Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Posted in Winter on Mar 10, 2023

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✍️ 112 stories

“Scarlet Snow” by J. D. Lair

Submitted to Contest #189

Warning: Contains scenes of death.It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. John continued shoveling hardened earth into the unmarked grave. The silence surrounding him accentuated the sickening sounds of the task at hand. This was his least favorite part of it all. There was always such finality attached to the burying of a body.***Jonathan Tearse had taken over the family trade with his father’s passing. Tearse Ranch of Evergreen Valley. He had always loved the small mountain town where he was raised, but wished he...

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“What Falls with Snow” by Antonia Sullivan

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. As it is accumulating as quickly as predicted, I am brought back to my childhood. For any ten-year old raised before the age of internet and social media, an abundant snowfall was a winning lottery ticket. It meant a full day off from school. It meant a day of outdoor fun with siblings and friends. It meant building snow men and snow forts. It meant snowball fights. It meant Gran preparing steaming mugs of hot chocolate with...

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“Match Game” by Andrew Fruchtman

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. It was snowing, and it was almost dark. His boots crunched the frozen ground as he slowly and carefully stepped forward, scanning for signs of disturbance. He held the stun rifle firmly in both hands, tracing the arc of his flashlight, slowly sweeping left then right then repeating. He stopped. It was utterly silent. He could feel the wet cold on his cheeks, the only exposed skin peeking out from between his goggles and the scarf he had wrapped around his mouth and nose. He starte...

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“Keep a Flame in Your Pocket” by Rebecca Brothers

Submitted to Contest #189

(TW: death) It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. The wind smelled of wood smoke and ice. Lucy was ready for the weather. She had taken a scalding hot shower that morning and then sat panting under the hair dryer afterwards. She’d been so warm that she’d had to remind herself of the temperature, checking her weather app repeatedly while she dressed: silk long underwear, flannel-lined jeans, a scratchy Irish wool sweater. She’d greased her face in layers of lotion and creams and smeared her lips with Vaseline....

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“A Serious Lucky Streak” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. He was lucky to be inside somewhere, even in this place. The barn smelled of its occupants—a cow, a pig, half a dozen piglets, some chickens, and a swayback horse whose eyes were perpetually closed in the hope of being left to sleep. There was also the slightly sweet-sour smell of fermenting hay kept for the winter. They weren’t bad smells. They were farm smells, smells that reminded Willie of a day years before when his parents had taken him on a bus up to the Catskil...

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“Distant Sorrows” by Samantha Evans

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. The bitter winter wind sliced through her and siphoned the air from her lungs. Her winter clothes were a little barrier between the buffeting wind, and her exposed skin felt raw and scraped. So why was she out here? Was she running from sorrow, apathy, or obligations more? Now that her family had arrived, her burden increased, and it was the force chasing her into the cold. Approaching the familiar nearby forest, the copse of trees looked like tall, spindly, gossipy women shr...

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“Dark Sky Community” by Tweety Promo

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. We were all outside our homes looking up. Amazed and confused. Our town was in Texas a small town called Dripping falls well known for rolling hills and scenic rivers and the wedding capital of Texas. It was hot all the time and we had a drought, no rain for at least almost 2 months. Now not having the water we normally have for these rivers the tourist were less then interested then they have ever been. I worked in a place called “Oak Creek Café”. We served all A...

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“Winter Aconite” by Rachael P

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Rowan loathed the second and third months of the year in Wisconsin. The weather could reach nearly fifty degrees one day and then it could snow eight inches two days later. But Rowan didn’t let her abhorrence of the weather stop her. She only clutched her jacket around her tighter and refitted her hat. Her fingers and toes had gone numb a while ago. She didn’t know how long she had been running, but she knew she couldn’t stop now. It’s been over several hours now, hasn’t it, ...

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“My Father's Shoes” by Clare Horwood

Submitted to Contest #189

MY FATHER'S SHOES It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Bethany pulled her coat closer around her and looked up at the street lights which gave a comforting glow of hope on this cold cheerless night. As she walked along the snow covered pavement she suddenly saw a cat washing itself in the gutter. She stopped to admire the precise movements of the cat as it washed itself. She had always been fascinated by the toilette of a cat. She loved the way they licked their paws and then carefully wiped all over their fac...

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“The Fire in Your Eyes” by Timothy Rennels

Submitted to Contest #189

The Fire in Your Eyes It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. The snow fell past the one window of the room, whose only light was the blinking of red and green that counted down your time. You lay, a moments rest, respite from your vigil. You fear the end so you feel your watchfulness will delay it, might thwart the eternal embrace of death. I sit in the room on a chair next to your bed. I hesitate to lay my hand on yours, not that I might feel the blood weakly pulsing through your paper-thin vein...

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“Assimilation” by Allie Mae Sakry

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. The crunch of the snow underneath our boots filled the cold air. The farther north we traveled, the colder it was getting. We must have been somewhere in upper Washington state, but we couldn’t afford to let the winter delay our journey more than it already had. Lead would not let so many months of miserable travel for our people go to waste with lost lives due to our inability to get to Northerton Fortress. The ever-growing shelter for survivors of the nuclear bombing was mi...

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“The Old House by the Sea” by Jennifer Hoffman

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. There was a silence hanging in the air between us that was palpable. She was my sister, and I knew I couldn't stop her from making the worst mistake of her life. When Gwenn had her mind set, there was no stopping her. She was in love. We hadn't spoken in almost a year since our fight after the wedding, but I received a mysterious letter in the mail just days ago. I knew I needed to see her to ensure it was true. In her beautiful handwriting, she had written a short letter...

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“Wanderer” by Nokona Blue

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. I could smell the damp bark of the trees around me as I continued running. The crunch of the leaves beneath my bare feet shifted into a soggy squish as the clouds' fractals settled into their new home. They began to turn the cold in my toes to numbness, but I knew I was close. I had to push through. A branch seized my black hair, but I didn't stop and allowed it to keep the long tresses in its grasp. My determination overrode brief pain in my scalp. I could see a violet lig...

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“Winter Phoenix” by Rose Bower

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. "How do I know you’re not lying?" Millie asks. "Hah! So suspicious, just because I’m a shady person wearing forbidden colours in an alleyway doesn’t mean I’m a fraud.” Says the shadowy figure, draped in dark green cloth. “I just find it hard to believe that you have a real life Phoenix, they went extinct hundreds of years ago.” Says Millie, wishing she had put on more layers. The stranger smiles, “Take her, she’s near resurrection, and I don’t think I could look after a newbo...

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“The day I died” by Elisa Barbaro

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Today began like so many of the other days that marked my life as an employee, mother and a faithful wife. I did not stop working after Luca was born, I asked to work part-time and the owners of the business I worked for actually agreed. My husband had always been attentive to the needs of the family and followed our son’s growing years as any father whose time is consumed working as a lawyer most of every day could. I was looking at the wrinkles around my eyes, accentu...

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Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Submissions are closed

✍️ 112 stories

“Scarlet Snow” by J. D. Lair

“What Falls with Snow” by Antonia Sullivan

“Match Game” by Andrew Fruchtman

“Keep a Flame in Your Pocket” by Rebecca Brothers

“A Serious Lucky Streak” by David Ader

“Distant Sorrows” by Samantha Evans

“Dark Sky Community” by Tweety Promo

“Winter Aconite” by Rachael P

“My Father's Shoes” by Clare Horwood

“The Fire in Your Eyes” by Timothy Rennels

“Assimilation” by Allie Mae Sakry

“The Old House by the Sea” by Jennifer Hoffman

“Wanderer” by Nokona Blue

“Winter Phoenix” by Rose Bower

“The day I died” by Elisa Barbaro

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where a character must continue to tell their tale to a listener to avoid unsavory consequences.

Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”

Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Write a modern version of "The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal," in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help.

Contest #189

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

281

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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