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#288 A Perfect Storm

Whenever I look out my window these days, it always seems like the weather won’t get any better. Blustery winds, heavy rain, thick fog, the occasional snowfall… When the temperature has dropped this low, the last thing I want to do is step into the freezing outdoors. But during the moments when I can stay home and wrap myself up in a warm, thick blanket, there’s nothing better than reading a book or working on a story as the sound of rain keeps me company… 


This week’s prompts are inspired by chilly weather. Whether it’s the haunting stillness of a snowy evening, the whisper of wind through ancient willows, or the gentle pitter-patter of perpetual rainfall, let the cold seep into your writing, and see where it takes you.

🥇 Winner

Motherhood

Winner of Contest #288 🏆

We’re seeing some big storms roll through south of the capital region, bringing hail and even a few isolated funnel clouds… Rachel mutes the forecaster waving his arms at the churning mass of red, yellow and green spinning in their direction on the radar map.  She retrieves ice cubes from the freezer that hiss and spit with displeasure as they’re plunked into a glass of ginger ale. She slides the patio door aside and hovers in the midst of combat between the heavy humidity and the cool AC. She lifts a trembling hand to her brow, shieldi...

127 likes 77 comments 77
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⭐️ Shortlisted

The Day the Words Got Loose

Shortlisted for Contest #288 ⭐️

The rain began, a relief after a long, dry August. As if signaling the end of summer’s lazy days, the sky turned gray, and the first drops fell with a soft pitter-patter, carrying the fresh scent of wet earth. At first, it was soothing. But the rain kept coming. The parched ground, hardened into baked clay, rejected the offering. As the storms raged, water pooled on lawns, sidewalks turned to rivers, and gutters gurgled, whispering secrets as they carried the flood away. The rain began to seep into every nook and cranny of the old homes. It ...

48 likes 50 comments 50
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Salt, Then Silence

Shortlisted for Contest #288 ⭐️

The sea had quieted by the time they found her. She was a ghost against the dawn, lashed to the broken mast of a half-drowned sailboat, her body wrapped in the stiff embrace of soaked lines. The searchlight swept past once, then flicked back, steady on the tangle of girl and wreckage. A man shouted. The hull of the Coast Guard cutter groaned as it came about.She did not stir.The sky, a watercolor smear of gray and gold, stretched low over the Gulf. Gentle swells rocked what was left of the boat, an old Catalina 22, its mainsail long since st...

40 likes 27 comments 27
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Comin’ Round the Mountain

Shortlisted for Contest #288 ⭐️

She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes The old folk song went round and round in her head as Joanna Fan peered through the wet windshield, the wipers slapping an irritating rhythm that didn't quite fit the music. Rippling sheets of water on the glass made the road nearly invisible as she crept along at barely ten miles per hour.  The day had started out warm and clear, but towards lunchtime, thick gray clouds began to pile up and the heavens opened with big fat drops. Joanna had brought a sandwich and a Thermo...

37 likes 25 comments 25
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This week's prompts

Start or end your story with a breeze brushing against someone’s skin.

Short Story – 70 stories

Set your story during — or just before — a storm.

Dramatic – 143 stories

Write a story where the weather mirrors a character’s emotions.

Dramatic – 60 stories

Start or end your story with someone standing in the rain.

Dramatic – 93 stories

Set your story in a place where the weather never changes.

Short Story – 47 stories

Stories

Motherhood

Winner of Contest #288 🏆

We’re seeing some big storms roll through south of the capital region, bringing hail and even a few isolated funnel clouds… Rachel mutes the forecaster waving his arms at the churning mass of red, yellow and green spinning in their direction on the radar map.  She retrieves ice cubes from the freezer that hiss and spit with displeasure as they’re plunked into a glass of ginger ale. She slides the patio door aside and hovers in the midst of combat between the heavy humidity and the cool AC. She lifts a trembling hand to her brow, shieldi...

127 likes 77 comments 77
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Moon Shattered

Submitted to Contest #288

"You don't take warnings well," the Russian said as he sat in my booth.Without moving my hand, I unsnapped my holster.The Russian hailed a waiter, "Vodka, please." He looked back at me, "I'm going to have to kill you now. You know that?"I never took my eyes off him. It was unlikely he'd try anything in a crowded bar, but I wouldn't bet my life on it."Not much of a talker?" The Russian took a drink."You're doing enough for both of us."The Russian laughed, "Good one."A couple of LTF officers walked in. The Russian stared at them and laughed, "...

66 likes 47 comments 47
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Head in the Clouds

Submitted to Contest #288

Mother is in the garden again. She is by the pond looking at the sky and clouds. From the way she is stretching out her neck and motioning her chin, I can tell she is catching the breeze on her face, sensing its direction and strength. She wants to know in which way the clouds are moving or how quickly they will be out of sight.Like many people these days, Mother is fascinated by clouds. This sounds boastful, but I know more about them than her, despite being only nine years old. Twelve weeks ago, I received an illustrated book from Father b...

52 likes 32 comments 32
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The Day the Words Got Loose

Shortlisted for Contest #288 ⭐️

The rain began, a relief after a long, dry August. As if signaling the end of summer’s lazy days, the sky turned gray, and the first drops fell with a soft pitter-patter, carrying the fresh scent of wet earth. At first, it was soothing. But the rain kept coming. The parched ground, hardened into baked clay, rejected the offering. As the storms raged, water pooled on lawns, sidewalks turned to rivers, and gutters gurgled, whispering secrets as they carried the flood away. The rain began to seep into every nook and cranny of the old homes. It ...

48 likes 50 comments 50
Read story

Subtropical storm Wendy

Submitted to Contest #288

They enjoy planning. Debating where to go for their annual vacation. Agonizing over hotel versus B&B. Studying the map for the best and safest route. Calculating mileage against posted speed limits. Learning which rest stop has a gas station and clean facilities. Researching and rejecting sights, attractions, and possible side trips. All this is as much fun as the trip itself. More, maybe. Months ahead of the trip, they will make lists. Adding items, scratching off others, often adding them to the list again. They will ponder and worry, ...

46 likes 48 comments 48
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Ballerinas in the Moonlight

Submitted to Contest #288

“Go back to bed, Miss Amelia darling. You know the rules.” “Who are you?” “You know who I am.” “Tell me.” “I’m Denise, your aide,” the stranger said. “Now let’s get you back into bed under your blanket. It’s going to be freezing tonight. Do you have your woolen socks on?” I looked down at my feet. Such ugly socks I had on. Why? “These socks are ugly,” I told the strange lady while getting into bed. She laughed, “Are you going out tonight? Perhaps dancing?  The socks are fine. You’ll be nice and w...

45 likes 30 comments 30
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WHEN IT RAINS

Submitted to Contest #288

The rain started as a whisper - soft droplets against the pavement, gentle tapping on windowpanes. It slid down the marble columns of the Lancaster estate, tracing thin veins of water over the stone as if the house itself were bleeding. The air was thick with petrichor, the earthy scent of damp soil mixing with the ghostly perfume of jasmine from the overgrown trellis near the entrance. The sound of the rain was a symphony; each drops a note in a haunting melody.Samuel Lancaster stood in the doorway, the dim light from the crystal chandelier...

44 likes 20 comments 20
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Washed away

Submitted to Contest #288

"Get out now! I'm telling you! Either you open that damned door, or I will knock it down!"He was completely soaked. The rain had not stopped for days, and no one was on the streets but him, competing with the deafening noise of the droplets hitting the roofs and windows. His shouting and screaming, though, was nothing like the water's roar. People had been complaining for months about the lack of rain and the cuts in the water supply, but after a whole week of nothing but water around us, no one spoke about that anymore. The river level had ...

43 likes 14 comments 14
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Hell Is Other People

Submitted to Contest #288

"The gates of Hell are open night and day;Smooth the descent, and easy is the way.”- VirgilThey all just sat there in the heat, and they waited.The Kid came back. He was walking down the platform with his head hung low, sweat running down his pimpled face, like always. He was sixteen but looked more like thirteen, short and skinny with longish dark hair and a black eye. The black eye was always there. It never faded. He took a seat at the end of the bench with the others and looked down at his dirty old sneakers.Roman: Same shit, little man?...

41 likes 45 comments 45
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Salt, Then Silence

Shortlisted for Contest #288 ⭐️

The sea had quieted by the time they found her. She was a ghost against the dawn, lashed to the broken mast of a half-drowned sailboat, her body wrapped in the stiff embrace of soaked lines. The searchlight swept past once, then flicked back, steady on the tangle of girl and wreckage. A man shouted. The hull of the Coast Guard cutter groaned as it came about.She did not stir.The sky, a watercolor smear of gray and gold, stretched low over the Gulf. Gentle swells rocked what was left of the boat, an old Catalina 22, its mainsail long since st...

40 likes 27 comments 27
Read story

Eat Teach Love

Submitted to Contest #288

‘Mummy I’m just going to take Fergie for a w-a-l-k-i-e-s’ looking at the bundle of energy that was out 4-year-old springer spaniel and hoping that she had forgotten how to spell. ‘Where are you off to?’ ‘Just down to Crooklets beach, over the cliffs and back home. Shouldn’t be more than about an hour. I want some fresh air before we consume our body weight in Turkey and Tiramisu.’‘You don’t need to worry about that love. You’re looking like a skinny bean. It’s all that Italian living agreeing with you.’Italian loving more like.I’m ...

38 likes 7 comments 7
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Comin’ Round the Mountain

Shortlisted for Contest #288 ⭐️

She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes The old folk song went round and round in her head as Joanna Fan peered through the wet windshield, the wipers slapping an irritating rhythm that didn't quite fit the music. Rippling sheets of water on the glass made the road nearly invisible as she crept along at barely ten miles per hour.  The day had started out warm and clear, but towards lunchtime, thick gray clouds began to pile up and the heavens opened with big fat drops. Joanna had brought a sandwich and a Thermo...

37 likes 25 comments 25
Read story

Tempête du Cygne Noir

Submitted to Contest #288

The wind whipped the layers of storm clouds ever nearer the seashore, and the deadly scene on the sandy beach. The flashes of lightning highlighted the clumps of bodies, heaps of flesh and clothes, lying prone, face down in the sand. Dead bodies vulnerable to the sweeping heavy rain that came closer with every second, and with every gust of wind. The sea was growing, the constant tidal waves inflated in size, as the down drafts of wind pushed the waves higher. One could see the wind pressure from above pressing down, squeezing into the water...

37 likes 20 comments 20
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A Rainy Day in 2348 BC

Submitted to Contest #288

A Rainy Day in 2348 BC“Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.”-Mark Twain“Looks like quite a storm brewing, Pops. We better call it a day.”“Nope, my itchy toe says no rain today, Shem. You’re just trying to get out of work early. Get back to the sheep.” “You and your stupid itchy toe. I’m telling you this one is going to a barn-buster.”“That’s why I call you ‘Chicken Little’. You worry too much. Now get back to work.”Noah was tough on his kids. His wife, whose name he somehow never learned (he affe...

36 likes 8 comments 8
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AFTER THE STORM

Submitted to Contest #288

The conference had been a resounding success for everyone… everyone but me. I should’ve listened to that little voice inside that questioned why I was being given a beautiful suite to myself for the weekend.“But I’ve always had to share on these conference weekends,” I said to Yvette, the State manager. “Is Stella getting her own suite too?” Stella was the regional manager for the southern part of the state while I handled the North.“No,” Yvette replied with a slight quaver in her voice. “She and I will share my suite this time. We still hav...

34 likes 37 comments 37
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