Onc2023 Stories

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When a lonely vet tech unknowingly befriends a gorilla shifter over a mutual love of music, their lives will change forever. Claire Beck is at a crossroads in her life when her ringtone song attracts the attention of the newest gorilla at the local zoo, a male who refuses to interact with either guests or the female gorillas he shares an exhibit space with. Charlie is a withdrawn silverback captured running loose in a Denver park. A year at the zoo in Colorado Springs hasn't changed his outlook, so he's going to be transferred to an animal refuge with a questionable reputation. The zoo keeper in charge of his care has a plan to help Charlie escape-with Claire's help. In the aftermath of the escape, Claire discovers that Charlie is more than what he seems. She must then decide if she will return to her old life alone or instead bond with a beast who is likely to leave her with a broken heart.

Gabriella is a just an ordinary tourist in Cameroon but something mysterious happens when she notices something in a camera image. Is she going crazy or has magic taken hold? Will her holiday gain new meaning after she unravels the mystery? And what will happen when she has to return home? Join her on this adventure to find out that magic could be closer than you think. This is a magical fantasy set in Cameroon and England. All photos within the story are taken by me, the cover uses a stock photo from canva. This is my own work which was inspired by my recent visit to my in-laws in Cameroon. I was deeply affected by the unbalanced society, with many people living in poor conditions while nearby others live in relative luxury. There are many issues in Cameroon which need to be solved and I hope that reading this story will inspire people to do more to help the environment and people less fortunate. This story has been written for the Open Novella Contest. ONC2023. following prompt 26. 'As a tourist in a foreign country you were just snapping pictures. Later that night you go through your camera roll and was shocked to your core when you saw what you caught on camera.' Copyright ©️ 2023 By Sarah Nana.

When Ethan Johnson wakes up with a dead body next to him and a duffel bag full of money, he has no memory of how he got there. As he tries to uncover the truth about his past, he discovers that he possesses an alien artifact, a key that operates a gate to the various 'memory storehouses' in the galaxy. With the help of his fellow Team Agent, Sharon Michaels, Ethan must follow through with a dangerous mission to save the Earth or all of humanity's memories will be harvested and lost forever.

Open Novella contest 2023 (Prompts 73 and maybe 20?) What happened Maddie-Rose? Hundred of years ago Maddie-Rose was a powerful goddess, with the love of her life Oliver on her mind. One day her mother walks into her daughter's temple and finds her grandson alone with no sign of his parents. Now in the modern day, cousins Katie and Frankie will be going on a school trip. Along with Uncle Tom and Miss Adams.

Freshly promoted to second in command of his pack and burdened with new responsibilities in taking care of his depopulating pack, the only joy that remains in Tin's life is updating the blog he keeps on the sorry state of getting around in his neck of the woods. Given an urgent task by his ailing Alpha that thrusts him out of his comfort zone, can he juggle his new mission, new city, and new friends? Prompt #36

Upon unfolding an enigmatic book, Nathaniel wakes up disoriented and thirsty in a world beyond his imagination. As he delves deeper into this new realm, he realizes that he's also been altered in ways he never could have imagined. Amidst the beguiling landscapes and mystic creatures, Nathaniel will face two paths: to surrender to the allure of that spellbinding world, or to brave the unknown in a quest for escape.

A plague covers the land. No one is safe from its hold, magic and non-magic wielders alike. Sending its victims, the Infected, into insanity, the plague has claimed more lives then any war. Leuitant Colonel Luthera Griffith is the leader of one of the many battalions fighting the Infected. She is killed on the line of duty, but when she wakes up alive and as a Returned, she is given a second chance to end the plague, and find the traitor who led to her and her brother's death. Fuelled with a rage and hunted by Reapers only intent on maintain the natural balance of life and death, Luthera races against time to regroup with her battalion and try to save whats left of this dying civilization.

Open Novella Contest 2023 (prompt 11) To the plain and practical spirits of Derpham, novelty is grounds for suspicion and frippery, offence. So, when a milliner's moves to town, the residents watch the illusive proprietor behind curtains, for what use could the good spirits of Derpham have with such fine things? And who could afford them? To little Luna Pavski however, the Milliner is an uncompromising anomaly in her dreary town. But as the Milliner begins to make gifts of their craftsmanship, Luna notices changes in her once predictable neighbours. Cover credit to my beloved sister, insta @jpringleart

This is my ONC submission for prompt 23: They were not real, everyone told me they were not real. But why are they here? Why are they trying to talk to me? Why are they calling me the ONE? Why are they staring at me like that? Avery had been bullied in first grade, for she has a broken leg. After watching a video about a monster, she says that the monster already got to her bully. Nothing changes. The Inequality Monster, which is what she called it, is on the loose, leaving her on her own to hopefully catch it. After going through a portal, she goes face-to-face with the monster since she's The One, according to society. If she fails, the entire world is in danger, and the blame will be on her. Will she be able to find help or be solely on her own to attempt to defeat the monster? Does she spend valuable time thinking why she's The One, or does she go straight into action to save the world? Cover done by my mom! "The Inequality Monster is definitely a good read! Full of conflict, resolution, and some slices of humor!" - @Storytellingdude871 !

