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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 – 138 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 – 31 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

“Lucid Puma” by Rock Martin

Submitted to Contest #240

Mark is gone. The words echoed in my head as the dry Nevada wind burned against my face, carrying those familiar fine grains of sand. I stood and stared at the orange painted door that led to my childhood home, for a moment, the memory of its bright hue and brilliant color stood in all its glory, like it once had. A muffled shout broke through the closed windows and the door before me was once again the faded and peeling door of my present. Another sound caught my ears, and, with a steadying breath, I stepped forward and pushed it op...

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“Coffee and Cupids” by Bre O'Brien

Submitted to Contest #240

He shivers and pulls his scarf up higher to protect his neck. The breeze brushing against his skin, waking him up as he stands outside the coffee shop, waiting for her. He’s been out of town for weeks, long enough to put their relationship into perspective. He dreaded what he had to do. The breeze blows her hair in all directions as she approaches. It chaps her cheeks in the early spring air, makes her look like a goddess in the dying light of the day. “Shall we?” He offers her his arm, but he has the feeling they wouldn’t be lea...

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“Awakening Of Nagualon” by Sabin Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #240

The wind whistled the greetings of the morning to the boy. His eardrums throbbed gleefully at the song of the breeze mixing with the chatter of the birds. His toes hugged the dirt with passion as he danced his way across the chinampa, making the floating garden of vegetable goodies bob this way and that in the shallow waters of the lake. Playfully plucking the peppers from their perch on the plants he passed, he harvested with such joy that the lake was rife with ripples. A farmer working on a nearby chinampa steadied himself as his is...

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“The Choice” by Tee Farewell

Submitted to Contest #240

A father traced the contours of the weathered bench, immersing himself in its history, a witness to countless memories. With its views of a serene lake beneath the setting sun, the park carried a narrative of a father and daughter's story, filled with laughter, joyous picnics, and lively banter. The grooves in the wood told tales of their bond. With the crisp autumn breeze came the fragrance of fallen leaves as it brushed against his skin. The breeze reminded him of the changing seasons and the passage of time since the unimaginable loss. Th...

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“Hope on the Wind” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #240

A piece of paper, crumpled and tattered, blew past her feet, fetching up against a leg of the park bench where she sat. She looked down, pulling her attention away from her laptop screen. The bit of paper rattled against the rusty metal, making her think of some poor, forlorn thing, desperately seeking any shelter it could find. Then she spotted the writing on it.“What’s this?” she murmured to herself, bending over to pick up the scrap.She smoothed it out, to find that it looked like a letter someone had started, just a greeting and a single...

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“Mystery in the Wind” by Dave Barnard

Submitted to Contest #240

Jack Thompson was cleaning up his future father-in-law’s backyard and looked out over the wide-open space beyond. It was mid-morning in mid-June and the air above the distant airport runway was beginning to shimmer in the Nevada sun. There was no breeze and yet dust devils often appeared unannounced except for the swirling dust and debris they carried along. One of them appeared across the road and seemed to whimsically waver back and forth until it spun across the road and headed straight toward Jack. It stopped only when it ...

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“Sky View” by Prissy Sturz

Submitted to Contest #240

People were beginning to mistake the sky for the sea; that’s why they started jumping off the ship. The jumpers had grown so weary of the white masts flapping in the wind and the creak of the wooden floorboards beneath their feet. They grew weary of sailing, of traveling amongst the clouds for what seemed to be an eternity, waiting to see where the wind would wisp them off to. When the jumpers began to grow weary, so did their minds. Their brains started to become all slow and sluggish, and their judgment all clouded and dazed. That’s when t...

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“The Lonesome Kraken ” by Katherine Basinger

Submitted to Contest #240

It had been storming for a fortnite in the port town and by the time the weather had cleared Nelson’s friend had been gone for almost a month. That's when Nelson decided to go out and look for him. Spending the rest of his money on a small sailboat. The wind was still strong when he left the town and navigation was never Nelson's strong point. He made it about 10 knots before the wind took him away. Heading west instead of east the wind threw Nelson and his vessel around. Cold air and rain hit his face as he tried to steer the boat to t...

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“Flyboy” by Timothy Motley

Submitted to Contest #240

Gust of wind battered the small community of Shadows Brook. Well, really the word community was a bit of a stretch when used to describe Shadows Brook. In reality it was nothing more than a series of six A framed, two story wooden cabins that sat tucked away on the side of a volcano. As a boy Crowley was terrified every time that his mother dragged him to the cabin. Crowley had grown up in the nineties. An era dominated by movies that highlighted the dangerous nature of volcanoes. Why his grandmother had decided to buy a house along the side...

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“Well Wishes” by Jay Keller

Submitted to Contest #240

“Fin, I need you up on the balcony, lad. Another storm’s coming and the damn collector is stuck again!” Pari’s raspy voice rattled through the brass pipes that tangled their way through the lighthouse down into the kitchen. Fin stuffed the rest of his bagel into his mouth. Breakfast was always on the move these days with how often the storms came. He hopped up on the counter and climbed through the little scuttle hole above the fridge. ‘It’s not a door, It’s a scuttle hole! Just look at the hinge!’ The old man’s voice echoed in Fin’s ...

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“The Memoir of Zefir Cozbi: Tales of lies and deception.” by Rehaf Imran

Submitted to Contest #240

Name: Zefir Cozbi11/7/1943 - 11/12/1982Age of death: 40Cause of death: N/ALast record: This Memoir. Contents: This memoir details Zefir Cozbi’s experience at the great SeaFare Lighthouse for 30 days, surrounded by gale-force winds, at constant rates. ___________________________________________ 10/23/1982, I tried turning the thick, iron steel wheel against the pressure of the gale-force winds behind them. It was terrifying yet so thrilling to know that such death-hungry breezes awaited behind. I turned the wheel once more to secure it and ba...

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“Light, Wind” by Kate Forrester

Submitted to Contest #240

They made me do it. All the people with their probing questions and glances and frowns and sighs made me accept a position as a house sitter—for a couple of months, no less. House-sitter for a lighthouse, that is. My job entails a single responsibility: ensuring the beacon is illuminated each night and promptly alerting for assistance if it faltered. The light. At times, it feels almost palpable. Once the darkness really settles in, I watch the light make its rounds. With each rotation, it casts its glow over the water, illuminating waves of...

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“Whispering Woods” by Cynthia Hansford

Submitted to Contest #240

The gentle breeze caressed Lily’s skin as she strolled through the familiar park, her senses attuned to the world around her. Her nostrils were filled with the scent of freshly cut grass, while the melody of birdsong danced in her ears. Closing her eyes, she felt the sun’s warmth on her face and a profound connection to the surrounding nature.Lily had always possessed a heightened sensitivity to her environment, a trait that both comforted and intrigued her. She learned the universe’s secrets through the rustling of leaves and the murmurs of...

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“A windy nightmare” by Katrina French

Submitted to Contest #240

breeze blew lightly against her skin. It was a surprise as it’s been nothing but dry stale air for the last few days. Then suddenly it was like a hurricane was approaching. She only stood 5ft 3inches and all of 80 pounds. Just turned 14 years old and her first day of summer starts with winds so strong trees are collapsing around her. She just wants to make it to the creek it’s always been her safe space. But how can she make it there when this wind could easily knock her off her bike. She grasp her necklace it’s nothing fancy but it’s ...

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“Ruach the Breeze” by Yvonne Marotz

Submitted to Contest #240

Ruach, the Breeze Elovis could feel the breeze blowing over her face and body, as she walked into her Secret Garden. Eyes closed, standing in place, as she took in a deep breath, letting out a slow sigh of contentment. “Thank you Lord,” she whispered, as she opened her eyes and the place was bare of flowers, bare of lucious green grass, bare of decorations, but the breeze was there, warm against her skin and coming in waves. So much love, peace and contentment came with the breeze. It was so beautiful, even though...

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$250

Prize money

329

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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