Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.

Posted in Funny on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 112 stories

“Bonds That Never Break” by Jade Young

Submitted to Contest #58

The call came at ten o’clock. The longer I stared at the name on the screen, the more memories I thought I’d forgotten--of him caring for me alongside the other two, and of him chasing me around a tent pitched in our grandmother’s yard--flooded to the surface of my mind. Just before his name could disappear, I swiped my finger across the green icon and pressed the phone against my ear.“Vera Parker speaking.”“Hey, Vee. It’s Connor.”I wanted to tell him off for using a nickname he no longer had the right to use, but the news that he had to del...

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“Splintered Like Firewood” by Maggie Deese

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #58

The arguing started early that day. As we ate our dinner—baked chicken with rosemary seasoning, homemade mashed potatoes, and fried green beans—our forks hit the plates with a sense of urgency. It was the first time in weeks that Mom had cooked a meal from scratch. Or even partially from scratch. My sister and I were getting used to the week-old McDonald's. We had been so desperately hungry that I suppose we forgot to use our manners.The silverware clanged noisily against the china, food falling out of our mouths from too much excitement, wh...

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“A Royal Camping Trip” by Sarah Freeman

Submitted to Contest #58

“You know, Lils, it would be great if you could sew some pants into my dress…” Princess Dawn’s personal seamstress, Lily-Rose, had been measuring a length of ribbon silently. At the girl’s comment, she gave Dawn an incredulous look. “P-pants?” Lily-Rose questioned in horror. “But...you’re a princess! Pants are for princes and commoners!” Dawn rolled her eyes. “Why should my title determine my wardrobe? I can be a princess and wear some decent leggings. They look so comfy! Please, Lils. Just one dress.” The king of Puryn’s daughter stoo...

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“Dadding” by J D Hernandez

Submitted to Contest #58

It started to be a very tiring day filled with monotonous repetition that the days had come to hold. The small family of five was finding it hard to navigate the new at-home lifestyle that Covid-19 had forced them to adopt. The kids were entertained by the Morning school work and TV, the teen was on Instagram and the adults had been working vigorously throughout the day. The parents were just getting ready to take a break when suddenly the power went out. Michael Wagner the patriarch of the house went to check the breaker to no avail th...

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“That’s So Camp” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #58

My name is Leah Waters. I’m a writer for WRST News. This is my podcast. My podcast program tries to bring the audience closer to the actual making of the broadcasts that we watch on TV and the internet. For that purpose I reveal my behind-the-scenes work as a professional journalist who prepares before she leaps, so to speak, onto the screen. Here you will follow my fascinating preparations and even be able to chime in occasionally. So... sit back and enjoy seeing how I work. I’ve been assigned to interview some people who are camping ou...

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“The Park Bench!” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #58

(Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.)Bob and Margie looked at one another with a look of knowing panic! More than panic, horror actually! What could they possibly do? How could they corral these four kids in a dark house with no electronic tentacles to the outside world?The family had gathered around the kitchen table where one candle provided all of the ambient light. The family was Bob, the head of the clan and father to two sets of twins, and Margie, head cook ...

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“The Best Building” by Meggy House

Submitted to Contest #58

Margarita and Al were generally compliant kids. Obviously they had their moments, but they were definitely ranking in the category of better tenants. They lived with their father, Jerry, and their mother, Dee, and though they made very little at the rubber-eraser factory a two-mile walk away they were two of those pure, generous souls that gave most of what they earned back to the less fortunate. Like the less fortunate would want a five-cent hamburger pack. But the giving and...

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“One in the Dark, Another in the Quiet” by Aveena Bordeaux

Submitted to Contest #58

JuneShe rushed around the house, feet pattering on the carpeted floor while I sat on the living room couch with Bambi. She was a seeing-eye Labrador and faultless when it came to her job of guiding me but she loved lolling with us when she was off-duty – rare as I needed a working pair of eyes to go practically anywhere. She was a lasting member of our three-person family. The other was Audrey, who was now standing in front of us. I knew from a whiff of her signature strawberry vanilla perfume she wore every day.She tapped my shoulder. I mov...

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“Lustering Lights” by Rudielyn Lenlen

Submitted to Contest #58

Singing along with the melody of music in my heart is the only thing I can do during this night. It pacifies myself as it removes all the undesirable things in my surrounding. Tranquility is wrapping my body— one of the finest feelings I ever had. “Lynnea! Can’t you hear me? I said come here.” I groaned as my mother pulled out my big white headphone on my ears. Sluggishly looking at her, I grabbed my thing back. &nb...

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“Schrödinger’s Parakeet” by A.Dot Ram

Submitted to Contest #58

When the world as we know it stops, the time on the oven clock reads 4:37 before the spindly green numbers disappear with a loud warning beep, a tritone harmony of appliances announcing a power outage. My first guess is a fire, since it’s August and it’s hot, and the light out the window has taken on that familiar surreal yellow tint, the trees casting anemic lavender shadows across the lawn—a false dusk. “Where do you keep the lanterns?” Simon calls from his den. We have over three hours until sunset. I’m more concerned with the p...

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“Crickets” by Maria Gelman

Submitted to Contest #58

I hate crickets. Not the way they look or anything. I just hate their little chirps, especially when it comes to nighttime. I don’t remember when I started hating them, honestly. Maybe it was on that night when my boyfriend (well, ex now) and I were at the train station and he was hugging me and I giggled and commented on how loud they were. Maybe it was when I felt stuck while lying in bed on lonely summer nights in my household, listening intently for footsteps and voices. Maybe it was just that I couldn’t sleep while they were making th...

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“Unplugged” by KarLynn Erickson

Submitted to Contest #58

Ally pulled the van up to the house and let out a disgusted breath. “Every light in that house must be on.” The craftsman style house was what she and her husband Jake had always dreamed about and worked for. They met in college. He was a business major and she was in design school. Neither of them came from money, so they spent time finding joy in things you don’t have to pay for. She loved the house and neighbor hood they chose to raise their family in. These days though, they had little time to enjoy anything.&nb...

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“The Camp Out” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #58

“Mom! Where are you?” Allie cried out when her room was plunged into darkness. “Mom!” At the sound of her panic her Mom rushed into the room.“Honey, it’s alright, it’s just a power outage. Your Father is getting a flashlight now.”“Why would the power go out? It’s not storming outside.”“When you live in a rural area, like we do, power outages happen. Maybe a tractor hit a pole, or they had a power surge that has knocked down the system.” Allie’s dad came into the room with a couple of flashlights and handed one t...

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“Building Bonfires and Families” by Lily Kingston

Submitted to Contest #58

“Hey, Baby-Cakes!” Callie Baros cooed as she peeked into the bathroom of her student apartment that she shared with three other sophomores where Cake Flores was doing their hair. “Can you please not use so many electric appliances at once? Thank you~” “Hey, Callie~” Cake said in an imitation of Callie’s voice, “Can you not call me Baby-Cakes? It’s not my name, Cake is.” “Sure thing, BC. And remember to unplug.” She winked, then left. Cake rolled their eyes, then plugged in an extra hair dryer and turned it on just to spite Callie—bringing...

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“The Power Outage” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #58

Rick looked into Jill’s eyes. “Once we leave, there’s no turning back.” “Uh huh. Meaning what again?” “We’re off to the wilderness and we’re dependent only on what we can carry with us.” Jill sounded skeptical. “You mean the wilderness out in our back yard?” “Right, ‘til tomorrow. The contractors promised. They need the power off for twenty-four hours to finish.” “And excepting bathroom breaks.” “Of course. We’re not barbarians. Plumbing, yes. Electricity, no… Let’s do a quick inventory and get a move on. Are the kids all packed?” They were...

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Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 112 stories

“Bonds That Never Break” by Jade Young

“Splintered Like Firewood” by Maggie Deese

“A Royal Camping Trip” by Sarah Freeman

“Dadding” by J D Hernandez

“That’s So Camp” by Kathleen March

“The Park Bench!” by P. Jean

“The Best Building” by Meggy House

“One in the Dark, Another in the Quiet” by Aveena Bordeaux

“Lustering Lights” by Rudielyn Lenlen

“Schrödinger’s Parakeet” by A.Dot Ram

“Crickets” by Maria Gelman

“Unplugged” by KarLynn Erickson

“The Camp Out” by Catherine Stevens

“Building Bonfires and Families” by Lily Kingston

“The Power Outage” by John K Adams

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who purposefully causes a power outage.

Write a story where the power goes out on a spaceship or submarine.

Write about a character who’s stuck in an elevator when the power goes out.

Write a story about someone feeling powerless.

Contest #58

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

880

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: