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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

“I See the Wind Most Everywhere” by Corbin Russell

Submitted to Contest #240

It is a hot, moist, rattling wind that pulls me to awareness, there on my cheek, like a lover blowing into my ear. I know my eyes are open because I can feel myself blinking them. But the only light I see is when my eyes are closed and the little sprites of red and orange drift like clouds in a hopeless night sky.I open my eyes again to the darkness and I cannot move. There is an uncomfortable cocoon around me that holds my arms and legs and torso in place. I cannot adjust my head. It is complete darkness and I am held fast by it. Intense pa...

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“Ferris College Library” by PJ Peterson

Submitted to Contest #240

FERRIS COLLEGE LIBRARYLisa walked along the beach, eyes darting here and there, looking for sea glass. Finding small pieces of glass, especially in shades of blue or aqua, was only part of the thrill. As a talented artisan of handmade jewelry, she Imagined how she might use each found piece in her small design studio.She also found herself wondering what the shard might have been in its original form. Had it been a water glass that came from one of the many shipwrecks along the Pacific coast? Perhaps it had been a champagne glass t...

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“The Green Paper” by Arlene Placer

Submitted to Contest #240

She was too busy rushing to catch the bus to pay any mind to the wind that seemed to carry leaves, bits of candy wrappers, and an assortment of potpourri. Her heels clicked on the well-walked sidewalk, and she held onto her purse with a vengeance. “Ach,” she cried out to the sudden shift of wind, which blew a chunk of newspaper onto her coat. She pushed it off, but behind it, a stray light green piece still clung to her. It got shoved into her pocket to be forgotten as she boarded the bus and found a seat near the front. Later that eve...

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“Whispers of the Wind” by Drayton Garbade

Submitted to Contest #240

In the heart of the ancient city of Meridell, where cobblestone streets whispered tales of yore and towering spires pierced the sky, a crumpled piece of paper danced in the wind. It twirled and spun, a silent ballet orchestrated by the unseen hands of fate, until it came to rest at the feet of a young girl named Elara. Elara, with her curiosity as boundless as the sea, gently picked up the paper, her fingers unfolding its secrets with the delicacy of touching a butterfly's wings. The message, written in a hurried scrawl, read: "Meet me at t...

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“The Purple Ticket ” by Y. Zhan

Submitted to Contest #240

I look out at a vast blue ocean from the window of my train. The water rolls and tumbles over itself in smooth, gentle pillows. It does not break into white peaks or crash angrily along the rocky shoreline as I expect it to. Instead, it remains still as I travel alongside it, as if waiting for me to react first. It wins. I cannot help but give it attention. I feel strange not doing so, for though the ocean is vast, it is fleeting to my eyes. I worry it will be far behind me if I blink. And I cannot put more behind me. A sheet of ...

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“Pass It On” by Ed Phrampus

Submitted to Contest #240

Pass It OnA boy was walking down an old farm road adjacent from the farm where he lived.Upon walking down this road he happened to step on a crumpled piece of paper rolled into a ball. He picked it up and unwrinkled and found a message inside. It read Pass It On, but add a message before you do. He thought to himself self this is rather strange.Where did this come from , it's unexplained.He then thought about what message to write that would follow Pass It On? He thought maybe have a nice day, no that won't do.He thou...

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“Reality Check” by Johanna Parry

Submitted to Contest #240

Reality CheckDoes anyone really understand what “sustainable” actually means? Where do we go to get the “truth” about what our future is becoming? Are the ”Thought Leaders” abandoning us in their retreat into so-called “sustainable communities?” Is this a movement of people who are living within the so-called “privileged class” that will leave the 40-hour work week public behind - those who struggle enough just to pay all the bills - so they can act out their personal versions of “Survival of The Fittest?”Dr. Simon Michaux is working activel...

