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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

“Port Anne” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #240

As it was beginning to shake, the lighthouse let out a slow breath. Air popped between the bricks, and the glass up top asked to let go. From within its belly, Cori played a game of checkers against herself. She put on a thick, wool sweater--and then another. The chill had gotten past her skin, and she tried to make her teeth chatter along to the song in her head. Cave senes, cavete iuvenes. Down on the sand lay two bodies. One belonging to an old man and one belonging to a young man. These two were of no relation to each other. Cori picked ...

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“Words on the Wind” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #240

Steve, the weatherman on channel six, rudely interrupted Dr. Phil. to tell us that a tornado had touched down near Louisville and was traveling up the Ohio River. Everybody knows that these guys live for this stuff, like a self-respecting entomologist lives for the hatching of the seventeen-year cicadas. But really! Louisville? That was at least two and a half hours away, if you kept to the speed limits. I've lived here for thirty years and yet have to see one of these things. Come to think about it, that's a good thing.On second thought, I ...

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“Not the Brightest Bulb” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #240

The light panned over the coast, gutting the night like a blade through a fish’s belly.Emerson Leighe sighed. From experience, he knew the storm would be raging well into the next day. But he’d be safe here; this lighthouse had weathered many storms before this one. And it would weather many more after, too. It had stood here since before he was born, and it would stand long after he was dead, which wouldn’t be long now, he reasoned. He raised his metal cup to the windows, which looked out onto the frothing midnight ocean. He offered the nig...

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“Punching Air” by Angela M

Submitted to Contest #240

The December wind embraced my shoulders the first night I walked past my dead mother’s reincarnation on the crowded streets of downtown Los Angeles. I didn’t know how I could tell it was her if I’m being honest with you. Her new body looked about six years old, still a young boy like I was seventeen years ago. His messy hair was the color of chestnut and he had blue popsicle juice dripping down his forearms. But still, I could tell from a mile away: He has my mother’s soul. In just one glance, I feel a crippling pain in my chest that I ...

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“The Wave.” by Claire Trbovic

Submitted to Contest #240

In the beginning, there was only darkness. My younger years were long and relentless as I remained in the shadows, watching, waiting, biding my time in a warm womb whilst it moulded and shaped me.Every day, the world became a little lighter, darkness lifting so slow it was only just conceivable, until eventually I emerged. The sun beat down on my back and I finally felt free. It was my time, my era. I had been in the depths for an eternity but emerging forward into the light gave me strength, a purpose. I was a lone force out in the world, f...

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“Two Moons” by LeeAnn Hively

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #240

He occasionally envisioned that life in dreams, where two moons hung in the sky, one closer, vibrantly pink and purple, the other, a shimmering white, the opaque pearl magic unto itself. He saw them disappear from view as the ancient cave walls enveloped him in their darkness, his small feet padding along the rock of the stone floor worn smooth over centuries of use. The further he crept, the more exposed he felt, and shadows gathered around him. His bones began to quake deep into the pitch with the final ...

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“Adventure on Lost Island” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #240

Timmy Jenkins was a bright little boy with a fascination for sailboats. On his walls were posters and pictures of various kinds of sailboats that inspired him to someday sail the open sea. His dad would buy him model sets and they would stay up late at night gluing together small pieces and painting them vivid colors. So, Timmy thought he knew a thing or two about building a sailboat. Timmy had some tools his grandpa gave him. Old hand tools that didn’t require electricity like a hammer, some screwdrivers, a saw, even a drill. He collec...

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“Did You Feel That?” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #240

Part One – Ida “Did you feel that?” Ida placed her hand on her cheek while turning away from the open window. “Feel what, love?” “That breeze.” “I wish. It’s hotter than blue blazes in here.” Ida knew that to be true. Her damp blouse sticking to her back was proof enough. But yet, there was that breeze she had felt on her cheek just for an instance. Then it was gone. “You’re right. Would you like some iced tea? We can sit for a while, watch the sun go down.” Moments later Ida brought out the o...

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“Mariner of Innsmouth ” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #240

I write this now from a hospital bed not far from my hometown. Though I am labeled delirious and force-fed medications whose names I cannot pronounce, do not believe that this testament is anything other than truth.It was two days ago, several miles away from the outer shelf reefs from the coast, when I was aboard a sailboat that drifted seemingly aimlessly over the waves. As the setting sun reflected its vibrant hue on the lapping crests, I, the schooner’s sole passenger leaned against a railing as I star...

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“Twist in the Wind” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #240

A black cloud blotted out the sun. The wind kicked up, and I gripped the flaps of my pea coat to cover my ears while I waited to be let in. The air was wet with a coming storm and the clouds rushed by, grumbling above the world of man like a hungry beast. Bates’s office was a few blocks down from the courthouse. It had seemed like an easy walk, but as I made my way down to Summit Avenue, I knew that I had underestimated the weather. My first day on the job was looking to be a dreary one. Dead ends. Dark skies. And a feeling of dread in my st...

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“The drowning woman” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #240

It was September 1989. I was drowning in my huge new school uniform. I know a lot of parents buy a few sizes up to save money but is a sack appropriate for a first day at school? I exaggerate slightly. I was wearing my XL Navy Blazer with the school crest ‘Veritas’ embroidered on top of my non-existent right breast. My Navy V-neck jumper hung past my waist and my ridiculously long navy skirt was a tripping hazard. I remember standing for assembly in the main hall next to a girl called Denise. She had latched on to me right away, but she seem...

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“Don't Know” by George Mexas

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #240

Don’t Know. The wind, indecisive in its direction, takes the umbrella away from me. “Come on!” I shout. I hear the metallic clicks and snaps of the cheap fabric and reused metal that constitutes an umbrella, as it flies away. It ends up landing on a nearby pothole filled with water and I give up on retrieving it. Too bored or frustrated. Maybe I should spend more money for better quality. “That went well.” My friend says. “Shut up.” The words escape my mouth before I even realize. The rain hits me anywhere it can, as if i...

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“A Walk in the Park” by Karen Hope

Submitted to Contest #240

I tie the laces on my sneakers, making double knots and pulling hard to secure them. I reach up and grab my fleece jacket, zipping it halfway up and reaching up the sleeves to pull down the shirt sleeves underneath. I grab my keys off the hall table, open the front door. I take the step down onto my front porch, turn around and lock the door, placing the key securely in the pocket of my jeans. I take the next three steps down to my driveway and then begin to count. It’s 26 steps to the end of my driveway, where I turn right and ta...

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“Curtis and the Curious Current” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #240

Two pairs of small hands claw toward a cyan sky frosted with cirrus froth, but helium conquers gravity, and a frayed inch of twine taunts curled fingertips as the Pantone-perfect yellow orb rises largely unnoticed over the celebrant crowd.Chastened by a yelp of frustration, the hapless child unconsciously backs a step. Retreat becomes escape as a towering shadow falls over both. The balloon flees lazily in the opposite direction as the shamefaced child seeks the raucous safety of pin-the tail commencing on the lawn. A glance back at the boy ...

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“The Immigrant ” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #240

I felt the breeze against my skin. Then I saw a soldier rip a baby from its mother's arms. He swung it by the ankle against the concrete wreckage beside us with a thwack. He threw the baby aside like he was littering, and his dogs tore into it. I was in shock, staring at the grotesque scene of infant flesh being torn from its bones with eyes wide. The sound of bones breaking under the force of the dog’s jaws was just too surreal. The soldier stood over the mother who was hysterically crying. He grabbed her by the hair and walked her over to ...

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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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