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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

“ Broken Leg Summer” by Stephvon Dames

Submitted to Contest #262

It's the first day of summer in Newport, New Hampshire. During the summer, we encourage communal stargazing under the open sky. Join the little bear and his companion as they contemplate the vast night sky and envision tomorrow's adventures. Invite your children to partake in this enriching activity with you for a fun and memorable summer together. With only two mouths to enjoy it, kids can't waste a single minute. Each night becomes a precious opportunity to bond, dream, and explore the wonders above. So grab the blankets, find a cozy spot...

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“The Haunted Forest” by Robin Barker

Submitted to Contest #262

It was on the edge of Cluj, Romania’s second city that they found it. Hoia Baciu. The haunted forest. MTheir coach pulled up and they got out. Craig and Luke joined a line of other tourists opposite the first line of trees. An atmosphere of nervous energy filled the air around them. It was their first trip since leaving university in England and they desperately wanted it to be special. A trip to Eastern Europe. Hoia Baciu was Craig’s brainchild. “It’ll certainly be memorable,” he’d told his friend. Only after several hou...

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“Stitches” by Amy Jean Kern

Submitted to Contest #262

It all started with an idea. Drive far out in the Gulf of Mexico for one last adventure before the bride would be married. It seemed like fun for two thrill seekers. And yet today, for Sarah Lane, it was anything except fun. Sarah Ferguson was born in her parents’ countryside home in the dead of summer. She grew up in Houston, Texas with the nickname ‘Sarah Lane’ because she always seemed to give everyone around her heart attacks. From nearly falling into a firepit at two years...

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“A Summer Dream” by Leah Dewey

Submitted to Contest #262

The pine trees swarmed around the lake like a great barrier keeping everything safely inside. To the boys: William and Michael, it seemed like the woods were creating a private summer get-away spot just for them. Of course, their parents and little sister were still tagging along - someone had to provide the snacks and juice boxes, they supposed. But once they had been well sunscreened and had their floaties tucked on they felt like they were swimming all along on their perfect island. “Billy! Mikey! It’s time for lunch!” called their ...

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“Like a Fish” by Ann Martin

Submitted to Contest #262

LIKE A FISH ANN MARTIN You know I’m here, don’t you, Nanette? You know which one is me. Just a dim, green glow in the darkness; just the faintest ripple and plop. Shadows gliding, vague forms sliding. And you know which one is me. They’ve turned out the lights and you’ve turned your head away from me. But you know I’m still here. And you know there’s nobody you can tell; nobody who will believe you. That’s the trouble with this place. It’s like one of those foreign art movies where you can’t tell the truth from the dreams and all...

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“Rolling with the Punches” by Christine Richardson

Submitted to Contest #262

“Good God,” my mother said. “We’ve arrived in hell.” I opened my mouth, and then closed it again. There was nothing I could say to make either one of us feel better. Perfect Road Trip 2018 was not unfolding as planned. Because I could not see the mountain peaks while we were driving through the billows of wildfire smoke in the valleys, I had assumed that the Skytram would elevate us above the miasma to a heaven of pure.clear air, blue skies, and sundrenched slopes caressed by refreshing breezes. Instead, it had disgorged us in a s...

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“Like Cassandra, or Sisyphus, or Bill Murray” by Astrid De Keyser

Submitted to Contest #262

It was a sweltering summer evening, the air thick with humidity and the buzzing of insects. There'd be a storm tonight, no doubt about it. Lying in the grass Josie closed her eyes and pictured it. First the distant rumble and a slow darkening of the sky. The insects falling quiet and all forest creatures making their way into their dens. Humans would be the last ones out in the open, breaking into a mad scramble to get the laundry of the line, putting toys and barbecues inside as the first fat raindrops began falling on them. The clasp of th...

