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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

“Sticks and Stones” by Emi S

Submitted to Contest #262

“I don’t know how it all went wrong,” her voice trembled as she trailed off, her eyes filling with tears once again. A rush of emotions passed across her face. “It was just supposed to be a normal trip, it was going to be fun. I don’t, I don’t…” She broke down into great, heaving sobs. Her glasses slipped down her nose as she brought her hands up to try to regain some composure, wiping at the tears falling from her green eyes. She sat on a bench in the park her and Cassie had just been in, an officer sat beside her, notepad in hand. “Ma’am, ...

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“When the Summer Vacation Goes Wrong” by Jessica Thomp

Submitted to Contest #262

When A Summer Vacation Goes WrongWhen the heat of the dog days of summer came to town, I knew it was time for thefamily vacation. Off to a place that I could run free and smell the fresh air. Freedom from the city and all its hustle and bustle.The day we left, I could feel relief sinking deep into my bones. One week to relax with no schedule to keep. The whole family together again. I just couldn’t wait to play games, eat, drink, and just hang out. We really didn’t have any plans this year. For me, this was perfect. I was always stuck to the...

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“Have Another Smoke...” by Jeff Meade

Submitted to Contest #262

“Mom, I can’t believe you’re blaming me for today’s outburst. Why is it so hard for you to realize that your mom just despises me?” Ever since we had kids, The Wife and I refer to ourselves as "Mom" and "Dad."“Listen, Dad, you and her have never gotten along since Christmas Break in South Africa. You know she’s getting older, so why do you have to needle her?”“I know she’s your mom, and I understand that you’d be defensive. But all I did was suggest that I could make a pizza for the kids. You know they won’t get close enough to her boiled fi...

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“The worst f-ing vacation” by Bryan Murphy

Submitted to Contest #262

“This will be a great summer vacation. A few days camping in the wilderness, then we become tourists going to National Parks on the way home,” says Chris. Ava asks, “Mom, are we still going to see Yellowstone?” Chris turns in her front passenger seat to look at the twins. Replying to Ava, she says, “That is the plan. With our camping gear, we will do an overnight there as well. We have a campsite reservation, so we only have three days in the wilds.” The driver, John, adds, “We will be able to shoot in the wild part so you two can show off y...

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“The Perfect Wave” by Bob Pye

Submitted to Contest #262

Tahiti: sunset-colored beaches, awesome waves, and swirling surfers. The holiday that anyone would look forward to. I could hear the waves and taste the ocean through the open window of my van. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I caught glimpses of the paradise of surfers through the palm trees and thatched huts. The van rumbled on, carving its way down the dirt road to the gaggle of surf boards floating in the turquois water. The sun beating down on a beach of tranquility. I looked behind me into the back of the van, eyeing the jumble of suit...

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“I Stayed with an Old Woman in the Mountains” by Nikolas Cabezas

Submitted to Contest #262

I’ve had the same friends since high school, but as the years passed, it became more difficult to see them often. We used to live within ten minutes of each other; a nostalgic memory now that everyone had moved to various points around the country. To stay in each other’s lives, we decided to commit to meeting up somewhere each summer. I’ve never liked flying, but after last year, it has become a much more preferable option. The plan was to stay at a cabin in Maine, and instead of flying, I elected to take the two-day drive. Luckily, a famil...

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“Curving Roads” by Alex B

Submitted to Contest #262

The sun came up on July 1st to meet Bill standing proudly on his porch. It was finally time for the big trip. He was talking the family up to the cabin for four days of summer fun culminating in the massive fireworks show the national park put on every year. It was a long drive but he was ready. The cooler and all the luggage had been packed the night before. All this morning’s outfits had been laid out and the back up ones were in the diaper bag. The van had a full tank of gas, fresh oil change, and properly inflated tires. The first aid ki...

