Menu

More apps built by Reedsy

Assemble a team of professionals

The writing app for authors

Writing courses, events and memberships

Get your book reviewed

Weekly writing prompts and contests

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Chris Cancilla

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2024

Stories
Comments
Library
80 Followers
239 Following

31 Stories

637 karma pts

?

The Last Sunrise

Weekly Contest #352

[mild cussing] Marchella was nervous. She was about to brief the president, the cabinet, and a lot of people in the room, whom she had only seen on television. But this was her project. She looked out the window of the limo sent to pick her up from the airport on the military base when she landed in the private aircraft sent to collect her for this briefing. The rising sun was astonishing at the moment. Marchella Romano is a solar specialist; she adores the sun, our closest star, and often wonders what they call our star when viewed from ano...

4 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

FLYERS

Weekly Contest #350

As morning opened its sleepy eyes and daylight crept in and physically assaulted Rabato’s brain, he quickly realized two things: first, it would be a lovely day with a clear sky and a wind in his favor. Second, he wished he could sleep a bit longer. He was exhausted from the flight during the previous four days, but his duty was necessary. He opened his eyes and stretched his wings to their full length. It was not safe to sleep during the day – if the hunters saw a sleeping Flyer lying in a tree, they could end your waking days with one shot...

5 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

THUMP-THUMP

Weekly Contest #348

[violence-gunfire-death] THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. “What is that thumping?” Andy said to himself. Wherever he was, it was dark. He tried to move, but it felt like his arms, legs, and even his eyelids were heavy. Too heavy to move. THUMP…. “Finally, that thumping stopped. I wonder what it was.” Andy just lay there in the dark. He heard people talking, but they sounded far away. “OH GREAT! That high-pitched whine has replaced that incessant thumping. Just what I need when I am trying to get to sleep.” Andy starte...

3 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Diary(s)

Weekly Contest #346

Mireille Ayres enjoys going to the circus, and when she found one at the edge of the small town where she was staying, she had to walk around. A few years ago, she discovered her great-grandmother’s diary and read it; it felt like a fantasy novel to her. The realization that she was of the Romani line did not come till she read the last section. She spent the next month understanding what that meant. She had the diary with her and cherished it. It linked her to her great-grandmother in a way she could not explain. The last few words of the d...

11 likes 5 comments 5
Read story

Z19

Weekly Contest #345

Z19 left the ship and fell into the atmosphere. It is quite a way down, according to the radar altimeter. The flight down was routine. Atmospheric analysis, particulates, toxins. The base temperature was currently that of interstellar space. An infrared scan indicates a surface temperature exceeding 80°F. Which means animal life could be present. Carbon dioxide and oxygen levels indicate abundant plant life. Z19 passed through the Exosphere, and its temperature changed from absolute zero to 3,000°F in a very short time. The Thermosphere was ...

8 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Crossroads of Destiny

Weekly Contest #344

Gerald Capaldi sat in his living room. He loved this sofa; he’s had it for three years now. He bought it a few weeks after he moved into this house, his first house. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a nice modern kitchen, and a fantastic backyard in case he ever got a dog. But this sofa was perfect. The back was just high enough for him to rest his head and get the perfect angle to watch TV. He had his feet on the coffee table, shoes off, of course, and he had a drink in his hand. It was a special occasion, after all. He met a woman on the ride ...

7 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Rebekka Oakly

Weekly Contest #338

Rebekka Oakly closed the book she finished reading about Annie Oakley. Her last name is similar, and she is a pretty good shot with an antique rifle. Rebekka has been a Temporal Researcher most of her life. Funny, but she knew this subject quite well. Rebekka wrote the book on Annie after meeting her and learning to shoot from her. In 1886, Rebekka was tasked with learning about her subject, Annie Oakley. She did! She travelled to 1885, and once a year for more than a decade and a half, she met Annie while she was working in the Buffalo Bill...