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“Bottled Up” by Zachary Thomas

Submitted to Contest #262

As much as he wanted to kill it, he couldn’t. No matter how many times he smacked his sandal down on it, the fuzzy red ant would just vanish into the soft, hot sand only to reappear dustier, angrier–stinging at the air in contorted retaliation. “Somebody bring me a cup or something,” said Mr. Bauer, holding out his hand while his eyes were fixed downward. He just wanted to destroy the bug and move on. It had been a long day at Bear Lake, a mostly good day, but nearing the end of a long week. Mr. Bauer was the director of Bright Horizons...

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“More than Just a Heat Wave” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #262

Prompt: Heat wave: Write a story about a summer vacation gone amuck (with an unexpected summer fling thrown in). (In an era before cell phones and texting.) More than Just a Heat Wave I was humming “my bags are packed and I am ready to go” when the radio announcer interrupted the song with the ominous warning “this is going to be the hottest summer on record. Stay cool and stay hydrated.” This was a warning I did not need to hear. “Oh, this is going to be fantastic,” I sarcastically quipped to myself. I looked i...

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“Lightning Strickes” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #262

Lightning Strikes “Extreme heat advisory is in effect until 9pm this evening here in the Valley of the Sun. Whenever possible stay indoors. The elderly and those with breathing difficulties should avoid going outdoors if possible. Stay tuned to this station for more advisories.” Gravel crunched under the tires of Freddy Jansen’s tow truck as he pulled up to the office of King’s Auto Parts Yard. He shifted the truck’s transmission into park, took his cell phone out of the front pocket of his work overalls, and dismissed the he...

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“The Creek Knows” by Roxana Grebelnik

Submitted to Contest #262

When I find Jimmy, he is standing over the lump half submerged in the creek. His arms hang like twigs at his hips and his cotton t-shirt clings to his back, soaked and muddy. I want to say something, to scream, to fight, but my feet are rooted to the ground. Jimmy senses me and snaps his head in my direction, wild eyed and pale. His lips begin moving but I can’t hear him, not fully. My mind stills, almost to a complete calmness because there’s an explanation. There has to be one. I swallow the bile in my throat and attempt to focus. Jimmy st...

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“Borknumpelstein” by Dobby Fisher

Submitted to Contest #262

There was an ice-man who lived in an igloo. The ice-people, as you're surely aware, absolutely love the heat. They’re obsessed with it, always decorating their igloos with umbrellas, pretending they live on beaches. Truthfully, they don’t actually wear all those furry clothes because they are cold—they’ve accumulated so much brown-fat by now, they can practically swim naked in the ice water without concern—In fact, here is a secret you ought to know: these ice-people only wear those furry clothes because they want to bask in thoughts of heat...

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“The News” by Ashley Huls

Submitted to Contest #262

“Sitting and talking about my childhood was the worst part of my week. Once a week I went to therapy. Dr. Amara was wonderful… But she always made me talk through my childhood. But if it gets me out of here sooner then I'm happy. And she recommended that I write out what I remember. She told me that I mention one thing whenever I talk to her. The news. Always played in the background as Mom made dinner. I think I was playing a game with my brothers, Jacob and Manny. They always liked to play card games. I never could remember what the ...

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“The Goddess, the Guardian, and the Sun” by Mindy Reed

Submitted to Contest #262

The Goddess was a painter—the cosmos her canvas. There were no laws—only imagination. Birds with endless wingspans flew across skies painted with the colors of her dreams. The sky mingled with the ocean; birds dove into the blue, green, gray waters and emerged with legs and then strolled across various plains. After a time, the Goddess grew bored. She longed for a new canvas that might stretch her imagination. Her mother was not concerned with her daughters restlessness, which she was told was the artist’s way. The Go...

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“The Day The Music Died” by Nicole N

Submitted to Contest #262

**This story may contain offensive language or material, not suitable for most people, please proceed with caution** “Today hundreds more are under a heat alert, as a blanket of hot air settles in for the fourth day in the row, and it’s only going to get hotter….” RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG“CAN’T BE ANY WORSE THAN HELL!” Bret yells over the blaring fire alarm as he shuts off the TV and suits up. “Boys, we got a 2 alarm apartment fire downtown, possibly victims inside, we need 2 trucks and probably an ambulance” says the Captain. “I’ll give you t...

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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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