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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

“Rio the Monkey Rescues the Ship Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #262

No wind. Hot weather like a furnace. The ship running out of drinking water. The steam engine used as a backup in calm seas not working.Even Captain Alfonse of the ship Destiny’s Dreams looked like a wilted plant. Foresta the colorful parrot slouched where he sat on the captain's shoulder and Rio the rescued monkey clung to his back.He reached over and stroked the parrot's head, saying something softly. Jealously, Rio the monkey wiggled around to Alfonse's chest, chittering, then jumped to the ship's deck and scampered around, pic...

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“hush, said the wind to the sea” by Nita A Mozzi

Submitted to Contest #262

I decided to go through my old chats, looking for my architect cousin’s contact information. He must know how much it’s worth, mom had said to me earlier, give me his whatsapp. I didn’t find his number, but I found you. Your name popped up. Fer left the chat, it said. The date was mid May, it was that one group chat with your hostel buddies and I. We hadn’t talked for months, so I found it odd that you decided to randomly exit this inactive group chat. I frowned, trying to recall if I had done something out of the ordinary, like texting you ...

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“Needs Must When The Devil Drives” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #262

My cheap shades are no match for the low afternoon sun glaring off the lake. I still have to squint through my tears if I look across to the opposite bank. Sweat beads gather below my ponytail and run down my spine as if I’m exerting myself, but the physical work is done. I’m resting now, for as long as I dare. Bruised arms aching, hot breath catching. Cool beer soothes my croaky throat under the shelter of a weeping willow. I could not have done this sober.My broken nails snag as I fan myself with the dishevelled ordnance survey map. Best n...

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“The Beach” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #262

The family made good time on the highway and arrived at the beach before a crowd could form. On a long weekend, the father and mother wondered if it was smart to take their boy and girl out to their old hangout; the place where they first met, fell in love, and continued to think about as a couple with responsibilities and little free time.“You kids are gonna love this.”“Yeah, dad. You said that already.” His daughter never looked up from her phone as she spoke.“We met here when we were about your age.”“Yeah, mom. We know.” Her son looked ou...

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“Curtis and the Caliente Conundrum” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #262

July 21 took the grand prize for hottest day in the recorded history of Earth, whooping July 2023. July 2025 was a frontrunner for the title next summer, so doings in the Gaza and Trump’s attempted comeback tour and Simone Biles pretty much took the steam out of the story.And while Curtis was normally a net-balance sort of guy, the local July 29 numbers were what really counted. Beyond an afternoon upswing in fender benders at the intersections where the Walgreen’s displayed the high two-digit temp, the usual domestic and street shit extreme...

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“Triple Shot” by Jeremy Burgess

Submitted to Contest #262

Alan's high end custom sneakers slap on the floor of Allegra's cafe, a hole in the wall with counter to one side and two high top tables with uncomfortable wooden stools to the other. The decor is dark, almost boho, it suits this-coffee-is-better clientele, who reject chain store sugar filled concoctions as a matter of course. He steps to the counter; Sandy the barista and saviour, maker of the best coffee in town, is there and ready to take his order, she already knows it. She raises her dark eyes to meet his. "The usual, coming up," s...

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“Fat Man” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #262

The fat cat, arm around the pretty girl’s waist, pressed the unlock button on his car fob, which had a famous logo.Phil Hopskins glared. Whilst some poor sods – such as him – had to get up and go to work, others basked in a life of glorious luxury. It wasn’t fair, damn it. Especially on this day, the hottest of the year, or so the weatherman proclaimed. Lovely. It was only 7:30, and already sweat was trickling down his back, making his work shirt stick to his skin. And Phil was sure that when he got to work and took his blazer off, there wou...

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“THE LEGEND OF ELIAS THORN” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #262

A young man named Elias Thorn lived in the secluded town of Aldergrove, where ancient trees whispered tales of old. Elias was an enigma to the townsfolk, a mystery shrouded in whispers and superstitions that swirled around him like the mist clinging to the forest floor. His peculiarity was not of his own choosing but a curse he bore from birth: Elias was allergic to heat.Elias's condition, a rare genetic mutation, tested his resilience. This anomaly caused his body to react to heat in extraordinary and terrifying ways. As an infant, whenever...

