Welcome to the final week of the Spring Writing Challenge!
It’s the final week! This has been such a fun challenge. You’ve all done so well with your stories. There are so many interesting and unique ways you have taken the prompt. It’s now time for the final week, so let’s do this one last time! We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
So, without further ado, here’s your final prompt!
Week Six Prompt – The Character Prompt
Write a story about a character that experiences a rebirth
Wait…what’s a character prompt?
A character prompt is a prompt that’s about a specific character. It doesn’t matter where your story takes place or what’s said. What matters is that your story must be about a character who experiences a rebirth.
Before you start writing, we have some important rules for you to follow.
Writing Rules
1. Please keep the content of the stories you post to a PG rating. Please avoid real curse words. Violence/fighting should be limited and purposeful. Please do not include any spice.
2. Your story must be 1,000 words or less, and must contain the prompt to be counted for the challenge. You’re not required to post it in order to “win” the challenge, but if you want it to count for your team, your story must be posted by Sunday at 11:59 PM ET, and you must include your team name.
Remember to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and post your story as an “answer” to this question, not a “comment”. 🙂 You’re all doing such a great job! I’m so proud of all the stories you’ve posted.
Happy Writing!
We’re so glad that you participated Juli! 🙂
The Life of a Dragonfly
By Leah Criss (Team 1)
The stream shimmered in the light, revealing a mirrored surface. A small dragonfly flitted above it. The dragonfly could only be described as beautiful, with a ruby-red body and four iridescent wings. But she was sad. Every day, she looked around the stream at all the other wildlife. She marveled at the jewel-toned fish swimming in the water, the vibrant green crickets that chirped nightly, and the flashy fireflies that lit up the forest at night. Some days, she was perfectly content with her lot, but other days, she wished for something more. She didn’t really care to leave the stream, but occasionally, she just wanted to know what life was like for her friends.
“What if I told you that there was a way for you to be reborn as anything you wanted?” A voice spoke from the water.
The dragonfly startled and hovered, unsure where the voice came from.
“Down here.” The water splashed and bubbled. A tiny head poked up. It was a koi.
What was a koi doing in this stream?
She cautiously flew closer. Did koi eat dragonflies? She didn’t think so, but since she hadn’t encountered many, she couldn’t be certain.
“I don’t eat dragonflies. Not grown ones anyway,” said the koi in exasperation.
She lighted down on a blade of grass near the water’s edge. She didn’t dare get closer. The fish might be telling the truth, but she didn’t want to take the risk. Besides, there were many other creatures by the stream that would be more than happy to eat her besides the fish if she weren’t paying attention. “Was that your voice earlier?”
“Yes.” The koi flicked its tail. “I’ve been watching you for some time now as have others in the stream. The general consensus is that you’re unhappy as a dragonfly and wish to be something else.”
“It’s that obvious?” The dragonfly asked with surprise. Her wings fluttered in agitation and she rose into the air before calming herself and landing again.
The fish splashed. “You have been asking questions and staring into the water asking questions.”
That was true. She hadn’t thought that anyone heard her. She should’ve known better. The forest stream was always alive with sound which meant others were always nearby. But would it really be so bad to be something else? Being a dragonfly was lonely, and she was always worried about becoming prey. Her bright colors made her beautiful but also easy to spot.
The koi continued, “It is possible you know. To be reborn as something else.”
“How?” The dragonfly asked.
“Dive into the water, make a wish, and when you rise up, you’ll be whatever you wished.”
“You’re joking.” The small dragonfly fixed an incredulous stare at the koi. If she could’ve blinked, she would have. “I can’t swim!”
“What if I told you that you used to be an aquatic phoenix cursed to be a red dragonfly and that this action would trigger your rebirth cycle and break the curse? But have it your way. I’ve done what I can. Farewell.” The koi swam away, leaving the dragonfly to ponder her options.
Such a tale sounded impossible to be true. Far more likely that the fish was hoping for an easy meal when her wings became too waterlogged to allow her to emerge from the stream. The stream wasn’t very fast, but it was moving quickly enough that fighting the current would be difficult for one of her small stature. She rose and flew away, successfully forgetting what the koi told her.
One day a couple weeks later, she could feel herself growing tired. Her eggs were nestled safely in the water. They would hatch and grow into fine young dragonflies. Her lifespan as a dragonfly was short compared to many of the other creatures she saw in and near the stream. Unbidden, the koi’s words came back to her. She was nearly seven weeks old with maybe a few days remaining. What if the fish was right? The koi was long gone, so being eaten by it was no longer a factor. She had nothing to lose if she tried and everything if she didn’t.
The little ruby dragonfly flitted once more over the spot where she met the koi. The stream sparkled in the light. Taking a breath, she dove, wishing to become the phoenix the koi mentioned. Being surrounded by water felt safe and familiar, yet, unlike in her childhood nymph days, she couldn’t breathe. When she turned to swim back to the surface, she felt the water overwhelm her. Fighting, her vision faded.
To her astonishment, her vision returned as she felt herself grow. When she rose from the water, everything around her looked slightly smaller than before. Seeing her reflection in the water, she didn’t take her gaze away from the mirrored surface of the stream. Staring back at her was a bird with plumage the color of water.
Her memories of the past century slowly trickled back. She had indeed been cursed, but not by anyone else. Even as a phoenix, she longed to experience life from the perspective of her best friend, a ruby dragonfly gifted with immortal life. Unfortunately for her, wishing to see life through the eyes of another resulted in her accidentally cursing herself to be a ruby dragonfly. A perfectly mortal dragonfly with no memory of her former life. She also found herself in this location far from her usual home. With her returned memories, she knew this wasn’t the first time she had been reborn as another creature. Maybe it wasn’t a curse.
By allowing herself to be reborn in the water, she was able to return to herself. In her memories, this ability to choose what to be reborn as was a gift unique to the aquatic phoenixes. In this new lifetime, however, she no longer felt a desperate need to be something else. This lifetime, she would be content with who she was.
Interesting take on the prompt this week! I liked it. So often we get caught in a comparison trap- this is a great reminder not to do that.
Wonderful story! I love dragonflies and your details about life near and in the water. Sometimes we don’t recognize the truth even when someone tries to point it out to us! Well done!
Thanks Eliza and Annette for your feedback! I want sure how well the idea would work, so I’m glad you liked the story.
When the new prompt arrive, my first thought is, Oh no! What am I going to write to make that work? But the Holy Spirit ALWAYS shows up and I get an idea every time. It amazes me. Thanks for a thought provoking six weeks.