Set your story during — or just before — a storm.

Posted in Dramatic on Jan 31, 2025

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 144 stories

“Putting On The Ritz” by Meg Lagares

Submitted to Contest #288

The knock on the door surprised me. The knock in and of itself wasn't unusual as many timesmy neighbors in the RV campground would stop by unannounced. It was a common occurrence. Often if it wasn't another friendly camper stopping by to say "hi", it wasone of the extremely competent and helpful maintenance men checking up on me.However, we were expecting a storm that night, and I was sure everyone around mewas batting down the hatches. I, too, was making sure that I had everything I needed to bestuck inside for the next few d...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Hattie's Storm” by Danica Zink

Submitted to Contest #288

The frigid wind tore through the streets, kicking up the soft powder that dusted the sidewalks turning window panes into round, muted versions of their true shapes, before depositing it at the doors of the three story marble building at the end of the street. Save for the wind, all was quiet in that hushed way that only happens when the snow absorbs the sounds that usually bounce along the pavement and off the walls of buildings. Inside, an unusually high number of people peruse the shelves, lined top to bottom with words. Everything from fa...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Storms Started Early” by V Rose

Submitted to Contest #288

The afternoon fog sits heavy in the sky as Laura, a woman in her mid-forties wearing blue sweatpants, a burgundy shirt, and a light blue windbreaker, and her salt and pepper hair is tied up in a ponytail. She pulls up to the pickup spot in front of the Orwell Elementary, home of the Boars. It is a fairly small campus that connects to the neighboring Atwood Middle School, home of the Maidens. Her dark brown eyes search the front of the school with its cement pathways and patches of lawn until she spots what she is looking for. She rolls...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Captains Storm Log 2109” by Gary Phipps

Submitted to Contest #288

Ship Log of Pioneer Scout Captain Carl WolfNeoGenesis | Mission Year: 3.5Location: Deep Space en route to Proxima Centauri B [LOG_ENTRY] Space Date: 2109-07-14 | Time: 13:42 UTCThe Approach of the Storm There’s a storm coming. Not the kind I left behind on Earth, where riots filled the streets, and desperation clawed at civilization like a starving dog. No, this storm is different. It’s cosmic, silent, and massive beyond human comprehension. A pulsar burst detected by the ship’s sensors, a rogue surge of radiation sweeping through the void, ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Speak Water, Walk Sky” by Alex Marmalade

Submitted to Contest #288

Ancient scrolls tell of a time when words shaped reality, when masters of the Way could command the elements with their breath. In the mountains above Lake Taihu, where mist clings to bamboo like thoughts to an unquiet mind, such wisdom was once passed from master to student in whispers, in silences, in the spaces between heartbeats. Here, at Dawn Mountain Temple, thirteen stone pillars rose from the morning fog like fingers reaching for heaven. Each pillar bore thousands of characters, carved by generations of masters who had learned to spe...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Unconventional Healing” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #288

Prompt: Set your story during-or just before-a storm Unconventional Healing “Rain, rain go away. Come back some other day,” I murmured to myself. I recited the childhood rhyme using it as an amulet that would ward off the threatening clouds hovering above me. The ominous black skies evoked a warning inside me as I whispered “red in the morning, sailors take warning.” Today would be a day filled with tumultuous weather. The plump clouds had just begun to dribble their wetness upon me. Without warning more dark c...

0 comments 0

Read story

“BETTY "LUPITA" BOOP” by Candy Burrowbridge

Submitted to Contest #288

Ernesto's heart was beating so hard, the booming sound in his ears was all that could be heard. Trying to catch his breath, he rose his eyes to the sky. The stars lit up the black canvas of night. To the left he admired the yellow-orange, fingernail clipping of a moon. He was entranced by her beauty. She consumed every thought, every moment and every dream he had. Ernesto tried several different places to observe her, but in this storm most locations were unshielded. There was no real place to escape the turbulent downpour and still have a c...

1 comment 1

Read story

“ Dem Sturm Trotzen” by Samella McClary-Brown

Submitted to Contest #288

Amanda and Dieter stood just outside her front door and watched as the rain continued to come down and the lightning streaked across the dark and angry sky. Dieter’s tall frame was against the front door while Amanda leaned into him as they watched one car after another drive down the street, while a few others pulled to the side of the road to wait out the storm.They’d spent most of the day watching movies in her house and then gone to the local cafe for some pastries. The sun had been shining big and bright when they went out, however, on ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“To Make A Storm Worse” by Mono Liso

