Your beloved family pet has passed on from this world. One quiet moment, you feel their presence—and somehow, they’re able to communicate with you.

Write a story or poem about the conversation you never thought you’d get to have.

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**Write a poem about the act of writing a poem.**

Is it three lines or nine? Do the words rhyme or all match in time? Do you choose a modern theme or something slightly less mainstream?...

**Create an origin story for a common saying, such as “Break the ice” or “Once in a blue moon”.**

Your story should explain how this expression came to be, and why it means what it does?

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**Your protagonist suddenly realizes they are fictional and directly addresses the reader.**

Consider how this awareness changes their actions or perspective.

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**You are a genie summoned to grant a wish. When you appear however, you discover your shackles are broken, and you are suddenly free to make your own choices.**

How does this newfound freedom affect your response to the wisher? Explore your internal conflict, the nature of the wish, and the consequences of either fulfilling or refusing it.

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**Write a story or poem about a conversation that takes place within a human body.**

It can be between cells, organs or anything real or imagined within the body....

I step inside.

My shoulders ache as I nod to the receptionist at Three Rivers Hospital. Outside, the parking lot is blanketed in fresh snow, and I'm grateful when the automatic doors glide shut behind me.

"Name?" she mutters, eyes fixed on the paperwork in front of her.

"Elias—“

She glances up sharply, her expression softening. "Just go left at the end of the hall," she says with a faint smile...

"Good morning, Daniel," Clair's melodic voice announces as I step through the smart hospital's glass entrance. Moving down the hall, I see a surgical bot, the blue glow on its faceless head blending eerily with the ceiling fluorescents. Despite Clair's assurances, I give it a wide berth as it whirs past.

Reaching Room 1013, I recognize the familiar monitor beeps and murmurs of our favorite game s...

_I’m just a little scared_, he says,

This boy sitting to my right,

Feet dangling, knuckles pale,

Staring not at the storm, but me.

The understatement of the century.

I should say something, anything,

But my tongue is just another failing instrument,

And my mind is busy, calculating distance,

Between fear and freefall.

_My Dad once flew_, he continues,

_His plane went down, and so did he._

I swal...

My heart is like a drum,

my breath is tight and numb.

A thought—should I move in?

Or flee and not begin.

She shifts, her lips so near,

her touch dissolves my fear.

The world itself, on pause,

as time suspends its laws.

A sparkle in her eyes,

a rush I can't disguise.

Her lips meet mine—askew,

fire bursts in sinew.

And then—it slips away,

fast forward to the gray.

My hands, now lined with years,

...