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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

“Its Raining Men” by Wendy Bailey

Submitted to Contest #112

18/09/2021 Its raining men!!! Well, here I am, a widow of 10 years. I’m just starting to come out from behind the long black cloud. Grief at my darling Husbands sudden passing kept me going for all these years. Now however, my children were getting worried about me living all alone. I guess they wanted to stop feeling guilty about leaving me home all alone, day after lonely day. To be fair, they were genuinely concerned about my social life. Or lack thereof. My husband Stephen was a quiet muso. I know a contradiction in terms.&...

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“Liberation” by V. S. Gerrans

Submitted to Contest #112

‘The final test, the final test. Overcome the self, overcome it. Overcome the self,’ the voice in the machine repeated to me, whispering, slithering into my mind, and my heart in exasperation strove towards those burning words, ‘overcome the self. Overcome the self. Overcome the self.’Life is really nothing more than a chain of suffering, one ring of pain after another. A joy is a joy only temporarily before it vanishes, leaving a hollow space behind. Vanity of vanities – all is vanity.I was seated in the hull of a giant ship, preparing...

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“The Rain Man” by Adelaide Dolha

Submitted to Contest #112

Clouds of dark grey swarmed in the sky, making the early morning feel like night, Ashley’s Keurig made sad whistling tones as it poured out her coffee. She sipped it, burning the tip of her tongue, cursing, she rushed to pour some water to soothe it. Ashley opened her daily planner trying to ignore her screaming tongue and checked breakfast off the things-to-do list section. The prompt underneath asked her to jot down some things she was grateful for. Coffee that doesn’t burn your tongue, getting to skip work- she scratched that out and star...

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“The Day I Learned to Fly” by Allie Guilderson

Submitted to Contest #112

CW: suicide I shove open the office doors and stumble out into the blazing heat of Phoenix.“Hey, Peter,” a voice calls from behind and I curse under my breath. I was hoping to get to my car before he’d followed me downstairs.“Sorry, Carl, I have somewhere to be,” I pant, stealing a glance at him. His face is red, not from the heat, but from our boss yelling at him for the last 10 minutes.“Where have you got to be? You never go anywhere,” Carl protests, and then his voice lowers, “you kind of threw me under the bus back there, man.”“Sorry, Ca...

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“It's never alone” by Lauren Pence

Submitted to Contest #112

Ms. Nettles, my therapist, sat there in that overly dignified chair in her exceedingly decorous office and crossed her legs, dotted her I’s, and stared at me through her thick lenses that felt more like magnifying glasses glaring at my problems rather than corrections to her less than perfect vison. I hated everything about this office. The huge windows that let in copious amounts of blaring sun rays that supposedly forced a person such as myself to produce dopamine but it just made me hot. Those poor plants that honestly looked more starved...

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“The tapdancer” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #112

All you have to do is hum a little “doo do do do, do do do do do” and everyone smiles, recognizing a familiar intro refrain. Dignity, always dignity. Don tells the gathered crowd at the premiere of the Royal Rascals in Singin' in the rain… Love it or hate it (I haven’t met too many people who do – hate it.) A story about a popular silent film star, with humble roots. A funny comedy for those who like musicals, and for those who don´t there´s a charming romance. For me: it´s the perfect musical, bringing back memories of long-lost C...

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“Heavenly Rain” by Mandy Yates

Submitted to Contest #112

She always thought there was plenty of time. I don't think any of us realize just how precious time can be. Until it runs out on us. Her story starts before her twentieth birthday. A young, soon to be woman who had her whole life ahead. As typical as it may sound, her story begins with a young man. A man in his mid twenties. She didn't know it at the time but this man would show her the world through his eyes. Ah yes, beautiful, strong yet gentle, mysterious, adventurous blue eyes. The kind of eyes you get lost in. Have you ever met someone...

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“Pere LaChaise ” by Paige Ishii

Submitted to Contest #112

My roommate Kris and I were ready for an adventure. We set out on the grey, blustery October morning to explore the ancient city we called our temporary home. La Ville Lumiere, Paris, the city of lights, with its beautiful spires and magnificent architecture, is known throughout the world for art, culture, food, and romance. Our destination this day was Père Lachaise, a cemetery on the outskirts of Paris. My French professor often regaled us with storie...

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“The Last Swailing” by SJ Lemon

Submitted to Contest #112

Swailing is the process of using controlled burns to reduce the hazards of wild fires and encourage new growth. Each year, the pratum set the lands alight. This was so that the young could walk across the embers and take the ashes into their wounds. You must consume a little of what you come from, the elders preached. You must bear the pain of what you have destroyed. So they sent their children to walk the swailing each year. That was the penance of the pratum people. Cally drew the blade across the sole of her foot. It was a poin...

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“It Must Have Rained” by Margie Gaffron

Submitted to Contest #112

It Must Have Rained It must have rained, ground wet, everything dripping. How could I have not noticed, sleeping as I do now with my cheek cushioned on the windowsill, breathing trees and stars. Two weeks ago, I separated from my husband by moving upstairs. It turns out it was not far enough, but I did not know this then. Raised the mattress to sill level, where I could pretend I was sleeping outside, p...

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“The Strange Visit at Lake Helena” by Janet Morris

Submitted to Contest #112

“Hey! Hey! Where’d you go?” the little brown beaver called into the lake from the top of his stack of sticks.Carver waddled down from his pine heap to get closer to the water. Periodic raindrops were making concentric circles and disturbing his reflection as he watched and waited for a reply.Yesterday, it had been a gray day with scattered drizzles and Carver had been tugging at a limb to bring it to the top of his collection when he heard a faint voice calling out. Carver swirled around nervously but had not seen a soul, until he ...

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“Iris ” by Kayla Robles

Submitted to Contest #112

It’s just another lonely night. I lay awake at an unreasonable time reading a book I’ve read one too many times. I’m sitting by the fireplace, warm and cozy, listening to the rain. The first rain of the season mind you. All of a sudden there was a knock at my door. I’ve never heard a knock so polite. It’s as if the sound itself didn’t want to cause any trouble by just merely existing. At first I was hesitant to open the door. I was afraid my late husband may have come back to haunt me after his recent death but I finally mustered up th...

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“April Showers” by Mikayla Peterson

Submitted to Contest #112

It was here, and far earlier than it had come last year. There had been no warning despite the dozens of meteorologists and storm chasers that flocked to the ramshackle prairie town in order to study the extraordinarily vicious and long winded storms that plagued it. Last year, the storms had arrived in late May and had stayed swirling and rumbling until August, drenching the fields and annihilating any hope they’d had of having a harvest. Now, April had barely begun and the black clouds were already growling on the horizon. Ivy stood...

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“The Ceremony” by Vincent McDonald

Submitted to Contest #112

There were three of them that led me to where I was meant to be executed. My arms were painfully outstretched as we walked. The dull, aching pain in my fingers was all that kept me sluggishly awake. I couldn’t move my upper body and didn’t even try. Two guards stayed by my side as we marched, both their hands on each of my limp wrists with an iron grip. The man who led us to the flood-zone walked with a ...

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“Nine-Thirty on a Rainy Tuesday” by F.D. Mack

Submitted to Contest #112

On A Rainy Tuesday As I was leaving the bar downtown on a rainy Tuesday. When I got to my car I checked the dashboard and saw the time was 9:30 pm. It wasn’t as late as I thought, and so I smiled. As the rain poured down onto my windshield, obstructing my view I slowed down my speed so I wouldn’t hit anything. No one should have been on the road, but it didn’t matter, I had to be cautious just in case. I reflected back to early in the evening. Hanging out at the bar with a few friends from work...

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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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