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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about an afternoon picnic gone wrong.

Posted in Fluff on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 37 stories

“The Engagement Party” by Mike Garrigan

Submitted to Contest #138

Frances placed the last dish in the dishwasher.“Thank you, Frances,” Gram Sarah, her grandmother, said. “My arthritis does a number on my hands at night.” Gram Sarah caressed her swollen knuckles and winced. “It’s a wonderful ring. You and David will be very happy. I just know.”Frances beamed but then stopped. She took a closer look at Gram Sarah’s hands. She tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Gram Sarah, how did you get that scar on your knuckle?”Fifty years before Frances and David’s engagement party and before Gram Sarah ...

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“The Perfect Day” by Tedcor Obli

Submitted to Contest #138

Kevin found himself caught on a breeze. The soft, cooling wind floating through him and around him as if trying to embrace him. He felt as if the zephyr would go on forever, never limited by the same gravity that seemed to tie Kevin to the earth. From his gusty hilltop he could see towns and villages amongst the valley’s slopes, their metal and brick buildings sticking above and amongst the green treetops. Civilization was ever present, but it was also an eternity away. Nearby trees moaned slightly, and their leaves rustled as the same whi...

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“MANGO SHOWERS” by Priyam Majumdar

Submitted to Contest #138

Chapter 1- The Picnic It was April, but the day wasn't stuffy and warm like usual. Aamras yawned like the MGM lion from the movies. He was a handsome looking beagle with bright yellow patches (thus the name Aamras or mango juice). He stretched, rolled on the soft grass, and fell into a nap under his favourite mango tree. That afternoon, Prapti and Meera had come to Tintin aunty’s house to have a girls’ day out. Her garden was their favourite picnic spot. It had large mango trees with broad branches that stretched and bent like a dancer’s...

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“Miracle” by Lucky Ooog

Submitted to Contest #138

The sun was shining, the heat was sweltering and the streets were deserted. While the humans were having their siesta, conditions were ideal for my many six-legged brothers and sisters to go hunting for a picnic. We emerged from in-between the sewer grates by the hundreds, spread our wings, and rose up into the warm summer sky, swarming the market. Just like every other day, the scents and the smells were rich and enticing. The humans had gathered all kinds of fruits of the land in one place for us. Rice, from the far orient, a delicacy our ...

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“The Swiss Army knife” by Dragos Marcean

Submitted to Contest #138

With the enthusiasm of a child forced to clean his room, Lance placed the basket full of goodies prepared by his wife in their old Ford. "Do you really want to go to the park? I feel guilty about my colleagues." said Lance. "I'm sure they'll do without you for a day, so you can go on a relaxing picnic with your wife." Beth replied and sat down in the driver's seat. "But it’s the wildfire season. Temperatures can reach 104 degrees and the probability of fires increases by ... ” "They will manage without you, Lance. Firefighters also n...

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“This Ain’t No Picnic” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #138

           “This is so going to be worth getting up early in the morning for,” Ace said. “A day at the beach. Sun and surf capped off by a picnic.”            “You’re sure you packed everything, Daria?” Hugh asked.            “Don’t be such a buzzkill,” Daria replied. “I got it all. Towels, blankets, sunscreen, snacks, even binoculars.”        &...

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“Orange & White Noise” by H. Lee Russell

Submitted to Contest #138

TW: Language and Chaotic Sequences Terri set the cooler and tote bag on the grass beneath her feet. She pulled the big blue blanket out of the bag, gripped the edge, and let it unfold in the breeze before setting it on the ground. She set the cooler on one corner, the tote bag on the other diagonally opposite.  “Well, come on, then,” said Terri. Her eldest child Lexi, carrying her youngest brother Ezra, stepped onto the blanket. She let Ezra go as she crossed her legs, scooping her red hair behind her ear and away from the wind. ...

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“The Trout Went One Way” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #138

The trout went one way. Foster went another.            He leapt out of the water, arching over its surface, then dove into the depths of the cold pool. For a trout, such a move is a graceful display of instinctive acrobatics whether to catch a fly that’s risen off the surface or to argue with the bite of a hook in its mouth.            For Foster, the move was his attempt to get out of the water he’d fallen into when the fish, a lar...

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“A Dance and The Picnic- A True Love Story” by John Staley

Submitted to Contest #138

A Dance and The PicnicA True Love StoryJuly 1913Johnny approached the table. Enchanted at first sight by the dark brown Gibson girl hair style put up in a French roll. Fair white skin of a lady and haunting blue eyes met his as he stood waiting for an introduction. She wore a long silky green dress that complimented everything about her. A small yellow flower in her hair captivated him.Johnny was nineteen last January. He arrived in town that afternoon on the train from Pittsburg along with his buddy, Jimmy O'Malley. They worked at the new C...

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“Fresh Starts” by J.P. Choquette

Submitted to Contest #138

SORRY RUNNING LATE. BE THERE SOON.  Mark stared at the text message as though it was in a foreign language. Then he forced himself to count backward from ten, to slow his breathing. What else was going to go wrong today? He gave a thumb’s up, letting Veronica know that it was fine. He was fine. Even though he didn't feel it. He’d spent hours preparing this picnic. Everything needed to be perfect. A perfect, memorable day that would live in the history of their relationship long after the last sips of champagne were sipped from the be...

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“Truth or Truth” by Kadiatou Maiga

Submitted to Contest #138

Tray in hands, I look around the cafeteria to find Caroline, even if the cafeteria, unfortunately, remains one of the last places I could find her. Since she started dating Yami, I kind of have to run after her and try to guess the next and most unpredictable of somewheres where she will decide we will eat all together. I mean, the next one is where I will have to play gooseberry. Even if the young couple pretends to not mind my presence, hesitating between staring at my mashed potatoes to ignore them or watching them doing the best take-o...

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“Milk Money” by Doreen Shea

Submitted to Contest #138

Doreen Shea 3/2022 Milk Money The day seemed perfect, but we all know perfect can’t last forever.  It was a skin-sticking-to-skin type of hot summer day, but we didn’t mind.  Bugs hovered overhead but respectfully stayed away on this perfectly planned afternoon.  We basked like iguanas soaking in the needed warmth of the sun.  The rays that filtered through the leaves of the weeping willow tree, gave us the exact amount of heat to shade ratio.  We lingered over our picnic of juicy watermelon, sandwiches of...

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“Dear Diary...” by Michelle Thomas

Submitted to Contest #138

Friday, May 17th: “Dear Diary, Well, it finally happened… Austin Parks asked me out on a date! This has been my dream since the first grade. I can’t believe it’s actually happening! How did I get so lucky to be asked out by the captain of the debate team? It doesn’t feel real. Austin may be a nerd, but he looks like he could be a supermodel. His long brown hair and tall, muscular build giving off Clark Kent vibes. Glasses included. I can’t compare with my short and frail looking figure. My body having no curves whatsoever. The only attract...

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“The Berman Family Picnic” by Kat. L Haywood

Submitted to Contest #138

March 22nd. The Berman's annual family picnic. Compulsory for those with any measure of blood or marital tie to my family, and any attempt at truancy draws my mother's wrath, Helen Berman, a fate worse than death. My cousin had an emergency appendectomy just days before the big event a few years ago. My mother dragged her out of the hospital in a wheelchair, IV pole still attached. If my family's mandatory gathering was good food, great banter, and high-spirited merriment, I'd be there with bells on. But this particular picnic...

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“Callie's Chagrin” by Kristine Bone

Submitted to Contest #138

-Callie’s Chagrin- Callie could hardly contain her excitement. She meticulously packed items in the large, wicker picnic basket. Ham sandwiches, pickles, potato chips, bottled water and cookies. Lastly, she placed on top of the entire food menagerie, paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins and candy hearts. After all, this was the big day for she and Rodney, wasn’t it? She’d never forget this May afternoon for her entire life. She just knew this was the day he would pop the question. Taking a deep breath, Callie completed the process, shu...

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Contest #138

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Title: After the Rock

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