Set your story during a drought.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Aug 19, 2022

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✍️ 72 stories

“Praying About It” by J P Fierkens

Submitted to Contest #160

Mary noticed that every time she took a step her little black shoes kicked up nearly imperceptible puffs of dust. She watched her mother’s and father’s shoes and there she saw the hopeful promise of a dust cloud. She quickly scuffed her feet repeatedly against the dirt road and whipped her head back excitedly to watch. Sure enough, a dust cloud the size of a rabbit had sprung up behind Mary and her parents and took off back the way they had come. The wind tossed it one way, then the other, and then changed its mind completely and sent the l...

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“Voices from Below ” by Amy Sosa

Submitted to Contest #160

A gaping sinkhole appeared out of nowhere after a heavy rain in the middle of my backyard. A mysterious and cavernous void drawing you into the depths of the earth. It was the type of rain that cleanses the earth and makes you feel insignificant to the mysterious wonders of time and pull of natural forces.As suddenly as the crack in the earth appeared, the rain stopped. There was no precipitation anywhere, as though the plug was pulled from our most precious resource.Experts attributed the phenomenon to climate change and a slight rotational...

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“Let it be a Mirage” by Tahire Güneş

Submitted to Contest #160

The water in the kettle for making green tea was boiling and now whistling . With the sound of the steam, her thought of the oasis in this desert faded away.That thought which she was unable to name. Because there was no such word in their Khatdi language, the mother tongue of Thar residents. Ponds were the most thought and talked about bodies of water. 'Charo Badal' went to take down the kettle with bare feet, on the way she scattered the fresh goats' poop pellets given by the goat like almonds. A few pell...

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“DRY HEAT ” by Elaine Casey

Submitted to Contest #160

Through cracked, dry lips, Clay whistled to Meg, his trusty old sheepdog, and shouted his instruction for her to “get in behind”. She circled slowly and cautiously around the sheep, who seemed dazed and confused as they scattered in chaos. Meg panted as she ran behind them in an attempt to contain them.Clay could taste the grit as it formed in the corner of his mouth. He pulled the brim of his hat down to protect his eyes from the scorching sun, as sweat trickled down his forehead, mixing with dust to form channels that ran into the crevice...

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“Alone” by Zia Crenshaw

Submitted to Contest #160

Alone By Ziatajia Crenshaw The taste of dehydrated squirrel would forever remain imprinted on Alicia’s tongue. It’s was a flavor she couldn’t quite name nor was she sure she enjoyed it; but survival was necessary. There had been no rain since the Great Migration one year ago. On January 1, 2030, it was made public that Earth was set for demolition by the Galactic Federation, the Elite began taking off into space, and those who could not afford a ship or seat, were forced to seek shelter and wait out the destruction. In the Before...

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“A Life Beyond” by Benjamin Mutugi

Submitted to Contest #160

How did we end up here again Thuku, asked George? I remember you were piloting the plane with some map, people chanting and you promised we will be in paradise. Then I think we fell and now you are telling me I slept for five days. You have no idea where we are am hungry, they are hungry too. Why are you still sleeping Thuku, wake up and tell us? Why me, How now? I have tried all sides. I have begged, made bets, tried stealing, and looked for a job but in vain. I have wiped, pushed out, sidelined, trash spoke, my family left me, and now I ca...

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“Darian, The Pirates, and The Drought” by Glenn Holt

Submitted to Contest #160

They were water pirates according to all governments on Earth. Darian knew that maybe they were outlaws but he still felt it right to steal back something that belonged to them the people. He knew there was reward on their heads. The Drought had now lasted two decades. The consequences for Darian could be steep. Still Darian did not take any of this law stuff seriously, he knew how to find water and deliver it to his clients. He valued and loved his clients. His clients started out local from the small town and region surrounding the far...

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“Lake Small” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #160

Everywhere the bodies were disappearing. Bodies of water, that is: the puddles, the sloughs, the ponds. Even the great river that ran among the lakes was growing smaller. On a tiny allotment, in a gentle valley, not far from a little village, the swimmer was crying. The air was so crisp each tear shrank to a grain of salt and was borne away on the breeze. She was crying because her beloved Lake Small was about to disappear. On fair weather days, she used to swim across the lake to the big rock and bask like a turtle in the sun’s kindly warm...

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“The Water Bearer ” by Vincent Cruz

Submitted to Contest #160

Steam rises from an iron kettle and begins to whistle. A man watches the water-vapor for several moments in a state of deep contemplation before dawning a protective mit to grab its handle. He pours the steaming water into a bluish cup. Outside it's dusty and hot, and the stillness of the air is torturous and stale. The man pushes open the creaky screen door letting loose a scraggly mutt. He follows it outside and the heat makes his face tingle like stepping into a sauna. The door slams shut against the darkness where the man lives al...

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“Downfall” by April Schofield

Submitted to Contest #160

Downfall She looked out the front window of her shop at the crunchy, brown grass and watched the dust from the driveway stir in the slight breeze. It hadn't rained in months. The dogs laid on the driveway and swatted at flies with their dirty tails. She wondered when Charles would come home from the Amish auction in Dunnin. She loved Saturdays. Those were her days. Charles was away most of the day and she could work in her shop without having to worry about whether or not something she did or said would set him off. She went ba...

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“Cloud Chaser” by Will Lianti

Submitted to Contest #160

Cloud Chasers Connor was dreaming of flying. He felt the air slick through his outstretched fingers and he was happy. In a world of tan and gray the sky offered a view of a different hue. His jacket whipped against him wildly and his old goggles let in tiny air pockets, cooling his sweaty face. In the sky he was free and away from all of the horrible things down below. It was all so real until he heard a noise outside of his dream. He woke up suddenly just before light, feeling an immed...

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“A Man Named Gill” by E. M.

Submitted to Contest #160

The landlord hesitated a split second before shoving the ancient, grimy key for unit 8 into my palm. I debated launching into my new apartment before the impish man could spark another 15-minute history lesson about the surrounding Santa Monica landscape, but feigning politeness, I mustered, “Anything else? I mean, besides what you said about the front gate and the trash days and turning the lock clockwise?” As if I had pried a great and heavy burden from his lips, he wheezed emphatically, “Try not to mind Gill, okay?” And then, in case G...

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“A Night in the Badlands” by S. A. Jackson

Submitted to Contest #160

The ear-piercing shriek of the kettle startled me, ripping me out of my dark thoughts. I blinked rapidly to help my eyes focus on my current surroundings. The expanse of nothingness was around me, well nothing but some bushes and my tent. The longer I was in the Badlands the more my thoughts twisted and cracked into depression.It's been six months since the world fell into a drought. According to the scientists something pissed off the sun and created several severe solar flares to increase Earth's temperature to dry up the skies. All the pl...

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“The Cali Drought” by Shane Lehan

Submitted to Contest #160

The Cali Drought “Hey man, how's it looking today?” “Still flat. Man this blows.” “What are we going to do?” This was the conversation I had with my friends every morning at the pier going on two weeks straight. We were in a drought. The surf was washed out. We were washed out. Surfing was one of the things that kept us sane. Especially during the summer. My name's Johnny. I live in downtown Venice. So did my friends Tommy and Fynn. We hung out all day everyday. Went to school enough to pass, skated, surfed, and partied at night. We didn...

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“Tomorrow, when the rain comes.” by Mel Dingwall

Submitted to Contest #160

Trigger warning: Bush fire violence, young child in danger. By the time the fires came, their land had already suffered through three years of punishing drought. The grass turned from green to gold, cicadas sang through the longest summer ever, crops shriveled under a relentless sun, and then the sheep died. Grace had watched, pregnant and dry eyed, as their farm declined from a blithe, green paradise flecked with fat ewes and suckling lambs, to a parched wasteland capable of birthing only dry grass and thistle. “Tomorrow, when the...

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Set your story during a drought.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 72 stories

“Praying About It” by J P Fierkens

“Voices from Below ” by Amy Sosa

“Let it be a Mirage” by Tahire Güneş

“DRY HEAT ” by Elaine Casey

“Alone” by Zia Crenshaw

“A Life Beyond” by Benjamin Mutugi

“Darian, The Pirates, and The Drought” by Glenn Holt

“Lake Small” by VJ Hamilton

“The Water Bearer ” by Vincent Cruz

“Downfall” by April Schofield

“Cloud Chaser” by Will Lianti

“A Man Named Gill” by E. M.

“A Night in the Badlands” by S. A. Jackson

“The Cali Drought” by Shane Lehan

“Tomorrow, when the rain comes.” by Mel Dingwall

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone seeking an oasis in a desert — whether literally, or figuratively.

Start your story with the whistle of a kettle.

Write about a character whose job is to bring water to people.

End your story with someone dancing in the rain.

Contest #160

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

266

Contest entries

109

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: