Riddle Me This [an unofficial challenge]

Helllooo Vocal Creators! Welcome back for my June/July 2024 Vocal Challenge!

Thank you to everyone who has participated in my past challenges! This is now challenge number four, and I've been having an absolute blast hosting.

For those of you who are new (or who'd like to know), I post challenges (typically) on the 1st and 15th day of each month. The challenges stay open for a month, then I post the results a week after it closes. You can find all of my open and closed unofficial challenges in my pillar post below!

My June 2024 challenge is also still open (until the end of June)! Go check it out if you'd like! You can find it here:

Now that we have all of the introductory stuff out of the way, let's dive in to unofficial challenge #4!

The Prompt

Write a story that either begins or ends in a riddle.

Some rules and tips for inspiration:

• The riddle can be long or short.
• It can be dialogue (or not). It can be something the main character finds, reads, hears, thinks, says, or writes (basically anything).
• The riddle is yours to choose! It does not have to be original. You can find it online, or make one up yourself! The subject matter is also yours to decide.
• However, it MUST either be the first sentence(s) or the last sentence(s). It cannot be somewhere in the middle!
• It can be a story of any genre. Since the riddle is yours to choose, let it take you any which way, whether it's mystery, romance, fantasy, horror, comedy, anything.
• Also, I would prefer (the subject matter of) the riddle to be the MAIN FOCUS of the story. For example, I wouldn't like your story to start with your character's coworker telling some riddle joke about dogs, and then the rest of the story to be about a murder (unless the fact that the guy liked riddles is significant to his connection to the murder).

The Criteria

Word Count: I would suggest a word count of 350+ words. Since this could inspire quite lengthy responses, I would ask that you don't go over 1,500 words (or maybe 1,750). I'm not too picky, but just keep the length in mind! I am more worried about not making the minimum word count, as I believe a story under 350 might not do as well in the contest. I will accept all submissions either way! No matter how short or long!

Link back: Not actually a requirement, but just a nice touch for me! At the end of your story, embed a link (if you can) to this page so that the challenge prompt comes up! It makes it easier for interested readers to find the prompt.

Comment: Come back after you've published your submission and comment the link to your entry! Without the comment, I won't see your entry, and that's no fun!

NOTE: I will be adding all of the entries to the bottom of this post. Please come back a couple days after you comment your submission (or the day after the deadline) to ensure your entry is there! Otherwise, I might have missed it!

A note on editing: I won't be reading the stories until after the deadline closes, so you are free to edit your submission up until the deadline, but PLEASE DO NOT EDIT AFTER THE DEADLINE! Or at least between the deadline and the results release date!

FAQ

Can I make more than one submission? Yes, you can! I welcome more than one submission. Just know that only one entry per creator can be featured in the Top 3.

Can I submit a story I have already written? If you have a story that fits the prompt and meets the criteria, go for it!

Important Dates

Deadline: This challenge will close on Monday, July 15th, at 11:59pm MST.

• I will be sending out reminders one week before the closure date (on July 8th) to anyone who has commented interest but has not made an entry yet!

Results: The results for this challenge will be posted on Monday, July 22nd, a week after the closure date!

UPDATE: The results have been postponed due to technological issues. My last challenge has also been delayed because of this, and having some issues publishing/editing on Vocal. Please bear with me!

• This post will include the Top 3 entries (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners), as well as little blurbs rationalizing my choices. There will be links to all submissions included at the end.
• Prizes? I unfortunately am unable to give tips right now (though I might be able to for challenge #5, so keep your eye out!). Instead, I will read, like, and comment on five of the winner's (1st place) works that I have not read yet, as well as subscribe if I have not already. This is meant to help build community and boost your page a little!

I think that's it! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

May the games begin!

♡♡♡ Belle ♡♡♡

The Entries

1. Mike Singleton - Mikeydred "Coincidentally Fireflies"
2. Matthew Spinelli "The Riddle of The Silent Watcher"
3. Addison Alder "The Taking"
4. Catsidhe "The Riddle Game"