Submitted to Contest #288

The rain was exciting at first. The forecast had been the talk of the town for days leading up, and a nervous anxiousness descended upon the people like the clouds that would soon come in. At first, it may not have sounded like anything far out of the ordinary – heavy rains with the potential for storms. But this desert town hasn’t seen a drop of water from the sky in years, let alone a storm, and for many of the hundreds of thousands of people here, this would be their first. They prepared for it like a blizzard. In the days before, t...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Winter's Tale” by Bruce Conord

Submitted to Contest #288

Colleen Winter parted the drapes and peered into the darkness. The snowfall had reached halfway up the side of the house and was still coming down hard. “I hope this ends soon, honey,” she told her young boy. “All our guests have canceled, so we’re stuck inside for now. But don’t fret; we’ll find some fun things to do.”“I’m bored, Mom. Can I open my presents tonight instead of tomorrow?” Her seven-year-old son bounced off the coffee table and threw himself on the living room couch.“Please be careful, David.” She cringed every time he roughho...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Breakfast at the Rex” by Colin Phillips

Submitted to Contest #288

With one hand holding the silver tray, the waiter carefully places, first, the coaster, a napkin and finally, the tall, frosted glass of orange juice. Each item is arranged in an almost zen-like meditation on excellence. The frosted glass perspires in the heat. Rivulets of sweat run the length of its shape, promising ice-cold refreshment. The waiter hovers, awaiting instruction. "Thanks," is all I can mutter, engrossed in the regimentation of it all. Silently, the waiter moves away. In the distance, I hear the sound of cars and bicycle bells...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Rainy Day” by Angela Brooks

Submitted to Contest #288

Kieran and Lily were looking forward to the carnival that their school put on each May. They had two weeks to prepare for it, and everyone at school was excited about it. It was to be at Deer Park, across the street from their school.The students worked together to put up the flyers around the neighborhood. Mr. Bauer, the school’s custodian, oversaw setting up the tables and the other amusements.“I’m planning to have some little rides for the young ones this year,” he said. “I know my grandson will love that!”“Come and have fun at the Horizo...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Storm Whisperer ” by Lee Kendrick

Submitted to Contest #288

The Storm Whisperer By Lee Kendrick Captain Mallory, over the years, has grown accustomed to knowing the tell-tale signs of when a storm is coming; not just through his knowledge of meteorology, but by developing an acute sensitivity. Some would say he has a sixth sense when a storm is on its way. His body becomes electrically charged to the point that he gets goosebumps and the hairs stand up on his arms and the back of his neck.Ever since he was a boy of eight he had a knack of foreseeing a storm just by looking outside at the sk...

0 comments 0

Read story

“It’s Raining Men” by Carly E.

Submitted to Contest #288

Bodies strewn and strung on poles like memorabilia—a trophy for those who hadn’t yet perished. We are on the brink of a major loss, a loss that could turn the tide between the Greeks and the Romans bickering. The Roman’s advantageous attempt at halting us near the capitol has left us with a significant death toll, and it continues to climb. The Romans are growing impatient at our ramshackle housing units planted outside of their vast spread army. But as they grow impatient, we grow increasingly worried. A third of our troops have been left g...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Indiscreet Flirtation” by Ronald Laurent

Submitted to Contest #288

Indiscreet Flirtation Savannah Georgia is legendary; it was one of the only towns left standing after Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea.” The chamber of Commerce romantically describes it as a charming Southern escape where art, period architecture, trendy boutiques and haunted stories are all set under a veil of Spanish moss.It was there that my younger sister Melanie had purchased a restored plantation home with sixty acres on the east side of the Flint River...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Start or end your story with a breeze brushing against someone’s skin.

Short Story – 70 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

Contest #288

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: A Perfect Storm

$250

Prize money

416

Contest entries

164

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 07, 2025 EST

Won by Christina Marie 🏆

Title: Motherhood

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Set your story during — or just before — a storm.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 144 stories

“Putting On The Ritz” by Meg Lagares

“Hattie's Storm” by Danica Zink

“Storms Started Early” by V Rose

“Captains Storm Log 2109” by Gary Phipps

“Speak Water, Walk Sky” by Alex Marmalade

“Unconventional Healing” by Pete Gautchier

“BETTY "LUPITA" BOOP” by Candy Burrowbridge

“ Dem Sturm Trotzen” by Samella McClary-Brown

“To Make A Storm Worse” by Mono Liso

“Winter's Tale” by Bruce Conord

“Breakfast at the Rex” by Colin Phillips

“Rainy Day” by Angela Brooks

“The Storm Whisperer ” by Lee Kendrick

“It’s Raining Men” by Carly E.

“Indiscreet Flirtation” by Ronald Laurent

🌟 Similar prompts

Start or end your story with a breeze brushing against someone’s skin.

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

Start or end your story with someone standing in the rain.

Set your story in a place where the weather never changes.

Contest #288

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

416

Contest entries

164

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: