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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

“Come In From the Rain” by Bonnie Jay

Submitted to Contest #112

Annie Blithe stood in her doorway and squinted against the sharp light. The sun had reached that brief moment during sunset where it seemed to shine brightest. The moment right before it finally melted below the hills, extinguishing the day.She had been watching her husband Tom as he laboured. What had been a smouldering heap just days before, was beginning to resemble their barn again. She wished she could tell him how proud she was to have him, how constantly she thanked her god for sending her this man of strength and kindness in equal me...

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“Sun Shower” by Nana Ansah

Submitted to Contest #112

TW: - brief mention of suicide- I’m in my room, trying my best to be an independent adult by finishing some things around the house when a heavy sound starts to fall around the outside walls of my small-town home in the middle of Boston. Surprised by the sudden shift, I go over to the only window in my room and peek out of the curtains in curiosity. It’s raining. And not just any type of rain, but a rare kind. Rain can have such a negative connotation to people sometimes, just the word alone can make a person reconsider the...

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“Little Red Raincoat” by Kenley Ellis

Submitted to Contest #112

On the afternoon of my sixth birthday, the rain comes down hard and slow - just the way I like it. It patters against the window, comforting, as comforting as fingers on a typewriter, comforting like the beat of changements against the studio floor. My party inside is cozy. Mother and I sit by the fire. She’s the only guest, which is a title she earned by being my best friend. After all, it is us two from day one. Day one like the one gift, a small flat package. I tear it apart with greedy fingers. Inside is a little red raincoat, tho...

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“The Misdeeds of Annalise Eiseman” by Melissa Balick

Submitted to Contest #112

Despite her best efforts, Annalise Eiseman has yet to find the right man, and it’s starting to really bother her.She’s 31, has a successful career, and she’s attractive, with golden brown hair that falls in waves down her back, naturally dark eyelashes, and oversized retro glasses that cover almost half her face. Yet, love slips by her like spring scents in the wind, settling instead among her coworkers, whose wedding invitations she unlocks from the mailbox in her lobby, even now that everything else has gone electronic. But this is no...

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“The Chase” by Michael Martin

Submitted to Contest #112

The raindrops that collected between the arcing swipes of Beth’s windshield wipers blurred the lights on the four-lane highway; red lights from brakes and the traffic signal streaked across the dark glass. Her breaths were shallow and quick; her eyes danced back and forth between the car braking in front of her and the rearview mirror. The large Ram pickup was so close that its headlights only showed as an intense glow at the bottom of her rear window. She could even make out the silhouette of its driver.James. Her husband. Well... one way o...

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“(I) LUCKY MAN” by Mo Ferdause

Submitted to Contest #112

Summer of 2021. A slither of beaming light is rising in the east, fighting its way against the darkness of the night. The smell of freshly baked bread is making my stomach growl. It must be around 6:30am now. The chirping sounds of the crickets have faded overnight. I want to sleep a little longer, but my stomach disagrees. Last time I ate something was yesterday around noon. How much sleep can you really get on an empty stomach? Pam, the owner of Tony's Bakery, is good to me. She leaves a bag of onion bagels every morning wit...

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“Rainy days and Mondays” by Francis Daisy

Submitted to Contest #112

He was a small tight ball of flesh in the foyer. About the size of one of those beach balls that are tossed around concerts or sporting events. He wrapped his arms around his legs and tucked his head in between his knees and made himself as tiny and as invisible as he could. He tried to just disappear. When Mrs. Marva walked into the office the tension was high. “We have to get him on the bus,” from the secretary.“I don’t know how we’re going to get him on that bus,” said the aide.“The buses are leaving and so are we,” from another aide...

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“What Happens in the Rain...” by JanetthePlanet 66

Submitted to Contest #112

The driver, unaware that his wife is watching, is enjoying the dark silence of the journey, sees a few drops of water on the windscreen. It is the first rain of the wet season.The woman, woken by the growing whine of the car’s engine, turns her head to watch the driver. Corkscrewed for hours against the headrest, her neck muscles tighten in protest. She touches her cheek. It is damp with saliva and bears the imprinted scar of a pillow’s edge. Despite discomfort, it has been a deep sleep, and she guesses they may have travelled halfway home.E...

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“Under a Shattered Moon” by Eric Roulier

Submitted to Contest #112

Smoky grey clouds loom, low and threatening in the sky above me. Drops of rain the size of quarters fall, thick and heavy. Crashing violently against the earthy green poncho covering my head and shoulders. With each step, thick, grimy mud grips my boots, nearly yanking them off my feet. A dense shroud of evergreen trees lined either side of the forest path I walked on, offering some protection from the harsh winds that swirled around. Still, even with the coniferous shields surrounding me, occasionally, a mighty gust would come at just the r...

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“A Storm is Coming” by Danny G

Submitted to Contest #112

Thunder rumbled in the distance, reflecting my mood perfectly. It was morning but the clouds were so dark, so thick with rain that it felt more like dusk.The air was cold, the wind blew but it felt calm. Like it was walking on eggshells, trying not to disturb the fragility. Trying not to blow over buildings and cars and people. A storm is coming.I stood on the curb opposite the building where I work. It was a world full of colour with flashing neon lights and billboards advertising tv shows and cars and phones. Clutched in my hands...

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“ONE RAINY NIGHT” by Alizah Muhammad

Submitted to Contest #112

Disclaimer: content on depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. In the memory of and a tribute to the Japanese author, Osamu Dazai. “Aagh!! It’s raining again!” I repeated like a ritual every time it rained. “What?! Rain is beautiful and soothing… and romantic” My coworkers who happened to be a couple held hands and looked at each other as they spoke. “Ah the cringe! You guys can say all that but the inconvenience of walking out there is a pain!” I rested my grumpy face on my hand. I’d hate on rain with so much confidence that over t...

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“The Farm” by Nicole Beamon

Submitted to Contest #112

Jake was concerned. His farm had been through droughts before but never as severe as this one. His crops hadn’t seen rain in eight months. Resulting in the failure of all harvests during that time. Pumpkin season was upon him and despite the dry soil he planted a sizeable number of seeds. Looking out on the fields he felt an urge to try something out off the ordinary. Perhaps a rain dance or some sort of sacrifice to the rain Gods. He was a desperate man who was willing to try anything. If the ...

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“The Wonders of Rain” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #112

It had been a dry summer in the desolate town of Maroon Gulch, an old mining town fifty miles from the nearest city. People in this town were used to the arid climate, but this year had been particularly dry. Vegetation was slim apart from cactus and tumbleweeds, and a large greenhouse owned by a horticulturalist named, Lawrence Peabody, a forty-something loner who devoted his life to growing and cultivating all...

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“Playing Catch Up” by Mackenzie Allen

Submitted to Contest #112

Waking up to the sound of hunting dogs scratching at your door might sound a bit bad, understandably, but not when they're two stupid mutts names Chicken and Hammerhead that you and your younger brother trained yourselves. Having hunting dogs is pretty standard in Cora's Mountains. We were a small village in east Asia. Our Village was 'cursed', though everybody calls it a blessing, which brings my frustration. We're cursed with the abilities to control elements, sorry blessed. If you were thinking I'm salty it's because I am. Most peopl...

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“The Smell of Hotdogs” by Clyde Laffan

Submitted to Contest #112

Darcy grips the steering wheel of his Porsche Boxster so tightly his knuckles are white under his clammy skin. He zooms south, down the 101 with nail-biting recklessness, oblivious to the downpour swamping the City of Angels. The rain is Biblical and as hard as nails, hammering the windscreen with a smashing velocity, the noise so thunderous Darcy cannot hear himself think. He licks his lips, savoring the taste of blood that lingers and decides the best course of action right now is to cry, "WHAT THE FUCK!" Screaming makes him feel hu...

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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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