Writing Prompt of the Week: May 1-7 (Dark, Dreadful, & Dystopian)

[Wisp]

Welcome to the 46th Writing Prompt of the Week!

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GUIDELINES:

For a refresher on the guidelines, see this topic here:

Writing Prompt of the Week Guidelines

[Review Badge_Legendary-icon] Writing Prompt of the Week Guidelines Once a week, we will post a new topic with a prompt. Here’s how it works: TIMELINE: Prompts are posted on Mondays at 12am CST. You have until Friday at 11:59pm CST to post a submission. Then, the post closes and the weekend is reserved SOLELY for voting. Winners are announced and badges awarded sometime the following Monday. [Review Badge_Legendary-icon]VOTING: Please use the icon to vote…

DISCUSSION:

The chat feature will be enabled for the category (not individual topics). Please keep any extraneous conversation about the prompt, submissions, etc in the chat channel. We’d like to keep the topics clean and for submissions ONLY.

If you’ve got more questions, please ask in the Writing Prompts chat channel (tag CJ or the mods).

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Week of May 1-7
Submissions: May 1-5
Voting: May 6-7
Winner Badge Awarded: May 8

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Dark, Edgy, and Dreadful

These prompts are creepy, mysterious, maybe downright scary. There’s some prompts with room for comedy, though. Give us your best spin on a thriller, mystery, or horror short story. Whatever genre you choose, make sure there’s a spine-tingling plot twist or chilling ending for maximum effect!

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This Week’s Prompt

A week ago you sent saliva to test your DNA ancestry. Today, you’re surrounded by federal agents and put in custody/under watch/in witness protection.

[leighyeann]

Again, I’m super late for this! Sorry!

Last week, I sent saliva to a lab to test my DNA ancestry. That was when I stumbled upon an old photo album at Nana's. There, I saw lots of pictures of people I wasn't familiar with.

I still wonder whether at least some of those people are family, and what links them to Nana—and possibly me. I don’t know a lot about my family, not even my parents. Sometimes, I ask myself if I was adopted or, simply, have connections with ethnicities I never thought I have.

Yet, here am I, surrounded by federal agents. I try to ask questions, under the impression I’m about to be arrested, but the agents don’t allow me to utter even a single word. I do as they say; therefore, hold my tongue.

One of them sits next to me. She tells me in a firm, but soothing voice. “Listen, sir, we’ve just found something… interesting about your ancestry, based on the DNA test we took. Do you want to know what it is?”

I gulp. She continues. “Well… I don’t know how to put this without upsetting you. You aren’t human, sir. I’m afraid we have to keep you under custody until we figure out where you actually come from.”

I’ve always thought of myself as a human. What sets me apart from the rest? I can’t believe a random ancestry test is actually a life changer. There must be something fishy here. But what?

I guess I have to do what the FBI tell me and stay put. Who knows if and when I’ll be able to return home… F*ck that test.