#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

“One. Two. Three.” by Cassidy Caldwell

Submitted to Contest #23

Five thousand possible scenarios had played through my head. 1. He hates you.2. He hates you and walks out.3. He hates you and you lose your job.4. He hates you and walks out and you lose your job.Somehow, this was not one of them.As the cold air of my broken heater hit my face, my eyes wandered in his direction while my head stayed forward. I didn’t want to look too suspicious, but I was making sure he hadn’t jumped out of my car and started walking. He was just on his phone, and I wanted nothing more than to have that type of escape – to s...

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“Florida, Interrupted” by Laura Roberts

Submitted to Contest #23

It just figures. As soon as we get on the road headed south, there's a big mess on the freeway. A couple of tractor trailers managed to jackknife on the highway, causing a huge crash and blocking off traffic on the only route out of this frozen wasteland of a city. Awesome. Great work, truckers. How does someone jackknife a semi, anyway? What, exactly, does it take to qualify as "jackknifing"?I ask Dr. Google, and he informs me that many accidents such as this one occur because of improper brake maintenance or adjustment. To "jackknife" a tr...

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“That Was the Night.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #23

That Was the NightRight Now Oh what a night! I hope that I never go through another like it ever again. Company New Year’s parties are such a bad idea, particularly when you do not particularly like where you work, or your boss. There were parts that I liked – the free-flowing alcohol at no cost to the employees comes first in my memory of the night. Look at me now. I am lying in bed with the clothes that I wore last night. That even includes my shoes. And I do not remember getting into my apartment and I certai...

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“A trip to remember” by Susan VanHoose

Submitted to Contest #23

An adventure waited for 3 friends. A planned a 3-day camping trip in snowy filled mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains was finally here. They had hiked up to the picture-perfect spot and set camp up. Nothing like a long weekend with great friends we all thought. With a small campfire going and our food on the grill things could not be more perfect. We all caught up on things friends seem to miss out on with time apart. After a physically grinding hike up the mountain and now a filled belly of cam...

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“Revelatory” by Aminatta Kamara

Submitted to Contest #23

She was well dressed alright. But when the wind blew- she still felt it. Like a reed, she was pushed and pulled according to God's will. She was being taught a lesson. The sweetness of the angels had long avoided her. Even though she prayed at night and had her radio on, she still looked over her shoulder. She was being hunted. He came to her sometimes, pretending to love her. The spikes in her back would go up as she tried to protect herself from him. He was trouble. Religion was his pretext. "You need a man like me". She hated him for it. ...

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“Veil” by J'nae Rae Spano

Submitted to Contest #23

I pulled the blankets closer against the chill as I rolled over to stare out the window. Fat snowflakes danced outside the window. It had been years since I last saw snowfall and the child in me decided a walk in the snow would be fun. I rolled out of bed and pulled on my winter clothes, before shoving my feet in sheepskin slippers. Dressed, I headed down to the dining room to see about some breakfast and something warm to drink. The smell of coffee welcomed me as I made my way there. "Good morning," I greeted Abby, the B & B owner, and ...

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“the gleam of light” by Amelia F

Submitted to Contest #23

In the depth of night, we wonder waiting to get where we are going. The snow is about as white as paper and as soft as a winter blanket. In the crisp cold winter, air stands a wooden house. It is cold and we are growing heavy from our wet clothes covered in winters ice that has frozen on to our heavy jackets. We walk closer to the mysterious wooden house. There is a raised stone walkway with a thin layer of winters blanket. A small gleaming glare catches my eye. A small key that reads” Where wonders rome they shall use the key.” I take my c...

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“Coming Home” by Barbara Eustace

Submitted to Contest #23

It was November when you reached your childhood home after a night and a day driving from the shame, through the tears, into the past. You had no career, no friends, no man, no home. You had nowhere else to go, so you decided to go back to your parents’ house, a small cabin, miles from the nearest town. But when you got there, it was to find that your parents were gone. A man, thirties, forties, was there. Caretaker, he said. They’d gone on a cruise, he said. An extended cruise of a few months to get the wa...

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“Small Talk” by Zoe Berger

Submitted to Contest #23

This guy is driving what looks like a 70’s model Ford, so bright red it's like an eyesore in the snow, with those huge all-terrain tires and one of the side mirrors duct taped on. Not a typical asshole kind of car, I think - it’s the cool stepdad type, someone with kind eyes and a low voice - but this guy is shaping up to be anything but. “I’m telling you,” the girl sighs, “this blizzard on the interstate’s backed everything up like crazy. We just have to wait it out.” “Oh, like hell!” Leaning out into the cold, his nose is the same ug...

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“The Snow Angel” by Serenity Rowland

Submitted to Contest #23

It was going to happen. There was nothing, not a thing,she could do about it. The first snowfall meant three things. She was a woman now. You see, in Bravura, a place she once called home, snow was an omen. It didnt happen with a change of temperature or season. It happened when a girl fell in love for the first time. A very special girl. Every village had a special girl. Miracle girls they called them. Analia was a miracle girl. Born to Richard and Isabel Moss, she was Marked as a miracle girl. All the girls have a special mark of a broken ...

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“Graham the Good Gremlin” by Pamela Saunders

Submitted to Contest #23

Graham the Good Gremlin was born on Christmas Day.Do you know what a gremlin is, dear reader? A gremlin is a creature that often gets blamed when things go missing, for example socks from the washing machine. When the electric fuses blow, and then blow again, and no other reason can be found, a grown-up will often state that it's the gremlins. You get the idea.Although, grown-ups do not actually believe in gremlins at all. It is just their way of saying they do not have any other explanation. They think they made up the gremlins. But grown-u...

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“The Light Snow ” by Anna Schoth

Submitted to Contest #23

It was a cold, dreary night as Ella lied there in a deep sleep, however I could not sleep knowing that tomorrow I would be promoted to chief of police. I got out of bed and felt the crisp floor on my feet as I walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I look outside to see a light dust of snow on the front yard, but that wasn't the only thing I saw. I peered out and saw a figure. I couldn't make out exactly what it was, but it had given me the chills, like I had seen it before. I didn't think much of it, I got the water then went back to ...

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“First Snow of the Season” by Sam Cutlip

Submitted to Contest #23

First Snow of the SeasonSamuel J. CutlipJanuary 7,2019 Olivia Markfield was peacefully sleeping, with curtains drawn, the sun peeking up. Her bedroom walls and floors were tainted with the faint orange glow of the sun. Sorrowfully, it was a school morning and Olivia would soon have to wake to her annoying, buzzing alarm clock. But what Olivia was oblivious to was that overnight a thick, white blanket of snow had silently fallen on the quiet village of Nisswa, the first of the season. Located in central Minnesota, southeast of Minneapolis, Ni...

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“Is this the real life or fantasy?” by Samantha Garcia

Submitted to Contest #23

"Ugh!" I slowly placed my hand on my forehead as I felt it pounding intensely I slowly sat up and carefully open my eyes as I couldn't tell whether it was night or day. Once my eyes were open, the curtains were drawn, but there was light seeping through. 'Well, I slept in late,' I got out of bed and stretched, feeling myself wake up every more and walked to the restroom. I let out a scream when I saw my reflection. I looked like I was caught in a hurricane. My hair was tangled like you could see it was in clumps."Going to be a pain in t...

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“The Footsteps” by Sam Harrison

Submitted to Contest #23

Patient informationName: Jacob WallProfession: Project ManagerAge: 39Clinician informationName: Dr. Andrea FrickmanType of Treatment: Individual TherapyRegistration number: 0897392-X4PROGRESS REPORTPatient report of symptoms/behaviorsJacob seems unaware of his disconnect from reality and expressed stress and frustration at my reactions in our session today. Jacob still expresses sadness over his recent divorce but says he has moments of cautious optimism about the future, which was not the case at our last session. He described walking ...

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$50

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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.

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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...