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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.

This week's prompts

End your story with a character standing in the rain.

Angst – 99 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

“The Spring People” by Nat Newman

Submitted to Contest #112

According to Gregory, the land would one day turn a different colour, as green as the tiles in the citrus store, as red as the ochre pots. Looking out at the relentless white of the land, it was impossible to believe those stories. And then the rain started. We hid in our houses for the first few days until it became unbearable, and then we moved our goats and our belongings and ourselves up to the atoll. For as far back as memory, we had gone up to the atoll to gather food and water. But now the whole village gathered there to shelter, fa...

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“Sober in the City ” by Rebecca Nestor

Submitted to Contest #112

CW: drug useThe last of the cricket's song was fading and dawn was on the horizon. I laid in bed watching the sun peek over the Phoenix skyline. Dew glistened sharply on the blades of grass causing me to squint my already heavy eyelids. Everything outside my small window was shiny and sleek. There is always an air of newness after the first rain of monsoon season washes away the layers of a full years worth of dust.I stepped out on the balcony and slowly peeled the cellophane off a new pack of 99s. The smell of fresh clay hung heavy in the h...

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“In Search of Heaven's Door” by Mae Siu-Wai Stroshane

Submitted to Contest #112

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow Praise Him all creatures here below...” The well-worn tune went round and round in her head as Joanna Fan peered through the wet windshield, the wipers slapping an irritating rhythm that didn't quite fit the music. Rippling sheets of water on the glass made the road nearly invisible as she crept along at barely ten miles per hour. “Praise Him above ye Heavenly Hosts... Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” The day had started out warm and clear, but towards lunchtime, thick gray clouds b...

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“Disaster in the Rain” by Gabriella Powis

Submitted to Contest #112

“Are we nearly there yet?” I asked my mum. She shook her head. “One hundred and twenty three... one hundred and twenty four... one hundred and twenty five...” I listened to my younger brother Adam counting droplets of rain on the window as we drove. I rolled my eyes. He was so annoying. I listened to the tyres screech as we stopped before the traffic lights. Puddles of rain splashed on the car. Dad grunted at the muddy marks. He hated getting his car dirty. The car started moving again. I opened my mouth to ask another question, when I car ...

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“A Good Deed” by Margarita Escobar

Submitted to Contest #112

A GOOD DEED Pam turned off her computer and tidied up her desk. Heavy rain splattered the windows, strong winds bent the trees of the nearby park. As a legal assistant, she worked for a small family law firm. She didn’t bring home a substantial salary, but it paid the bills. Things were tight for her and Tommy, her- five-year-old son. After a messy divorce, she found herself trying to juggle work and rearing a child on her own. Before leaving the office she called home. An elderly voice answered. “Hi, Rose, how’s Tommy doing?” she asked...

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“The Coming Storm” by Amy L

Submitted to Contest #112

It was only a matter of time before they discovered her missing. She pressed on the gas pedal forcefully to increase her speed. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she saw that so far, her escape had not been noticed. Escaping from quarantine was not what she had anticipated, after all, she knew the guidelines and followed them. When the masks had first started being implemented, she complied. When her coworker tested positive for the virus in the summer of 2020, she went and got tested, as required. Thankfully, the test came back negative.The ...

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“It's Just Dirt” by Ann Allen

Submitted to Contest #112

It’s Just Dirt Dust boiled up. I always wondered who first started using that descriptor. It’s a good one. I squatted in the shade of a mesquite tree, and watched that proverbial dust boil up as the cattle, my cattle, stirred about in the shipping pens. Twenty-six head, on their way to the feed lot, and eventua...

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“The Winter's Song” by V M

Submitted to Contest #112

Through the thick winter fog, a man appeared. He was lost, and on a long journey home. The icy wind pushed him back and forth, as if he was a tree, softly swaying in the arctic breeze. He pressed on through the rain and snow, his large brown overcoat weighing his shoulders down. He carried a small sack in his gloved hands. Small silver bells hanging from the sack rang out as he trekked through the endless storm. The man’s boots crunched through the frost on the ground, and he finally stopped and rested on a snow covered stone. Above hi...

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“Dream Small” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #112

Day 453 of isolation. Thank God for Amazon, right? Well, for me, it’s always been this way. I don’t like people. Nope, that’s not it. I like the IDEA of people, but have always cowered from the anticipation of face-to-face communication. Get me on the phone and I’m stellar. Skype or Zoom, I’m a superstar. Messenger, FaceTime, email… you get it. I’m an artist – and that probably speaks volumes. I watch the news, the documentaries, and see that the masses are at their wit’s end. I’m the opposite. This pandemic is the best thing that’s ever...

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“The Gardener's Wife” by Tony Porter

Submitted to Contest #112

Once there was a gardener who made a vow to his wife that he would rip up all the wild honeysuckle to make picturesque paths under the grand maples, apples, oaks, and pines. He vowed to clear the garden beds of dandelions, thorny thistle, and rag weed, and replace them with roses, lilies, and irises in every color and variety. The gardener’s wife joined him at the beginning since she enjoyed beautiful things and being outside with her husband in the fresh air. The garden was coming along well and the couple enjoyed their work. They both sa...

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“The snake and the eagle” by Anna G

Submitted to Contest #112

Zinnah ran to her car at full speed. Her lungs burned more and more with each step on her gravel driveway. Her keys fumbled in her hands, she cursed whoever told her that having keychains would be fun and cute. She turned her head for a split second to see him: the man she knew, the man she loved, the man she was running away from. He was running at full speed towards her and with his long legs and track background, his dark silhouette was becoming closer. “Please help me to understand Zinnah, what exactly have I done to deserve this...

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“The Storm” by Kristen West

Submitted to Contest #112

I raise my face to the sky as the icy rain plunges to the ground. I close my eyes and revel in the cold shower, feeling the water droplets seeping into my blouse. The shirt soon clings to me in a frigid embrace and I raise my hands to catch any errant drops. I wish to be soaked, cleansed of all of my sins and all of his. My last sight of him was in his doorway, illuminated by the shockingly violent flash of lightning. I pray for the rain to erase the memory, to erode the loose gravel images of our last months to...

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“Gran's Argument Swayed Me” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #112

I think it was my parents who put me off marriage. When there doesn’t seem to be any love between your parents, actually that’s not strictly true – I think in a rather macabre way they did love each other. They just weren’t happy. Fights and arguments were a normal part of growing up in my family home. Nothing physical I might add – (not for lack of trying on my mums part but she just wasn’t a very good aim) - the verbal and emotional stuff was enough. A recurring disagreement was the lack of money for the lifestyle my mother wan...

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“When It Rains, It Pours” by Mari McKenney

Submitted to Contest #112

The smell of autumn filled Memphis’ nose as he ran around the football field. “Come on boys, pick up the speed.” A coach yelled at them. Memphis gained his speed a little while thinking about how he hoped the football season to go. The boys ran around for a bit and a coach blew his whistle and the boys started their walk towards the coaches. The coaches started their daily speeches, while the boys were awaiting the lineup for the season. Memphis felt he did pretty good but he just knew he didn’t beat Zion Willia...

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“SIGNS, SIGNS EVERYWHERE A SIGN” by Rodrigo Juatco

Submitted to Contest #112

Her name is Abigail, the most exciting and desirable woman Tim has ever known. Abigail breezed into Tim’s marketing firm a little over 6 months ago as a 22 year old intern fresh out of college. With her swimsuit model appearance and vivacious personality, she quickly became the topic of ever office rumor. In short, every man wanted her and every woman hated her. Being the center of attention came naturally to Abigail. She shrugged off the office politics with a playful-nonchalance that made her even more irresistible.Tim was never a religiou...

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$250

Prize money

260

Contest entries

178

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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