Begin your story with a protagonist taking shelter under a bridge during a thunderstorm. An animal scurries past which shouldn’t exist. Against their better judgment, they decide to follow it out.

Posted in Fantasy on Oct 13, 2023

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✍️ 50 stories

“Dream of Reality” by Luciano Cortese

Submitted to Contest #220

Tw: heavy themes of unreality, existential dread/horror, heavy mentions of depressing real-world topicsTWEE TWEE TWEE. Anna slams her hand on the alarm multiple times, amidst it’s shrieking, and finally it shuts up. As she sits up and stretches, she thinks about the extremely weird dream she was just having. Maybe she took much Tylenol last night. She shrugs it off.She checks the TV for the weather. It’s going to lightly rain today, it says. So as she gets ready for her morning walk, she puts on her bright blue raincoat.Everything goes well ...

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“Cursed Confection” by Jennifer Jones

Submitted to Contest #220

It started with a drop on her nose that rapidly evolved into a deluge. Running along the side of the road, she aimed for the overpass she knew would provide shelter. The pelting of rain became a roar loud enough to drown out the sound of the river flowing beneath the bridge.Thunder cracked and Caitlin yelped, tripping over a root. She barely caught herself. Stumbling, still running. Lightning split the night sky above. The thunder that followed was instantaneous. It sounded like the world might crack in two.She sat on the dry dirt beneath th...

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“Thank Gods” by Michael Novak

Submitted to Contest #220

Boom! There was the thunder again. This time it was so loud it was as if there had been an explosion in the air. The lighting stretched across the sky in hot white fingers, before vanishing just as quickly as it had come. The rain was still pelting down, just like it had been for the past half hour. Tommy Hayes, age 11, sat by the side of the deserted highway under an overpass. Out here, it was pretty normal for him to walk the couple of miles between his house and where his grandmother lived. There were hardly ever any cars on this stre...

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“The Wraith of the Bridge” by Raven K. Storm

Submitted to Contest #220

It was raining; I shouldn't have left my home. My sister was all alone, but if I hadn't left to find food... I didn't even want to think about what would happen to us. I looked at my hands – wet and muddy. My knife was the only thing on me that remained clean. I sighed and leaned my head back against the stone foundation of the bridge. Water dripped from my ears, but at least I had finally found shelter under the bridge. I had managed to start a fire, though with great difficulty, merely hoping to warm myself up a bit. Ma...

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“Tap Twice for Paradise” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #220

Anson “Ace” Allison smiles as he turns over his cards. “Two queens, and a pair of tens.” Monty Moneymaker, Dimples Davidson, and Sid ‘the Shark’ Silverstein let out a trio of groans. “That’s three hands in a row,” the Shark whines in a nasal tone. “Even Wild Bill Hickok wasn’t that lucky.” “Actually, Wild Bill was very unlucky,” Ace points out. Davidson smiles, his dimples enhancing his playful nature. “I don’t know how you’re doing it Ace, but I know your cheating.” “Me? Don’t complain about my little streak. I know you count cards,...

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“The Bridge” by Jeana Budnick

Submitted to Contest #220

The sky was angry. Black clouds roiled above, flashing with lightning as sheets of rain came pouring down. Instantly, I was soaked through. The weather forecast had not called for this. It was supposed to be a sunny, only slightly cloudy, day. Where had this storm come from? Squinting through the torrent of water, I see a structure up ahead that could provide some shelter. Hugging myself, I sprint out into the storm and duck under the structure – the bridge as it turns out. Of course it’s the bridge, I chastise myself...

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“A Dark, Seething Underworld” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #220

The sirens in the distance were growing louder as Malachi hurdled through the dense woods. The downpour spilling off of the canopy of autumn leaves above him was like ice spikes jabbing through his thick jacket. More than that, it moistened the dirt under his heavy boots into slick mud that, in his mad dash to freedom, had him sliding on almost every step he took. He could only keep himself upright by leaning against nearby trees, as his hands were full; a handgun in his right, a grocery bag of cash in his left. The bag gave Malachi all of t...

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“The Transportation Emerald” by Shreeyan Veera Pampana

Submitted to Contest #220

Victor’s face was pale. His hands were sweaty. He was hiding under the Brooklyn Bridge with his younger brother John, seeking shelter from the storm that was brewing over New York City. They had been on Victor’s sailboat nearing the bridge when it started to drizzle. The light rain turned into a torrential downpour. “Victor, I want to go home, where we’re safe,” John whimpered. “John, we must be vehement at scary times like this,” Victor replied. Victor tensed hearing footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw ...

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“Night's Creatures” by Glen Loveland

Submitted to Contest #220

The night was darker than sin and colder than a banker's heart when I took shelter under the bridge. The thunderstorm raged overhead, torrents of rain coming down in icy sheets blown sideways by the howling wind. I was soaked clear through to the bone and shivering something fierce. Still, the bridge provided a respite from the worst of the storm's fury, and I hunkered down, hoping it would pass quickly. That's when I saw it, quick as a flash against the dim shadows—a sleek shape darting past, quiet as a whisper. At first, I thought it mus...

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“Tail of the Raiju” by Meghan Brooks

Submitted to Contest #220

Trigger warning: violence and gruesome death. Astraphobia: defined as the extreme fear of thunder and lightning. It is also known as brontophobia and keraunophobia. Corin Downing went out for a walk on a Sunday morning, stopping by the book shop in downtown Naperville. She looked at some books on Japanese folklore, looking into myths related to the yokai. She was interested in this research after realizing through a blood test that she had Japanese ancestry. She was hoping to connect with her family's roots. She spent so much time, engr...

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“The Last Day” by Dan Ward

Submitted to Contest #220

What a sorrowful man meeting such a sorrowful end as I. To lament now would seem to be frivolous, for around me the world is meeting such a sorrowful end, our fates enshrined for the first time since inception. The last day, the final hour of all, brought upon us by gods too cruel or too else occupied to give any such notions as pity or leverage.It began only days ago, with proclamations from the priests, all in unison describing their prophetic dreams of finality and despair. The gods, they said, had deemed our world forfeit, and as such ha...

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“A Night to Remember ” by Patrissha Booker

Submitted to Contest #220

Note: attempted sexual violence, a no means no situation A Night to Remember Sienna hums and smiles at herself in the mirror as she gets ready for her third date with Damon who embodies everything she envisioned in a man. He is handsome, articulate, charming, and amusing, but most importantly he is a gentleman. Their shared passions include art and jazz music, so when they arrive at the dimly lit restaurant and dine on the finest cuisine, they effortlessly engage in conversation about their shared interests…so far it had been a wonderful ...

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“Tortum Nature” by Egidijus Bielskis - WizardWork

Submitted to Contest #220

I - The Encounter The calm evening weather turned to a thunderstorm in an instant. Jack was planning to reach home before all of this started… but heavy drops of rain stated that this wasn’t an option anymore. A few hundred meters further there was an abandoned train bridge, it would be a perfect cover for the storm to pass. Nearing the bridge, the structure’s contours in the gloomy evening looked like a twisted creature. With rain pouring down, it seemed alive… breathing… sluggishly moving around. The thunderstorm was getting more and...

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“Beneath the Bridge” by Matt McKinney

Submitted to Contest #220

Rain had seeped through the seals of the Cadillac convertible and forced her off the road. Darcy hadn’t correctly closed the convertible top on the new 1970 Coupe Deville as she left fled the restaurant. Who could’ve, given what happened? She’d thought the first pitter-patter of rain onto her lap was the universe’s way of mocking the tears sliding down her cheeks, but as the trickle swelled into a downpour, she realized even God himself had it out for her tonight. He must’ve taken pleasure in making her suffer. In a matter of minutes, he’d r...

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“Kitsune” by Cecilia Englishby

Submitted to Contest #220

On any other day, Colin would have left home on time; but on any other day he wouldn’t have had friends over the night before to celebrate, nor would he have drunk so much. He’d gotten lucky on a cheap scratch-card and was officially $5,000.00 richer.Even so, with a bit of a rush he’d have left with good time, but for some reason he had also misplaced his keys… something Colin never did.I bet it was Gabe!He found them in his pillowcase fifteen minutes later; he roared in triumph as he held them aloft dramatically.With that done, he quickly c...

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Begin your story with a protagonist taking shelter under a bridge during a thunderstorm. An animal scurries past which shouldn’t exist. Against their better judgment, they decide to follow it out.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 50 stories

“Dream of Reality” by Luciano Cortese

“Cursed Confection” by Jennifer Jones

“Thank Gods” by Michael Novak

“The Wraith of the Bridge” by Raven K. Storm

“Tap Twice for Paradise” by Michael Jefferson

“The Bridge” by Jeana Budnick

“A Dark, Seething Underworld” by Cade Holter

“The Transportation Emerald” by Shreeyan Veera Pampana

“Night's Creatures” by Glen Loveland

“Tail of the Raiju” by Meghan Brooks

“The Last Day” by Dan Ward

“A Night to Remember ” by Patrissha Booker

“Tortum Nature” by Egidijus Bielskis - WizardWork

“Beneath the Bridge” by Matt McKinney

“Kitsune” by Cecilia Englishby

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character walking through a desert landscape, when they stumble across something unexpected. “That shouldn’t be there,” they muse.

You arrive at a destination you promised an old friend you’d visit after they passed, only to find them there too.

As a child you’re helping your grandparent bake. When you’re sent to the pantry to fetch an ingredient, you discover something odd.

You’re awakened from your nap by someone asking, “Are you hungry?”. You fell asleep somewhere else entirely.

Contest #220

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

249

Contest entries

129

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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