It’s the last evening of your vacation and you’re watching the sunset with your friends/partner/family, wishing summer would never end. But just as the sun dips below the horizon, you notice it returning in reverse.

Posted in Science Fiction on Sep 1, 2023

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✍️ 49 stories

“Black Ocean” by Elisabeth U

Submitted to Contest #214

Every summer my family goes on a cruise to the Bahamas. It’s a week-long event, and it's genuinely the perfect way to de-stress. All our work is done for us. We lounge in the sun, we take in the vast blue water that—when you’re far enough out at sea—can almost appear ink black in color; but its slightly jarring color is offset by the glittering reflections of the sun, like thousands of little jewels floating in the waves. It softened the sight, smoothing the small waves just a little. This is the final “free” summer I have until I graduate ...

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“Never Fade Away” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #214

Few Summers are golden. Golden in the way that etches them onto your heart. There is a rare alchemy that occurs just once in every generation and everyone remembers that Summer. The Summer where the magic happened and happiness blossomed. The Summer where dreams came true and just for a while, everything was possible. Those Summers are where many-a Once Upon A Time resides, but never an ending is in sight, because you see, the Happily Ever After is a promise that rides on the Summer breeze and all is right in the world. I...

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“The Eye of Time. ” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #214

Till Douglas and his wife, María, stood hand in hand on the beach, gazing at the fiery hues of the setting sun. The salty breeze ruffled their hair, and the soft, warm sand beneath their feet seemed to be a testament to the perfect days they had spent together on this vacation. As they watched the sun descend toward the horizon, Till couldn't help but think that summer should never end, so they could savor these lovely romantic evenings forever. But just as the sun dipped below the horizon, something strange happened. Time seemed to shift ...

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“The End of Summer as We Know It” by Adam Oster

Submitted to Contest #214

After a long, hard year dealing with the deaths of two grandparents and the family pet, as well as school and work troubles, and a schedule which had kept them from doing anything but the bare minimum to get by, even taking the time to plan a summer vacation had proved difficult for the Dillinger family. But Mary Dillinger had worked diligently to find time in the crevices of her days to plan, pay for, and schedule a brief long weekend vacation away from the hustle and bustle of town, to a small cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin on t...

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“The Island” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #214

They watched the sun slowly dipping, unaware of the darkness gradually enveloping them. She could feel the comfort of his warm body sitting close to her despite their bodies not being close enough to touch. As she took one more deep, satisfied breath, she almost sobbed. If only she could stay here forever. She looked around and thought about the idyllic eight days of her holiday. The location, stunning amenities, hotels, and restaurants had all been fantastic, but the next day, it was time to go their separate ways until the next...

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“One Billion Apologies” by Robin Owens

Submitted to Contest #214

It wasn’t the sun’s sudden reversal nor the tides rolling out that I noticed first. It was the blood on my hands, evaporating into thin air, like ballerinas leaping off my skin and disappearing into a dusky sky. For a stretchy, taffy-like ten seconds I watched as every bit of the boy’s blood left my hands, a crime attempting its own undoing. The knife slipped itself from his tanned neck, and the handle inserted itself into my closed fist like a key in a lock. My body rose to standing. White sand trickled off my knees, reuniting magnetically ...

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“Allurement” by Hosea Guy

Submitted to Contest #214

I am watching through the grimy panes of glass as he stands with his arms crossed before him on the counter. The sun is bright and hot on my back as it sinks toward the horizon, but it sheds light on the churning sea of filth upon these dark windows and my attention is lost in this sea that is incongruent with the rest of the world and does, in fact, appear to churn before my very eyes. There is a young girl delivering a slim white box to the counter, and then Sebastian is beaming as he carries our pepperoni pizza to the door, which is ...

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“The Last Sunset” by Katherine Crivello

Submitted to Contest #214

With each step, my feet were enveloped by the soft white sand, and the occasional seashell would unpleasantly make its rough and spiny presence known to me. We stopped right before the water to admire the sunset, a brilliant masterpiece that only mother nature could contrive. A single firework burst directly above us, which I assumed was to commemorate a birthday further down the shore. “I wish this summer would never end” I whispered under my breath. My younger sister turned to me, her eyes and somber expression conveying silent agreemen...

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“The Boy Who Destroyed the World” by T. Shen Long

Submitted to Contest #214

If anyone found out this was all my fault, I’m sure I’d be killed. I only wanted a little more time of summer vacation. I learned in the fifth grade this sort of thing sometimes happens in places way up north. Places with polar bears and tons of snow. Places where they could use a little extra sun. Places like Alaska, or Russia, or Wisconsin. Places, that for days on end, the sun never quite makes its way past the horizon. Dad says this isn’t like that. Dad says this is different. Dad says this is bad....

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“Casting a Spell for a Lame Summer Wish” by Sol Le Roux

Submitted to Contest #214

It wasn’t supposed to happen before the fall equinoxe. I was supposed to have my plan ready. Mariam had said that when you draw on ancestral magic, it’s a sure thing, the ancestors don’t make mistakes. Well maybe mine have a weird sense of humour because it’s the last day of August, and as I’m watching the sunset with my clueless parents, the sun turns in reverse which means it’s starting. I have to go back right now and fix it all. I take a deep breath and try to enjoy the view for the last few moments I have left. I want to capture mom’s c...

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“Hues of Her” by Joseph Hanna

Submitted to Contest #214

My sky shines with the colors of all the stars. The hues of rose red and bright bumblebee yellow falling through the cracks of the sun’s barriers. I see them crumble away to the ground where it coats my hands to the very pores of my skin. I feel the tinges of tangerine orange to tufts blue float beneath my surface, shining through the wounds left behind by surgeries not so long removed. The sensation of stitches still holding gashes in place sends shivers down my spent spine. I sit beside my lover, holding her hand with the same passion I he...

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“Summer Wish” by Safara Chambers

Submitted to Contest #214

“Penny for your thoughts?” My boyfriend embraces me and kisses the side of my head. “I just don’t want it to end. Summer, I mean.” Everything around us looks perfect; the blend of pink and orange of the sky, the slightly dusty bed of his truck, the emerald green leaves on the trees, the cool grass, the birds singing as if they’re recounting their day to one another before going to sleep. “But fall is ‘spooky’ season with apples and pumpkins. What’s wrong with it?” He wiggles his fingers. I prickle with irritation. I open my mout...

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“Echoes” by Amy Curry

Submitted to Contest #214

Wow, this has to be the most exciting Thursday morning I have had since the college dorm days, I think to myself as I gaze through the window of my mother's sedan at the trees on the side of the highway as we pass by. It was quickly enough that they looked as though they were all identical; bearing the same intense hunter green foliage you only see this vibrantly in the last of summer days. I try to spot the differences with an intense, yet vacant glare and it was truly the hardest I have tried to ignore my ruminating thoughts since I can re...

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“Western Sunrise” by R M

Submitted to Contest #214

The thick, humid air boiled the depths of Dylan’s lungs. Depths that haven’t been reached since his most recent failed attempt at getting into better shape. That valiant effort met its demise a little over five years ago the day Joey came into the world. There was something different about this particular brand of summer mountain air that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. The familiar earthy, electric taste of the recent rain shower was still radiating from the wet Georgia clay. On this specific evening it was paired with something that could only...

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“Woe is a heatstroke ” by Rae G. Campbell

Submitted to Contest #214

Splash.I heard laughter as my mom and baby sister played in the pool.It was the last day of summer vacation and tomorrow would be her first day onto first grade, as well as my first day in highschool.Closing my eyes, I couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought. Cassie was my closest friend through middle school but she'd moved away during the summer. We tried to keep in contact yet we hardly even text each other anymore.I'd be alone."Syddie!", I felt nauseous as my stomach took a sudden headbutt."Maymay, don't do that!", this brat."Syddi...

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It’s the last evening of your vacation and you’re watching the sunset with your friends/partner/family, wishing summer would never end. But just as the sun dips below the horizon, you notice it returning in reverse.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“Black Ocean” by Elisabeth U

“Never Fade Away” by Jed Cope

“The Eye of Time. ” by Emanuel Diaz

“The End of Summer as We Know It” by Adam Oster

“The Island” by Stevie Burges

“One Billion Apologies” by Robin Owens

“Allurement” by Hosea Guy

“The Last Sunset” by Katherine Crivello

“The Boy Who Destroyed the World” by T. Shen Long

“Casting a Spell for a Lame Summer Wish” by Sol Le Roux

“Hues of Her” by Joseph Hanna

“Summer Wish” by Safara Chambers

“Echoes” by Amy Curry

“Western Sunrise” by R M

“Woe is a heatstroke ” by Rae G. Campbell

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story on the eve of the first day back at school.

What was meant to be a great bonding vacation turns sour when an uninvited guest tags along.

Now, as an adult, your character looks back on this summer as the summer when they grew up.

Each year, your character's family goes on the most exotic vacations. Finally they discover why — their family are assassins.

Contest #214

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

203

Contest entries

94

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: