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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

“To the ground whence all things came ” by Ruth Zschoche

Submitted to Contest #112

TW: sexual situations, violence, gender dynamicsIf all went well, she would find a Mate tonight. There were only a few hills between her current position and the Mating Valley. If she made it there by the time the third sun set, she would be able to find a nice low, sheltered position. Once the Deluge started, the lower positions were always the most favorable. She would be ready.---The Deluge always came shortly after the last rays hit on the same day each year. Always the same, her mother told her, forever the same.This was the mantra that...

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“A Splash of Colour” by Sophie Smith

Submitted to Contest #112

The world had long been painted grey. Long before I was born, the world that everyone had known was destroyed. The world turned grey and dull, the colour leaked from the sky, the land, the sea, the whole Earth. The world was uninhabitable. That doesn’t mean I don’t know the stories. About what the world was like before. About what happened. Covid-19. The nuclear fallout. The world turning grey. My Mum tells me the stories. She always has. Mainly because my Dad, always asks her to. You can...

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“The Silence and the Storm” by K. Byrnes

Submitted to Contest #112

When I ask my Amma to tell me the story of the Silence, her telling is like a river; it never takes the same shape, the same path. Each time she spins the tale, new details weave together like trickling streams, joining one after the other until before you know it, the story has gathered enough pace and depth to sweep you off your feet and out to sea. But when she sets her mind to this telling, there is one thing that is as fixed as the stars that paint the sky each night: she invariably starts with the Storm. The beginning of her te...

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“Dancing in the Rain ” by L.J. LaBree

Submitted to Contest #112

“But why?!” Mom rolled her eyes as she turned on the turn signal, “because Rietta, you are not responsible enough to be left alone yet!” “I’m eleven! I’m plenty responsible enough to be alone!” I scoffed, crossing my arms and stomping the dirt-matted car floor. “Kathy McDermon is allowed to be home alone!” The car coasted the curved road wide and slow, earning an annoyed honk from the people behind us. I couldn’t help but smirk as Mom raised her middle finger out the window in answer. “That’s not very nice…” “Oh, you know what, little miss ...

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“Prey for Rain” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #112

The drizzly air was the opening act for the season’s first rainstorm. In the dense shrub layer, the colossal fern fronds shivered as the rubber-tree leaves parted, revealing shadow so impenetrable, light was sucked into it. A pair of eyes opened suddenly like dramatic stage lights. They were golden, striated with honey and amber, and entirely malevolent. The black elliptical pupils narrowed to thin slits as the brow furrowed. It smelled white meat. There were two distinct scents, the pungent acidic male musk, and th...

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“The Blue Bird” by Lucy Barnes

Submitted to Contest #112

The day I met your father was cold and dark. You see, it was the first rain of the season, and I hadn’t made it to the nest in time. I was still a mile away from home when the rain began to pour. I’d never seen rain before, but I’d been told of its frightening power. It falls around you like bullets, they said. And once your wings get wet, you won’t be able to fly. A pretty little bird like you wouldn’t make it in a rainstorm, they said. When I saw the first drop of rain, I was terrified. My heart screamed at me to fly. But I still had a ...

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“Heart of the Ocean” by Victoria Bastoni

Submitted to Contest #112

Sehira stalked through the streets of Albanore. Puddles of grimy water splashed beneath her feet, gummy mud squelching and sticking to her boots with each step. Every once in a while, a shadow shifted down an alleyway or around a corner, and each time her hand slid automatically to her waistline where her fingers brushed over the hilt of a hidden sword, tucked beneath her thick cloak. But it wasn’t street thugs she was itching to run through with her blade. No, she had someone particular in mind. Tall, dark buildings teetered up all around...

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“The Coming Storm” by Christopher Smith

Submitted to Contest #112

"May God have mercy on our souls" Were the last written words of Jeremiah Watts. "There is an approaching storm!" The ethereal voiced preacher said over the static filled radio. "Something the likes the world has ever known! You all that can hear my voice, you better repent!" His voice crackled with intensity as the rain outside the car continued to beat against the car, as if were trying to get at the occupant inside. The man did his best to stay on the road. He hadn't seen another car in miles, and he wasn't concerned with seeing ...

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“Procrastination Kills” by Cart Wright

Submitted to Contest #112

"Why do I always wait until the last minute to do anything?" James asked himself aloud while driving through the rain. It was midnight and James had just left work. James is 20 years old, a smaller guy, and not very athletic. James is the 4-12 manager at Wendy's and if he isn't at work then he spends most of his time playing video games and reading. It had just started to rain half an hour ago and was just a light rain but his windshield wipers were less than ideal. With less rubber on his wipers than an ultra-thin Trojan, they were causing ...

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“Rainbow” by Rachel Culp

Submitted to Contest #112

The sheets of rain pound against the windshield as he transverses the mountain curves. The blades seem to leave more water than they remove. He considers pulling over, but the soft groan from the backseat makes his foot push down firmer. If this were any other circumstance, he would, but he had to press on. He suffers a glance back behind him. His wife is stretched out, her hands holding her round belly. It was too early. The baby wasn’t due for another two months. The weekend trip was their last get away before they started their final prep...

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“Hell's Back Alley” by Anna Mahoney

Submitted to Contest #112

They’d said to expect rain, but this is next level. Why didn’t I change those wiper blades before leaving? Why did I take the short cut? What if the road washes out? It’s almost Christmas and I’m heading up to my best friend’s new place on the East Cape. It's my first visit and I hadn’t appreciated just how remote she was living. No tar seal this far from the city and the road’s already churning. It’s teeming now, so bad the wipers have clapped out altogether. Might have to pull over and wait it out. As if it could hear me, the eng...

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“Your Forgiveness to Give” by Cecil Libbey

Submitted to Contest #112

"...Please leave a message after the tone-" She half tossed- half dropped her phone on the couch and leaned back over the arm, looking out the window. The rain was pelting at the pane now, rattling the glass. Maya sat back up and stared at her phone, screen starting to fade from inactivity. It would be pointless to call him again; he wouldn't answer. She stretched out long, knees cracking after sitting so pent up for at least 45 minutes. The phone lit up with a notification, and she pounced. Twitter. She let her breath fall from her che...

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“Night Drive” by L H

Submitted to Contest #112

Clouds gathered as witnesses. The wind held its breath, stilling the humidity in the air. The garage door to a house rumbled open. A car snailed itself onto the top of the driveway, lights flicked on, waiting for a gap in the traffic. Night traffic wasn’t as busy as day. Soon, the car made a right turn and became one of the red and white lights in the darkness. The driver, Cali, sighed inwardly. Her eyes were enveloped in a certain blankness, her arms slightly out of strength. Once the car took her on the highway, she inched her foot ...

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“Tinted” by Adrien Lockheart

Submitted to Contest #112

wat-er and drop-lets obscure the light lead-ing the eye to-wards things in the night… Alex glanced at the odd note left on his dashboard. The cardstock base supported a haphazardly taped piece of sheet music, its paper edges fraying from where it had been hastily torn. Carefully folded, as if waiting just for him to open it, Alex could only glance at the handmade note sitting on his worn leather dashboard. In a rush, he opened the glovebox, stuffed the note inside, and locked it back to its closed position. He didn’t have time for this...

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“Irrawaddy” by Michael Regan

Submitted to Contest #112

He stood there stiff, face blank, his eyes unfocused, the warm afternoon rain pouring down his face.******With an unemployment rate of over 25%, there were few options for a young boy growing up in Stanley, a small village outside Sunderland, to go down into the ‘pit’ or leave. The West Stanley pit was considered the most dangerous coal mine in the UK. Joe had gone into the pit when he was fourteen, he was determined that his young brother Frank would never work there.Joe was the oldest of four boys, each born a year apart, Frank was the you...

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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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