17 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

5 PM

Weekly Contest #336

Vehicles continuously pass through this intersection regardless of the time of day. This is the busiest intersection in the city, 24/7/365. No one pays any attention to a small reflection in the center of the road. In reality, this sparkle under the traffic light is a miniature probe monitoring Earth. It has been here for more than 100 years. The probe is waiting for a specific sequence of variables to become true simultaneously. Patient, monitoring and silent until this afternoon at 5 PM. Every link in the chain of events has been forged; t...

14 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

The Last Snowfall

Weekly Contest #331

Jessica spoke, “The last thing I’ll see is the snow falling!” She paused a moment as the snow under her became red and spread out around her. But that’s the end of the story. How did she get to this place in time? It started a few hours ago. She sat in a bar sipping on a ginger ale and cherry juice. The last thing she needed was a drink, but she was meeting someone, someone she met on those dating apps. He seemed nice on paper, and she did a shallow dive into his past and found nothing. She should have done the deep dive; she would have been...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

A Spec of Dirt

Weekly Contest #324

It was dark. Thomas Augustine Marcell hoped to find a place to land and repair his ship, but the storm took that out of his mind. Now, all he wanted to do was not die. He set the automated signal, S-O-S, and landed safely on the shore of a speck of dirt on an ocean of black. That was six weeks ago, and each night, like tonight, he relives it in his dreams. He knew every movement he made, and that there was nothing else he could have done that would have avoided his being stranded on this small island. His ship was damaged, leaking, but he fo...

8 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

TINKO

Weekly Contest #321

Tinko walked around downtown Cleveland in the middle of winter, looking at the people covered head to toe, and for her life, she had no clue why they were acting this way. She loves cold weather and especially enjoys the day when the snow gently falls and puts a hushed silence on the hustle and bustle of society. She walked over to where the number one bus would arrive and stood there, waiting. No one paid any attention to her – as it should be. As she approached the stop area, she had to quickly sidestep to avoid being run through by someon...

9 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Herman of the Forest

Weekly Contest #320

The sun rose as it did each day, but this time it bothered him. That means he needs to fix the roof today, at least before it rains again. He rolled over and off the hay that he used as a bed. He pulled back the black blanket that covered the window and looked. He heard footfalls. Someone was out there. Someone was nearing his house. He stared out until he saw them. Three men, all armed with rifles, dressed in camouflage, and all wearing blaze orange hats. One man also had a vest that was a bit too big for him, which made him look like a wal...

8 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Temporal Displacement

Weekly Contest #317

We have all heard the rumors that on the Island, people travel in time. They go back and do god knows what, playing with our history. If they made a change in some way, the biggest question is, would we even know it? Perhaps they’re making changes to what we know, as history is not all bad. Maybe they fixed things that happened and saved lives, or maybe entire cities. But then again, do they do this to play? If they have nothing better to do than make subtle changes and see what happens in the future, then they have way too much time on the...

4 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

The Invisible Wilson Pitt

Weekly Contest #316

[moderate violence] [mild language] Wilson Pitt walked into the bank. He was making a deposit like he did every Friday. This check was from the US Treasury. It was for $16,000, and when the teller was about to add it to his account, he realized he needed some cash, so he asked for $1,000 back in cash, and the cashier obliged because he had enough to cover it in this account. About that time, a man walked into the bank looking very nervous. Wilson saw it in the mirror wall behind the teller. Not only were his eyes darting left and right, up a...

4 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

MYSTIC REALITY

Weekly Contest #310

Willy hated this class. Creative writing 101. He had already published three novels, and they were gaining traction with the science fiction community. That’s how he looks at the sale of five books. Gaining traction. He is, however, pulling in a royalty that will allow him to go to Taco Bell after the next royalty check arrives. But he wants a degree, and this is a required course, so he sits, and the teacher teaches, the instructor instructs, and the professor professes. He smiled at that thought. The teacher is Miss Alicia Burnham, and she...

14 likes 4 comments 4
Read story