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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 Northerly” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #240

The last step creaked as Tom walked down the staircase. It was there to remind him that it had to be fixed before somebody stepped through the old wood. But not today. It was far too hot already although the sun had only just come up over the saltbush horizon. He did not get much sleep; it was almost impossible to fall asleep on these hot nights and it was the fourth day now in a row with temperatures around 40 degrees. You would think you would get used to it out here where there was little shade from the scorching sun, but the heat always ...

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“A Calling in the Wind” by Angelica Sophia

Submitted to Contest #240

Mira’s silky black hair was braided back the way her mother used to do it for her when she was a little girl living in Mexico. Around her face a few stray wisps of feathered hair danced in the breeze caressing her cheeks, a gentle stroke from an invisible hand. Determined to keep her eyes on the page and avoid any distracting daydreams, Mira tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears and turned the page to the U.S. history book she was reading. It had been a long winter and finals would soon begin. Mira worked diligently, quickly ...

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“Strange Bus” by Holly Gilbert

Submitted to Contest #240

I felt the breeze on my face as I walked out the door. I swear I heard my name in it. I eyed the beach in the distance. If I could just take a seat in the sand, If I could just let my toes into the water, I’ll be able to breathe again. I looked back, making sure no one was awake. Now, any normal girl would've waited until the sun was up, but I was never considered “normal.” I closed the door quietly, then walked down the footpath. It was three in the morning. Twilight. A magical thing happens at twilight. That’s when it appears a...

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“ECHOES OF EXISTENCE: A PAPER'S ODYSSEY” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #240

I do not know who will hear me or if anyone can, but I must speak out loud. I'm sure most of you didn't realize that a paper like me could talk or even have feelings. But it is true. That is what I believe. Sometimes, that is all that matters.As I drifted through the vast expanse of the cityscape, carried by the wind's whims, I reflected on the journey that had led me to this surreal moment. Memories of my past drifted through my consciousness like fleeting whispers echoing through the corridors of time. The time that I thought I had enough ...

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“Running Home ” by Mike Werner

Submitted to Contest #240

It’s not easy to go on the run, but Karen never did what was easy. No, nothing ever came easy to her. She’s been doing the hard things in life since she was a kid and has never stopped. Karen did the difficult tasks that most kids don’t dream of doing until well into their adulthood. Adulting is what people in their twenties called it. To Karen, adulting has been part of her daily activities for over ten years. That’s a hell of a lot of being an adult for someone who’s only twenty-two years old. There was an earsplitting ...

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“Ted's 'Robber Gull'” by Leslie Kirc

Submitted to Contest #240

This story is about a teenager. Today it would be unheard of to let a boy of fifteen to take a boat out for an extended trip of four or five days in the open ocean. Ted sailed past a small Island about late morning. It seemed deserted with its cliffs plunging into the sea. He counted three kinds of birds all nesting in the cliffs. He lashed his ruder and went below to get some fried fish and potatoes. He came up on deck and saw a sea gull. He throws small pieces of fish up for the gull to catch. It soon turned into a flock of gulls. He had a...

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“The day I stopped being a fake smoker.” by Ricardo Olmos

Submitted to Contest #240

I was sitting when I saw it all, I was on the rooftop of the building smoking a cigarette, it was cloudy, one of those days where it seems like even the slightest thunder will make the sky collapse on all of us. That day I felt particularly overwhelmed by everything surrounding my existence: too much work, little time to finish all the tasks, the phone kept vibrating with each message, the weekend had social commitments that I couldn't refuse to have some time for myself, and apparently, that intermittent headache wasn't going to leave me al...

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“Evie and the Earth” by D'Spencer Luyao

Submitted to Contest #240

Trigger warnings include: death, car accidents, depictions of grief. Earl sat against the wall opposite his sister’s bedroom. He wasn’t allowed in, so when he couldn’t sleep, he sat outside, staring at the door as if it might open from the inside. The sun was coming up, reaching its fingers in through the windows, and Earl had been in that spot since one in the morning, completely sleepless. Earl’s mom, a slight woman named Lacey, stepped out of her room and into the kitchen as soon as it seemed ...

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“Nulistea” by Aidan Romo

Submitted to Contest #240

As the wind picks up speed and even more strength, I stand under our glorious purple moon. The moon that shines high above us, the stars in this galaxy, in the midst of the ever expansive empty black of space. The six pillars of our grand governance flashing up with power and pride against the corners of our gorgeous moon. As it all waves high in the air in defiance of Yrrim’s planetary wrath, my heart fills with the greatest resolve there is. The type that only the most devoted of patriotism can deliver. It isn’t as strong as it was when I ...

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“Lost in the Wind” by Eric Muller

Submitted to Contest #240

There sat Charlie, sitting alone in the candlelight; all around him was the storm. It shook the walls. The glass windows in the lighthouse’s tower rattled. “It’ll pass quickly,” lied Charlie to himself. A clap of thunder sounded and the lighthouse shuddered. Then the storm quieted. Charlie listened intently. He could hear the rain pattering on the roof, the hum from the lantern room, the wind sweeping across the island, In the next moment came three knocks from the door. Charlie looked up. A muffled voice shouted from outside, then the knock...

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“So the world crashes” by CD Holly

Submitted to Contest #240

(Trigger warning!!!suicide, self harm, mentions of abuse/alcoholism) The wind brushed harshly against my cheeks. Frigid as I stared at the play equipment in the park. They always said he was too cold, too distant, too full of hate, to be able to love anyone. They didn’t know him as I did, the way his eyes lit up when his favorite song came on, the way he smiled when I told him I made the football team. They couldn’t know, it wasn’t that he was incapable of love, he was too scared to try. It always hit him in the gut hard, like someone took a...

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“The drifting breeze brought me to a kindred spirit.” by Silent Mumbler

Submitted to Contest #240

Joane closed her eyes as the cool breeze swept past her at the beach that night, giving her chills but in a good way. This is the first time she felt glad of the fact that she said yes to the college trip. The trip itself was nowhere as fun as she imagined, but to her nothing was that much fun anyway, not without the people she loved, which was just a handful at the time. Moments like these, when she could be away from the crowd and mind her own business were the best. Then she wouldn't have to pretend to be someone else and try to ble...

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“Dancing in the Clouds” by Aeryn Goodspeed

Submitted to Contest #240

Tsiella stood at the fo’c’sle, one hand on the running line. Scraggly rope pressed into her fingerpads. She took a deep breath of the crisp night air, reaching out her other hand. The wind seemed to take hold of it, squeezing it gently like the grip of a new lover, fingers of the breeze blowing troughs through her long fur. She smiled. Then she stepped off into the clouds. Sky-swimming was best done at night. She dove upward, gripping updrafts and pulling them around her. Her eyes were closed, but she felt the wind guide her along. A new w...

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“Bare Beginnings” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

Submitted to Contest #240

A soft, sensual breeze blew past, wrapping Penelope "Penny" Hargreaves in a warm embrace and awakening her senses. The gentle caress of salt-tinged air against her skin, the faint cries of seagulls, and the rhythmic lull of waves – it all whispered of a serene morning...if not for the blinding sunlight assaulting her eyelids and the distinct lack of any familiar surroundings. Penny's eyes fluttered open, squinting against the glare. One blink. Two blinks. This wasn't a dream. It was the deck of an impossibly luxurious yacht, and she was utte...

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“Queen's day” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #240

The wind blew in her face while the heavy transit whispered, "You are late." The girl had promised to arrive home early that day, but things had not gone as planned at school. She was cycling fast. Her legs were hurting, her heart was racing, and she was thinking about the homework she still had to do, the time she had spent talking to her friends, and any possible excuse to give to her father, but she knew there was none. At least, not a credible one. When Queen arrived at the iron gates at the back of the house, she took the keys out of h...

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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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