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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Start your story with the line, “By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire.” (Whether this is a literal fire is up to you.)

Posted in Teens on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 324 stories

“My Early Autumn Days” by Vanessa Carlson

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. From my place on the tan leather sectional where you had propped me up on so many pillows, I could see the yellows and golds shimmering from the cottonwoods we had in our backyard. The window over the farmhouse sink was open, allowing the breeze to catch the grey linen café curtains, turning my attention to the autumnal fireworks underway. I had always loved autumn, even when I was a little girl, because then autumn meant that school was returning and I no longer had to find ...

1 comment 1
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“Just A Wee Bit Witchy” by C.J Nightingale

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised, after all it was probably not the brightest idea of mine to lean out the second floor window of my mother's home, holding a lit match in my outstretched hands to see if the wind would make the flames dance. Well, my point was sort of proven to be correct, since the flames were most definitely dancing now, if not in the way I hoped. It was an early afternoon in the beginning of autumn when my little brother, Toby, and I were helping ...

2 comments 2
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“The True Believer” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #63

   The True Believer “By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire.” This probably doesn’t sound right to you, so I guess I should start at the beginning. It was a brilliant fall day and the colours on the tree were changing already. I made a mental note to suggest to go and see them this weekend before the football game started. There was a certain excitement in the air. It was a few weeks before Halloween and the kids were already very thrilled. They had picked out their costumes a l...

1 comment 1
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“Fire Family - Part 1 - Flames and Fire” by Mary-Claire Hanlon

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. The bark on the trees was starting to singe, and the earth was so hot that I thought I wouldn’t make it. I could hear the cracks; some loud, like branches were about to break and fall; some softer, as the trees began to release their seeds. The small brush-tailed rock wallaby that was panting near my home, was obviously distressed. I needed to get to her with a damp blanket, and try to pick her up. Then I had to get the hell out of here. I had gone home as soon as I heard the news abo...

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“The Fight” by Peter Alexander James

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire, the warm colours whirled and scattered in the autumn breeze. Walking through them, I tried to catch one and as my hand closed, a gust of wind would pull them from my grasp. Shouts and cheers stole my attention, the boys had gathered in the schoolyard to watch the big fight. I approached the crowd; the smaller boys were at the back standing on their tippy toes to catch a glimpse of their champions. I tried to squeeze in for a closer look, but two boys turned. “Boys only!” “I just wanna w...

5 comments 5
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“Autumn of '81” by S Mehjabeen

Submitted to Contest #63

“By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire”, she began narrating her story to her children. It was her story. Her story from that indelible autumn of ’81 that turned her life around. That autumn when the leaves seemed to be ablaze in wild and bold colors of heroic orange and raging red. The sky was awash in hues of angry autumnal brick shades. The violent gusts of wind seemed seething and she was fuming too. She had had enough.-------She frowned woefully. It shone back at her as the portent sun dove into the faraway horizon and ...

1 comment 1
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“Fallen leaves ” by Abbie Maggz

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside the leaves were on fire. A vast array of reds and oranges lined our streets stretching for a few blocks as far as the eye could see. This was a strange sight in our small town as it had never occurred before. I had doing my assignments when I noticed that the trees outside our house looked bare, which was odd because they weren't the type to shed especially at this time of the year. On a normal day I wouldn't be bothered about it because with all the climate change I thought things were bound to work differently...

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“JUST A SPECK OF GREEN” by Claire Tennant

Submitted to Contest #63

Intro: By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. Burnished gold, ember red, delicate brown and just a speck of green. My favourite tree, an enormous silky oak has surprised me again. I stand with a kind of reverence, as I go down memory lane. Whatever our problems, the oak tree is a constant reminder of strength and beauty.  All my troubles seem to melt when I see her. She is back to her old ‘mother hen’ tricks, and I respond as of old, with adoration. I had grown up with that tree. In those early days, the gar...

6 comments 6
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“A good day revealed by one moment.” by Looking For Inspiration

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire of red’s, orange’s, green’s and gold’s in a burst of beautiful color as the season of fall began falling away. I stood there staring at this beautiful moment in time admiring my favorite time of year, in aww of its transformation into winter. Looking up at the sky seeing the sun shining brightly yet the morning becoming chillier and breezier which makes me just smile. Deciding to walk to the shop since it was such a lovely day. Walking through central park I passed by more beautiful scen...

3 comments 3
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“Fall is on Fire” by Meghma Ghosh

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. My own house were I spend my whole childhood was burning as a huge campfire and the reason is just me... no one else but me. I ran down the lane to find the fire brigade. The firemen heard the incident and they agreed to help me. When I had come before my house with the firemens, the fire had spread into my neighbours house too. By seeing the conditions I fell down on the street; Fainted. When I opened my eyes in consciousness I was in a hospital, a nurse staring at me. She asked me som...

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“The Ambitious Violet ” by Karoshni Perumal

Submitted to Contest #63

"By the time I stepped outside, the leaves where on fire." There was a beautiful and fragrant violet who lived placidly amongst her friends, and swayed happily amidst the other flowers in a solitary garden. One morning, as her crown was embellished with beads of dew, she lifted her head and looked about; she saw a tall handsome rose standing proudly and reaching high into space; like a burning torch upon an emerald lamp. The violet opened her blue lips and said;"what an unfortunate am I among these flowers; and how humble is the position I o...

2 comments 2
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“Making Friends with Monsters can be Possible” by Robin ✿

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. Now, this is my story. I am Marnie. The autumn season has just arrived, and all the pink blossom flowers were withered, and the sweet flavoring green leaves had changed into red or orange. The leaves were having haircuts. All people around squashed the leaves on the ground. They made a crispy sound, like the crunch of some chips. I was just in the cafeteria, and I was eating cake. Mmm, Yum. I just finished my cake, and was going out of the shop, when everything was on fire....

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“Change of Autumn” by Courtney Partello Kersey

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. Joni was at a fall retreat for her church woman's group. She was late for the bonfire because they had just had a Bible study and it so moved her to talk to God. They had been talking in the Bible study about the power of the tongue. She had been struggling with this for quite sometime. Every time she had called her mother on the phone, her mother would talk down about her sister and gossip about her. She would sometimes join in and then after the phone conversation be very sad and disa...

3 comments 3
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“Safe and Sound” by A L Burn

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. They screamed back and forth across the night sky like a puce rainbow from hell as she teetered under the weight of the branch in her hands. I didn’t hesitate. Sprinting down the path, I hopped right over the splintering wooden gate and tackled her hysterical form to the ground. She just lay there choking on sobs as I leapt up and began furiously stomping on the flaming makeshift flare. The damp breath of autumn coating every inch of the dense forest thankfully stopped the whole area fr...

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“The dancing flames” by Book Worm

Submitted to Contest #63

I have not stepped out of my apartment since late spring. The lockdown was certainly one of the reasons. At my age, as the advisory warned, it was risky to step out of doors. But I used the forced confinement to take a complete break from work. I hated the back biting, politics, and gossip in my workplace and could pretend that I was in a self-serviced apartment in a green resort if I shut myself in. I had a million plans for the extended break. I could write the book I had been planning to write on the interconnected world. I could begin th...

2 comments 2
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