Set your story on (or in) a winding river.

Posted in Middle School on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 122 stories

“Shuan Lai's Quest For Hidden Knowledge ” by Philip Ebuluofor

Submitted to Contest #98

He has cleaned their wooden boat for three days now since their practice for the dragon boats championship began in that river. The organizers of the festival had earlier on informed the competitors that, that days evening practice would be the last for they have to do their own preparation and organizing in that river. The competition is scheduled in two days time. Shaun Lai and his team were eager to make it in this year’s competition. He and his team had finished second in last year’s competition, this year two of the eight man t...

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“The World Sucks a Little Less Now” by Chloe :)

Submitted to Contest #98

Content Warning: Suicide attempt Water on all sides. Pushing me, pulling me every which way. It grabs me in rough, liquid arms, trying to submerge my head. Wild, it twists and churns. Icy cold, I feel almost numb. Losing my will to fight against it, losing my strength. I thought it would be warmer. I thought it would embrace me with knowing arms. I thought it would take me away, right away. And I guess it was, just not where I wanted. I felt trapped, beaten. My body was too frozen to feel anything but I felt enough on the inside. Lips blue...

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“They Say” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #98

“They say that the mermaids live in the river, luring fishermen the way they lure fish to their own violent deaths. They say that the mermaids left the men alone before. Before the machines colored the river a deep, inky new reality. Before the fish began to disappear, leaving the merfolk stranded with their thoughts. All. Alone,” Maddie blew out the candle which buried the girls encircled in inky darkness. Catherine skipped along the river bank. Her sandals crunched along the rough pebbles and slid along the smooth sand. Catherine ...

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“Riding the Tightrope of my life” by Retee Satish

Submitted to Contest #98

I stand leaning on a railing, looking out at a wonderful view of two cliffs as high as the sky, in between them runs a beautiful stream. I suddenly wonder what the place is called, but I know I may as well never return, so what was the point of knowing anyway? In just a couple minutes I'll be back on my motor-cycle zooming far away, to somewhere I won' know until reach... Which is the usual. It's been so long since I can remember myself in a gathering with more than a just a couple people. Everyday I wonder why I'm like this why I just zip...

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“River's Edge” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #98

I knew a guy once; his name was Nick Rivers. He showed me a story that I didn’t believe at the time, but it helped fill the space I found myself in. Thinking back to that day, I can see where I was, and where he was coming from, what he was attempting to tell me by his silence: I was living at the time along the Salmon River. It is a place as far from reality as I could get. I guess using the word living, would be a stretch. I was existing, escaping, all the imperfectness of a world I had nothing to do with creating,...

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“River Song” by Daniel Brown

Submitted to Contest #98

The sun glistens on Mark's wide back with a patient eroticism. “What are the odds of us being stranded on a river?” He snickers arched over the boat like a prying gargoyle. I want to tell him the odds are high if the oars are underwater. Tell him they are high if help is equidistant to looming clouds. That his brief descent into anger over a torn childhood life jacket launched the oars into the river and lends to those high odds. Perhaps those looming clouds swallow that glimmer and force him to zero in on the odds. Perhaps I...

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“The Riverboat Man of Shari River” by JA Lafrance

Submitted to Contest #98

The Riverboat man of Shari River By JA Lafrance Have you ever heard the story of the riverboat man of the Shari River? They say he lives on the river and only communicates with the people that live deep within the riverbed. There have been people that say they’ve seen him, but there has been no actual proof until today. My name is Lynn, and I am the first person to witness the riverboat man and all his fury. The story begins one dark, stormy day, as I was walking my dog down by the river. I had stopped by the river’s edge and allowed m...

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“Ringgit in My Pocket” by William Richards

Submitted to Contest #98

There are no waves, but the ferry drifts in and out, its metallic ramp easing back and forth on top of the tarmac of the road that disappears into the river. It’s a gentle two-step of the river's current being countered by the ferry's engine. It’s disconcerting. They’ve laid planks of wood to drive upon so that car tyres do not spin out in patches of river water that come and go randomly. They’ve got to be joking, right? But they’re not. And I’m up next. If I want to make it to the other bank to get the hell out of here then I’ll need to m...

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“River” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #98

The glow of the flashes in the sky announced the gale. Along with the thugs, they swept the moonlight as well as the brilliance of the loyal stars, silencing all thoughts in favor of the gray clouds. The silence became ambrosia, intoxicating the clouds, which were so drunk, they could only lie down, shedding their tears, which, little by little, were linked to their neighbor, forming liquid lagoons to lose sight of. Leaving the overwhelming inertia of the silent sobriety, the ponds became stifled, running agitated. Su...

