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#53: Dog Days of Summer

"The dog days of summer" conjure images of dogs laying around, panting from the sweltering heat of mid to late summer.

But the saying itself stems from the ancient Romans who associated these hot and humid days with Sirius, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation (or 'Large Dog' constellation). Sirius is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it contributed additional heat to the Sun, causing July and August temperatures to soar.

As we are currently in the midst of them, it only felt fitting for this week's prompts are inspired by the dog days summer (or diēs caniculārēs in Latin)!

p.s. — On August 12th, bestselling novelists Caroline Leavitt and Gina Sorell are hosting a free webinar on creating believable characters. RSVP here!

This week's prompts

Write about a few people spending a long-overdue weekend away at a cottage.

Summer – 125 stories

Write a story that begins with someone's popsicle melting.

Summer – 263 stories

Write a story about a teenager spending their final days at home before going away to college.

High School – 120 stories

Write a story about summer love — the quarantine edition.

Romance – 134 stories

Write a story about another day in a heatwave.

Summer – 181 stories

Stories

“A Thousand Galaxies” by Alby Carter

The Parsons and the Adams had spent every summer they could remember on a small, private island somewhere tucked away in the Pacific Ocean. The island had been in both families for generations, but they were not friends; the reason being that neither family liked to share. This led to bargaining and bickering and bartering and bargaining for the island all summer long, but each family was accustomed to checks with lo...

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“Who is the Child?” by Lynn Penny

Tough love, a parent’s perfect excuse to be an asshole. It sucks the life and soul right out of an innocent child to have a parent who doesn’t seem to love or care, but after years of repetition of meaningless conversations, it becomes nothing more than an irritating buzz.The days were counting down; most of his belongings were in boxes. His books were packed up, and his closet was becoming ever more empty. The sun shined through the blinds, giving Aiden a rude wakeup call. He struggled to get up from his bed, knocking d...

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“Ash Called Oscar, Lina, Beba Maria” by Rhondalise Mitza

There was no reconciling with the summer sun after noon. There was no appeasing it, no cooperating, not a single delegation that could make that star calm down. It was a relentless force. It wanted to burn the citizens of the town up alive, wanted to melt the flesh from their bones and incinerate the bones till they were nothing but ash. Ash called Oscar. Ash called Lina. Ash called Beba ...

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“A Friendly Reminder” by Bibisha Shakya

I think it will relent soon. It has been going strong for a good ten minutes now.It? She? I don’t even know what to call it.Her whole body is swaying back and forth as if her ankles are tied to a spot that my eyes cannot meet. Her face looks more malicious every time she leans towards me: her eyes are widening, her mouth is taut by opening so wide, and her long fingers are reaching out, ready to throttle someone. People have mentioned that I have a pleasant voice more than once: maybe she will heed my r...

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“Unknown” by Priyanka Boopathy

Windy day,Streets were silent like every normal days but the chattering and laughter of four friends Reggie, Syiren, Raven, Toison was all over the streets.They all had their own differences in their lifestyle but something was common in them "Poverty" where they worked hard to earn money, All decided to do any kind of stuff to earn money like to steal stuff but they had their own talents like drawing, singing, dancing and studying which seemed impossible for them to achieve their success path as they all couldn't afford mon...

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“An icy layer of popsicle” by Syeda Fatima

I glance at the sight of my rainbow Popsicle, melting… just like my life. Slowly and gradually, the colors mixing in an individual, greyish galaxy of their own. Lightly revealing the dullness underneath, crawling away… slipping off quietly. The picture right next to me seems to laugh at the look of me struggling not to let the liquid drip on my fawn-colored, flawless blouse, that’s my hus...

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“Where the Rain Falls Red” by Elliot Thomas

On the planet Catharsis, summer was not a joyous affair. In fact, it was quite the opposite. During the hotter months, it rained constantly. It fell in torrents and sheets, leaving everything drenched. As if that weren't bad enough, it was no ordinary rain. It was a toxic rain, stained red from the radioactive particles floating in the upper atmosphere. If caught in a storm, 90% of the population would fall gravely ill and die painfully soon after exposure. The only people who lived on Catharsis were those who were not filthy rich enough ...

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“Afra and Gervassi Off Road” by Rhondalise Mitza

Afra stepped off the bus and sighed, her backpack heavy with laundry and memories of the last few days; of her wonderful fireside chats with the elusive Gervassi. She smiled and turned back around to wave at him from the ground. He already had his headphones back on but he waved at her anyway. Good, she thought, that way no one else will talk to him. Speaking of talking, Afra’s ...

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“The House of Cards” by Gopika Ashokan

The city, once privy to the ongoings of my world, now seemed marred by contempt for the world. The star gazing ritual from my rooftop now felt so disdainful; the armchair which used to flawlessly fit my corpulent body now pricked me and reminded me of the unwanted bulkiness; the modestly built teapoy which I adored now appeared tastelessly fashionable.I looked above; the firmament was a blanket of stars. Stars always made me believe that illusions can be magical. But there was nothing magical about today.<...

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“Afra and Gervassi Sleep in Boxes” by Rhondalise Mitza

“So,” Gervassi started, like he had gotten accustomed to doing every morning, “How did you sleep?” “Like a shot duck.” Afra was just waking up. She still hadn’t gotten used to the early mornings school required. Luckily, her morning usually started with a call from Gervassi, and that was always a delightful way to wake up. It was almost better than the sunset. “And you?” She wished they were in the same ...

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“Summer (Wolf) Love” by BRoOkE HAs A COwBoY HAt

Luna slept soundly in her cave. The cold rock under her was satisfying. A ray of late-night moonlight covered half of her face from the hole in the roof. Luna rolled over onto her other side and her legs kicked; undoubtedly the result of a dream. For the rest of the night, Luna stays still in a deep sleep. The morning comes too early for Luna, but soon enough she is up and eating a juicy rabbit that she caught t...

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“An Eternity of Sorrows” by Laurentz Baker

A blazing yellow sun spies us from between a bank of clouds high in the sky. The road’s lights stretched out along the desert floor, flickering, fearing to sleep, anticipating this moment. The dust devils dance among the heat waves rising from the sand. “It’s been how long, brother? Twelve years? The last time we witnessed one another was Rome. You were pointing your gun at me, running down a flight of s...

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“The Spectacle(s)” by Jonathan Blaauw

The weather can have a curious effect on human behavior. Motorists, for example, frequently lose all driving ability when it rains, and when the Summer heat descends, sanity often departs the scene. There is a well-documented correlation between temperature records and crime rates, after all, and even the most skeptical observer would be hard-pressed to attribute this to mere coincidence. For some unknowable reason, people do strange things when the mercury rises. That was probably the r...

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“School's Out” by Charles Stucker

"Dang it Pa, I don't want to go off to college and all." I got to stand firm on account of my Pa is Mike Carson. The man who chased down the Lane Gang by himself. Ranger, town marshal, legend. And ma expects me to live up to it by studying books, of all things. Don't get me wrong. I like Ivanhoe and never met a yarn by Mark Twain as couldn't hold my eyes a spell. But college ain't like that."Two weeks," Pa says. "Then you git on the train and take it to college station"I'm set to tell him no when ...

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“Two to Three” by Lynn Penny

NightCrawlers: Victims of a Parasite that turned into Nocturnal Cannibalistic Hunters whose only instincts are to kill and eat.Having found a literal paradise in this drug store, with protection and supplies galore, Onyx and Dr. Doggy waited for the other shoe to drop. It took a couple of days to get everything all set up for optimal survival, but oh boy, it was all worth it. Onyx felt like a real survival pro, having set up her own rainwater filter using vases and cheesecloth, a contained fire pit with a ...

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