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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#240: In the Wind

Wind is something of a contradiction. Powerful yet invisible, it’s nothing but air, but can influence the shape of landscapes, sway trees, and carry whispers across vast distances. This force of nature can be a calming breeze or a raging storm, offering comfort or unleashing destruction.

It’s always around us, whether you’re laying on a warm beach with a relaxing breeze cooling you down, or in awe as a storm passes by while carelessly throwing debris. With that in mind, this week we delve into the wonders of wind and bring attention to its influence within our stories.

This week's prompts

Begin your story with the sensation of a breeze brushing against a character's skin.

Narrative – 139 stories

A crumpled piece of paper holding an unexpected message is carried by the wind. Where did it come from, and where is it going?

Mystery – 63 stories

Set your story on a sailboat, large or small, and entirely at the mercy of the winds.

Adventure – 32 stories

Craft a story where a character finds themselves swept away by the wind, either physically or metaphorically.

Angst – 60 stories

Set your story in a lighthouse surrounded by powerful gale-force winds.

Dramatic – 37 stories

Stories

“Here ” by Kara Niccum

Submitted to Contest #240

The hairs on my arm stood at attention. A gentle caress of cool air traveled up my skin like a finger gently tracing a path. My spine went erect and I snapped my flashlight around. No one was with me. I shook off the shiver—the window was open and the breeze wafted in, nothing more. My beam of light illuminated long-abandoned cobwebs and thick dust layers. Furniture, once beautiful and in high fashion, sat stoic in its resting place, only appreciated by mice and bugs. A chandelier, dull and dirty, hinted at its former glory by glistening e...

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“The Golden Eyed Monk” by Malulani Medeiros

Submitted to Contest #240

The wild forces whipping around the monk, nature itself seemed to be pulling the young man towards the vortex of swirling death and rock below. His heel on the edge of the cliff, the jagged rocks cut his bare feet, as the spear aimed at his heart made clear its intentions. Surrounded by his fellow disciples, the young monk was more than aware of their jealousy towards him. Still, he never thought such bitterness would lead them to this point. Abbot had warned him that their hatred would turn to fear, and that fear to evil, but of all the tea...

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“The Note” by Alyce King

Submitted to Contest #240

She was standing on the street corner, waiting to cross the main road. She hated living here. The cars whizzed past, a harsh breeze against her skin, that smell of fuel through her nostrils. It settled around her feet, and it wasn't until the man next to her nudged her and said, ''think you dropped something,'' that she noticed it. She bent down to pick it up, knowing full well she hadn't 'dropped something' as she hadn't been carrying anything, as her fingertips grazed the surface, it took off, blowing in the direction she was going, yet do...

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“Forty-Eight Hours ” by Lynette J.

Submitted to Contest #240

Jane is a bright and witty woman, who’s enjoying her mid twenties. She had no immediate plans to date or get married. She figured she had the rest of her life to embark on that journey. For now, she enjoyed her quiet time alone. As she strolled down the beach, watching the sunrise, she felt calm. The beach was her happy place. She loved the sounds of the ocean splashing against the sand. With her eyes closed, she stretched her arms out wide to embrace the warm sunlight beaming on her body. She lived for moments like this. That is until ...

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“Fragments” by Lily Moeller

Submitted to Contest #240

I found the first fragment tangled in some debris as I was walking beside the river. It had flooded recently, so the willows that lined the path were still draped with broken branches, reeds and other detritus left behind when the water receded. I gazed at the wreckage, contemplating how surreal it was to think that where I was walking had been completely underwater just a few days ago, and trying to forget my aching heart. That's when I saw it; a tiny piece of paper snagged on a twig. Don't be afraid, you The letters were typed in a classic...

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“Tarot Fairy Godmother” by Julia Rajagopal

Submitted to Contest #240

Blown by the warm summer wind, a small, wrinkled card tumbled onto their blanket. The card had a white horse and skeleton, and the word DEATH was printed across the bottom.“Well, that’s ominous,” Helen Knox said as she picked up the tarot card. “Does this mean someone’s going to die?” A cloud passed, casting a shadow over their picnic. The wind blew through the busy park, ruffling the napkins tucked under the corner of the picnic basket and nearly overturning their plastic wine glasses.“It doesn’t always mean death,” Erica, Helen’s girlfrien...

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“Crumpled for Life” by Alycia Morales

Submitted to Contest #240

On a particularly blustery day in New York City, a young man of no more than twenty years strutted down the sidewalk on his way to class at the university. The cold wind whipped at his cheeks, turning them a rosy red while his conversation with his father the previous evening replayed in his head. Your younger brother received word of a promotion in his construction career today. When are you going to start earning a decent paycheck? Art isn’t going to pay the bills. It’s a hobby, not a job. He never had approved of him attending college. Le...

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“Only Human” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #240

Coffee splashed against the wall from the Styrofoam cup. A former baseball pitcher, Rex had aimed well. Fresh coffee ran down the wall over old coffee stains. A few people in the crowded break room flinched, but most ignored his outburst. They were used to it. Anita ran to mop up the spill with a cloth. She stood and shook the crumpled cup at Rex.“Get out of here, idiot. Don’t come back in here until you can act like a human being.”He laughed and sat at a table.Wyatt moved to Rex and murmured. “Let’s go. Take a walk. Cool off.”After a moment...

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“The Voyage” by Thomas Caampbell

Submitted to Contest #240

A sharp wind was whipping the sail smartly against my face as I hung on to the spar for dear life, and life and death it was. I was shaking with fear, wondering what I, Thomas Anderson was doing 60 feet above the deck of the Phoebe and not clerking in a staid London bank but more importantly, I was wondering how I was going to get down from there. The captain, a brute of a man named Amos Dynever, had forbidden any of the crew to climb up and help me so all the men could do was watch and see if a green 17 year old boy would make it down on hi...

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“Vicissitude” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #240

The air on the vessel is thick; with each breath, the heat of the sea invades the lungs and taints the ridges of the throat. A woman, too young to be a child but too old to be beautiful, sits at the bow of the fishing boat, her feet nestled underneath her splintered seat. Behind her, struggling to stand against the vicious coastal air, a man pulls at two ropes connected to the boat’s sail. It’s patchy and discolored from years at sea. With each gust of wind, the yellowing fabric undulates, pulsating feverishly. The woman grips the boat's si...

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“The Blue Horizon” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #240

Christian Jones felt a breeze on his arm and almost jumped out of his skin.Was it a dream? He rubbed his shoulder against his cheek, and felt the dry sandpaper of a five-day stubble, skin burnt by the sun. The deep blue ocean surrounding their small boat had been playing tricks with his mind, mirages of land, and what did those looks from Rafe mean?Again, a gentle movement on his skin, and he leapt up.“Rafe! Captain Rafe, a breeze!” Christian turned to look at the mainsail, eager for it to fill with wind, to pull them out of the ho...

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“Sticks and Twine” by Veronica Packwood

Submitted to Contest #240

It was a balmy midmorning on the cusp of spring and summer, the air smelling of magnolia wood and blooming jasmine, and Yelena was sweating. Her pale arms were starting to redden from the light sun, and she kept having to pull her skirt, sticky with sweat and river water, away from her knees. The warm months in the nation of Xinzihua were unfamiliar, her body having long acclimated to the permafrost of her home country, forcing her to spend the first two summers of her new life cooped up in a dark room with a cold drink in reach. When s...

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“THE DAY THE LIGHT WENT OUT” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #240

THE DAY THE LIGHT WENT OUT The wind; it has always been the wind. His one, true companion throughout his sixty years of life. He knew it as it knew him. Ivan Rokosovic, born on the island of Sakhalin, one year after the Great War that claimed the life of his father, a Russian mariner, cherished the wind for it spoke to him, its natural movement of air and gases warning him of storms to come, caressing him in its gentle breezes, informing him, always, of life far away in the tropics, the subtropics, the distant poles. Its varied directions c...

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“Affair with the rain” by Zaria Nurse

Submitted to Contest #240

The sun knew she didn’t miss it when the rain came, her want for picnics and beach days faded. Rainy days brought cold droplets to make her feel alive with wind to sweep her off her feet. The rain’s wind touched her differently, leaving goosebumps with its brisk pass by. Though sometimes it was bitter and cold pounding against her body to cover her skin almost felt wrong. The sun was nice enough but barely brought a breeze, so her eyes everted to the rain that brought bigger gifts like thunder and lightning with a downpour to almost cleanse ...

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“Scattered to the Wind” by C. Charles

Submitted to Contest #240

TW: Violence, Gore and mention of Sexual Violence Chad fell to the ground and scrambled up as fast as he could as the icy wind whistled all around him. The wind—he had to get out of the wind. He was walking through a dead and yellow field, close to the edge where there was a little tree cover. If he didn’t find shelter, he would be dead soon. The worst part (was it the worst part?) was that if it came to that, he didn’t think that there’d be anything left of him.Another icy blast ripped through his naked body—so cold that he could feel it in...

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$250

Prize money

331

Contest entries

134

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 08, 2024 EST

Won by Jonathan Page 🏆

Title: Lost and Found

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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