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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

“The Best Dinghy In the World” by H.e. Ross

Submitted to Contest #240

It started with buying a boat that was sunk. I had saved up the money to buy a boat and was wandering around a boat sales place when I saw the upturned stern of a small sloop. I could tell is was a sloop by the mast partially angled out of the water. The cabin was completely submerged but the rounded stern was beautiful with the rudder giving little jerks with the falling tide movements. I ran back to the office and told them about the sloop. They hadn’t been out on the dock that morning and hadn’t seen that the boat had sunk.That’s how it s...

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“The Sea Beneath the Stars” by Chloe Gutjahr

Submitted to Contest #240

Orion was ten years old the first time he went sailing. For years, he had asked his father to take him with him, and for years, his father had said no. It was too dangerous for a little boy. Even the day-long fishing excursions weren’t suitable. It wasn’t until the tenth anniversary of his birth that his father finally said yes. It would be a simple overnight of fishing and leisure on the ocean with his father’s friends, but to Orion, it felt like the dawn of a new world. He was finally enough of a man to learn to sail. That was more than en...

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“For the Greater Good” by Patrick Boey

Submitted to Contest #240

“Forward! Onward! Take the bastard head on!” The struggling ship burst through the dark crest of a wave several masts high, then plunged in a downward heave. For a moment, gravity seemed to leave the Yggdrasil and the crew leaned backwards to prevent the great vessel from tipping over, and then the ship crashed upon the narrow wavelength, before it began to rise up towards the peak of the next monstrous wave. The storm had endured three days and nights, each sunset threatening to bring more formidable towering waves, ceaseless in their...

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“the forgiveness of the wind” by Doris Popus

Submitted to Contest #240

In the quiet hours before dawn, a gentle mist shrouded the countryside. The whispers of the wind filled the solace and each dewdrop kissed the earth as if bestowing blessings upon the sleeping world. The comfort of the sun would slowly creep and dissolve the mist’s embrace, unveiling the hidden hues of the landscape. As the world awakened to the soft glow of dawn, most took comfort in the warmth that the beginning of the day had. For Corinne it was anything but peaceful. A tightness suffocated her daily, clawing at her throat, wrapping its a...

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“A Sobering Night” by Aly Jester

Submitted to Contest #240

The draft brushed through the tiny hairs which had escaped Lucy’s ponytail, tickling the back of her neck. It sent a chill through her and raised goosebumps on her forearms. She had been numb for so long that the prickling of her skin was a strange sensation like skeletal fingers reaching through the earth, suddenly brought to life by some dark magic. Agitated and reluctant, she spun around, kneeling on the couch to pull the drapes shut. Through the window, she caught the sight of leaves whipping around like tiny tornadoes ...

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“Facing the Fireflies” by JP G

Submitted to Contest #240

How long had I dozed off? The encroaching darkness suggested it was nearly 8 or 9 in the evening. A sense of guilt hit me for snoozing on the job, but the relentless work of the past few days justified my need for rest. Leaning against the truck, I noticed Chris peacefully resting by the driver's side door. He had worked tirelessly to fix the truck, yet with two flat tires and a smoking engine, our stay here was inevitable. Slowly I wiped my face in an attempt to shake off the drowsiness. Instead of revitalizing me, it left me feeling groggy...

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“House of wolves” by Milena SK

Submitted to Contest #240

Lashing winds raged around the lighthouse and the monsters' eyes glowed in the darkness. The howls and growls were deafening. Their traces were everywhere: on the walls, on the floors, on their bodies. Some ran as if the devil himself was chasing them; some fought with each other, so fast that their silhouettes blurred, a single, tangled ball of fur and teeth, ready to tear each other to pieces; others lay in a dark corner, whimpering, twitching, ignored. Camilla backed away until her back hit the door. Although she knew it was futile, her ...

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“Riptide” by Natasha Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #240

The lighthouse plunges into darkness. Nell’s hands shake as she lights up a match, the better to see the gun with. A clap of thunder. She watches as the flame falls to the ground before that, too, goes out. A bolt of lightning ignites the night sky, and she uses that, along with her hands and her minds’ eye to light another match. She lights the emergency candles that are available for this very occasion. It is not unusual for a particularly bad storm to cause blackouts out here by the South China Sea. The wind makes a terrible howling wail ...

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“A Breeze for Yolanda” by Robert Pyke

Submitted to Contest #240

In. Out. With my hands clenched together before my nose, breathing so deeply sends a hot breeze onto my chilled fingers. nnnHH. HHnnnn. I send. You hope. I send. You strength. I send. You love. Airy-fairy Eastern wisdom Buddhist bullshit? It doesn’t matter, not even in my logical, scientific heart of hearts. Sending messages into the air—that’s all I can think to do. It is 4 a.m on a cold February night. I am awake with an awful foreboding, a knowing that my kid sister Yolanda, my only remaining relative, is in intractable p...

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“The Kiss of the Breeze” by Rosemary Brett-Green

Submitted to Contest #240

The Kiss of the Breeze She felt the softest breeze on her cheek, like the touch of a kitten’s fur, like the beat of a butterfly’s wing. It pleased her in a way she had never been pleased before. She closed her eyes against the brightness of the summer sun. She felt the gentle breeze once more like the softness of silk. Her fingers tingled. Again, there was the whisper of the breeze. Pleasure enwrapped her. Without intent, her shoulders curled, cuddled her neck as a thrill moved thro...

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“Holy Wind” by Michelle Salamanca

Submitted to Contest #240

The letter from my oncologist said, “Her cancer is not curable and there is a significant possibility she could die from her cancer or related complications within the next 6 months.” That’s what I was reflecting on when the nurse approached me in the waiting room asking me to follow her. You see, I’d sought a second opinion and the new oncologist approved the chemotherapy orders for today’s infusion. I've got a new oncologist, a new cancer center, and a new nurse. I was scared. The nurse led me through the tiled white floors, under the brig...

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“Night Breeze” by Esther Andrews

Submitted to Contest #240

Whirring fan blades insulated my ears from the cacophony of cars and late-night dog walkers beneath my bedroom window. Curled up under silky sheets with a thick, fluffy duvet tucked tightly around me, I unwound the events of the day in my head and felt myself slowly drifting off.But sleep would not come so easily that night, for, just as my mind quieted and my muscles relaxed, a strong gust of wind blew across my face and into my ear, making its way quite painfully all the way down to my eardrum.“What the hell?” I wondered, immediately shoot...

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“Fickle Winds” by Dana W

Submitted to Contest #240

Fickle WindsA Short Storyby Dana Wagner The wind swept tendrils of long blonde hair back from my face as I turned a pork chop over on the grill. Being indecisive in its direction, as is often the case with wind, it whipped my hair back across my eyes. I tossed my head to the side as the breeze shifted again, this time in my favor. I couldn’t quite declare this wind as warm or cold. It was somehow neither and both. Unseasonably warm for such an early March day in the Midwest, it still held a slight chill as it caressed my skin. As though win...

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“A Windy Day” by Stacey Cooper

Submitted to Contest #240

A woman is on her way to work and as she opens the door, she faces a gust of wind. She continues the walk to the bus stop where she waits for the bus. It is a breezy day, and at times, the wind picks up speed during the walk. Every once in awhile the woman teaches arts and crafts at a school. In the morning, she helps organize the art supplies, and in the afternoon, she teaches a group of students an art project. She arrives at the school and goes into the art room. She helps organize the art supplies by placing the marke...

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“Dying Stars - The Last Exodus” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #240

November 4, 3589. The sensation of a breeze brushing against my skin was a welcome respite from the day's oppressive heat. I stood on the balcony, gazing at the night sky, feeling the wind's gentle caress against my face. Little did I know that this moment of calm would soon be shattered by a cataclysmic event that would change the course of history forever. My name is Adam, and I was there when the stars started dying. NASA had announced that a "meteorite rain" would be visible only to the inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere. But they wer...

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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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