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“The Dutchess Flies At Noon. ” by Farai Gotora

Submitted to Contest #240

Thomas Hastings enjoyed the dying moments of his break. He took a bite of his last shortbread cookie, savoring the sweet buttery goodness. His tea was still piping hot. He grimaced at the steam before standing up and taking his full cup to the sink to dump out. The only reason he bothered with the stuff was a matter of social acceptance. All his colleagues drank tea and they all seemed to be functioning adults. He wished to be regarded in this way too. He’d been offered a cup of tea by one of the other teachers on his first day and in the in...

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“Crumpled Company” by C Zwick

Submitted to Contest #240

*tsh tsh tsh* I hear something bouncing as I take my afternoon stroll. I look back to see a small paper ball, carelessly bouncing down the sidewalk with me. It stops near my feet. I cock my head like a dog. Interested... but not intrigued. It's a random piece of paper, and its noticeably dirty too. I'm not picking that trash up. I continue walking as normal. The gentle wind, while inviting of odd guests, was cool and refreshing. Swiftly caressing both myself and the surrounding nature. Trees, flowers, bugs n blades of grass... all wistfully ...

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“Letter to Santa” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #240

I will always remember Christmas Day a few years ago. I thought it was going to be a normal Christmas.The story really starts on Christmas Eve just before lunchtime. I did always hope it would be a white Christmas but today was just a typical December day, cold, wet and windy but no sign of snow. I stopped by the post box and dropped three late Christmas cards through the slot. I knew they would arrive late. But I would have felt guilty if I hadn’t sent them. As I turned round to head home a sudden gust of wind blew a piece of paper into my ...

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“A Father's Love” by Emma Lecour

Submitted to Contest #240

BASTIAN His desk was a mess. Papers littered everywhere, spilling onto the floor and piling up around the full waste bin. In fact, the whole apartment was a mess. Dishes in the sink, and dust gathering on the piano keys, because he wasn't the one who played it. The only room in the apartment that wasn't cluttered was the yellow bedroom. Her clothes were still in the closet, folded and hung up from the last time she cleaned her room. "What a change from last year," he thought to himself. Last year, her room was the messiest. Last year, h...

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“A Mighty Wind Showed Me the Way” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #240

The day of the launch was April 25, a symbolic day for those who go sailing on their own, who read books with a deep history, and who took at least one English literature course in university. Even though high winds were predicted as a possibility, I still had to leave on that particular day. At first that seemed quite alright. I hadn’t sailed in a number of years, but I wasn’t worried, at least not at first. Caution hasn’t come with age for me. I am just as impulsive and foolhardy as an old man as I always was as a ...

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“Tortugas Adventure” by Roger Fred Gridley

Submitted to Contest #240

As far back as I can remember I have had a boat of some kind. My first craft was an 8-foot sailing pram. It was severely in need of repair but it was free and it was mine. It sunk before I could drag it home so the first order of business was hull repair. My addiction progressed throughout the years and many different watercraft. Power or sail. If it floats, I am drawn to it like a mosquito to the flame. A good friend of mine purchased a 30-foot cruising sailboat. He knew I was a boat nut and invited me over to examine his purchase. She was ...

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“The Wind Whispers” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #240

Baltasan is relaxing on the porch swing of his white cottage that overlooks Madeira Bay. He was born on Madeira Island and has lived his whole life by the sea. Ever since Baltasan was twelve, he had worked on commercial fishing boats. He retired thirteen years ago. He didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice. The company was moving to the mainland. So now he sits staring out at the ocean he loves so much. At eighty-three, Baltasan’s face shows the wear and tear of life at sea. His skin is wind-burn...

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“The Bridgemaker” by Rory Dunster

Submitted to Contest #240

“You’ve got mail again, Seymour,” Marv said to me as I walked into the post office. I sneered, wiping at my dripping nose. “Who from?” Marv’s bushy eyebrows lifted over dull eyes. “Who do you think?” He said, offering me a damp scrap of bark from the pile on his desk. I grimaced and took the note from him, shoving it into the pocket of my drip coat and making my way into the back room. Persha bleated angrily at my ankles. She hated it when her fur got wet. Which was ironic, since she always seemed to walk under the lamp...

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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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