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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

“Terra Promissa” by Jon R. Miller

Submitted to Contest #99

Una rested her paddle across the hull of the outrigger where she sat in the stern seat; seawater dripped onto her bare knees. The waves lapped gently against the charcoal-treated boat-sides. She peered windward into the horizon. The breeze ruffling the sea soothed her face. They had paddled a good hour since Adonais, the larger of the binary stars, first peaked over the horizon. Now the serene sea shimmered purple-blue as Lycidas, the second orb, broke out from the watery surface, pursuing Adonais in its heavenly arc. Can’t beat a day like t...

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“a summer kidnapping” by Clinton Siegle

Submitted to Contest #99

Recently t’is come to my attention that I have been kidnapped. When I wrote about this and no one cared a long, long time ago I felt disappointed. After all, most of the people I wrote to owed me for this is this or that is that. What can I, am single-footed single eyed pirate, a poet a writer in Bolivia do for such a wide and wild assortment of people? I was and am who I always will be. A personality like now you will know. Let me begin with the summer that I think this began. 1973 I was crying. Why? My parents were yelling and screaming an...

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“GOOD & PLENTY FAIRY DUST” by Joy Strouse

Submitted to Contest #99

GOOD & PLENTY FAIRY DUST by Joy Strouse If someone had asked me my idea of hell, I would have told them, “Being stuck in a car for 10 hours with my sister.” I would have said, “Anyone but Katherine! Give me wicked Uncle Ernie or the screaming, bratty Rodriguez twins from next door, but please… not my polar opposite, Katherine-Not-Kathy Patricia Clark!” But nobody asked me, so t...

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“The Longest Day of the Year ” by Gina Beach

Submitted to Contest #99

The drive to the Salisbury Plain wasn’t promising. I pulled the wash in early because the darkening clouds loomed ominous, ready to open. Raindrops splashed the windscreen as we passed thatched roofs in Bath and wound through narrow lanes, being overtaken by Range Rovers. It’s the longest day of the year in the middle of a pandemic and my partner, Craig, and I are driving to arguably the world’s most famous neolithic structure: Stonehenge. It seemed improbable on this rainy Summer Solstice that we’d even be able to get close enough to see ...

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“Lonely California” by Giulia S.

Submitted to Contest #99

Premise: it's my first first-person story. Any suggestions are much appreciated! *** The summer heat arrived all at once, like every year. I’ve always had trouble to swift from the winter cosy sweater to shorts and flip flop; and every year, I’m totally blindsided. This time was no different: in the middle of June, I’m still wearing my pink slippers and my leggings are on, but that day was terribly hot, something like 38 degrees Celsius. “Ok, now I’m gonna take a shower and change these clothes…”, that’s what I thought when I opened my b...

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“I’ll miss you, Aura.” by Iris Vader

Submitted to Contest #99

TW: suicide The searing rays of the run slowly sink beneath the horizon, making the sky change colours from a range of fiery red to deep blue. As the last ray of light slinks away, the world is shrouded, as night announces its presence. The air is still humid, a remainder of the sun that was once shining above. Soon, my shirt sticks to my skin and small droplets of sweat carve their path down my neck. I dig my toes in the hot sand as a cool sea breeze whisks my hair. I pull my legs in and rest my chin on my knees. A lone ...

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“Never” by Jill Campbell

Submitted to Contest #99

NEVER The sun on the calm water and laid back conversation float nowhere. Need to go nowhere. Content with itself, it spreads with ease like a thick layer of syrup over pancakes making them savory and sweet. Kayaking up under cascading walls of water vines, I arrive at a long abandoned beaver lodge so overgrown that only a practiced eye could discern it. The growth is so impenetrable and the stream path so narrow that I’m unable to turn the kayak around, and begin to paddle backwards but am stymied by islands o...

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“Cry in the Woods” by Kaya Atkins

Submitted to Contest #99

I slowly unzipped the tent window to peer outside. It was too dark to see anything. “Annie?” “You heard it, too?” she whispered. My friend Annie and I went camping for the weekend, a summer ritual that we’ve done for several years. After the sudden death of Annie’s father, she refused to talk to anyone but me. After being diagnosed with depression, she adopted a service dog named Charlie, a now eight-year-old Belgian Malinois. “Was it Charlie?” I breathed. “No, she’s right here, but I think she heard it too.” We both s...

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“Sunset remind me of you sweetie: my ephemeral love ” by Valeria Zambrano

Submitted to Contest #99

I stare out at the sunset I remember how much this symbolizes for ourselves, even more for you. When we gave our sweetest first kiss and our last. I just took advantage of the fact that you were close to me. You looked as radiant as the brilliant red and purple colors of the sunset. Along with your charming smile that could stun anyone. Besides, at the same time it can bring you a magical feeling for a lifetime. Indeed, it was the perfect timing and setting for both of us. Nevertheless, we were too young to handle a long relationship yet, ev...

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“The New Revelations ” by Babika Goel

Submitted to Contest #99

“Why don’t you live with your wife?” Adra asked Ahmed, without sounding curious.“It is a long story, but I will try to cut it short. It was just last year I was searching for some documents on my wife’s laptop that I came across a few hundred texts and many intimate emails between my wife and an old friend of hers. So this was not about one secret message but several. And then she had been meeting her not once, but several times in a week. I had unearthed a secret affair. ”“Wait! then her lover is a woman? Now this cannot overshadow your mar...

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“Midsummer Memories” by Ida Stokbaek

Submitted to Contest #99

It’s the longest day of the year. The turning point, where the night is as far away as it’s ever going to be. Tomorrow, it will be a little closer. Then it’ll start to win back territory. Only those territories that are eternally disputed, the hours that can be either light or dark.I’m alone, watching the raindrops fall past my window, remembering past summers. This is my 31st summer, though I don’t remember the earliest ones. The most recent ones were filled with pandemics, parenting and labouring to pay bills. Before that, music festivals,...

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“Dawn's Maidens” by Casie D.

Submitted to Contest #99

Ushering in the sunrise was monotonous work.Before the blazing and almighty sun began its stretch, rosy-fingered Dawn emerged with light from the wisps of night. Beginning at the east, Dawn's fair maidens in their blush dresses flew in the first spark of morning. They rose with flushed tones, lightly drifting across the sky and bridling swift horses that race from the sun. This was their task. Alora hovered among her fellow nymphs, rose-tinted wings from her back, and admired how flushed and peaceful the world appeared, how purely golden the...

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“A MEMORABLE ROAD TRIP” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #99

That day as I was seated reading the news paper I called out to my wife who was in the kitchen, When she came I said “Reena it says here that the amusement park CALGARY has opened with a big ,roller-coaster besides other attractions. It seems it is the first such park in India.” She said “That’s at least 100 kilometres away.” “Yes. Our car is new and we could easily reach and return by the evening.” She said “You never let me drive the new car whereas I was free to use the old one.” “You see the roads here are narrow and besides there’r...

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“Gourmet” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #99

Well, welcome on board… You here for the summer? Cool… I’ve been on for three years now and it ain’t so bad on the night shifts. You get people who are chilled out and there’s less to clean up. Actually the best time to be here; just don’t say anything to anyone about it. Keep that a secret. We don't want to let too many people know about it. So, this is it. The Palace. Don’t really know who thought of the name. Think it was a video arcad...

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“Scones” by Kayley Dickins

Submitted to Contest #99

Getting time off work was a rarity, getting time off work in the summer was nothing short of a miracle, but getting time off work that coincided with your partner simply didn’t happen. Contrary to all rules of nature, it just had. Not something to be dwelt over, they had left the building the day before trying their hardest to pretend they didn’t exist, never had, and never would again. Someone remembering their presence now would simply not do. That brought with it the risk of them being told quite directly that they were no longer hurtling...

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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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