#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

“Woah.” by Sam Giese

Submitted to Contest #23

“Jessie, there is absolutely no way for us to get to your apartment,” Mia said. Pause. All I could hear was that Jessie was loud. “Tell Julian that we aren’t going to be able to pick him up.” Pause. “Thanks, Jess. Piper and I will get there as soon as we can.” Mia hung up the phone. “What’d Jess say?” I asked softly, looking out the window at cars covered in a layer of snow. “The blizzards right on us. Because of all the snow and Ice, some car slid into another up there and traffics backed up for miles.” Mia matched my tone. “So we’re ...

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“If You Can” by Tamar Cohen

Submitted to Contest #23

The radio crackled, spitting static and broken speech into the car. Slumping back in the driver's seat, Cate sighed and turned it off. "Weather channel can't get a full word through and I can't see two feet ahead of me, looks like we might be stuck here for a while." In the seat next to her, Liz nodded but said nothing.A long minute passed. The world outside the car got whiter, and the one inside got colder. Cate tried again."I'm sorry I can't get you home any faster." Liz mumbled a response into the palm of her hand as she stared blank...

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“The Blizzard” by Ella Bachrach

Submitted to Contest #23

Marilyn sighs as she watches people get out of the cars in front of her and seek shelter in the various stores lining the street. This was supposed to be a quick errand; run to the grocery store, pick up what she needs for dinner, and be back before the kids get home from school. Instead, she’s stuck in traffic in the middle of one of the worst blizzards she’s ever seen. She tries to turn on her wipers in a pointless attempt at clearing her windshield. The sound of them scraping across the glass reaches her ears, and she can’t help but think...

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“In the Rearview” by Sadie Kraus

Submitted to Contest #23

My windshield wipers are shit and the snow piles on over the haze that seems impossible for my defogger to cut through. I watch the break lights through the glass. They become only slightly clearer with each stroke of the wipers. The light is broken, scattered among the droplets that have started slipping down from above my visor. Whirrr, whump. Whirrr, whump. My eyes follow the black bars that, even trying their best, only seem to move water from one side of my vision to the other. It’s okay for now. We aren’t moving. I turned t...

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“The Disenfranchised Friend ” by Alexis Griffith

Submitted to Contest #23

"I'm bored," Rachel whined from the back seat. They were in a dead stop on the 101 North Route, the windshield whippers uselessly swiping at the densely falling snow. Visibility was next to zero. They could barely see the hazy red taillights of the car stopped in front of them. "Whining about it isn't going to get us home any sooner," Jared mumbled under his breath from the drivers seat so only Alexis could hear. Alexis resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The very last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a car with two groan adults sni...

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“Date Night in Ohio” by RD Smith

Submitted to Contest #23

The fervent movement of Trevor’s eyes gave the impression that he was seated on a witness stand. Taillights. Flurries.Zero bars.Taillights.A mortaring, fluffy monsoon. Zero bars.Shit. He had hoped that he could fill the momentary deafening silence with the noise of his thumb scrolling social media. No such luck. His 2006 Toyota Corolla was a worn, red speck in the multicolored vehicle mosh pit, creating a Jackson Pollack original on the snow-covered rural Ohio highway. Cell service could only be a mirage at this point.He th...

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“Defrosting” by Amanda Woodlee

Submitted to Contest #23

“Hey, what’s up, my lovelies, it’s me, Juliet, coming at you from the buh-lizzard in NYC. Not gonna lie, guys, I’m super scared I’m gonna get stuck and freeze to death. I put on all my heaviest winter clothes, like, no joke, I look like a freaking yeti with my parka and sweaters and all, but what if the car breaks down, or they close the road? The snow’s coming down so hard, and traffic is insane. I mean, it hasn’t moved in for-ev-er, look at this--.” Juliet switched to her phone’s main camera and quickly panned the rear ends of the snow-dus...

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“A Miracle in Blizzard ” by Nisha Murali

Submitted to Contest #23

It was late in the evening. Janet had finished answering all the emails her boss’s had allocated her and settled all the paperwork that was required. Left in the building was just her and the security guard in the entire sixty story building. As it was the eve of eve of christmas. Many in the office either took were already on holidays or left work early to be with their families. Holidays were never something Janet looked forward to. It was just like any other day with additional perks of no work, shops being closed, plus having your social...

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“Chilliest Uber of the Winter” by Nikki Maple

Submitted to Contest #23

The skies are dark, and even with the assistance of lights, planes still have a hard time landing. No doubt the runway is getting slicker, either. Even though planes are sprayed with de-icing, fewer and fewer land and take off. My flight is still on time, sitting in the terminal getting cleaned and refueled. Everyone around me is getting more anxious, shaking their legs or frequently checking the time on their phone. To no surprise, the ticket checking lady makes the dreaded announcement - the flight’s been canceled. I sigh and start looking...

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“The Winter Wizard ” by Daniella Idogho

Submitted to Contest #23

The Wizard Winter “Oh, no!” I said in my sleep“Yes”I wake up the same dream always ending with me walking in the snow and leaving no foot prints. Strange I think I have never left the shores of the tropics what could it mean another adventure? One with me and my guardian angel? Well, the adventures I have been having to go on have never happened during winter. My mother enters the room carrying a calabash filled with Banga and starch;’my favorite food. Uzer was in the delta region of West Africa and it was harmattan and our c...

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“Snowed In” by Sharon K Garner

Submitted to Contest #23

A fire roared in the stone fireplace. The pantry was full. The old lamps were filled with scented lamp oil, ready for the power outage that must surely come with the blizzard bearing down on them. The weather forecast the night before predicted the storm would hit them, but she had carefully avoided telling him about it. She watched the snow pile up on an outside sill. It was time to begin the inside snow job. If she couldn’t herd him toward their dream during this long weekend, then she feared for their marriage. Their high-tech, high-pres...

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“Saving us” by Tiffany Adams

Submitted to Contest #23

"I am freezing and all I really want to do is find this cabin and rest, we have been walking for an hour." Sara said knowing it would infuriate Mark. At this point she didn't care how angry he was. She knew going through with their save the marriage retreat was a horrible idea but wanted to keep the peace, try to be civil. Who was she kidding they had not been civil to each other in months. Yet she found herself in the car driving to a Vermont retreat, in January. What southerner travels to Vermont in the winter? The one trying to prove to h...

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“The Love of a Stranger” by Tiaja Gundy

Submitted to Contest #23

The day was December 23, 1986. Young Jennifer had just finished shopping for her nieces and nephews for Christmas and was trying to get to Ohio before the roads had gotten bad. Little did she know, she was in the middle of it. The snow was coming down hard and there was no way she was making it to her destination before midnight. Radio officials had encouraged drivers to find the nearest motel for the night until the roads cleared in the morning. Jenny still had two hours to go before making it to Ohio, she took the first exit she could find...

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“Driving in Reverse” by Edith Boyd

Submitted to Contest #23

Driving in Reverse At least I was safe and warm, I thought as the smelly heat began to pump through the rooms. As I threw a few logs in the fireplace, I felt as if Drew or one of the kids had been here recently and silently thanked them for letting me light a fire. It was so like my firstborn Andy to chose February for his wedding, although my daughter Zoe hinted there was more to the the story than I knew. That maybe the bride and groom were expecting a little visitor. Andy’s love for Jen lit him up like a Christmas tree and, as a moth...

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“The Cabin” by Keeley Wamback

Submitted to Contest #23

Through the night the snow had risen to be level with the windows of the cabin. The blizzard started yesterday at dusk and showed no signs of slowing. Mark grasped his mug of coffee and looked through the window. The wind made the trees tremble, threatening to rip the trunks from the roots. “Merry Christmas to me alright”, Mark told the window, taking a long drink of the cold beverage. Mark placed his mug back onto their small kitchen table covered with a cheap, plastic tablecloth. Not a lot to do on a storm day, he thought to himself. Why d...

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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...