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

Posted in Funny 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?

✍️ 112 stories

“Night of the Glow Worms” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #58

“Mum, can we …..” Any number of thoughts crowded into Nicola’s head before her daughter Leanne finished her question. She ought to say MAY we. Well, never mind, she could leave that to her English teacher, though come to think of it, Leanne probably did say may when Mr Compton was there to hear. So far as 10 year old Leanne was concerned, Mr Compton was the world’s greatest authority on such things. She would probably have to say no. It wasn’t that she was an especially strict mother or Leanne an especially...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Family Time, Or Trainwreck” by Jorja Orne

Submitted to Contest #58

There was so much light in the house, physically and emotionally. Judith and Luca Solano sipped milk in their kitchen. The family dog, Kirby was finally quietly sleeping in his crate. Lisa played barbies in her room as Mary-Louise had her face glued to her phone. The evening was also peaceful. Their lives were usually hectic, the bills, school, work. This night though, it was special. It was mundane, just how they wished it was all the time. Good things never last forever though. “Why can’t life always be this tedious?” Judith asked as she ...

8 comments 8

Read story

“The Approach” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #58

‘So, what do we do now?’ That was my brother, the last one out of the house. My mom was still arranging things on the wooden picnic table we had outside and dad would be home later. Doug just wanted to act like an asshole because he could not play videogames until he fell asleep at the computer. Another Friday... I wanted to check my email and research some things for my homework, but that was done for the moment. I thought that it would only be for a few hours. And it was still bright out, so I did not think that ...

9 comments 9

Read story

“It'll Be Fun, They Said” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #58

Though she is only fifteen years old, the Martinezes are the twelfth foster family that Rainey has lived with in the endless orphan shuffle she has been caught in since she was found abandoned in a Jmart parking lot when she was only three. As far as foster families go, the Martinez family is kind and loving, although hopelessly ignorant and naive. While scrambling from the ravenous undead who are now feasting on their lifeless bodies, she realizes she might actually care for them, despite their mental shortcomings.Rainey stalks her way thro...

17 comments 17

Read story

“Staycation on a Trampoline” by Philip Clayberg

Submitted to Contest #58

“Now this is new,” Mom said as she walked around the tent. “I've heard of yurts and teepees, but a trampoline tent?”The tent was built on top of a trampoline, with metal support bars at each corner, meeting in the center above the tent. It would've needed better insulation if it had been winter, but thankfully it was only early Autumn. The walls were opaque enough to provide privacy to those inside the tent. A short, inflated ladder led up to the tent's entrance.“It's something new that I learned about online,” I said. “Do you want to see th...

34 comments 34

Read story

“Base 14” by Lina Oz

Submitted to Contest #58

“Oy! Ollie! Get back here!”Ollie winces upon hearing his name, followed by a deep sigh. That tone is never a good one.He slowly turns around and scampers back to General Chi, who towers over him, scowling. Ollie shudders.“And where do you think you’re going?”“I was just—”“Is that how you address your General?”Ollie swallows. “Sir, I was just hungry. I was going back to Base 14––”“Back to Base 14? What in the… What are your orders regarding the current situation?”“Sorry, sir!” Ollie straightens, cheeks reddening. “I—er, yes. The orders. They’...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Gabe” by Carille Durbin

Submitted to Contest #58

"Not again!" Bobby thought when the familiar sound of shouting woke him up. His parents were yelling at each other again. He tried to crawl deeper into his sleeping bag so he couldn't hear their angry voices. "Are you telling me that I can't buy myself a new pair of shoes? I need them!" Bobby could easily hear his father's angry words. He put his hands over his ears. &...

4 comments 4

Read story

“A Night Outside” by Sabine Loire

Submitted to Contest #58

As I took my last bite of spaghetti and meatballs, I noticed the lights flicker. Off, then on again. “Mom, what was that?” I questioned. “It was probably nothing, sweetheart.” She replied, seemingly unfazed by the flicker. The lights flickered again. This wasn’t nothing. I was about to put my bowl in the dishwasher to clean it, when the lights flickered completely off. I waited for them to turn back on, but they didn’t. Suddenly, I heard a yell from upstairs. It was my older sister, Riley. “Moooooooooom! What happened to the WiFi?! I was abo...

3 comments 3

Read story

“The Lady Next Door” by Julie Ward

Submitted to Contest #58

The shaking started at three a.m. It was the roar beforehand, like a freight train coming through the walls of her bedroom, that pulled Anita from a deep sleep. A dawning realization that the whole room was moving, like a ship on stormy seas. She sat bolt upright, then thought better of it and curled her knees against her chest, trying to be as small as possible. Another big jerk. The mattress felt like it was being tossed around by a petulant toddler. The kids cried from their rooms. Down the hall. A million miles away. Their...

11 comments 11

Read story

“Muriel’s Night Outside” by Roxie Piatigorski

Submitted to Contest #58

It was Labor Day in Sausalito and a young African-American woman named Muriel Bentley decided to do something special; she decided to host a barbecue cookout in her backyard that she happened to share with her Sephardic Jewish-American wife named Velma DeMayo-Bentley, their pet Corgi named Sandy and their kids named Avery, Veronica and Montclair, respectively. However, Muriel had adopted Montclair after his mom had to give him up while Avery and Veronica were Velma’s kids from her first marriage to a Russian-Jewish man named Grigori Rublikov...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Camping In The Dark” by Trinity Womack

Submitted to Contest #58

[Before I begin the story, I feel I ought to introduce the characters. This story is about the Simons Family, all fictional. The parents are George and Cordelia. They have three children, a sixteen-year-old daughter named Stephanie, and two, twin seven-year-old boys, Zayden and Hudson.] Stephanie shut the door of her room and flopped on to her room. Why must her family always be so loud. Her brothers, Zayden and Hudson were playing some game on the tv. Her mother was simultaneously ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Truth or Dare” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #58

Frankie ran to the back door excitedly. His small silhouette was bouncing in the moonlight. “Come on, Mommy!” He cried excitedly. “Daddy’s almost done with the tent.” He raced outside. He looked like a shadow running across the lawn. It almost seemed surreal. Who knew a blackout could make everything seem so different? Tim was across the lawn, hammering the lasts of the tent posts into the ground. In the moonlight, I could see him smiling my way. It wasn’t a bad idea, camping out in the backyard, I just wish he didn’t suggest ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“In the arms of Nature!” by Utkarsh Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #58

Mr. Darry Walrus a business tycoon, a young man with pale skin, patchy beard, emerald eyes, and hairs like the moonless sky. However, he was rich, but he never gets the attitude. He loves to stay on the ground because he knows fluttering insanely in the sky will bring you on the ground someday. However, flying high with the support will keep you flying forever, isn’t it great?His wife is Morphey, her eyes like inherited from the beaches of Maldives, the face is glowing like the grazing sun as she would be the daughter of Aphrodite. It was a ...

7 comments 7

Read story

“WHITE WIPES!” by Khadija A. Kasuri

Submitted to Contest #58

“What did they say?” my mom asked as soon as dad showed up in the corridor. He turned off his flashlight and replied with a sigh, “They are not answering. Many other people are trying to contact but the signals are out of coverage.”Our city, North Dakota, had just hit with a blizzard. They recorded to be one of the strongest of all time in four decades. Many lives were lost. The infrastructure was highly dented. Water pipelines had frozen. Power pipelines had cracked that had caused a blackout throughout the whole city. We had been stu...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Story of the Storm” by Mariam Michalak

Submitted to Contest #58

In the midst of a warm September, a storm just off the gulf was brewing and threatening destruction along its wake. People were quick to evacuate that were in the path, and those few who stayed made sure they had supplies to last however long they needed, whether it be a few days, or a few weeks. However, for one family, they seemed to run their day as though there was nothing wrong in sight. With the path not near their home, they saw no need to stock up on too many supplies, but they always had enough just in case anything changed. It was ...

5 comments 5

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who purposefully causes a power outage.

Thriller and Suspense – 146 stories

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

Adventure – 86 stories

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

Thriller and Suspense – 252 stories

Write a story about someone feeling powerless.

Narrative – 284 stories

Contest #58

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Lights Out

$50

Prize money

880

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 11, 2020 EST

Won by Julie Bissell 🏆

Title: In the Dark

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 112 stories

“Night of the Glow Worms” by Deborah Mercer

“Family Time, Or Trainwreck” by Jorja Orne

“The Approach” by Kendall Defoe

“It'll Be Fun, They Said” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

“Staycation on a Trampoline” by Philip Clayberg

“Base 14” by Lina Oz

“Gabe” by Carille Durbin

“A Night Outside” by Sabine Loire

“The Lady Next Door” by Julie Ward

“Muriel’s Night Outside” by Roxie Piatigorski

“Camping In The Dark” by Trinity Womack

“Truth or Dare” by LeighAnne Ferreol

“In the arms of Nature!” by Utkarsh Srivastava

“WHITE WIPES!” by Khadija A. Kasuri

“Story of the Storm” by Mariam Michalak

🌟 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: