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

Posted in Middle School on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 122 stories

“Daddy Dearest” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #98

FAT CHANCE WITH MY DADRivers and roads.Lines drawn by water, lines drawn by the hand of man.The stories of our lives unfold along these winding paths.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“Imagine a line of men. The best of the best. Men who stood out amongst men. Men who were sought after and longed for. Imagine them standing in a line that stretched to the horizon. Imagine a sign that said: “CHOICE A” - Pick a father. I'd trudge for days until I stood before the one who shone the brightest in that line a...

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“Beautiful” by Elia Christensen

Submitted to Contest #98

White. Black. White. Everything suddenly swirls into a blend of dull colour, twisting around my body. White. Black. White. The sudden flash of light against the monotonous colour pallet nearly makes me go blind. I feel as if I left my gut behind, leaving its content crawling up my throat as I fall into the abyss. I scream, my voice tearing itself from my throat in terror. My cry echoes against the pit walls, bouncing back into my ears. Tears stream down my face as I let my voice rake its way across my throat. I can see the glare of the water...

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“Out of Time” by Liz Redt

Submitted to Contest #98

Kiya let an arrow fly as she weaved in and out through the dense forest surrounding her. She was training with her older sister, Elizabeth. They were training to defend themselves if needed when needed. Her arrow hit her target perfectly and she jumped on a low tree branch pumping her fists up.“Well Done!” her sister cheered triumphantly, “you’re getting good at archery, a few more days and you’ll be able to hit a target from a klick away,” Elizabeth told her enthusiastically.They trained for several more hours, running and jumping...

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“You in the wind” by Maca Puno

Submitted to Contest #98

It is the first day of spring. Our favorite season. I had our dog, Yuno, beside me. I found myself walking towards the river today like we used to. It’s too early in the morning, I didn't think anyone in town is awake. I walked by the unpaved road and see the trees enveloping the winding river. I could hear the steady sound of the water and I stood there in awe. You loved to catch butterflies and other flying insects just to try to be friends with them. You would sing and dance all the songs to The Sound of Music and pretend we’re in a Disne...

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“Elixir” by Ananya Kabir

Submitted to Contest #98

Part IDiscovery'George,' she said, 'George, come here.'I let the paper plane drop from my hands, bored. It's not like I could fly through it to somewhere in the world, like you could do with a real aeroplane. As a teenager I was obsessed with the idea of flying, but if you had known me as a child you wouldn't have complained. At the peak of night, when the humans were asleep, I would sneak down to the playground at the bottom of the hill and steal old plastic bags and newspapers from the dustbins, never minding that I might be spotted. I wou...

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“Never Look Behind” by Abbey Long

Submitted to Contest #98

The water is mind-numbing and insistent, pushing past Mandy’s legs as she stands in the winding river. She never bothers to roll her trousers up; she doesn’t mind the water, and treats it as a friend. Under the heat of the blazing summer sun, she takes a tentative step forward, and results in her legs being splattered in the salty droplets. Her trousers, normally a khaki green, have been stained to a dark green from all the moisture. Despite this, with each step Mandy takes, her confidence soars, like a ba...

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“The Crossing” by Tybor Tigadoro

Submitted to Contest #98

Riale used to jealously guard his uncrossed lines. Then, the war began to take them from him—one by one, battle by battle. But he didn’t have time for such impractical thoughts. He peered through his telescope. From his vantage point on a low ridge, he could see the orange river snaking its way across the charred landscape. Sparks danced across the surface of the smoldering lava, and smoke billowed upward. He wiped his brow. Even from this distance, he could feel the heat. For a moment—before he could smother it—Riale felt the urge...

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“The small running river” by Kodi Gehrig

Submitted to Contest #98

CONTENT WARNING: murder, language, and sex parts.The wind was blowing and I was drifting in a river full of dead fish. I heard my girlfriend yelling my name. "AMY!...AMY!...AMY WAKE UP!!" but I couldn't wake up.It was a bright Saturday morning and I was laying in bed cuddling my girlfriend who just woke up. She sat up and gave me my morning kiss."Are you hungry?" She had asked me as she got up to go make something to eat."Ya but, I'll make breakfast you go take your shower." I was walking to the kitchen behind her saying that.She turned and ...

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“Winding Tragedies” by M Y

Submitted to Contest #98

It was mild and sunny as my enormous river dolphin family started our day in the Amazon forest playing tag. I love having a big family, but my favorite dolphin to play with is my brother, Fin. For my birthday last week, he brought me a blue-green stone he had found on the side of the river in the grass. It reflected light when I held it in the sunshine. He knew it was my favorite color and would be the perfect gift. I treasured it. If I hadn't been distracted that day, I never would have lost Fin. Fin, the family baby, had warm brown eyes ...

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“Riverman” by Estelle Westley

Submitted to Contest #98

The Riverman had lived on the shores of the river all his life. He knew about the bird life that existed in the surrounding forests. How they mated and how they cared for and fed their young. He knew about the life cycle of the trout that his father had so loved to fish for. He could sit for hours and watch his father move his trout rod back and forth in the air and then gently let the line stretch across the water, tempting the trout to come after the flies that they had patiently tied the night before. Great discussion went into what t...

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“Lava Loves The River” by Magdaline Funderburk

Submitted to Contest #98

It wasn't a typical Saturday night at River Terrace. There was a festive vibe in the air. Yoshi gazed out of his bedroom window and saw that the river was flowing faster than usual. The night sky was cloudy and he could only see a small part of the river from the lights in the parking lot. But he couldn't hear it because of the noise coming from the party in his building. He looked again out of the window into the darkness at the winding river. Yoshi wouldn't allow himself to be overcome by it tonight. He had a score to settl...

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“Eris” by FuFeng T

Submitted to Contest #98

Sage opened up her picnic basket, and her shoulders dropped. Her mom forgot to pack her water bottle. She was so thirsty, too. The sounds of the river, seeing the rushing clear water, tempting her as she walked under the hot sun. She didn’t even want to be outside; it was way too hot out for her. At least she didn’t forget her favorite sandwich, a turkey panini with strawberry pesto. It was unusual, but her father used to make her the strawberry pesto with strawberries from his own garden. Sage clipped up her hair and kept walking along...

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“A River of Fortune” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #98

Amelia had lived on the river as long as she could remember. The home had been her great-grandfather’s home before it had become her grandfather’s and then eventually passed down to her father. Now it was her home, and the love she felt for it was immeasurable. Not only was there a sentimentality in the home itself, there was a depth of calmness and reassurance from the surging, winding river that ran past it and far beyond, providing a serenity as well as sustenance from its waters for all who resided therein.The cabin’s furnishings were sc...

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“Hell is not a place” by Kaluana Schutz Anderle

Submitted to Contest #98

He gave the orders and the snake tried to make him a fool. As punishment for tricking his creation into eating the fruit from the tree of life, God took its wings away and turned it into a boiling winding river so it would carry the sinners’ souls in its body. Here is where the misconception about hell started, it’s definitely hot, but not by fire. Sinners are daily drowning in their sins and regrets until they can find redemption and be freed, by being pure once again. One soul, one precious life became purified and it was on its way to bei...

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“RIVER OF DREAMS.” by Patricia Green

Submitted to Contest #98

John smiled as he sat at the wheel of the beautiful white houseboat. He had told his partner they needed to get away from everything for a few weeks, and had suggested a trip to Echuca, so she had booked this houseboat for them. “This makes things so much easier”, he smiled to himself. &...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 122 stories

“Daddy Dearest” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

“Beautiful” by Elia Christensen

“Out of Time” by Liz Redt

“You in the wind” by Maca Puno

“Elixir” by Ananya Kabir

“Never Look Behind” by Abbey Long

“The Crossing” by Tybor Tigadoro

“The small running river” by Kodi Gehrig

“Winding Tragedies” by M Y

“Riverman” by Estelle Westley

“Lava Loves The River” by Magdaline Funderburk

“Eris” by FuFeng T

“A River of Fortune” by Cindy Calder

“Hell is not a place” by Kaluana Schutz Anderle

“RIVER OF DREAMS.” by Patricia Green

🌟 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: