They Shouldn’t Have Come Here

The Prompt

An outsider arrives, but this isn’t their place. This challenge centers on disorientation, tension, and the limits of understanding.

Write a story about someone entering a setting they don’t fully grasp. The unfamiliar may be cultural, social, physical, or something harder to name. What matters is the gap between the character and their surroundings.

Let that mismatch drive the story. Consider how the setting responds to the outsider, and how the outsider attempts to read, resist, or misinterpret what they encounter.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

• Between 600 and 3000 words.
• Submitted to the Fiction community. Your story will be disqualified if it is submitted to any other community.
• Submitted before June 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.
• Your work must be original and unpublished.

The Prizes

• 5 Winners: $200 each
• 15 Runners-up: $15 each
• 10 Honorable Mentions: $5 each

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 3000 words and adhere to our Community Guidelines.

Stories published on Vocal and entered into the Challenge up until June 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The They Shouldn’t Have Come Here Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+, visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win, you must be over the age of 13 and reside in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need a Stripe account created and connected to receive prizes. Entrants located outside of these countries will not be eligible to win.