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

“Stuck in the Rain” by Niki Cloutier

Submitted to Contest #220

“Chikushō!” I knew my luck wasn’t great but this felt almost personal. The sky was that perfect blue this morning - the kind of blue that’s almost like glass, like a single pane was between you and the stars above. The important thing being - the color of the sky aside - was that there weren’t any clouds! I had checked my weather app before heading for school, my dad watched the weather on the news before waving me off, everyone at school was talking about outdoor activities after school. Everything about today hinted at a glorious late-sum...

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“Into the Great Mystery” by Edd Baker

Submitted to Contest #220

The storm was fierce, rainfall battering down against the concrete like war drums, wind howling through the night air as if being ridden by unseen wraiths. Of course this was Seattle. Emily had, by her count, been taking refuge under the bridge for well over an hour, the dank concrete den proving to be a spot of good reprieve from the raging tempest outside. It was Friday night, which meant movie night at the Creek Mall, followed of course by a healthy helping of pizza afterwards at the food court. She had met Lucas and Chester earlier...

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“Extinct” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #220

Dark, ominous clouds were forming as Mya Grace hurried home from school. She was looking forward to researching her history class assignment on extinct animals. Still, she was frightened by the thunderbolt that struck 15 feet before her. She ran for cover to the nearest place she could find that was dry, an old rickety bridge.The rain came down in large drops, and little streams formed in front of her with leaves and sticks flowing by. Mya sat with her knees propped up towards her body against a post holding the bridge. She rested her arms o...

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“The Sewer” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #220

Matthew Hall walked down Locust street, dodging commuters walking toward the subway when the sky opened up and rain fell. He sprinted toward the overpass, slipping on the sidewalk, and when he found shelter his uniform was drenched and his hair soaked. He removed his flask from his coat pocket and lifted his flask to his lips. Took a long sip, then another, and a third, and fourth until the frustration and stress of faking a smile and hauling luggage for entitled t...

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“Wings” by Jenni Bradshaw

Submitted to Contest #220

Abscission of leaves and terror masked in facetious disguises colored the once calm neighborhood. The full moon and stars hid behind puffs of fuliginous clouds as gnarls from gremlin-like creatures lingered within the curb-lined bushes and spontaneous flickers of trembling bright light ignited anxious fright.She walked down the middle as a grueling chill plowed through the street, depressing a sharp shiver between the blades of her shoulders. The bone-chilling ache pounded against her spine, creating a perpetual miss of an enigma that creepe...

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“A Stormy Night” by Matthew Foster

Submitted to Contest #220

"Go see the sights, they told me. You just have to see the bridge, they said." Jessie had been coerced by his peers at the work convention to go see the famous bridge from that one movie. Turned out there was no movie, the bridge was a dump, and the second he got there a thunderstorm started. Jessie looked up at the only thing between him and the rain. “Some beauty this turned out to be.” His black suit was drenched, adding an extra ten pounds to his thin frame. His briefcase was soaked, but he didn’t care. He hated coming to these w...

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“Chupa-Oso” by Kerri Shanley

Submitted to Contest #220

Kelly McGillicutty walked down Jameson St. on her way home from work every day. Along the way, she would stop by the French bakery to pick up a baguette for dinner and a chocolate éclair for sustenance, her husband and children didn’t know about the éclair, it was her guilty pleasure. Once she left the bakery she started walking down the city’s designated walking/bicycle path that ran alongside the creek and woods’ edge. On this particular October Friday, the air was crisp, a fierce wind picked up, and the clouds gathered unexpectedly. Lucy...

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“The kid” by Nao Bird

Submitted to Contest #220

As thunder ripped the sky apart, trees were engulfed in red flames, white flashes bright enough to blind illuminated the sky, followed by a deafening rumble that shook the whole forest. Through this apocalyptic scene frantic steps were barely heard. A small silhouette rushed along the more than muddy path, slipping every three steps but never stopping. The winding path soon joined a gravel road and the lightly covered child rejoiced, right before tripping and diving head first in the gravel. His palms, knees and nose were bleeding as th...

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“Beauty Within” by Jennifer Stowell

Submitted to Contest #220

BOOM, CRACK, SIZZLE! With each thunderous clatter, Jeremy attempts to contort his tall, lithe body into a small ball, hoping to escape the intense storm overhead. It seems to have materialized within seconds. One minute he is walking home from the movies on what has been a rather dull, uneventful day and the next this weathering rage has forced Jeremy to swiftly maneuver himself down a small ravine and take refuge under the bridge connecting the more rural land with the town square of his home village, Bilksbury. The clouds emptying at a s...

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“Kendra's Discovery” by Andrea Corwin

Submitted to Contest #220

I’m screaming in between the cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning. Spears of fire are hitting the ground in rapid staccato strikes and split an Elm tree nearby. Lightning hits the edge of the bank and the creaky metal bridge. One strike lands in the river, sending an electrical current through the water and into a metal girder of the bridge. I can hear the hissing; the electrical current moves like an arrow, the steel brightening like a branding iron. I am sobbing, hugging my knees, totally immobile from fright...

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“Storms and Anxiety” by Matthew Morse

Submitted to Contest #220

A bead of water collided with a page of the book that Ben was reading, exploding with a pip and shattering outward in a tiny circle. It was followed by one, two, three … several more drops which was beginning to dampen both pages rather quickly. “Ah frick!” Ben griped, swatting away as many droplets as he could before slamming the book shut and wedging it up into his armpit to shield it from further damage. Ben rolled his eyes and sighed as he began thinking about all of the books on his shelves back home. Some with warped, wavy covers and...

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“A Day of Rage” by Kevin Calder

Submitted to Contest #220

Six months out of the year, it doesn’t rain at all here. Then one day to your astonishment, heavy drops begin to fall. First only one, then another. You hold your breath in reality-check mode as if that’s all it takes to silence the world. Two more hit the ground, so hard they almost shake the earth—footsteps of a dinosaur upon catching your pheromones all the way from a chapter not yet written, the chapter about you.So much is a matter of time and place in the Lebanon. For example, after a fiery, cloudless summer, when the rain appears, ima...

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“Demon Hearts” by Lucy Gray

Submitted to Contest #220

Nyssa strapped on her knapsack and pulled her best coat tight around her torso. She took one last look around at the cottage. Dim light filtered through the windows, highlighting dust, dampness, and the empty kitchen. On impulse, she reached back and grabbed her Stuffy and tucked him between her bag strap and chest. The age-worn wolf-dragon stuffed animal sagged against the pressure. There was nothing left for her here now. It was time to leave. She didn’t look back as she broke through the eastern forest line. West would take her to...

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“Gichi ” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #220

“Hey, look, money!” One of Jesse’s friends reached towards the brass memorial plaque bolted to the knee-high chunk of rock. It was littered with various coins. Jesse caught his hand. “Don’t take those. People left them to pay their respects.” “At last don’t take the pennies,” Jake said, “or the lake monster’ll get you!” “What monster?” “The mishipeshu.” “Bless you!” Everyone laughed. “Or you could say gichi-anami’e-bizhiw.” Jake shrugged. “Same animal.” “I know ‘gichi’ means ‘great’,” Jesse ventured. “...

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“Under the Bridge” by Sean Brennan

Submitted to Contest #220

Under the Bridge By: Sean Brennan “BOOM! C-C-CRACK, BOOM!” The bellows of the thundering storm echo overhead. The rain increases in tempo until it is beating down upon the ground below. The drops of water falling with such force they sting the skin. The young man pulls his jacket tighter as he hurries to find cover. The barely audible squishing sound of his already soaked shoes squeaks lowly in his ears. Rounding a corner, he spots a dreary looking bridge made of stone. A normally small creek, now growing in ...

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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

“Stuck in the Rain” by Niki Cloutier

“Into the Great Mystery” by Edd Baker

“Extinct” by Kathleen Shapona

“The Sewer” by Michael Mackenzie

“Wings” by Jenni Bradshaw

“A Stormy Night” by Matthew Foster

“Chupa-Oso” by Kerri Shanley

“The kid” by Nao Bird

“Beauty Within” by Jennifer Stowell

“Kendra's Discovery” by Andrea Corwin

“Storms and Anxiety” by Matthew Morse

“A Day of Rage” by Kevin Calder

“Demon Hearts” by Lucy Gray

“Gichi ” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

“Under the Bridge” by Sean Brennan

🌟 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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