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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.

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 – 144 stories

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

Dramatic – 61 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 – 48 stories

Stories

“Windswept” by Nolan Pierce

Submitted to Contest #288

“Astrid, are you seeing this?” The question prompted a scan. “Officer Beck, the reported crash is just ahead.” Astrid was helpful, but was not much of a conversationalist. I probably should have directed the question at my young protegee anyway. “Isak, what do you think?” “Well, this is pretty far from the road. She must have been running from something, or some people, to turn out here. The skid marks 128 meters behind us are where she lost control, or where the wind got her. Whichever the case, she crashed into the wind turbine tipping it ...

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“Arthur and the Wind” by Rem Brently

Submitted to Contest #288

Steady steam from the boat’s engines blew along the sea winds, its plume almost as black as the near starless sky. In fact, everything past the massive ship was dark. The ocean and sky lines blurred together, making it seem like an endless world of dark. It gave Arthur a sense of fear along with the slight shiver of excitement for adventure that was pretty uncalled for someone chilling on a cruise ship. Still, near everyone was on the forward of the ship, enjoying a party or movie or some other activity, and it let Arthur relax in the Aft to...

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“On the Porch” by Blair Allen

Submitted to Contest #288

A curl tickled my mother’s frown while the breeze wound its way through porch posts of the oldest house I belonged to. My aunts were making fun of her - as usual. But she was the youngest and used to it. I was ten and not paying attention. Higgins, the best cat, was standing in my lap. Orange, enormous, and mostly feral, his feather duster tail twitched across my nose. He was clearly about to murder something. I looked to see what was about to be hunted. Around the corner a chicken was running down the street. Scooped by neighbor who, as a l...

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“Tea with Mamono. ” by Mathic M

Submitted to Contest #288

The breeze swept across the endless green field like a silent executioner; the cold kiss of death. My eyes took one last look at the serene landscape, just beyond the horizon, admiring the majestic blue radiance shining like a sea in the sky. The place my consciousness tethered to was a place where time felt endless, perhaps it might have been a place before the birth of the universe. If I had more time in such a place I was sure that I would awaken in a true state of zen. As the wind crept closer I could feel my skin crawl, ...

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“Summary Trials” by Karen Meyers

Submitted to Contest #288

This story addresses alcohol abuse and LGBTQ issues.Summary TrialsByKaren MeyersOn the afternoon of August third, 2023, two days after I moved to my current address, I took a break from setting things up and went outside to feel the summer breeze on my skin. My neighbors' shrubs block my view of the uphill sidewalk until pedestrians are about twenty feet away. So, I heard a woman weeping before she walked into my sight and collapsed.I went over and spoke to her, but she was out. She was young, teenager slender, with waist length hair, d...

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“Her boots entered the room first” by Jessica Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #288

Her boots entered the room first. Heavy-soled and rain-soaked, they struck the floor, cutting through a haze of cigarette smoke and the drone of his mother’s voice. He was crouched beneath the dining table, knees to his chest, tracing the grooves in the linoleum with a bitten fingernail. “Where’s the boy?” The voice was steady, not loud, but it carried a weight that made his mother flinch. She sat on the couch, one leg tucked under her, a cigarette in one hand, her free fingers drumming nervously against the armrest. “He’s around,” she...

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“A Puff of Wind” by Renee Bogacz

Submitted to Contest #288

Please note: this story deals with pregnancy loss. I was born to be a grandma. I’m so good at it. I’m a much better grandma than I ever was a mother. I don’t know if it’s because I have the experience of motherhood behind me or if I have just mellowed with age and the chaos of childhood doesn’t faze me as much or if I just have more patience because I have more time since I’m retired and I don’t work anymore. Whatever the reason, grandmotherhood is much more comfortable to me than motherhood ever was. My grandson Timmy just turned three year...

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“The Last Breath” by Arpita Roy

Submitted to Contest #288

The breeze brushed against Sarah’s skin as she stood on the balcony, a soft sigh of wind that carried with it the remnants of a long, difficult day. She closed her eyes, taking in the moment, letting the cool air wash over her as the city hummed beneath her feet. It had been a week of meetings, emails, and deadlines that seemed never-ending. But now, in this quiet moment, she could breathe.It was a fleeting kind of peace—one she rarely allowed herself. For Sarah, life had become a series of tasks to accomplish, a checklist that never seemed ...

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“Basement Dwellers of the Furred Kind” by Kayla Roach

Submitted to Contest #288

Taylor stood stiff as board against her bedroom door, stationed beside the suspiciously-lifeless floor-bound heater and glaring at her mountain of scattered unopened boxes as if they’d personally wronged her. This unprecedented move had felt like a collective punishment—Dad had accepted that new managerial position out of state that he “absolutely could not refuse” which he had apparently been offered due to his “leadership” and “natural charisma”. Since he couldn’t resist the bloated wallet and shiny supervisory badge dangling from their pr...

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“The Tiger's Fangs” by M B

Submitted to Contest #288

The breeze from the open window brushed against Captain Sphinx’s face as he groaned and settled into the rickety chair at their makeshift headquarters. His head was still pounding from the aftereffects of Mai's potent concoction. Webster paced anxiously while Tex leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "We need to be careful," Webster said. "This Tiger woman is playing games with us. How do we know she won't just feed us to the wolves once we've outlived our usefulness?" Sphinx rubbed his temples. "We don't. But she's our best lea...

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“The Goddess of Love Rules Me” by Alexia Aragon

Submitted to Contest #288

I implore whatever gods will listen that in my next life—if I could be so lucky to win twice—I’d return as the wind just so I could be a breeze that brushes against her skin. Every summer, I’d flow through her effortless hair as she walks along the beach. Come autumn, I’d shake the leaves because I know she loves to see them fall. In the winter, I'd send a gust full of snowflakes, each one as unique as her. And when spring arrives, I’d ensure the rain patters perfectly against her window so she can feel the peace that I won’t be there to off...

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“Life As I Knew It” by Jaclyn Ferrer

Submitted to Contest #288

The high pitched alarm pierced through the silence, interrupting my less than peaceful slumber. I woke with a start as I scanned my unfamiliar surroundings. It was then that the gnawing ache returned to the pit of my stomach as I remembered what had happened the night before. “Everyday?” I had asked him, stupidly repeating the answer he had just given me, in utter disbelief. How could the man I thought I knew, the man I loved, and who I thought loved me, made time every day to be with another woman? I reached over to silence the pinging melo...

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“~Bloworld~” by Jim Parker

Submitted to Contest #288

~BLOWORLD~Jimmy Archer and his Grandfather, Cap’n Dick followed Glocken, of the Reptilian Corca Achte Clan, through a roughly ten foot diameter tunnel deep underground. It was called the Bloworld and many civilizations living below the Earth’s crust had been there long before the existence of man. There were stories of course, fanciful tales by Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Hollow Earth theories from Gardner. Even Admiral Byrd said he found entrances to the underworld at the Poles. But Jimmy never believed any of it. Now here he was....

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“The Odyssey” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #288

As the sea tosses the Odyssey between its mountainous waves like a ping-pong ball, it's all I can do to keep one hand on the rudder. She's in bad shape, and I'm not much better. Ugly, purple-blue bruises stain my arms and sides from the amount of times I've been thrown against the edge of the boat. With wind stinging me with its spiteful embrace, and rain blurring my vision like tears, I can hardly see a foot in front of me. Although it wouldn't be much if I could; the whole ocean from the waves ahead the Odyssey to the horizon is frothed up...

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“The Forecast” by Cheryl Bynum

Submitted to Contest #288

THE FORECASTAs well as the impact of climate change, it has become increasingly apparent globally. We are facing devastating consequences of extreme weather events, reported the weatherman. The peculiar thing was, that all over the world, has reported the same weather forecast 66.6C, and the gust of wind was over 500mph that started from one corner of the earth to the other side of the world, and the wind was progressively rising-fast. In California 66.6C, Montana 66.6C, Louisiana 66.6C, Alaska 66.6C, China 66.6C, London 66.6C, ubi...

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$250

Prize money

416

Contest entries

164

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 07, 2025 EST

Won by Christina Marie 🏆

Title: Motherhood

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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