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“Trust No Mammal” by Nadia Woods

Submitted to Contest #98

Katya sighs deeply and closes her eyes as she leans back in her kayak, allowing the tense muscles of her upper body a slight reprieve. The cool fresh water and its evenly flowing current carry her softly, with a slight swaying motion, down the Potomac-Shenandoah River. From the shoreline she could hear the melodic trills of a pair of Goldfinches. Almost imperceptibly, a faint metallic whirring sound disturbed the peaceful ambience. Katya snaps her eyes open and meticulously scans the sky above her, her pulse steadily rising.Tension had retur...

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“Serpent Ship” by Andre Bertolino

Submitted to Contest #98

I am not merely a feat of engineering, I am an amalgam of music and sculpture passed down from antiquity. Artists and scientists have always played off of each others dreams. My master is tall and lean, a drifter of the galaxy. I have mirrored his hunger; have permitted his characteristics to bleed into me. Sometimes he wonders if I am alive, even though he built me. He built me to think but not to live. I am capable of being as illogical as a two legs. But if my analysis is f...

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“A river journey ” by Yaj Imagination

Submitted to Contest #98

A storm was brewing in the dark night, and the treacherous path of the Ulk River rocks the tiny boat ridden by a couple racing for the nearest village doctor. Only the small burning oil lantern gave minimum light to their path, and everything else was a hindrance. The wind blows from the directions they want to take, and the currents drive them back to where they came from. But even in the harshes weather, the strong man paddles with all his might, going against the current. Having a pregnant wife about to give birth was the only thing in hi...

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“Ronnie the River Man” by Jj Gomez

Submitted to Contest #98

Beatrice stared through the tree’s overhanging branches, smoggy sunlight peeking through its red and yellow leaves. The air was filled with the sound of running water, along with the cracking of wood from the nearby fire. Even so, she pulled her wool blanket close and rubbed her hands together. Despite it being noon, the frigid air filled her tired bones and flushed her cheeks. She tried to fight it back, but a series of harsh coughs burst from her lips. Afterwards, she massaged her throat.Stupid skin, she thought irritably. She had lost too...

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“The Mermaid's Trials” by Helena Parker

Submitted to Contest #98

Long ago, in a great, winding river, there lived a mermaid named Mayim. The river was her home, and she was its protector. No matter what or who dared threaten her home, Mayim defended against it. One day, a young man approached the bank. Mayim swam towards him. “Are you fish-friend or fish-foe?” she asked. “Neither,” the man said “I merely wish to cross this river”. Mayim splashed water towards him with her tail. “If you are not a friend, then I must assume you are a foe. Begone, this river is under my protection”. “I assure...

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“Boat Journey” by Aditi Kulkarni

Submitted to Contest #98

1/10/1948 Dear Diary, I am very excited to go to Thailand via boat! It’s going to be tricky and risky but I think it will be ok and amazing! Me, my mum, my big brother, my dad & my baby sister will all be going on this fantastic journey. Mum says that it will take 8 days to go to Thailand as we are living in Bali. She said that we will rent a bigger boat so that we can be comfortable during the 8 day time period. Sorry Diary, I have to go and pack a huge suitcase for the 8 day long monotonous journey but I still think we’re g...

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Set your story on (or in) a winding river.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 122 stories

“Shuan Lai's Quest For Hidden Knowledge ” by Philip Ebuluofor

“The World Sucks a Little Less Now” by Chloe :)

“They Say” by Amanda Lieser

“Riding the Tightrope of my life” by Retee Satish

“River's Edge” by Joe Swanson

“River Song” by Daniel Brown

“The Riverboat Man of Shari River” by JA Lafrance

“Ringgit in My Pocket” by William Richards

“River” by Sandra Claros

“Trust No Mammal” by Nadia Woods

“Serpent Ship” by Andre Bertolino

“A river journey ” by Yaj Imagination

“Ronnie the River Man” by Jj Gomez

“The Mermaid's Trials” by Helena Parker

“Boat Journey” by Aditi Kulkarni

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a family with a long-standing tradition, whose members all have conflicting origin stories for it.

Start your story with a character having a premonition, but no one believes them.

Write about someone who’s desperately trying to change their luck.

Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Contest #98

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

751

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: