#23: Winter Wonderland

By the time the holidays have passed, and the first week of January is in full swing, it's impossible to deny one fact any longer: winter is here.

Shorter days and colder temperatures often mean more time spent indoors writing. This week, we suggest you sit by a window and let the wintery world outside inspire your newest piece of short fiction.

This week's prompts

You go for a walk in fresh snow. Suddenly you realize you're not leaving any footprints.

Fantasy – 128 stories

Write a short story that takes place in a winter cabin.

Winter – 76 stories

A busy city is quieted by a big blanketing of snow. Write from the perspective of two (or more) characters who live there.

Winter – 51 stories

Write a short story about someone experiencing their first winter.

Winter – 31 stories

Write a short story about people stuck in traffic during a blizzard. There's nothing much to do but wait, and talk...

Dialogue – 67 stories

Stories

“Under the Bed” by Julia Lechear

Submitted to Contest #23

I broke the window’s latch with my old pocket knife and pushed the window open. I slipped inside, closing the window behind me to keep out the bitter cold. The room was dark, and it felt like an eternity of fumbling around before I finally found a light switch. Light filled the room and one word came to mind- jackpot.There was a TV sitting on the dresser that couldn’t be any more than six months old. There was an ipad sitting on the nightstand next to silver figurines. And this was just one room, looking at it from the ou...

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“The Cabin in the Woods” by Michala Banton

Submitted to Contest #23

There are very few things as scary as getting lost in the woods. Teddy never imagined how quickly it would grow dark when he was playing in the back yard, and he never imagined that he really went that far, but now he was spinning in circles and he couldn’t tell which way he had come, or which way he was going. His small Velcro boots were wet and freezing in the snow, and he couldn’t get all the buttons on his coat to button. He shivered in the cold and tried not to cry, because he was a big boy now and big boys ...

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“State of Emergency” by Summer Moran

Submitted to Contest #23

Just as Mayor DeBlasio had officially declared New York City in a state of emergency and urged individuals to stay indoors, Jay let out a big groan and tossed the TV remote on the floor. His dog, a Frenchie named Sammy, wandered over to the remote, sniffed it, and promptly walked away. “This blows,” Jay said aloud to no one in particular. He rubbed his eyes, rose from the couch and went to the window. Then he unlocked the window gate which had been installed by the previous (clearly paranoid) tenant, to prevent the threat of an intruder in t...

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“Perfect Storm” by Gianna Branco

Submitted to Contest #23

The snow cascaded down, covering each building in a shiny white. It deafened the noises of the city, making everything appear calm and quiet, even if it was only for a few hours. I sat on my window sill and smiled. “God, I love the snow,” I sighed. “It’s so beautiful. Isn’t this beautiful?” “Gorgeous, darling,” Anna said without looking up from her book. “Don’t you just love the snow?” I stood, making my way over to the kitchen. “Ever since I was a kid, it was my favorite. People can have all the s...

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“Excavating Blizzard Stormsy” by Ngeny Danson

Submitted to Contest #23

'Right straight to the roads we go.' The news anchor seemed distraught,her face seemed paler than usual. 'A mountain of Snow has taken over Downtown...' Just then the power grid went off. Blackout. Massive snowfall had hit Defy City for ten days now. Weather forecasters had become somewhat like demigods, everyone was eagerly waiting for the next news on the latest state of the City. However ice had been building up at the Central Powerhouse and at about midnight due to suspected Short circuits the transformers flipped. A cold city with no e...

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“The Snow is Not So Cold” by Vye Johnson

Submitted to Contest #23

“Snow! Snow! Snow!” shouted seven-year old Annabelle from her kitchen window. Michigan is notorious for its harsh, brutal winters, with the temperature dropping below negative thirty degrees Fahrenheit when the wind chill was taken into account. The cold didn’t bother Annabelle much; her dad would simply bound her up in her winter coat, hat, gloves, scarf, and boots, so she could make her trek through the snow unfazed. Her favorite thing to do was play in her front yard, rolling the wet snow into solid spheres and stacking them into a magnif...

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“City Gone Quiet ” by Vivienne Stradley

Submitted to Contest #23

Jeff Jeff loved the city. But he loved winter more, because in the winter they had a bowling contest. His grandpa owned a bowling place. Jeff was sitting on the bar stool behind the counter daydreaming when he heard a knock on the door. Jeff woke from his day dream and went to look who it was. It was his best friend Miles. Him and Miles bowled every morning before school. It was like a tradition. Jeff let Miles in. “Thank god, you finally let me in it is crazy cold out there.” “I don't think it really is that cold,” Jeff said ...

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“Amidst Snowfall” by Ashma Ghimire

Submitted to Contest #23

It started snowing at last, the first snow of the year. It looks like it has no intention to lull and has wrapped the city like a thick blanket as if it's keeping it warm. Did Sam take his umbrella today? From inside these large windows I can see people and the snow, drifting . Do they notice me too?I've been sitting here for almost 4 hours now, trying to sort my thoughts out. Trying to twin them to the cadence of the floating snow. But the only thing i can meditate on is: how a person's life starts with their first snow and ends with t...

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“The Snow and a Walk to Safeway” by Grace Cooper

Submitted to Contest #23

Snow on New Year’s Eve. Of course, thought Max. Snow on the wet concrete of Seattle, the gray city he had landed in, ducking out from under the snow clouds of the Midwest. The water leaked from the sky in this city, like they were under some giant leaky faucet no one had ever thought to turn off. He pulled his blinds shut, the plastic pieces swaying. He was sick of the view, of the city though it was.The last thing he wanted was to see it all covered lightly in snow. He sank back on the couch, sliding down the leather slightly, stretch...

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“The Dichotomy of Snow” by Gabrielle Marie

Submitted to Contest #23

Quiet. Peace. Joy. Heat radiated through the coffee mug as steam wafted through the air like tiny smoke signals. She blew on the mug, seemingly signaling distress to those below. On her balcony, everything was monochromed in white. The grey, sterile building where they had built their lives blended in with the grey sky around her. She looked out at the scenery like a widow looking for her husband returning from sea. The wind gently blew her hair and tugged at her robe, further making the scene. Every snow fall felt like a new beginning, fres...

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“Quilt” by Ananya Aloke

Submitted to Contest #23

“This sucks.” David said aloud to the only man in the room. He was standing by the window. “Why don’t I strangle him and hang myself?”After a night of snowfall, all the colors of the city had merged into white and black. David drew the curtains. The darker, the better. He thought, massaging his head. Alcohol did not suit him anymore. Not even a few glasses mixed with soda. David went to his bedroom to check up on his partner.Jack was tired by his experiences of last night. The mattress was cozy. Darkness depressed him. He had also got d...

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“Blanketed” by Holly Rose

Submitted to Contest #23

Blanketed Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm blared rudely, startling Georgia awake. Her mobile device danced to life, darting recklessly between the chips of paint on the chestnut colored nightstand that stood just inches from her face. The nightstand that she’d found at a yardsale was one of her defining features of independence - it was one of the first pieces of furniture that she’d purchased on her own. The drawer stuck more often than not and it needed a coat of paint, but for less than a twenty, Georgia had felt empowered with her find...

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“Calm and Still Tomorrow” by Ivy Y.

Submitted to Contest #23

Sophia I hug my knees into my chest, watching from the window seat of the townhouse as snow falls in its unhurried manner. Just a thin layer of glass creates a marked divide - my warm little pocket of the world kept separate from the squall outside. Trees line my street - spaced out every ten feet or so - and their leafless limbs begin to collect snow, like enormous skeletons donning capes. The elderly tree in front of my window seems especially regal. With my first-floor view, I am able to see straight up the trunk to the tangle of bra...

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“On A Wintry Day” by Mayukh Banerjee

Submitted to Contest #23

His eyes opened to see the usual beige ceiling staring back at him, boring, devoid of life and cold. His hand moved instinctively to the other side of the bed only to find it empty ; his fingers grazing against the cold bed sheets. He sighed and then glanced over at the clock- it was 7am. He heaved himself out of the bed, and trudged barefoot across the wooden floor into the living room. He had grown accustomed to the cold floor and the numbness of his toes but today it stung. So he put on a worn out pair of flip flops; the ru...

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“A New Start” by Courtney Cook

Submitted to Contest #23

“We can’t pick you up in the city, Brian, there’s too much snow. You’ll need to take a train further out.” Brian sighed, “okay.” He hung up without waiting for a goodbye. “Attention all passengers, please note that due to the weather conditions, all trains are currently cancelled. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,” the tell-tale shake of an old man’s voice echoed throughout the train station. Gerard swivelled away from the microphone and back to the window. The hustle of the station came to a holt. He took a moment to...

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$50

Prize money

353

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 10, 2020 EST

Won by Angeliki P 🏆

Title: Pied Piper

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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#23: Winter Wonderland

This week's prompts

You go for a walk in fresh snow. Suddenly you realize you're not leaving any footprints.

Write a short story that takes place in a winter cabin.

A busy city is quieted by a big blanketing of snow. Write from the perspective of two (or more) characters who live there.

Write a short story about someone experiencing their first winter.

Write a short story about people stuck in traffic during a blizzard. There's nothing much to do but wait, and talk...