Happy Monday, everyone. Today is September 11, which is a somber day in the US because of the terrorist attack back in 2001. However, it is also New Year’s Day according to the Ethiopian calendar, so I will say Melkam Addis Amet! to you, which is “Happy New Year” in Amharic, the main language of Ethiopia.

A common type of story is the quest story. This is all about travel since the characters have to go somewhere in order to do something (e.g. find a treasure, rescue a person, find out some information, destroy an evil magic ring, etc.). There is also a kind of story called a closed circle mystery where the characters are all stuck in a small area together, such as on an island, or in a house during a snowstorm, or on a spaceship.

An interesting intersection of these two types of stories are ones that take place on some method of transportation since the characters are moving but also all stuck together. Some examples of these are Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie, which takes place on a train; or the Langoliers, by Stephen King, which happens on a plane. Others could take place on a boat, in a car, on a spaceship, etc. These stories can vary on how much they emphasize the journey and how much they emphasize the confinement of being in the vehicle.

Story Prompt: September 11, 2023

Write a story that takes place inside some form of transportation.

If you want to share your story, you can send me a link (if you’ve posted it somewhere else) by email at info@greenwalledtreehouse.com or in the comments, or you can submit your story at the link here for a chance to have it posted on the site.