Write a story about an afternoon picnic gone wrong.

Posted in Fluff on Oct 26, 2022

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?

✍️ 37 stories

“The Pest Cowboy” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #138

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” Norman breathed to the wide-eyed racoon gaping at him from across the crawl space. “Daddy’s not gonna hurt ya,” he muttered calmly as he army-crawled towards the creature, hoping it was not rabid. He’d had one rabies scare in his nineteen years of pest management. He didn’t want to have to go to the ER today to deal with a coon bite; it was 75-degrees out and he wanted to go fishing when he got off work. The racoon rubbed its paws over its eyes anxiously, darting its little beady orbs back and forth. “Don’t hu...

30 comments 30

Read story

“Potato Salad” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #138

They didn’t even bring potato salad. A picnic with no potato salad. I mean, what is the point, Grace? I ask you-- What is the point? I know, I know-- Take what you can get. When you’re an ant-- Mark says we’re bugs, but I disagree. There is a difference between an ant and a bug, and if you’ve ever spent time with a ladybug, you understand the difference. The point is, we take what we can get. That being said, there are certain expectations you have when you’re at a picnic. Nobody tries anymore. That’s the difficulty...

30 comments 30

Read story

“Skulls in the Dark” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #138

Eating rotisserie wood pigeon, Sir Danielle Longbow tried to hide her fear. Though the hosts had welcomed them, cenaga were startling if not nightmarish creatures to behold. Their snake heads had antlers. Their torsos bore two strong arms which were tipped with vicious looking claws. The rest of their bodies looked like a horse’s muscles in a snake body. Thick long tails balanced their torso but restricted their speed to less than that of cavalry. “How issss our food?” A...

15 comments 15

Read story

“Twyla's Picnic” by Karissa Walsh

Submitted to Contest #138

Twyla hobbled through the forest of Spanish moss draped oak trees, carrying a large sweetgrass basket tucked into the crook of her right arm. The wrinkled mahogany fingers of her left hand, grasped onto a tall carved walking stick, which she used to pull each of her ancient steps forward. Eventually, she reached her picnic destination, and sat her old bones down on a tree stump near the edge of a lagoon. As she was pulling out miscellaneous items from her basket, a few algae-covered logs in the murky green water began to drift toward...

2 comments 2

Read story

“No Strings Attached” by Clyde Laffan

Submitted to Contest #138

Lee fills the picnic basket with more small goods than they can possibly eat in an afternoon: a truffle-spiked duck liver parfait, olives stuffed with Spanish anchovies, venison salami, imported Brie, oat crackers, and chocolate chip cookies. He takes a chilled bottled of Chardonnay, one he'd set aside for a special occasion, and places it in the wicker picnic basket loaned to him by his boss Helen. He changes the sheets, vacuums the carpet, scrubs the toilet, removes stray hairs from the bathroom sink, waters his houseplant and empties the...

14 comments 14

Read story

“Don't Feed the Fish” by Savannah Bullock

Submitted to Contest #138

One morning, when I was around nine years old, my mother woke me up on what I thought would be just another school day. To my surprise, as I was wiping my eyes, She excitedly asked, "Do you want to skip school today?" This was completely out of the ordinary, but it was not an opportunity I was going to pass up. Back then, my parents were in the midst of a messy divorce, and I think she was looking for a way to escape reality. The weather that day was absolutely perfect. It was the first day after a long, gray and piercingly cold wi...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Henry's Picnic Blanket” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #138

Henry's Picnic BlanketWe’ve all seen that sad, pathetic figure dining alone at a small table in a darkened corner of a restaurant, a flickering candle giving off just enough light so that all can learn the identity of the lonesome soul. What might strike you as even more sad, more pathetic, would be the image of Henry walking alone, in broad daylight, unabashed, across a grassy field carrying a colorful blanket and a large woven wood picnic basket. He may have even welcomed recognition so that the whole world could bear witness to his ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“The Last Picnic” by Matt Ward

Submitted to Contest #138

The Last Picnic It was a beautiful day in early September, the kind of day his late father called a Glory Day, the requirements of which were a deep blue sky, if there were any clouds at all they had to be the soft, very white, billowy type, and the temperature neither too hot, nor too cool. Perfect picnic weather. And a picnic was just what he had planned for himself and his sweetheart-wife of 47 years.&nbs...

5 comments 5

Read story

“A Sandy Predicament” by Sean Sorce

Submitted to Contest #138

"Not a bad day for an afternoon picnic, am I right?" asked Frank as he ligthly nudges my arm that was holding our picnic basket and blanket we were using for that day on Bradford Beach. Frank was carrying a pack of Miller Lite beer for himself and a pack of ginger ale for me.Since the Brewer game, I was starting to admire Frank and our friendship. We have been doing a lot of outings together such as going to the Milwaukee County Zoo, Discovery World and Summerfest. You would think that for a hillbilly like Frank, he wouldn't have so much mon...

