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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#262: Turn Up the Heat

What’s not to love about summer? There's something so wonderful about spending lazy afternoons taking a stroll in the sunshine or cooling off with an ice-cold drink by a pool. I can still remember how excited I would feel on the last day of school, just hours away from barbecues, beach days, and family picnics.

With summer in full swing for many of us, let’s write some stories that center around long, sweltering days. Will your tale take place at a fancy resort or a crowded park? How about a county fair or an island getaway? No matter what you choose, make sure to bring on the heat!

This week's prompts

Write about a summer vacation gone wrong.

Summer – 66 stories

Start or end your story with a heatwave announcement.

Summer – 34 stories

Write about a character who is allergic to heat.

Summer – 26 stories

Center your story around an unexpected summer fling.

Summer – 53 stories

Set your story during the hottest day of the year.

Summer – 88 stories

Stories

“Perks of a Red Door” by Rachael Albert

Submitted to Contest #262

Having an affair is a stupid thing to do. Which is why I wont tell my husband I’ve been having one most of the summer. Let me roll it back to the beginning for you. I have this buddy, Carmine, who likes to go out… a lot. He’s honestly a borderline alcoholic but we let him know that too often, and he’s a good time, anyway. It was late June and Carmine called me up to go to a gay bar with him. Being a bisexual woman, this is totally my thing, plus my husband was away for a few days so I figured, “why not?” I wanted the company, too. My husband...

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“Breath of Life” by Heather Congrove

Submitted to Contest #262

Author note, this story contains depictions of child birth and referencing to rape. “One, two, three push!" She bears down, pushing her body to its limit. Every fiber of her being joins in the effort with little control of her own. Waves of agony shake her as each contraction comes quicker than the last. She steadies her breathing, reminding herself that she is strong enough to make it through. The relentless wave comes again, strong at first, then growing to unbearable intensity. She wails in pain."It's okay Lucy. It's almost over. I can ...

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“ONE SUMMER AT THE BEACH” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #262

Fire, Island, the best place to be during the summer. My favorite place to be. I used to come here with my family every summer. Now I'm coming here alone. It doesn't feel right coming here alone. I am making it my mission to have fun and I am going to have fun. Wow, I can't believe Fire Island is still the same. Mama's Bakery is still in the same place welcoming visitors to the island. Mama's Bakery sells the most delicious pastries. My favorite are the eclairs. Maybe, I will have one later. Fire Island Ice Cream Shop is where the best ice c...

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“Heart Left Behind” by CJ Erb

Submitted to Contest #262

Niko absently ran his finger through drops of condensation on the side of his glass. He’d finished his second drink pretty quickly and was chewing on the leftover ice in an attempt to keep cool. “Uh, excuse me.” Niko’s head snapped up. “Huh? Sorry?” Behind the bar, the bartender smiled softly. “Last call. Can I get you anything else?” He was being polite, even though it was clear he’d asked this already. Niko just hadn’t heard him the first time. The heat didn’t help with his sleeplessness, but it sure made him feel...

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“A Second Chance at Summer” by Hannah R. Newberry

Submitted to Contest #262

“Can I get the play station?”“You have fifty seven tickets.” The boy, a short round thing of about twelve, stared at me blankly. His red stained mouth hung open slightly, the same cherry stain dribbled down the front of his shirt. “The play station costs 115,000 tickets,” I explained. “Okay!” He said with an empathic nod of the head, comprehension eluding him.“You know what, how about fifty seven army men?” I pulled out one of the small green figures from a container under the counter and handed it to the boy. He stared down a...

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“The Complete Cowboy-Romance Experience” by Suzanne Jennifer

Submitted to Contest #262

It was a brisk morning in early summer at the Whiskey Creek Ranch, a dude ranch/working cattle ranch in the Montana Rockies. Another week had begun and the staff was ready. It was orientation for the next batch of guests, and the mountains surrounding the valley held witness as a group of greenhorns gathered for instructions.Two men and three women circled around a cowboy, listening as he explained the rules of trail etiquette. Vivienne wondered if the cowboy’s demeanor was as insulting to the other four guests as it was to her. She was in s...

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“A Tale of a Starry-Eyed Princess” by Tara D. Wilson

Submitted to Contest #262

I lay there in my crown of flowers, the purple velvet coat soft under my body. The silver beads in the sleeveless bodice of my ivory dress twinkled in the sun as the tulle skirt fluttered in the breeze. My handsome prince stood above me. He, with his ivory skin, sky blue eyes, and blond hair, slowly leaned down. This was the magic moment, our first kiss. And just as our lips were about to touch, he started poking my shoulder. Huh? I thought. Then I woke up. My eyes opened and I saw the poking perpetrator. My friend, Jason, was...

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“Even Swans Make Mistakes” by Oscar Lozano

Submitted to Contest #262

Has any other well-to-do girl ever seemed like as much of a criminal as me? Camille pondered, sitting in the garden, watching her trembling hands. She felt like she had stolen something. In fact, she knew she had. Not something, however, but someone. All she could do now was wait until he woke up.***An experienced dancer since she was six, Camille took new members of her class under her wing. They were usually complete beginners, more interested in having fun than anything else. She stuck to the basics with them. That afternoon, she taught a...

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“It must be love” by Justin Diaz

Submitted to Contest #262

It must be love “We’re here” called out Carl, the father of the Fox family as he put the minivan into park just outside of an old house. Matthew was zoned out typing away on his phone chatting with his friends who were now hundreds of miles away by now back in his hometown. He hated the idea of being dragged all this way from his home to a place he had never been before. His friends had plans for summer vacation, and he was looking forward to joining them in those plans but when one day his father announced they were going to spend the summ...

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“A Summer Of Biting Passion ” by Sir Suirradel

Submitted to Contest #262

It was a moment of weakness. During that summer, he could sweat just from IMAGINING her lips pressed against his bare skin. They were parked in front of his grandmother’s house. Not the most romantic of places to be when wanting to give someone a hickey, but Zachari was determined to bedazzle her. His night with Racel Monet was the night of the blood moon. While the air thinned as it grew frigid through the lonely streets of Harloom,his pants burn from her gentle touch. He felt a bit slight in comparison to the bulky red Hummer ...

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“I Guess” by Danielle Lennon

Submitted to Contest #262

Acknowledging your name would bring up too much so I left it out, but by the end of this I’m sure you’d know this was perfectly crafted for you. It was the perfect love story until this moment. The moment I realized and accepted you really ghosted me. Things were not supposed to go this way, but I guess that was your intention all along. You made my world stop. Inhale. Every breath I took was like inhaling every part of you. Exhale. Every release was with force signifying me exhaling all the othe...

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“Life Beyond the Sea ” by Jirasol Casper

Submitted to Contest #262

My feet sway in the ocean’s cool waters and I watch as the sun paints the sky with its being, adding various shades of yellows and oranges. The breeze feels amazing against my clammy skin on this dreadfully hot day. Averting my gaze from the sea’s beyond, I turn to the ships at the docks wondering which one belongs to Luvenia, or Lovie as she has preferred this summer season. Oh Lovie. My mind starts to wander to the many smoldering gazes and subtle touches. The secret meetings and days filled with endless passion. I began to crave t...

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“Roundabout” by Maria Nulot

Submitted to Contest #262

These Southerners didn’t know a thing about traffic circles. The unnecessary stopping, the signaling, the inching forward then stopping. Just make up your mind, and go, people. Traffic circles were to keep things moving, for heaven’s sake. Good thing they hadn’t put in multi-lane traffic circles yet–that would certainly give them a heart attack. And the name: they were traffic circles, not roundabouts. Roundabouts sounded like a walk in the park, a slow promenade around a pond full of ducks. But of course that would be their style. The...

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“Black Onyx” by Debra Brown

Submitted to Contest #262

It was hotter than it had been in weeks and the humidity cloaked the town with its thick suffocating presence. At the top of a pale white clock tower, the bell chimed eight, resounding with melancholic peals that echoed through the busy working district below. Weathered apartments, planted above quaint specialty shops, stood in formation along a narrow street, rose high into a twilight sky. Open windows begging for relief from the heat only added tension to the already thick air as the din from the domestic chaos permeated the s...

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“Train of Events” by Taurean Lewis

Submitted to Contest #262

The heat in New York City was a beast that summer. The air, thick and heavy, clung to the city like a weighted blanket in winter; turning the concrete jungle into an urban oven. This must have been the day that Mother Nature’s menopause began because the thermometer flirted with triple digits, the kind of day that makes asphalt ripple and tempers flare from aggravation. Accara, a sixteen-year-old girl with smooth brown skin, and flaming red, waist-length braids adorned with colorful beads and cowries, boarded the four train. She was headed h...

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$250

Prize money

267

Contest entries

91

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 09, 2024 EST

Won by Tess Ross-Callahan 🏆

Title: Hair-Dryer Day

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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