Start your story with a description of the cold, using lots of sensory detail.

Posted in Winter on Dec 1, 2023

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✍️ 65 stories

“Blizzard” by AnneMarie Miles

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #227

The blizzard was inside him now, in more ways than one. He felt his bones grow goosebumps the way he thought they could only appear on his skin. They seemed to shiver between the muscle and tissue that were once soft, now like icicles hardening beneath the surface. His fingers and toes succumbed to their numbness much quicker than they had in the earlier days, warning him that even five minutes of stillness was too dangerous. But as he shifted in the small cab of his truck, the effort felt enormous, and his breath threatened to release the l...

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“Crimson Snow” by Alice Brooks

Submitted to Contest #227

Sensitive themes warning: Contains description of death and self-injury.Fighting to keep going, the snow crunches under her bare feet, sending icy shivers down her spine, but she barely takes note of it. The footprints she leaves behind turn visibly red, slowly dragging on proof of what she had done. She is wearing a white satin dress, sticking to her skin like an unwanted embrace she can’t escape. It’s wet, and the freezing air turns her breath into fleeting clouds, escaping from her blue-tinted lips, and her toes are icicles threatening to...

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“No Up, No Down, No Light, No Sound” by Aeris Walker

Submitted to Contest #227

There is no up, no down, no light, no sound. Your legs are bent above you—or maybe below—and you are as immobile as a fish in ice. You thrash and jerk your head from side to side and achieve nothing but filling your ears and nose and mouth with snow. You inhale the icy crystals and choke. The biting cold penetrates every surface of your existence. Your world is dark, your head raging with the rush of panic-laced blood coursing through you.A kaleidoscope of thoughts explodes in your mind—the foremost being that you are too young to die. The s...

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“Cabin Fever” by Jack Kimball

Submitted to Contest #227

•───────•∞•Ж•∞•───────•Then the storm broke and was replaced the next morning with a frozen 1880s blue sky, the kind when after the clouds clear the world shuts down with a blinding but heartless sun, no wind, and dead quiet. Jason and Bill huddled around the cabin's only wood burner. Above them, the pine timbers groaned and complained with the weight of the storm’s snow, over twenty feet on the roof; but what dropped their stomach into a mine shaft was the sharp crack about every ten minutes, a sound like a double barrel going off in the ra...

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“The Snow Queen (a fairy tale)” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #227

Once upon a time, when magic filled the mountains and valleys of ancient Russia, there was a small village called Zhigansk. It was nestled in a valley at the foot of the Verkhoyansk Mountain range. A deep, lush forest with clear mountain streams surrounded it. The village folk worked hard but loved the life they were living. They gave thanks to the gods of the four seasons by celebrating with song and dance. The summer god is Anatoly because his name means “Sunrise.” The village folks give him thanks and prai...

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“Eleanora Does Not Hate Winter ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #227

*mentions description of animal remains “I hate winter,” Eleanora grumbled. Even as the words were leaving her lips, she knew it wasn’t true. She didn’t hate winter. She just hadn’t had enough time to enjoy the good parts of the season. Eleanora took a deep breath in through her nose and felt her nostrils stick together. Yep, it was cold out. Her cheeks were stinging already. She blew air out of her mouth and could instantly see her breath. She pulled her balaclava up over her nose and slipped her hand back into her mitten. She really...

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“A Chill by Any Other Name” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #227

Chester pressed his thumb and index finger to each other, noting the dull, waxy ache as they changed from rosy pink to a sickening yellow. He breathed in sharply, the frigid air slicing at his nostrils and delivering a shock to his lungs that sent his core into overdrive. A deep, involuntary trembling started up like a little go-kart engine deep inside him somewhere, desperately trying to generate a bit more heat. He reached up and pulled the beanie he wore down over his eyebrows and buried his face in the blanket he had wrapped around his...

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“Trivia” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #227

Winter separates the real addicts from the social smokers, Annabelle thought to herself bitterly as she attempted to flick the biting metal switch of the cheap Bic lighter in her hand. Her hot breath curled in winding, smoking waves in front of her face, mocking the activity she desired to perform that was so close yet so far away at the same time. She could see the icy crystals on the railing in front of her, but beyond that, nothing. The only streetlight for miles had gone out, leaving the block cloaked in the dangerous darkness of a winte...

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“ The Last Harsh Winter” by Brandi Yetzer

Submitted to Contest #227

Trigger warning: themes of loss/miscarriage."In the chill of winter, remember: beneath the snow, hope lies dormant, ready to bloom with the warmth of spring — life's trials are but temporary freezes, leading to the beauty of new beginnings."The cold bites into Amelia as she steps out of the doctor's office. The bitter wind claws at her exposed skin, an icy predator seeking to numb the raw ache within her. She pulls at her coat tighter, but the cold sneaks in through the gaps, settling deep in her bones. "Come on, hold it together," she ...

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“The Lantern Keeper ” by Michael Jurasek

Submitted to Contest #227

The sky was gray, and snow fell lazily in large clumps. The light was fading; it would be dark soon. The air was still and not a sound could be heard save for the soft, shallow breathing of the girl in the cloak. She had stopped before the tall iron gate that stood between the world she knew and the one she didn’t. Her eyes scanned up the pickets that towered above her. Fleur-de-lis finials capped the metal rods and cast-iron ivy adorned the bars in scrolls. The girl took a deep breath as she mustered the courage to open the gate and contin...

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“Hypothermia” by Elizabeth Sloughter

Submitted to Contest #227

I pick up the open, half-empty bottle of vodka, turn it upside down, and shake; nothing comes out. It’s frozen. Vodka only freezes at -40 degrees or below. At least now I know the temperature. The large, hazy sun hangs low in the sky; it’s mid-afternoon. The sky is a pale clear blue. I almost wish there were clouds. The Kazakhs believe a clear sky is a sign of good fortune, yet right now ...

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“SEASONAL SHADES” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #227

SEASONAL SHADES. A hazy mist of colour the day I met you. The joys of Autumn sunshine the hay being harvested and the fruitfulness of the season. Has we walked arm in arm through the dense woodland towards the park. A popular place for lovers to meet and caress. There is still an abundance of green the trees and shrubs shimmer in the sun. I watch ...

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“Absolute Zero ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #227

‘Where’s global warming when you need it?’ Toby stared out the trailer window at the bleak, icy landscape. Icicles arrayed like glistening fangs hung from the eaves. It was snowing. How many weeks had passed with no sunshine at all? Too many. Even inside, he could see his breath. The space heater never kept up. The walls were cold. Everything changed so fast. No one knew the trigger. Experts spun theories off non-stop finger pointing. But the hot air didn’t make a dent. Cold was the new norm. Just prior, it had been unseasonably warm. News ...

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“Brrrr” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #227

I hated Toronto winters. They dragged on and on. I missed the sun and its warmth. It wasn’t just cold. The wind and dampness made it bone chilling. As runners, Peter and I would slosh and slide through the slush and snow on the sidewalks. My feet would burn until they became numb. My shoes and socks would retain their wetness and add to my misery. I could not find gloves warm enough to prevent my fingers from turning purple and feeling like they were on fire. It wasn’t until much later that I discovered I had Raynaud’s phenomenon. My little ...

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“Infinite Hockey” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #227

The overnight snap brought things to a sullen halt in the harbor, empty but for two neglected lobster boats that bobbed about listlessly on red rusty moorings. Sea smoke drifted across the lead-grey ocean surface, and billowing clouds of vapor spewed from the shiny steel chimney of the cannery on the far side of the channel, cloying the waterfront with sweet and acrid air. A blue-black stain of ugly clouds appeared to be sucking up the ocean out beyond the archipelago, a promise of snow somewhere, but not here in Bairstow, wh...

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Start your story with a description of the cold, using lots of sensory detail.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 65 stories

“Blizzard” by AnneMarie Miles

“Crimson Snow” by Alice Brooks

“No Up, No Down, No Light, No Sound” by Aeris Walker

“Cabin Fever” by Jack Kimball

“The Snow Queen (a fairy tale)” by Ralph Aldrich

“Eleanora Does Not Hate Winter ” by Chelsey B

“A Chill by Any Other Name” by Brian Haddad

“Trivia” by Audrey Knox

“ The Last Harsh Winter” by Brandi Yetzer

“The Lantern Keeper ” by Michael Jurasek

“Hypothermia” by Elizabeth Sloughter

“SEASONAL SHADES” by Christine LW

“Absolute Zero ” by John K Adams

“Brrrr” by Rudy Greene

“Infinite Hockey” by Luca King Greek

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone looking out the window and seeing the first snowfall of the season.

Write a story where someone shares a cup of hot chocolate with a friend.

Your character hates the holidays, and jets out of town every year — but a historic snow storm means that this time, they can’t make their escape.

Write about a character emerging from hibernation, whether literally or metaphorically.

Contest #227

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

300

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: