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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

“The Trip to Katie's Party” by John Cardamone

Submitted to Contest #288

This morning, I stood in the relentless rain, a half-eaten glazed donut in one hand, an inadequate umbrella in the other. Bosco, my dog, was out doing his business (the reason we were both getting drenched) when I dropped the slippery donut onto some newly erected condominiums of mushrooms. I had never seen this variety of mushroom, so I scooped a few up to make an omelet while my wife got ready for the party. With Bosco relieved, the omelet devoured, and the Sunday morning paper drying in the oven, I went to take a hot shower. We had a...

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“How not to Prepare for a Monsoon” by Don Beausoleil

Submitted to Contest #288

My suitemates get a kick out of shopping with me. Ever since that random person at the Safeway on Seventh Avenue made fun of me for asking about the best crawfish spots in Phoenix, they’ve been on my tail – no pun intended. Every time I go shopping with them, they laugh as I try and fail to find Louisiana staples. Gumbo filé? No luck. Enjoy some watery soup. After trying that one butcher in town who sells andouille and boudin, I doubt that man has ever set foot anywhere near the Bayou State. My friends’ jokes don’t let up when we go to coffe...

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“Searching for Angelina” by Hank Wyborney

Submitted to Contest #288

It was a rainy night, the streets dark save for the blurred house lights that made a wavery line. My car splashed down the wet road, seemingly floating rather than driving. I passed the 6th Street bus stop, and that was where—just for a moment— I saw her.She stood on the side of the road, a slender, lithe shadow, until my headlights revealed her clearly for one startling instant. Her dark eyes, cascading hair, half-smile, and unusual beauty stunned me with the power of epiphany. Something about her gripped my soul. Beauty is a ghost, a phant...

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“The Storm” by C. M. H.

Submitted to Contest #288

Staring out the large window in her living room, Jess briefly wondered if the torrential rain pelting the panes was trying to break into the 1920’s-circa farmhouse, as if it too was escaping from the storm clouds blanketing the land for miles in every direction. Jess had never seen a storm like this. There had been no watching the storm clouds rolling in from over the mountains over the course of several hours, no National Weather Service alerts or beloved local weatherman, Dan Patridgeson, with his sleeves rolled up outlini...

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“Bad Vibes” by Gary Gallant

Submitted to Contest #288

BAD VIBES Her screaming hit him louder than the thunder and rain.“I’m done with this; we are over. Let me out now.”“Janie, that’s crazy. Let’s go back to your sister's house, or hotel, I call it, because 10000 square feet, stables, horses, and a swimming pool the size of their tennis court is not a house.”‘If you would get a good job instead of being a teacher, maybe we could have something bigger than that dump we live in,” she screamed, slightly less loud now. “Pull the car over”. Her face was red and scrunched up in anger. “ Now Melv...

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“The Storm” by Tony Jones

Submitted to Contest #288

Margaret heard the rain starting to fall at a very slow pace. “I guess the storm is about to begin,” she said. The weather report predicted a storm that afternoon. She remembered what her mom had called “the storm of all storms” that she experienced when she was only ten years old. “Mom was right,” she thought aloud. “That was a storm that will never be equaled,” she said, now talking to her dog, Benny. Margaret was now 22 years old and married. Her husband, Rick, was out of town on business. So, Benny was her only companion this afternoon. ...

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“THE STORM SHOWS ME DIRECTION” by Miya Doolam

Submitted to Contest #288

Panny drew zigzags in her sand pit with a stick she found in her mother’s Berry bush but the copious winds kept ruining the pattern. She groaned and started over each time, sticking the stick deep enough into the sand, drawing a downward stroke which at some point she jolted left or right. Directions were her thing, something her mother was never good at. Panny was old enough to know that her mother regretted a lot of things, one of that being having her. Her mother, Lorice, had Panny when she wa...

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“Down The Highway” by Adriana Fernandez

Submitted to Contest #288

Marc groaned when his car tire suddenly went flat in the pouring rain. He slapped his steering wheel from frustration. Pulling off the highway, his little blue car struggled to steer through the gravel. After such a busy day at work, this was the last thing he needed. All he wanted was to rest after working fourteen hours, but the universe didn’t want that. The window thumped as he pressed his head against it, staring out at the rain in misery. From inside, he wasn’t getting a signal. He debated getting out of the car as he stared at the hea...

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“One last kiss” by Brian Carney

Submitted to Contest #288

Kathy turns and locks her front door. The day had started with a sunny sky but now they were being overrun by fast-moving clouds, Giving an ominous feeling to Kathy's normal happy disposition. A cold wind blew her black hair around her face, another blow to her mood for the day. She had spent extra time combing and blowing out her hair, hoping to be able to wear it down all day, but it seemed like Mother Nature had other ideas. Once in the car, she turned the radio to the weather station to hear that a severe thunderstorm was coming."Well, t...

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“Cora's Magic” by Kalisha James

Submitted to Contest #288

In the middle of the night, the skies are as black as a void. The nocturnals are howling ridiculous tunes, and humanoids are on a hunt. The pale creatures scream while running into the darkness with their pitchforks in the air and torches held far too close to their chests. They shout profanities and miraculously avoid trampling over each other. All in a group effort to catch the one they deemed unfit to be in their community; the one with spells and powerful magic known as a witch. Cora exhaled as the mob sprinted past her. One of her...

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“Great” by Amy St. Pierre

Submitted to Contest #288

Whenever I drive by the ocean, even in the dead of New England winter when the world is cold and gray, I imagine jumping in, submerging my body in icy water, my hair floating behind me like a mermaid. I imagine it peaceful, floating, not scary at all - on the contrary, I welcome it. That's what I was thinking about when I smashed my car into the sidewalk because I was looking out at the ocean, imagining what it would be like to swim in January. Outside, a storm is coming. A winter storm, maybe a blizzard, depending on how much snow we get. T...

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“Stormy Fate” by Patrice Nicholas

Submitted to Contest #288

The cold wind touched Lillian’s cheek as she stood at the empty pier. Dark clouds filled the sky, casting a gray light over the restless ocean. She pulled her coat tighter, but the damp air clung to her skin. The smell of salt and rain filled her lungs, a scent she once found comforting but now felt oppressive. The world around her felt heavy, mirroring the weight in her chest.A storm was coming, in the sky and in her heart.She looked down at the crumpled letter in her hand. The paper was soaked with rain, but the words were still legible. H...

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“On Not Weathering the Storm” by Robin Fletcher

Submitted to Contest #288

Some years back I drove up to Eugene Oregon to celebrate my brother, John’s birthday. He asked me to come up a few days earlier so we could have some brother-sister time before his celebration. I was elated to hear this but also a tinge nervous. Though close and similar in some ways, we both love nature and animals, and enjoy Christmas with as much enthusiasm as we did when we were 5 and 6 years old, we are different in other ways. John tends to be more soft-spoken than me, while I have no qualms interjecting my opinion or advice. His defaul...

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“The Sun Always Shines (Even When It’s Raining)” by Niveadita Razdan

Submitted to Contest #288

Lyla's Her boots clicked against the old cobblestones – tap, tap, tap. The sound bounced between the buildings lining Main Street, those ancient brick beauties from back when people actually cared what things looked like. Not like the glass-and-steel boxes they were throwing up downtown these days. These buildings had stories etched into their walls, decades of city grime in their pores.God, she loved mornings like this. The sky stretched endless and blue above the old brick buildings, and somewhere nearby, coffee was brewing – that rich, bi...

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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 the 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...

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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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