Start your story with the whistle of a kettle.

Posted in Dramatic on Aug 19, 2022

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✍️ 60 stories

“Tea for Two” by Sharon Williams

Submitted to Contest #160

The kettle turns itself off with a decisive clunk and John pours boiling water onto the teabags in the mugs. ‘Dad!...you wanna cup of tea?’ No answer. John doesn’t think his father can hear him anymore. It’s either that or plain ignorance. Whatever! He takes one of the mugs through to the shadowy living room and places it on the occasional table next to where the old man sits in his riser recliner chair. ‘We’re ...

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“By The Whistling of a Tea Kettle” by CJ Rodgers

Submitted to Contest #160

The tea kettle whistled again. Cayd hit the timer on their phone and took the kettle off the stove. They wrote down the time in their journal and added more water to the kettle. Something wasn’t adding up. “The neighbor said the kettle was whistling for thirty minutes before he went to check on her,” Officer Bell said as Cayd’s sharp eyes swept over the crime scene. Cayd crouched in front of the stove, squinting at the knobs. “Did he turn the stove off?” They asked. “Yes, but after he called 999,” Bell said. “It’s on ...

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“The Whistle of a Kettle” by Someren Glen Retirement Community

Submitted to Contest #160

The whistle of the kettle brought back a memory to me, and I was feeling sad but sentimental. I started thinking back ten years from today, January 2nd, the anniversary of a mine disaster in Sago, West Virginia. The mine whistle was very much a part of life there. It blasted from 6:00 am to 8:30 pm, sending the first shift into the mine and time to milk the cows for the farmers. Another blast got the children up and off to school. In fact, there were eleven different blasts a day for all different occasions. A long continuing blast signaled ...

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“In the Middle of Nowhere” by Charly Woods

Submitted to Contest #160

It was a quiet day in the middle of nowhere. The only sound that could be heard all around the dry land was a high whistle that lasted forever. And far into this cracks-in-the-ground-nothing-to-do-here place, there was a house; a farmhouse that looked like it was stuck in 1930. The steps leading up to the front door were rotten and the door itself had a small cracked glass residing in it. Wallpaper had a life of its own in the hallway. Then there was the dining table, made of wood, however, only small peaks of it could be seen as a worn-down...

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“The Danger of Pedestals” by Laurel Byrd

Submitted to Contest #160

It started as a faint, high-pitched hum. Her heart was beating so hard that the pressure in her head made her feel nearly deaf, so she assumed her ears were ringing from the adrenaline until the noise became less like a subtle whir and more like a screech. She blinked and came back into the moment.There he was, standing in front of her, the same stupid face he’d always had. How had she held it in her hands all those years ago and kissed it with such affection? All of that had turned to utter disgust as he stood there waiting for her response...

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“The Magic Tea” by Revilo Nibur-Xof

Submitted to Contest #160

Whistle, whistle! I see the angry column of air spiraling down towards the ground. Whoosh, Whoosh! The wind blows into my ears, ready to swallow me whole. Crack! A piece of wood from the roof of the old red barn breaks off, and I see it fly through the air 20 feet above the ground, before disappearing into the column of twisting, thrashing air. “Ahhhhh!” I scream, but the sound is almost completely drowned out by the roaring of the wind. The clouds above are darker and more ominous than I’ve ever seen, barely letting any light ...

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“Reflections” by Christopher Abel

Submitted to Contest #160

From my place in the garden, the sound of the kettle whistling in the kitchen was transformed from a shrill shriek into a comforting, familiar song; the bass rumble of the nascent boil, minor notes of eager steam beginning to escape, an aria and crescendo, then the trilling, wavelike denouement as the kettle is lifted from the stove. I could picture Grandmother in there, ever so carefully lifting the lid, gently sending a cascade of water over the bags of tea- inevitably some variant of English Breakfast- and placing the delicate china cups ...

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“Harold Friedman Is Not a Junkie” by Katherine Lee

Submitted to Contest #160

It was one of those old school kettles, the kind that shakes more and more violently on the burner the closer it is to boiling. The roar of steam and the angry whistle was loud enough to cover the rattling of pill bottles as Dr. Friedman frantically unlocked the cupboard behind the pharmacist’s desk and shook out a generous handful of Percocets while his colleagues ate lunch in the next room over. The relief was instant. He hadn’t even popped one yet, but just having them in his hand was enough. To Dr. Friedman, the anticipation of the fee...

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“ Pressing Leaves ” by Red Lizzy

Submitted to Contest #160

The spout of the dingy brass kettle released steam at a boil -the shrill whistle that once made arm hairs stand at attention is mute. It’s been silent for years but often the smoke alarm blares instead and the kitchen window drips with condensation. On such occasions, the aging, jaded, faithful kettle shakes from emptiness, burning from the heat below it and belching poison smoke into the air in a final effort to draw attention to itself. Molly pulls a tureen-sized mug from the closet grabbing a tea packet from a jar overflowing with ...

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“Birthday Card” by Debra Styers

Submitted to Contest #160

Jon’s day had been going smooth until he checked the mail. There it was: a letter for Logan. He had been semi-expecting it. He was hoping the bitch forgot. Obviously, she didn’t. He had to get her out of his mind at-the-moment and deal with the task at-hand before Logan’s bus arrived. He searched for the stainless steel kettle. He hadn’t seen it in more than a year. He now used a Keurig for coffee and tea. That damn thing was useless for steaming a letter open. He was running around the kitchen, slamming pots and pans around trying to spo...

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“My Writing Process” by Aurora Martin

Submitted to Contest #160

The whistle blows, drawing my attention. I get up from my desk and make my way over. The kettle’s starting to scream by the time I get over to my kitchen. My own fault really. My home is a mess. I get out a mug after pulling the kettle off and setting it on a back burner. I turned off the stove already. I can still hear it singing as I get my cocoa powder measured out. I pour in the hot water, allowing it to flood the grainy chocolate mix. When I’m satisfied with the volume, I grab a spoon and start stirring with one hand while the other put...

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“Looking for Sunbeams. ” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #160

The kettle whistled, just as the phone rang. Joanne responded, only to hear, "The only way I'm going anywhere is feet first via the morgue!" Oh dear, Handsome Grandpa Jack was on the phone again. Did he have the blues! He was sitting in his nursing home room, ringing his loving granddaughters in sequence. It was a lovely facility really, top of the range. It had great food, activities, staff and a supportive environment. It was still his forever home. Joanne, his middle granddaughter, had a ready reply. "Never mind, when your number's up, an...

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“A Walk With Grief” by J L Jones

Submitted to Contest #160

It was the whistle of the kettle that pulled me from my reverie. Dazed, I looked around, searching for clues to bring me back to the present. Once I came to, the realization left me all at once lonely and sad. The whistling continued. I shook the feelings away, turned off the burner, and poured the steaming water into our favorite mugs, each holding a bag of chamomile tea and a touch of honey. I carried the two mugs to the spare room we set up for my mother’s hospice care. She lay there, sleeping, as I expected. She couldn’t drink the te...

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“Tea, Despair & Miss Claire” by Nicole Kavanagh

Submitted to Contest #160

I was small. I was a child again. I found myself entering an oversized, somehow seemingly sideways home. Sideways, yet familiar. We’d been here many times before. Each time greeted by a giant fluffy white dog and the sound of the kettle blasting off. Miss Claire always knew when we’d arrive, and the tea would always be ready just in time. Miss Claire was much older than my mother, but they had become great friends. Afternoon tea and coffee was routine. I’d sit in a cloud of secondhand smoke with my English breakfast tea. I didn’t drink tea a...

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“Weekend Tea” by Joseph Manopello

Submitted to Contest #160

“What is that sound?” Jack gingerly walked across the dining room, hyper-conscious of every step. His body was disconnected from his brain, and every minute motion took herculean effort, like trying to run in a dream. He knew he would either fall to the ground, or freeze on the spot if he didn’t continue moving, so he continued, one step at a time. As he walked, or tried his best imitation at walking, the sound, a shrill scream that his battered brain was unable to connect with any known sound, grew louder. He knew he had to do something ...

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Start your story with the whistle of a kettle.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 60 stories

“Tea for Two” by Sharon Williams

“By The Whistling of a Tea Kettle” by CJ Rodgers

“The Whistle of a Kettle” by Someren Glen Retirement Community

“In the Middle of Nowhere” by Charly Woods

“The Danger of Pedestals” by Laurel Byrd

“The Magic Tea” by Revilo Nibur-Xof

“Reflections” by Christopher Abel

“Harold Friedman Is Not a Junkie” by Katherine Lee

“ Pressing Leaves ” by Red Lizzy

“Birthday Card” by Debra Styers

“My Writing Process” by Aurora Martin

“Looking for Sunbeams. ” by Julie Grenness

“A Walk With Grief” by J L Jones

“Tea, Despair & Miss Claire” by Nicole Kavanagh

“Weekend Tea” by Joseph Manopello

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story during a drought.

Write about someone seeking an oasis in a desert — whether literally, or figuratively.

Write about a character whose job is to bring water to people.

End your story with someone dancing in the rain.

Contest #160

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

266

Contest entries

109

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: