Prompt # 1
The Ambassador’s Mystery
The year is 2165. You have just arrived at Levram-Stimoc to negotiate the final terms of a treaty between two native factions. You feel elated as you leave your tiny ship. You have spent the better part of a decade attempting resolve the tension between the two groups, and their warfare may finally be at an end.
A strange silence greets you after you disembark. You shield your eyes from the pale blue sun and look around. Half-starved livestock meander through the city streets. You wonder where they came from as you hurry to make your meeting. When you arrive at the embassy, there is not one single person to greet you.
In three pages, describe the atmosphere while you explore the city for answers. What type of clues do you find to explain the city’s desolation?
Prompt #2
The Stranger
The tang of salt-laden air fills your nostrils. You curl your toes into the damp, gritty sand. Waves roll across your feet and crash against your ankles. The horizon glows orange, violet, and gold above the sea. As you turn away, movement catches your attention. You look behind yourself, uneasy. The sea shimmers with a blinding intensity as the sun sinks below the horizon. Shaking your head, you begin to walk back toward your car. A soft splash echoes in your ears. You spin toward the source of the noise and see a dark figure run through the waves and leap onto the shore.
Hesitant but intrigued, you call to the other person. He halts and turns toward you. His shadowed profile lays warped and twisted on the sand. As you approach the stranger, the smell of rotten fish almost makes you vomit. You back away despite yourself, and glance at him again. Your heart beat quickens, as you realize that the stranger isn’t quite human.
Write a scene or a short story where you describe this stranger in detail. What features or qualities tell you that he isn’t human? Where did he come from and where is he going? Include any clues that may explain his purpose.
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