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“Follow a group of strangers touring a city on some kind of vehicle — a bus, a duck tour boat, a party bike… anything that transports passengers!”

Posted in Adventure on Aug 23, 2024

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✍️ 24 stories

The Casket Girl's Guide to Ghosts

Shortlisted for Contest #265 ⭐️

I float into Jackson Square on one of those late October nights in New Orleans that hasn’t yet shaken off the summer heat. Halloween is in the air, with the French Quarter shops lit up in orange and purple, and pumpkins and polyester cobwebs adorning doorsteps. On nights that I exist, I like to wander and watch the mix of locals and tourists going about their business, working and laughing and hustling and arguing and drinking. I’ll admit that this time of year is my favorite, as it’s finally about me. Any New Orleans medium will tell you th...

34 likes 26 comments 26
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Where or When

Weekly Contest #265

Where or When The subway train riders in New York City often don’t have the courtesies of the earlier generations. Five days a week she still had to take the train back and forth to work, even at age 84 because she could not exist without that meager income from her sewing job in the coat factory. She was lucky they let her continue at her age. Was it because they felt sorry for her and knew she needed the job, or was it simply because she was one of the best seamstresses they had? At least, her eyesight had not failed her. Moderately stro...

14 likes 7 comments 7
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Sunrise Mesa High School in Copenhagen

Weekly Contest #265

No one slept much the night before the early morning flight to Copenhagen. Maeve messaged Sol into the early hours of the morning and only stopped when her phone ran out of texts. They were supposed to arrive at the McCarran airport an hour before dawn for the ambitious itinerary ahead of them: Las Vegas to Seattle to Reykjavik to Copenhagen. In the backseat that morning, it felt to Maeve that her parents were driving her through a murky ocean; the inky dark sky rendered the ride murky and viscous. Still, she felt relieved--she had just put ...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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Berth Place

Weekly Contest #265

Milo winced as his punt crunched into its spot. He thanked his passengers – shouting it sarcastically after the teen who hadn’t followed his instructions and hopped out before Milo had had a chance to secure the boat. More quietly to the ones that disembarked with dignity. One woman in a yellow sundress (who appeared perfectly in control of her balance, even in kitten heels) rested her cool pale fingers in Milo’s palm a touch longer than was strictly necessary, purring her gratitude with an excessive amount of eye contact. There was always o...

10 likes 4 comments 4
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The Ghost Tram of Budapest

Weekly Contest #265

It was a damp, misty evening in Budapest when a group of strangers gathered at a discreet tram stop near the banks of the Danube. The tour was billed as "The Ghost Tram," a ride through the city's lesser-known haunted locales. Most of the group had signed up out of curiosity, drawn by the strange allure of the city's dark history, while others hoped for a thrill or perhaps even a brush with the supernatural.The tram itself was ancient, a relic from a bygone era, marked as *Tram No. 19*. Its faded red paint was peeling from the wooden panels,...

9 likes 4 comments 4
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Pink Pigs Play Again

Weekly Contest #265

“This is humiliating.”  Kate leans out over the prow of the boat and surveys the edge of the river.  She’s been in a bad mood all morning.  The buildings along the shore are draped with streamers, and music drifts out of the windows, but I know that Kate doesn’t appreciate any of it.  “I’m going downstairs and writing my obituary.  You can tell people that I died of embarrassment.” “Don’t be dramatic.”  I was embarrassed too, at first, but now I can’t help laughing at our predicament.  It’s a Saturday after...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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The Mask of Cairo: A Family's Journey

Weekly Contest #265

The Mask of Cairo: A Family's Journey The Boeing 787 touched down in Cairo, its wheels kicking up a swirl of desert dust. Elsa Lindström, a third-generation Swedish-American, sat in her seat, her heart racing not from the landing but from the weight of her mission. She had never set foot in Egypt before, and now she was here to meet a relative she'd never known existed, all because of a cryptic email about a family heirloom. The thought of this unknown family member waiting for her in Cairo filled her with a mix of excitement and nervousness...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Sunny Cycle

Weekly Contest #265

I’ve never been the athletic type. In high school I was more into the arts, performing arts I mean. I can’t draw worth shit. I joined the Drama Club and discovered I have a passion for musicals. I’ve been told I have a good voice. I’ve also been told I sound like Barry Manilow which is ironic because I’ve been told I look like him too. I had to Google him to confirm that tidbit. Tall, lanky, brownish curly hair. Confirmed. Being on stage is where I felt the most comfortable. It’s also where I met my best friend, Bootsy. That isn’t ...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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The Prize

Weekly Contest #265

The screen turned black as the lamps shut down. Not a power outage. What will he think of me going off like that? Frustration tried to furrow Melissa’s botoxed brow. She picked up her work laptop and pressed the on button. Nothing, the battery was dead. Melissa and Brad had been messaging throughout the lockdown. They met on an internet dating site, and over the weeks, their relationship blossomed into something more than friends, or so Melissa’s spirit felt. Craggily handsome in his photo, Brad exuded all the traits of a genuine cowboy...

8 likes 3 comments 3
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Matatu Express

Weekly Contest #265

“Matatu, mtatu, mtatu! Join the Matatu Express for the special tour of the most vibrant city in East Africa!” Jinja, who arrived first, is in the front passenger seat snapping photos onto her insta post as the public minibus-turned tour van circles the junction outside one of Nairobi’s biggest supermarkets, looking for idling travellers or confused wannabe customers who have signed up online but cannot work out where the moving target for embarkation is located in the 3D dust-infused urban mayhem. Finally, the 14-seater matatu minibus parks ...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Storm on Lake Coeur d'Alene

Weekly Contest #265

The Osprey, the pride of the fleet of six vessels in the Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruise line, was a majestic sight as it departed from the dock, its gleaming white hull gliding through the serene waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The sun hung high in the mid-day sky, sending warming rays upon the heads and shoulders of the passengers on the observation deck.Families and friends gathered in groups on this public tour, sitting at the tables or standing at the railings. A sprinkling of conversations spiked with laughter spread through the crowd, and the...

7 likes 6 comments 6
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Terrible Two’s Day

Weekly Contest #265

Dylan was in the middle of nowhere. It was a nice summer day, not too hot, not too cold. But still, he would estimate it was at least ten miles to the nearest town. And it was already five-thirty - it would be getting dark soon. If only his car hadn't crapped out on him a few miles back. He had left it, lights flashing, parked in the grass on the side of the road. He heard something in the distance in front of him. He couldn't tell if it was just the leaves rustling, or if maybe a c...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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A Bus Ride

Weekly Contest #265

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday, both in reality and in the bar that Billy is singing about in my earbuds. Mine is nine o’clock a.m., but close enough, and I appreciate Bill’s comradery as I pick my way down the center aisle of a tour bus and settle into a seat near the rear emergency exit door. I live in this city and have seen these big red buses making their lazy circuits around the city’s downtown many times, but I have never had a reason to ride one before now. What brings me to this bus, you ask? Doctor’s orders, delivered with a smil...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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Library Book

Weekly Contest #265

I remember sitting in a small cafe for my lunch break, stressing over the amount of work I had to get done today for my boss. I had taken a book from his personal law library for study and I had it with me that day and I was in the middle of taking some notes when I heard some people randomly cheering outside.I looked up and saw a group of women riding a “something” that read “pedal tavern” and I got curious.“Refill, hon?”, the brunette waitress said, holding fresh pot of coffee, it's tantalizing brew breaking me away from the window.“O...

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Tenochtitlan Time Travel Tour

Weekly Contest #265

The intercom system didn’t work, for a start. If it had, it would have broadcast a recorded message regarding the history of the Aztec Empire: what was known about Aztec culture, fashion, system of government, and cuisine. This message would have prepared the six passengers onboard for what they were about to see while their pod traversed the dark “time tunnel” bringing them to the distant past.But the system didn’t work, and so broadcast wailing static and jumbled speech. Only the occasional word proved decipherable through syllabic structu...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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