"The pain of freedom is better than the pain of slavery." - Saladin *** For almost a century, a part of humanity has lived underground, in a bunker designated to shelter the vulnerable from the unending war. The people in the bunker, known as the Division Two people, had no knowledge of the outside world except from the reports of the news reporters. Amna, a typical twenty-year-old girl from Division Two, never questioned the absurdity of the rules until a series of strange events began to occur in her life. One by one, her friends were taken out-a punishment for those who defy the law. And when her supposedly dead brother appeared after her wedding day, she realised that everything was a lie. Together with all the 'fallen' people, they strive to overcome the upper class' control over the vulnerable people. Would they be able to bring about a revolution and save the people from being trapped in the bunker forever? ** Based on Prompt 67 from Open Novella Contest 2023. The war had been going on for over 100 years now. Not that you'd ever seen it, living in a bunker your entire life. But one day, a news war reporter suddenly says, "I can't do this anymore. Everything is fine! They're lying! Th-" And the signal cuts out. * Thank you for giving my story a chance. I hope you like it and I would appreciate your feedback. :) The cover is made by @bookloving_pearl

The wrong place, at the wrong time, had Tyler running for his life. On his way to a job interview, Tyler became a witness to a murder that was done by one of the most notorious hitmen in the country. After being saved by that same hitman, Tyler went from a civilian looking for a job to an informant working for one of the largest assassination agencies in the country. Dion, a hitman who's lived a life in the shadows for years, has finally found light in that darkness. After saving the witness to one of his hits, only to find the boy has a target on his back because of his involvement. Tyler's life was spared but at what cost? What is Dion willing to do to protect the light that found its way to the darkness?

Colton has always thought he's better than others. After all, he's a marvellous wizard in a world full of dull humans. But after getting expelled, his pretentious attitude gets a massive blow. Suddenly he's forced to enroll at a local high school where his powers must stay hidden at all times. But without magic he's a loser... That won't do, especially not when the hottest guy totally ignores him. So he does what he does best; turns to magic. A spell, to be specific. That turns out to be a big mistake when he accidentally sends them into an alternative universe. And to make it all worse, they're forced to escape with a bunch of uninvited classmates.

Born in a society where an AI ran the daily lives of every human being including deciding their spouse, Ava never questioned her role. However, the day the handsome stranger who had haunted her dreams manifested into the real world, she knew she would never be content with the life that had been planned for her by the Unity. To be with the one she truly cares for, Ava must join up with the resistance to fight to free humanity from the Unity's control.

Every month, young death witch Rune Doverey must bind the gateway to the necropolis that hides beneath his bed. When he fails for the first time, the consequences prove worse than he could have ever imagined, and he knows he won't be able to fix it alone. Enter teen Reaper, Zander Sealey, rather literally. Despite the fact that Zander is far from Rune's biggest fan, thanks to the whole 'making his job a lot harder' part of accidentally unbinding the underworld, both of them know they're going to have to work together if they want any hope of getting the escaped spirits back where they belong. But it's not just ghosts, and something bigger is stirring. The only question is how long everyone else can hold out.

Raya has a near death experience where she accidentally lets some souls loose and now she has to help the grim reaper get the souls back. All is not what it seems in this exciting story with a touch of humor.

CIA black ops assassin Apollo Fox awakens to find a dead body and a duffel bag of money with a pelican case next to him in a room in the safe house. The only thing he has is no memory of who he was or ended up here. Unable to trust his handler. And anyone he must unravel the deadly conspiracy to find out who was he and the. dead bead body is? based on prompt 32

After their mother is mysteriously killed, Ethiel and Tifa start seeing ghosts. Their Aunt decides to move to their mother's home with them, hoping to provide them a better life. However, in the new house, Ethiel and his sister find a strange mirror in the working room of their mother that takes them to another world, Anigma. One after the other, they discover shocking secrets about her from the videos she has left for them in a flash drive. With nothing more than a few leads from her videos and some help from her other-worldly friends, the two siblings must finish the quest she started in order to be granted three wishes, in hopes of saving Animga from doom and also to bring her back to life. Will Ethiel and Tifa be able to fulfill the last request of their mother and get to see her again? Read and find out. -------- ONC 2023 prompts I will be using: Prompt 29 -------- COPYRIGHTED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2023 P. Kumaran Pandian Cover illustrated by P. Kumaran Pandian

Albert Caspian is a 23 year-old man with a whole lot of charm and a bucketful of bad luck. It's almost no surprise when he gets shipwrecked on a barren island after an accident. With dwindling hope of an emergency rescue, Al resigns himself to his fate until he is suddenly dragged into the world of seafolk and underwater civilizations. After working as a writer for a nature magazine, he is thrilled to be staring at what he believes to be the ruins of Atlantis. However, the seafolk are not as receptive as he is, and it takes many trials and tribulations to prove his worth and learn the secret of this hidden civilization. With the help of loyal and eager companions, Al sets out to uncover Point Nemo's well-kept mysteries and protect the people he's come to care about.

Abeline is only a child and finds herself removed from the comforts of her family's homestead. Accustomed to the verdant protection of a home in the hills, her family is now missing. In a world far away from our own, the girl must make a perilous journey north, evading the creeping storm and those she might cross on her path. There are those searching for her and those who mean her harm. Will there be any that choose to simply help her?