#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

“FORBIDDEN FRUITS ARE THE SWEETEST UNTIL SOUR” by Hillary Nwaigbo

Submitted to Contest #23

Snow storm stories of people trapped in traffic, with hundreds of 911 calls going unanswered for hours, remained a fantasy to Mr. Gibson (a tall, cutely shaved grey bearded blonde, always on duty with his crispy pressed, customized uniform ) hitherto, when he’s being stuck in his cab with a “damsel in distress”, Miss Ann (a young pulchritudinous red - haired lass in her early twenties, with the” life of a party”, never wanting to play by the rules). He had been caught off guard by the ferocity of the storm after early forecast predicted...

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“Another Day's Work” by Winter Summer

Submitted to Contest #23

The day began as any other day did. The turn of the weather created a mess across the city, though. Driving through New York was hard on a good day and January's wrath had seized the afternoon without announcing itself. A line of cars collected in a canceled parade. With every passing minute, the sky grew whiter as if Jack Frost himself was trying to bury the city.Tap, tap. Frank never liked cops but he knew when to play nice. He rolled down the window.“There's been an accident at the end of Charleston Ave. We're cleaning it up but you’re go...

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“Dance through the blizzard” by Jean Lagacé

Submitted to Contest #23

Write a short story about people stuck in traffic during a blizzard. There's nothing much to do but wait, and talk...I was in college, in the room I shared with my friend Claude B. His parents lived in St-Félicien, quite far away from Montreal where he was pursuing studies in order to get his BAC. As for me, the extern, I had a desk in his little domain where from 3 :45 to 5 :40 p.m. I was supposed to use the place to study and write the homework professors in all disciplines throwned at us. Claude was on his bed, reading som...

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“Follow Your Intuition” by Amy DeMatt

Submitted to Contest #23

The windshield wipers waged a losing battle against the thick white flakes of snow that seemed to fall more quickly than they could be wiped away on that unforgettable January evening. I'd received a letter from Forestry Professionals earlier in the month. Apparently, property I owned was adjacent to the Estate of Eleanor Hazleton, and Mr. Craig Sheldonier of Forestry Professionals had written to ask whether I might be interested in acquisition of the Hazleton property. I wasn...

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“Rockstars on Ice” by Asher David

Submitted to Contest #23

Scruffy dark hair falls over Coda’s face as she slams her combat boots against the car’s gas pedal. A whispered string of expletives pass her lips. Hearing the tires grind against the icy snow drifts lining the highway, she throws herself back against the driver’s seat.This is not how Coda and Mina’s spontaneous getaway was supposed to end. “Shit, we aren’t gonna make it back for the show,” Coda groans, looking over at Mina beside her. The two women, growing tired of fast food and dick jokes on their North American tour, rented a car i...

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“Coping Mechanism” by Emma Bolado

Submitted to Contest #23

She turned to the passenger window. She knew what she did but she needed help. The fog on the window made the world seem like a kaleidoscope of white, grey, brown, and green. Fallen ice clung to the bottom perimeter of the window. It glistened as the glow of the passing cars illuminated it. She was already bored out of her mind not to mention the constant awkward tension made mere seconds feel like minutes. She took her puffy black coat sleeve and wiped the fog off the window leaving a small circle of clear glass big enough for her face.&nbs...

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“ICE TOWERS” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #23

Vindhya wanted to go urgently. But do things happen as you want? She was stuck up on road, due to traffic jam. Varun, her younger brother was also with her. He asked her to see the app and gauge the long trail of traffic and also find out if any alternate route was available. Since she was at the driving seat and tucked with seat-belt, she gave the mobile phone to him. He looked for details and immediately said,“Traffic Jam, chi-chi.” She involuntarily responded,“Chi-chi, chi-chi, chi-chi, chi-chi.”It was their childhood game. Anything they ...

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“A Dispatchers Perspective ” by Shana Horn

Submitted to Contest #23

It started out as a typical winter storm. Granted visibility was down to one delineator and accumulation was six inches an hour, but all of the plow trucks were out. A travel ban had been issued, not that anyone really pays attention to those. Apart from the occasional idiot in a ditch everything was going fine. Until the tandem tractor trailer rolled over across all three lanes.It was the tractor trailer driver who called it in, thankfully uninjured. The dispatchers got everyone rolling, heavy tow truck, state police officer for the acciden...

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“Over the Freeway and Through the Snow” by Linda Peterson

Submitted to Contest #23

Over the Freeway and Through the Snow And they were off! After no small amount of persuasion on the parents' art, the Osterheims were finally headed to Becky's parents' golden anniversary celebration. Leaving their home in Papillion, Nebraska early on the Friday before New Years, they hoped to arrive at their motel in Albert Lea, Minnesota plenty in advance of the celebration on Saturdayafternoon. Hopefully, they would be ahead of the holiday and week-end rushes. "Who in their right mind would have gotten married just beforeNew Year...

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“Closed Windows” by Kara O

Submitted to Contest #23

In the haze of falling snow, a figure in red emerged from the white, waving in their direction. “Is that Nix?” Henry glanced at the rear view mirror, locking gazes with Odie, who chose to sit in the back. He caught a faint intimation of a shrug, a tilt of his head, before Odie returned to scribbling in his sketchbook. Shoulder length dreads obscured the often blank brown face. Henry couldn't read a signal off him even if he tried. The jeep slid to a halt before the figure. Henry rolled down the window of the passenger side, a blast...

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“When the music dies” by Kate E

Submitted to Contest #23

“Next up, we’ve got Love is Strange by Sylvia and Mickey!” The radio announcer’s cheerful voice filled the cold empty space inside the 1957 Chevy parked on the empty highway road.Love… love is strange…“Ugh, I can’t stand to listen to that coon crap.” Letting go of the steering wheel completely, the man shot for the dial and jerked it hard to the left. Immediately, the crooning sound of Sylvia’s voice was replaced with piercing, incomprehensible static.The woman in the passenger seat instinctively clutched her ears first in shock and then in ...

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“Getting Lost to Find Your Soul” by Chad Lehrmann

Submitted to Contest #23

Evan looked out the window and thought, “No backing out now.” The snow was falling, and falling with a force and thickness that if he did not know better, the young man in the cabin would have thought the world itself had gone white. Gone were the thick aspen groves and clumps of cedar trees that grew tall despite the extreme altitude. Gone was the crushed gravel and granite “road” that led him here in the banged up old Land Cruiser that had seen far too many winters. Gone even was the stack of wood that would provide him warmth...

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“Cold” by Kirsten Daniel

Submitted to Contest #23

The sky is a dull gray color. No shading. No highlighting. Kind of like the wisps of hair on Nonna's head. When I was younger, I thought the snow was some kind of magic that canceled school. Spending so much time taking care of Nonna has kind of crushed that outlook. Like the branches that fell from the ice storm last week and are still littering her yard. Ugh. I grab my keys from the ignition with one hand and thread my fingers through the four or five plastic bags in the passenger seat with the other. My breath makes white cloud puffs…. “...

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“Stuck Apart” by Varina Sidley

Submitted to Contest #23

~Sarah~I woke at 5 AM to the not-so-glorious view of my cat’s rotund backside. It dawned on me in my state of morning delirium that this is sadly such a regular occurrence in my life that I might actually be shocked to open my eyes to any other scene. I gave my cat a gentle shove and rolled onto my back. “Oscar, get your butt out of here,” I said as he protested on the jump down. Staring at the stipple covered ceiling I let my limbs stretch as far as they could, took a deep breath and sat up to face the day.It is my habit to start each day w...

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“Struggles and Snow” by Lori Lorenz

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #23

"I don't know why you won't trade this stupid thing in", she snarled. "Or at least put chains on the tires."He sighed. "People don't put chains on tires, Darlene. Unless they live in the mountains."The snow had started falling at 2:00, guaranteeing a messy rush hour commute. They were calling for at least 6 inches, but now, at 5:30, it looked more like a foot. Frank realized that things often looked worse than they were when they were piled one on top of the other. Struggles, and inches of snow."Well, do something!" Darlene snapped. Why are ...

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$50

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Contest entries

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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.

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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