#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 – 77 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 – 32 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

“story that takes place in a winter cabin” by Sadia Imtiaz

The greyed eyes wide opened like a fish jaw when it is without water. I hands up to him Under my gun. he looked up. He was sweating badly.‘’What do you want’’ I asked him setting gun in my hand. He shook his head. ‘’Nothing… just-food’’ he blurted.I frowned. I could not believe what he just said...

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“Imogen's Paintings” by Waverley Stark

Imogen sat by the fire and listened to the windows shake. Sounds like the frozen devil, she thought with a shiver. Come to take over the world by storm and ice. Well, you aren’t getting me, mister Devil.

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“Memory Falls Silent as Snow” by John K Adams

Adam stepped into the cold morning air dressed for frigid temperatures. The secrets of survival in the cold were now old lessons, learned the hard way. He never lost a toe to frostbite, but the nerve damage lingered. Being impervious to the elements is a fantasy born of childish bravado. ‘Get tough or die’ was his youthful motto. The days of venturing out in winter weather, with no hat or gloves were long gone. It began to snow in big, heavy clumps. There is something so wondrous and fantastic seeing those swirling flakes de...

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“Leaving Footprints” by Keri Dyck

I love the sound of fresh snow crunching under my feet. The way the cold smells, the way the wind bites my face, the way Rosie (my dog) smiles at me… what is there to not love about taking winter walks? Every time I go, I wonder why I don’t go more often. My foot catches on a disguised root, and I land awkwardly, smashing face first into the wet white stuff. Spitting out snow from my mouth, I scramble back up to my feet. Continuing on! Braving the elements with my val...

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“When I Die...” by Lily Kingston

Ten. Six. Five. Two. These numbers have no pattern. Only an individual meaning.

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“Lost and Alone” by Solstice Poon

"Hey mom, where's my breakfast?", I called out from the kitchen.Mom popped her head out from my brother's room, "I'm sorry honey, I've been cleaning all morning, I didn't have any time to prepare breakfast for you.""Now what am I supposed to do?", I grumbled, rolling my eyes."I'm so sorry honey, you know I love you but your younger brothers are quite a handful", Mom tried for a smile, but I turned around and ignored her."What about my coffee? My morning coffee?"Mom froze and put her hand in her ...

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“TRACKS NUMBER SEVEN: TRACKLESS” by Andrew Grell

TRACKS NUMBER SEVEN: TRACKLESSBy Andrew Paul Grell"Ras, whaddaya mean Bretton Woods is off? So far it's forty kay hauling the equipment around the White Mountains and putting up the crew at in-season rates. People love Bretton Woods, it's where they figured out what money is." Erasmus Foyer could practically hear his agent's already irregular heartbeat shift into free-form jazz rhythm. "Bill, we're just moving it up a few miles. I'm telling you, Coös County is perfec...

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“The colours of snow” by Marte Van Der Linden

With the first snowflakes came a heavy silence. The city hunkered down to weather the storm. Flurries of snow shot down the alleyways and settled in thick piles in the parks. Andrew stood at the window of his apartment on the sixteenth floor and watched the view disappear into a swirl of white. Lena watched the same snowflakes from her apartment, also on the sixteenth floor, but in the tower block on the other side of the street. They both stood in silence as the world shrank down to the size of a window and filled up with snow.

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“From Mountains of Sunflowers” by Adriana K. Maxwell

Lovely grew up in terraced mountains yellow with Christmas sunflowers. “It’s kinda funny,” Amanda said, as they walked the SM mall together. “What?” Lovely asked. “The song,” she said.Lovely didn’t understand at first. Perhaps it was the timing. Christmas music starte...

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“A Very Merry Cretaceous Christmas” by Charlie Murphy

I walked across the snow as I dragged the pine tree behind. The freezing wind blew my green scarf over my face. Thick snowflakes fell from the gray sky as I made my way to the cabin. Freezing wind blew on my face, making the tip of my nose numb. Almost there! Then I can have a nice warm cup of cocoa. I looked behind at the tree. Yep, you’ve outdone yourself this time! As I stepped up to the porch, I heard barking coming from within the cabin. I opened the door, a...

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“Concerning Lambs” by Arthur Tiberio

Smog diluted the orange lights, giving them an eerie tint. The motor-coach rattled over the uneven stones, alone in the reaches of the night. From far away came the singing of drunks, riding erratic eddies of the wind.It is dark, and Thaddeus Grey watches the moon.He has never considered himself a man of mystery, for the very simple reason that men of mystery tend to know what it is that they're doing, and to an extent, why. Eccentricity, he has long ago decided, requires a good amount of sanity to count for anything. Else y...

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“Transience” by Mia Hunter

A spine chilling breeze swept into the living room when Berry opened the door. As far back as she could remember, Januaries had always been odd in this place. Then again, what did she know about January? She had never even left the house! But from what she had seen on television, this place looked different from other places during winters.Even with the fat blankets of glistening white weighing down the black branches, in this place, life thrived among death. In winters, lands in other cold parts of the world would be covered in sm...

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“Onwards, Towards the Witch” by Joshua G. J. Insole

I see you, child.The words slithered into her brain, as if they were her own thoughts. The world flashed a momentary red. And then they came again.I see you, child.Monika’s eyes snapped open, immediately awake. “Who’s there?” she demanded of the darkness, leaping the chasm from sleep to awareness in an instant. “Who speaks?”There was no response.

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“New Beginnings” by Lily Kingston

They say after every rainstorm comes a new beginning. So what about after a snowstorm? During the night, a thick layer of snow blanketed the city, keeping the skittish inside. The city looked anew, tarnished with a brand new white layer like a blank slate. The streets and sidewalks were clogged with snow, making it impossible to travel anywhere--including work and school. Every citizen awoke th...

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“The Winter King” by Bruno Lowagie

Ice flowers were growing on the window of the attic bedroom.“We can’t pick those flowers,” Helena explained to Mister Rabbit, “And even if we could, we’re not allowed to do so. The Winter King would come and catch us. He’d lock us up in his cold palace.”Mister Rabbit only listened with half an ear. He was hungry. He wanted breakfast.“Do we really have to get out of bed already?” Helena moaned in reply, “It’s so nice and warm under our blanket.”But Mister Rabbit insisted, and Helena felt an urge to pee coming up...

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Title: Pied Piper

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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...

Stories

“story that takes place in a winter cabin” by Sadia Imtiaz

“Imogen's Paintings” by Waverley Stark

“Memory Falls Silent as Snow” by John K Adams

“Leaving Footprints” by Keri Dyck

“When I Die...” by Lily Kingston

“Lost and Alone” by Solstice Poon

“TRACKS NUMBER SEVEN: TRACKLESS” by Andrew Grell

“The colours of snow” by Marte Van Der Linden

“From Mountains of Sunflowers” by Adriana K. Maxwell

“A Very Merry Cretaceous Christmas” by Charlie Murphy

“Concerning Lambs” by Arthur Tiberio

“Transience” by Mia Hunter

“Onwards, Towards the Witch” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“New Beginnings” by Lily Kingston

“The Winter King” by Bruno Lowagie

$50

Prize money

355

Contest entries

0

Stories

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