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“The Twinkle” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #262

Summer 1955Malibu, CAAna, Age 10 Dear Diary, My name is Ana, I am 10, I have red hair and freckles that I hate. My favorite color is pink, even though Grandma says it makes my freckles stand out. My birthday is February 2nd, and it’s always too cold to have a party. I have a party for my half birthday instead, August 2nd, at Grandma’s summer cottage in California. Usually the party is just my parents and grandparents and brother Nate and sister Karen, but it’s still fun because I get to pick a cake and I get presents and am allowed to swim i...

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“Leave No Trace” by Chris Sage

Submitted to Contest #262

“Where do you fancy going for our hols this year?” I ask Ellie, to the dreary percussion of rain. “I’m fed up with this time of year. Let's go to summer!” I've had enough of this winter too. It's November, the drops are heavy with sleet. I pick up the tablet and open up a brochure. “Where shall we go this time?” I ask, flicking through heavily touched-up images. “Paris, 2000?” “Nah,” Ellie dismisses. “Cultural stuff is too much like hard work in my time off. Somewhere with a beach?” Last year we went to see the summer of ‘69, mostly to ...

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“A Hot Drive” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #262

As Stephanie stepped out of her Gulfstream G300, the hot pavement beneath her feet felt like a frying pan through her flats. She squinted against the sun, and that’s when she saw him–the man standing in front of her, who had a youthful masculinity that made her heart race. He was smoking hot.When you are ultra-wealth category, you need to keep a distance. It’s too easy to be scammed by people who see you as a dollar sign. She pretended not to notice him as she approached.“I will drive you anyplace you want to go,” he said, his voice was...

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“A Summer Escape” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #262

My hip joints ached as though each leg had been ripped off and crudely reattached by Doctor Frankenstein. I peeled myself out of the driver's seat of the old 1992 Dodge minivan and ventured out into the blistering heat of New Mexico. I was fairly certain Albuquerque should be coming up soon, but my need to stretch outweighed my curiosity. New Mexico had always made me uneasy, with their elaborate, pretentious highway art, polished exteriors, and rundown, grungy insides. The whole package felt intentionally deceptive, like a gingerbread house...

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“The Great Ardèche Canoe Catastrophe” by Samantha Red

Submitted to Contest #262

The Thompson family was buzzing with excitement. After months of dreary weather and monotonous routines, they were finally on their way to the Ardèche region in France for a much-needed vacation. Steve and Laura Thompson, along with their two kids, Emily and Jack, had planned every detail meticulously. They were particularly thrilled about the canoe trip they had booked down the scenic Ardèche River, inspired by a glossy pamphlet Steve had picked up from a charming local at a roadside café.The brochure featured stunning images of canoes glid...

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“The Restless Prince” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #262

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Your attention please!” The official kingdom crier stood at the front of the room, dressed from head to toe in the palace’s royal colors of purple and yellow. All eyes were upon him. No one spoke or moved. Everyone was simply too hot to do much of anything. The large gathering hall, used for meetings with dignitaries and the kingdom’s royal subjects, was particularly stifling. Although it had a high, vaulted ceiling, the room was airless due to thick gray stone walls that heated up like an oven. Moreover, the room’s n...

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“The Golden Chorus” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #262

To a field of juneberry and hawthorn bushes, between a dense forest and the beaches of the great water humans call Superior, the goldfinches return. They fly in groups, settling on the scrub bushes, taking in the home they’ve missed while wintering in warmer climes.As each flock trickles in, they join a rising chorus, one great song only paused for sunset. Let’s listen:Home home home!Home to love, to cool and safetyHome to seeds so tough yet tastyHome to song as day beginsHome to nests and warmth thereinEach arriving group brings their own m...

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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.

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