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“Summer Vacation at Theo Lacy” by Gil Harris

Submitted to Contest #262

SUMMER VACATION AT THEO LACY My idea of the perfect summer vacation destination was not Theo Lacy Correctional Facility. I should be somewhere to get relief from the heat and boredom. Swimming pool. Beach resort. Even somewhere with air conditioning. My three-month stay is the result of local law enforcement finding a few roaches in my car's ash tray. The prosecutor kept continuing my trial until late May. When I was finally sentenced to three-months of county time, it was almost June. That meant I wouldn't be released until late August, eve...

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“YOLO” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #262

It wasn’t supposed to have been this way. Dave should have been squashed against her in cattle class, not the tiny white -haired lady who had introduced herself immediately they sat down."Hello, dear, I'm Nancy.""I'm Clare," Clare had said dutifully. Dave should have been sharing the armrest with her, elbows bumping as they tried to cut the food with tiny plastic utensils. Instead Nancy kept asking Clare for help to adjust her screen, her seat, reach the light switch, control the air and arrange her blanket. Clare had complied, her irritatio...

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“SWEATING TO LOOK GOOD” by Chequeta R Traylor

Submitted to Contest #262

It's the beginning of summer and already the heat index is on over kill. Every New Years Eve, my resolution is to lose weight so that I can get into a swimsuit with confidents or at lease find a suit I can fit my large bottom in. If I could just move the fat around like take what's on my stomach and push it up to my breasts and not so much on the hips or thighs move that to my butt. Now summer is here, and I haven't lost a pound. Did I think I would, I find out every year that my diet starts tomorrow act runs out of time. Now summer is here,...

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“We’ve all been dammed.” by Yana Sobachevskaya

Submitted to Contest #262

The screen buzzed on, and the reporter mumbling behind his Mask. All eyes behind the Masks went to the screen, and the ones that weren’t were the dead ones. The mourge became silent, as if the silence before was screaming. “Laudate omnes gentes laudante” The reporter stopped moving entirely.The whole mourge spoke in unison, reciting the words that had been burned into their bodies and minds. “Magnificat in secula”The reporter moved once more. “Et anima mea laudate” And once again, the mourge spoke in unison.“Magnificat in secu...

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“The End of the World, Together” by Seth Conner

Submitted to Contest #262

“You’ve heard it right folks, we have an even larger heatwave coming to hit the south this weekend, once again breaking the previous heat record. While we’ve had temperatures in the high 100’s this week, we’re gonna get up into the teens of the hundreds reaching at least 115 today.” “Man again? Texas is getting a little too hot for me,” said Melanie, my wife. We were just recently married three months ago but have been together for a little over three years. And she was right, it was getting way too hot. “We might have to move to Alaska or s...

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“Unlocked” by Nao Sei

Submitted to Contest #262

Feeling its breath on the back of my neck, biting and icy, the gloom envelops me. The thrill of belonging to a shapeless mass makes me smile ear to ear. I've fought a lot against this darkness. It wasn't mine to begin with, it resisted me, I feared it. Why couldn't I escape you? I wanted to flee this bleak space with its moisture-molded wooden walls and immerse myself in the outside world. There was no breath of life within these walls. Still young and foolish, I hoped to warm myself in my expectations. In search of some form of fun, comfort...

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“Double Edged Sword” by Abby Powers

Submitted to Contest #262

Containment breach…Containment breach…Seal all doors… The sirens above blared incessantly. I backed away from my door, person after person flying by the little plate glass window set into it. It was like a tiny movie, each character falling deeper into madness as the monotone voice overhead screeched at them over and over and over… Lockdown initiated…Starting cooling sequence…In 3, 2, 1… Then the already frigid air around me cooled even more, making my fingers and toes tingle. Oh joy. I let out a sigh and sunk down onto my bed, wrapping the ...

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“The Tire Swing” by Aspen Hall

Submitted to Contest #262

I always liked to think of myself as dependable. Some people liked to describe it as boring. But life just went smoothly with a solid routine. Every day at 7 am, my alarm clock would go off. I would roll out of bed, switch it off, and get in the shower. This morning wasn't any different. I rolled out of bed at 7 am sharp, switched off my alarm, then went to the bathroom to shower. It took me exactly 7 and a half minutes to shower every day. I went to my closet and picked out an outfit that I thought would be good while going over my sc...

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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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