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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#112: Come Rain or Shine

From melancholy to cathartic to Singing-in-the-Rain-style joyful, rain somehow feels different every time. What’s certain is that rain often forms the backdrop to many of our human dramas — so this week’s prompts invite you to step into that downpour and let it soak you to the bones.

🥇 Winner

“Take that Drink” by Cathryn V

CW: CovidWhen the rain finally came, it fell in torrents and as if making up for lost time, it kept on that way for three days and three nights. Dry cracked soil turned to mud and without the roots to hold onto it, the dirt began moving, sliding down the walls along the road, covering the throughways with mud. A house leaned on a steep hill until the support posts moved, leaving the rear hanging like a broken wing.*That summer it seemed like the world had been sprayed in dirt and ash. Leaves hung limp over dried up fr...

117 comments 117 WINNER 🏆

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Korea 2108” by Alex Sultan

cw: mature subject matter, violenceThe most dangerous weapons to the world are the ones that live and breathe.Welding sparks flew off Kang Choi-ri’s skin. A wire surgeon worked to fuse a speaker into his shoulder, binding the device against Kang’s steel-laced bones. He replaced patches of skin with pale-colored plates, switched to a solder, and wired the speaker into his muscle system.A radio played century-old rap music throughout the basement. Neon-lit posters on the wall showed men with mechanical arms, ...

31 comments 31 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“A Pale Flood” by Vince Salamone

Content warning: cannibalism, graphic violence, goreThey were in the stairwell when it started raining.Sergeant Vanya Kraz bent her ear to the sound, even as her booted feet continued to trample up the flaking ochre steps; muted bass thumping to counterpoint the drumroll reverberations from the armored men and women of the 6th Urban Pacification and Counter-Terror Group.Strange, she thought. The skies had been clear when they’d deployed, a crisp autumnal morning that had smarted the eyes...

8 comments 8 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“GIRL YOU WANT” by Caryn Devincenti

GIRL YOU WANT I met the girl of my dreams last week. I was away at college in Pennsylvania, attending my residency, a ten day reprieve from the Florida heat, my husband, and my kids. The first time I saw her, she was chatting on her cell phone in the restroom. I caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She didn’t seem to notice...

18 comments 18 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The Southern Penitentiary for Invisible Individuals” by Garrett Michael

CW: violenceHow we got here is unimportant. What matters is we are here. For now, at least.We deal with the reality like most of us deal with weight gain.I must have drunk a lot of water today.That extra weight is because I'm wearing pants on the scale.It's innocent enough, especially if it helps you live a less worried life.So when the clouds begin to come together in a beautiful and dark ensemble, the rain will come down, and people will disappear. A single drop of the Earth's ...

8 comments 8 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Seeds” by Penni Warford

CW: fire, natural disasterSeeds “What the hell am I supposed to do with these?” I gaze at a packet of zinnia seeds that were tucked in with the supplies I just picked up from the Red Cross. “Masks, gloves, goggles – seeds? Seriously?!” I squeeze my eyes shut as I hold onto the scream that is forming in my throat. I stuff the seed packet into my back pocket.It’s the first time I’ve seen what’s left of our property. James and I wanted to drive up in one car, but one of us had to ...

5 comments 5 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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This week's prompts

End your story with a character standing in the rain.

Angst – 102 stories

Write a story where it’s raining men, literally or metaphorically.

Valentine's Day – 24 stories

Write a story where something magical happens when it starts to rain.

Middle School – 53 stories

The first rain of the season arrives. Write a story that begins immediately afterward.

Spring – 27 stories

Write about a character driving in the rain.

Fall – 57 stories

Stories

“Take that Drink” by Cathryn V

CW: CovidWhen the rain finally came, it fell in torrents and as if making up for lost time, it kept on that way for three days and three nights. Dry cracked soil turned to mud and without the roots to hold onto it, the dirt began moving, sliding down the walls along the road, covering the throughways with mud. A house leaned on a steep hill until the support posts moved, leaving the rear hanging like a broken wing.*That summer it seemed like the world had been sprayed in dirt and ash. Leaves hung limp over dried up fr...

117 comments 117 WINNER 🏆

Read story

“Korea 2108” by Alex Sultan

cw: mature subject matter, violenceThe most dangerous weapons to the world are the ones that live and breathe.Welding sparks flew off Kang Choi-ri’s skin. A wire surgeon worked to fuse a speaker into his shoulder, binding the device against Kang’s steel-laced bones. He replaced patches of skin with pale-colored plates, switched to a solder, and wired the speaker into his muscle system.A radio played century-old rap music throughout the basement. Neon-lit posters on the wall showed men with mechanical arms, ...

31 comments 31 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Just Like Me” by Stevie B

Sitting at my desk in the morning I studied the computer keyboard. Traces of dried blood were visible on several of the character keys; particularly the “Z” and the “C”. I had been hurt. My bandaged fingers still ached and throbbed from the accident. Of course I'm referring to my fistfight with the electric fan the night before. Yeah, I got banged up a bit, but hey, you should’ve seen the other guy! The fan, that bladed brute, was busted up beyond repair and now left for dead in the garbage dumpster that sat outsi...

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“Another Form of Water” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

The weather forecast called for snow flurries, unusual for this time of year. Yes, she had bundled up the kids for Halloween in all types of inclement weather when they were young—but never for snow. It never snowed this early in the season. No matter, she thought. The ground was parched and dry. Any precipitation would be welcomed.The cold winds had been strong and biting all day. Dead yellow leaves swirled in little vortexes, soon to be accompanied by carelessly discarded candy wrappers. Halloween kicked off the...

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“Shenanigans” by Andas Adinoyi

Rain! Rain! go away, come again another day, little Jerry wants to play... Jerry and I sang as i hurriedly search around the park for a place to ease myself. It's empty and I'm pressed, adding to my discomfort is not having a network service on my phone. We soon find a tree with an umbrella-like covering, i told Jerry to turn around as i quietly ease myself. Mum! when is daddy coming? Jerry asked and i wondered why he had kept so long after calling him to inform him that my car had broken down before i lost the network ser...

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“Broken Ship” by Andas Adinoyi

Sometimes i think i am jinxed or probably hoaxed! Where am i going to with this life of mine? How many more bridges do i have to burn? What lessons have i not learnt? Are heartbreaks now becoming my bosom buddy?My heart couldn't evade nor ignore these questions everyday because the pain is deep; either i am falling apart or the least my mind does is play games with me telling me everything will b alright but this is the part i always go with because somewhere within i believe "life is hope and hope is life". I hate to love this as ...

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“Some People Feel the Rain” by Scout Tahoe

It was exactly 47 degrees in the Bodega Bay Lodge on March 5th, 2021, outside room six. The wind licked goosebumps onto our bare arms as we waited. My sister, Piper, had a plain blue towel wrapped around her body like a burrito of warmth. Her chestnut hair skipped across her face. I knew she didn’t have to be here, but she followed me everywhere. I always tried to convince myself that it was annoying, but to be truthful...

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“The Bright Ones” by Daniel R. Hayes

In the beginning, before all things, there existed only darkness in the void. Then suddenly, as if a gift from the Gods, there was light. The light was just a flicker, no more than a candle flame. It pulsed like a beating heartbeat. For a millennium, the flame burned bright, keeping the darkness at bay, and all was well. Tranquility could not last forever, for there must be balance. The darkness fought back with a deafen...

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“Miraculous Rain” by Henry Vinicio Valerio-Madriz

“It’s been a long time…” “It’s been a much longer season, indeed.” “Do you think this is it? I mean, this time?” “How can we know? Nobody knows…”

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“A Pale Flood” by Vince Salamone

Content warning: cannibalism, graphic violence, goreThey were in the stairwell when it started raining.Sergeant Vanya Kraz bent her ear to the sound, even as her booted feet continued to trample up the flaking ochre steps; muted bass thumping to counterpoint the drumroll reverberations from the armored men and women of the 6th Urban Pacification and Counter-Terror Group.Strange, she thought. The skies had been clear when they’d deployed, a crisp autumnal morning that had smarted the eyes...

8 comments 8 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Daughter of Slaughter” by Graham Kinross

Grey clouds had been promising rain for hours. Leonor city needed the rain to wash away the blood of the siege. Its people were exhausted. The army had been slaughtered. Most men who had not fought in the battle at Worldworm’s Bridge had died defending the wall in the first attack of the empire. Queen Malin had turned the tables with a curse, not a miracle. Danielle saw, as all the defenders on the wal...

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“Between the Black and White” by Katharine Widdows

TW - themes of grief / loss.The wipers aren’t enough. Water gushes over the windscreen in waves as unrelenting as my grief. But, unlike my grief, it is swept away in measured, sideways beats. The streetlights are blurry starbursts in my struggling vision. I steady my right foot on the accelerator and my left hand on the wheel.Black cloud hangs with menaces above, banishing celestial light from view. The bottle in my other hand is difficult to drink from without banging my teeth, even at this low speed. ...

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“GIRL YOU WANT” by Caryn Devincenti

GIRL YOU WANT I met the girl of my dreams last week. I was away at college in Pennsylvania, attending my residency, a ten day reprieve from the Florida heat, my husband, and my kids. The first time I saw her, she was chatting on her cell phone in the restroom. I caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She didn’t seem to notice...

18 comments 18 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The Rains of Titan” by Jon Casper

You never get used to meeting yourself.That first spark of recognition ignites a primal attraction, like seeing your reflection somewhere you didn’t expect. When you realize that reflection isn’t mirroring your actions, you enter the uncanny valley. No matter how familiar your counterpart may be, you know they are not you. A nauseating confusion plucks at your neurons. You feel a nagging impulse to lash out at them, then an irrational disconnect from your own reality as you wonder, “Could that be the real me? Am I the re...

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“The Southern Penitentiary for Invisible Individuals” by Garrett Michael

CW: violenceHow we got here is unimportant. What matters is we are here. For now, at least.We deal with the reality like most of us deal with weight gain.I must have drunk a lot of water today.That extra weight is because I'm wearing pants on the scale.It's innocent enough, especially if it helps you live a less worried life.So when the clouds begin to come together in a beautiful and dark ensemble, the rain will come down, and people will disappear. A single drop of the Earth's ...

8 comments 8 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

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$250

Prize money

263

Contest entries

182

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 24, 2021 EST

Won by Cathryn V 🏆

Title: Take that Drink

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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