2 comments 2

Read story

“An Echo in a Sunbeam” by Amanda Bennett

Submitted to Contest #138

“Afternoon, Miss Lovejoy. Another glorious day made all the finer for the promise of your company.” Eddie Wilson tapped his bowler hat and bowed, nearly tipping the overflowing picnic basket in his attempt at gallantry. Grace puffed up her cheeks like a chipmunk and blew out the hot air in a huff. Rocking back on the heels of her side-buttoned boots, she truly couldn’t decide which was worse about being dead: Coming around, trapped as a spirit, pacing a wooden patio on blistered bunions. Having no one but this damnable fool for c...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Molly’s Picnic Gone Very, Very Wrong” by Julie R

Submitted to Contest #138

“This is stupid,” Rane hissed angrily. “I can’t believe you forced me out to a picnic, in, what - the middle of the woods? Emos, I tell you, emos..” “Still not an emo,” Molly said, setting down the bag she’d brought. She opened it, pulling out a black blanket and laying it on the ground. “Says the one who brought a black blanket on a hot spring afternoon,” he scoffed. “I’m only doing this because Heather said she’d be friends with me if I made an effort to reach out to you and ‘realize h...

5 comments 5

Read story

“A Missed Picnic” by Abi Black

Submitted to Contest #138

I sat down at the open table to wait for the barista to make my espresso. While I waited, I looked around the coffee shop at the other customers. There were college students pouring over textbooks, an older man reading the newspaper over the rim of his gold rimmed spectacles, and the couple in the corner sat with the heads close together, deep in conversation. By the way the girl was gesturing with her hands dramatically, it didn't seem to be a happy moment for the two. "Order for J!" The barista called out. I stood up and reached for my ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Transcendental Pizza” by Douglas Wright

Submitted to Contest #138

It was the day of the family reunion, back in the summer of 1984, and we were having a picnic on the village green. Everyone had shown up; all the uncles and aunts, all the cousins, grandma and grandpa, everyone. It was absolutely marvelous. I love those big Italian get-togethers, they’re full of laughs and lots of food, and in my family everyone brings a specialty dish. My uncle Antonio had told me, in his conspiratorial way, that instead of bringing a lasagna or something, he had planned a special surprise for the picnic; one that he knew ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“A NARROW ESCAPE” by Vijay Likhite

Submitted to Contest #138

A NARROW ESCAPE Satish and Vidya landed at Boston Logan Airport to spend some time with their daughter, Rachana. She with her husband, Navin had come to receive them and to take them to their house. “So, how are you Baba and Aai? Was the wheelchair service at the airport okay, Baba?” “Yes. Did not have any difficulty. We both are good.” “Okay, let us move.” Rachana and Navin loaded the baggage in the car. In half an hour, they reached their home. After relaxing for a short while, they had some refreshing tea. “Baba, Now...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Collapsed, The Elite” by Zi Poromon

Submitted to Contest #138

TW: Violence, gore, language“I’ve been waiting for this day all week!”“Me too boo! I can’t believe it’s been over a year since we’ve seen each other.”“I honestly missed New York so much.”“I missed you like crazy. It was so weird not seeing you in classes anymore. I’m just glad you’re back for the summer, I’m never letting you go.”The vibrant trees pass us by, bathing in the steaming sunshine.My hands dance outside the window, and Kenje laughs at my movements. I love carefree moments like this, when I can get lost in the present.My life has a...

3 comments 3

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story on a day when the sun never sets.

Dark – 26 stories

Write about a character who doesn’t want to go to sleep.

Horror – 53 stories

End your story with someone saying: “What a day.”

Summer – 40 stories

Write about light returning to a place that has been deprived of it for a long time, literally or figuratively.

Christmas – 89 stories

Contest #138

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Days in the Sun

$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

152

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 25, 2022 EST

Won by Christopher Kelley 🏆

Title: After the Rock

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

Write a story about an afternoon picnic gone wrong.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“The Pest Cowboy” by Kathleen Fine

“Potato Salad” by Story Time

“Skulls in the Dark” by Graham Kinross

“Twyla's Picnic” by Karissa Walsh

“No Strings Attached” by Clyde Laffan

“Don't Feed the Fish” by Savannah Bullock

“Henry's Picnic Blanket” by Murray Burns

“The Last Picnic” by Matt Ward

“A Sandy Predicament” by Sean Sorce

“An Echo in a Sunbeam” by Amanda Bennett

“Molly’s Picnic Gone Very, Very Wrong” by Julie R

“A Missed Picnic” by Abi Black

“Transcendental Pizza” by Douglas Wright

“A NARROW ESCAPE” by Vijay Likhite

“The Collapsed, The Elite” by Zi Poromon

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story on a day when the sun never sets.

Write about a character who doesn’t want to go to sleep.

End your story with someone saying: “What a day.”

Write about light returning to a place that has been deprived of it for a long time, literally or figuratively.

Contest #138

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

152

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: