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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#99: Summer Solstice

In the Northern Hemisphere, June 21st is the ‘summer solstice’ — the longest day of the calendar year and, in astronomical terms, the beginning of summer. In my part of the world, this season evokes a plethora of scenes: sunbathing on river banks, al fresco dining with friends, and trips to the seaside, all punctuated by the heady scents of summertime — potent florals, sunscreen and food sizzling on the grill.

The solstice celebration has its roots in ancient Paganism — where people would gather at sites like Stonehenge and wear protective garlands of herbs and flowers to ward off the evil spirits who, according to Pagan folklore, walk the earth more freely at this time. From a spiritual standpoint, the solstice is all about embracing the sun and its awesome power. Whether you love basking in the sun or prefer to stay inside with the curtains drawn, I thought this week's prompts could be a way for us Reedsians to mark the advent of summer too. Happy writing!

This week's prompts

Begin your story with somebody watching the sunrise, or sunset.

Fluff – 275 stories

Write about the longest day of the year, or a day that never seems to end.

Summer – 99 stories

End your story with somebody stepping out into the sunshine.

Summer – 211 stories

Write a story about somebody reminiscing on an event that happened many summers ago.

Summer – 217 stories

Write a story about characters going on a summer road trip.

Summer – 104 stories

Stories

“The Doctor” by HBR Patel

Submitted to Contest #99

'Why?' Nina asked. 'Daughter, there are things that are best left unexplained.' 'The world will not end if I have a glimpse of the day?' 'Yes, my love, the world will not end, but my world will end for sure if something happens to you.’ replied Tim. ‘But daddy, I will use a dark cloth.’ Tim thought for a while about the risk involved. He then said, ‘Okay, we will go outside, as you wish.’ They took a black blanket and covered themselves. ‘Do not wake up mom, or she will cancel this outing of yours.' Nina agreed, ‘Okay...

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“Unconsciousness” by Angeline Lu

Submitted to Contest #99

The too white walls of the hospital were starting to give me a headache. Everything was too much. The too bright fluorescent lights on the ceilings, the too loud beeping of the heart monitor and even the too clean stench of the rooms. The only splash of color in the room was one of those motivational posters in the center of the room. Dabs of pale blue and murky yellow against a black background. It would’ve been a beautiful piece of art if not for the bold white letters printed over the daubs of color. Everything is ...

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“The trauma” by Dj Camagay

Submitted to Contest #99

I've been lying on the floor in a fetus position trying to protect myself from them. I tried peeking but regretted it cause one of them landed a hit on my head. I can hear the cheers and insults some spectators throwing at me but as time goes by, the noise just became like a buzz of the bees. I can no longer care about the tears and snot on my face but I still showed them my fighting spirit by glaring at them. After what happened, the crowd gathered to watch me endure the pain disperse as soon as a teacher entered our room. He was our ...

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“The Fullest Silence” by Kiera Baird

Submitted to Contest #99

Whenever I thought of death, it was like a looming tower in the distance. A frightening and harsh reality, a thought that only brought sorrow and anger into your mind. Death is humankind’s greatest denial, something that always came later in life, never something that was always a possibility. And so as lights flashed behind my eyelids and as thunderstorms shook my ears and my body, I was once again forced to bring all of my roads of thoughts back to the same place, back to the same barren and cold tower that I had always pushed away. All I ...

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“City of Light” by Chiya Hoyle

Submitted to Contest #99

There was no atmosphere on Earth. So, humans built it. They used dark floating panels to cover up the bleeding night. Each panel hugged together like the street pavements on a winter’s day. Pipes, installed on the sides of each panel, emitted gases that scattered across the planet, creating a blue halo from outside space. What was once called the atmosphere was now given a new name, the shield. The shield that protected us from the atomic waves and the solar radiation of the Sun.“Lian, is it today? Is it today?” Granny grabbed the television...

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“Say NO To Blockages” by Manisha Pareek

Submitted to Contest #99

Say NO to blockages “Yes sir, I will mail you the details right away,” Mike told his Boss. It was lockdown all over the world and Mike’s wife and son had gone to his In-Laws’ house. He was all alone in his big mansion dealing with the so-called ‘Work From Home.’ Mike, an extremely caring person who takes care of everyone. Tries to protect everyone. He has given his life to his family. He has endorsed himself in so much stress and work so that his family won’t struggle at all. He has taken good care of his work and projects so tha...

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“Summer Wishes” by Sarah Hazel

Submitted to Contest #99

Summer. My favorite time of the year has finally arrived, and birds outside of my window are singing their cheery morning songs. I push my blankets off and roll over to check the time, but my cat, Benny, has beat me to it. He is lying next to me and my phone is hidden away in the middle of his underbelly. Distracting him with ear scratches, I retrieve my phone and kiss him on top of his head. I’m running late.I hop out of bed and scramble around my apartment to get dressed. Throwing on my favorite knee length sundress, I hastily toss my hair...

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“Step into the Light” by Chris Jones

Submitted to Contest #99

The streets were quieter than they had ever been, but they weren’t silent. The sound of cars was replaced by voices, a few nearby and many many more echoing from farther away. There were no gunshots, as there had been. Most of the city was shuttered, but not all of it. The Steele worker sat in a cafe, staring out the window. His bag, unzipped with his hat exposed, sat under his table. He was relaxed in the way only someone who was very tired ever is. There was a novel open on the table, but he wasn’t reading it. Occasionally, he drank h...

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“Lotus In a Nebula...” by Lennox Ducksworth

Submitted to Contest #99

He recognized this place before. He felt it. The expansion in his consciousness, his mind reaching out into the empty space like radar under the ocean. He found it quite odd, after the gaps before his next sequence of dreams, the timeless skip before he woke up, and even just resting his eyes, did he find it all so familiar. The emptiness. There was no relation of the body, no heaviness of his eyes, nor the quieting of the stream of thoughts into silence. He was in the emptiness, yet he was fully aware, awake, and filled with curiosity as to...

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“The Monster In The Mirror ” by Celeste Segreto

Submitted to Contest #99

I no longer fear monsters because I am one. I don’t need a bed to hide under, or even a closet. I do however stalk from the shadows. Just one look into my seductive eyes and you will do anything I say or give me anything I want. Just a sip of your blood, or maybe your life. And you would be foolish enough to hand it over, just to please me because I can not be resisted. Whatever it takes to satisfy my hunger. What a vile creature I have become. Unfamiliar angry red eyes stared back at me from the mirror. They were not the clear blue on...

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“The Truth” by Aron H

Submitted to Contest #99

All he saw was darkness except for a little light bulb hanging from a wire in a corner. There were no windows in the room, only a small metal door lay in the wall. He was sitting on a small cot, the color of a faded lint yellow. The walls were made of dark, dirty concrete. He exploded."let. me. OUT!" His voice boomed, reverberating around the room, and which shattered the light. Now he was in complete darkness, but, somehow, he could still see his surroundings fairly well. Feeling defeated, he plumped himself on the cot and waited for someth...

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“Emerging from the cave” by Wiktora Zatorski

Submitted to Contest #99

1st of July to my dearest diary, As I sit in this cabin overlooking the sun's slow drift under the horizon, I am reminded of the start of the long-car-journey me and my friends took. It felt like the day would never end, the sun would always hang over our head beating the car down with its warmth and sunshine. The radio could only play so many songs, we could sing only so many songs, we could only tolerate so many pit-stops and stretchings of the legs, we could only do so much without busting out a story. A story did someone sing to our ears...

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“Sun and shadow” by Amy Winterfell

Submitted to Contest #99

Suffering. The term used to describe what one could only describe as the pain which human beings have to go through. I think we’ve all suffered, somehow, our shared pain is often what makes us realise what really matters. I’ll never forget what that means to me. It was the warmest of days when everything went wrong, the type that made your heart dance and a shroud of lazy peace cloud your vision. I lay in the back garden, the soft bed of grass gently cradling me where I gazed up into the endless blue sky. The sun was high above, casting i...

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“The Talk We Needed” by Pudge Avery

Submitted to Contest #99

It was half-past two in the morning, and I still can't sleep. I rolled over to the right, and the bunk bed creaked a bit. Six of my classmates were occupying the three bunk beds in our room. I am at the top bunk while my friend, Monica, was on the lower bed, and my friend, Kim, was sleeping on the mattress on the floor next to us. After the last three days' activities, we are all tired to the bone. We had things planned to do on our last night at the camp, but none of it happened. We all just wanted to rest and ready to go home.I, on the oth...

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“A day like every day” by Atropa Bell

Submitted to Contest #99

The soundtrack of Pirate of the Caribbean starts. I reach over patting the bed next to me without opening my eyes trying to find my phone. Feeling the cold rectangle under my fingers I blindly hit it multiple times until the music stops. Blissful silence again, for exactly five minutes after which the song starts back up again this time louder. Groaning I pry my eyes open. Everything is blurry as I reach to the other side of the bed fumbling a second with putting my glasses on. The world was now suddenly available in crisp HD resolution. For...

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$50

Prize money

909

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 25, 2021 EST

Won by Tom Vandel 🏆

Title: The Men and the Lake

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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