlfriend climbed a set of stairs in the woods and never came back down. When she was just a teenager, Julia Reddings watched her girlfriend Alice ascend a staircase in the middle of the woods and vanish at the top without a trace. In the ten years since, Julia has never been able to find Alice. Or the stairs. Now working as a park ranger, Julia has gathered the stories behind every paranormal encounter and local legend she can get her hands on, trying to unravel the mystery of her girlfriend's disappearance. But it seems that Alice has been wiped off the face of the earth. Until she finds the stairs again. Desperate for the truth, Julia returns to the place she lost Alice. But the woods that were once so dear to her are different, now. They feel dangerous. And the staircase that took Alice ten years ago is calling to her. Based on ONC prompt #33: "And then I pressed my cheek against the asphalt and prayed the dead bodies would cover my scent." ONC Longlister!! Cover by @ClaraElisibeth

For two months, the Avondorian Mountains have been a safe haven. Now, that's about to change. When a scout returns to Anahill with a disturbing message, Audren, the freshly-inaugurated Lord of the Mountains, finds himself faced with a challenge: The Cursed will reach the city within days. Undead, highly dangerous and hungry for human flesh, the Cursed are creatures not to be messed with. Audren refuses to let them slaughter his people and turn them into monsters. He sees only one way to save his home: Breaking the curse that started this terror. Teaming up with a grumpy student mage, Audren ventures into hostile territory. But can this curse even be broken?

Giselle Landry shows up to her first date in years, expecting to have a lovely dinner with the tall, dark and handsome man she's been talking to online for months. Instead, she finds herself in a restaurant full of strangers. Eventually, it becomes obvious one of the men there is the guy she has been talking to. But he looks nothing like him. She did not shave her legs for this. Hunger overtakes embarrassment because a girl's gotta eat. So, Giselle pulls up a stool at the bar to grab a bite and immediately strikes up a conversation with the handsome bartender, Feliciano Arias. Sparks fly as he shows her parts of the city she never knew existed. On the surface, everything is charm and excitement. But Giselle can't shake the feeling that she doesn't really know the man behind the tattoos. Is she being catfished again?