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

Posted in Winter on Dec 1, 2023

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✍️ 61 stories

“The Journey” by Matthew Gordon

Submitted to Contest #227

From the author: Recently I have found out about near death experiences through people’s stories they have shared. This story is written based off the stories of these individuals, and my interpretation of their stories from their near death experience. Hope you like it!Story: Whispers of the past begin flowing like in the days of old, as you hear a far away voice call out to you… something long forgotten, but still there. So long it has been, since you’ve last been awake. The warmth of this place flows through you, and the feeling...

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“The Basement of My Past” by Taylor Lunt

Submitted to Contest #227

What? My heart raced. This isn’t my phone! I had pawed at my bed and eventually found the thing – but it wasn’t my phone. This phone was old – an iPhone 5. My current phone was an android. And “Gymnopédie No.1” hadn’t been my alarm in years, yet Erik Satie’s melancholic composition now blared in my hand. My groggy brain finally realized: This was my old phone. I looked around the room. I was in the cramped basement of 803 Winona Drive – the place that had been my prison for two years, and nearly my tomb.The phone slid out of my hands, still ...

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“Millennium Vertere” by Edd Baker

Submitted to Contest #227

CW: Some strong violence and languageThe buildings history was quite young, owing its pregnancy to nineteen-twelve , when after the Second World War had ended, and the Axis powers claimed their victory, Polish-Jewish navy man, Daniel Nowak, fresh from the haze of war and sting of defeat, now found himself alone in Europe and bereft of most of his familial connections, came by ship to New York. He worked as a simple shipwright, they say. Toiling away on the boat, tucked away and hidden in his quiet. When they arrived at the dock of a Manhatta...

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“Pool” by Jaden Laboux

Submitted to Contest #227

I mostly do fillings for old folks whose children have grown up and abandoned them. The pool at 393 Abcott St, a standard ten-by-twenty-foot rectangular hole in the ground, slopes gradually to just over six feet deep. Joe brings the concrete, and I bring the tools for laying, smoothing, and directing its flow. I couldn't tell you why people would have a pool in this part of the world where it snows for nine months, remains too cold for swimming for two months, and for only one month, the temperature is passable. Joe says it's nice to have a ...

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“What Sleeps Under the Horizon” by Carlie Schwarm

Submitted to Contest #227

When Arti first sees the stars slowly melting out of the sky, she thinks maybe she it's time to go to bed. The second time it happens, she thinks maybe her coworkers were right and she really shouldn’t be trusted in the huge observatory alone. The third time it happens? Well. She figures out that maybe something is going on. Tonight marks the fourth night in a row where she’s staring at the sky, perched in the cushy leather seat of a billion-dollar telescope, staring at Ursa Major as the silvery light of the stars start to melt down tow...

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“Nap” by Vishal KM

Submitted to Contest #227

Every winter, I used to indulge in the thought of tucking myself inside a quilt and forgetting the world, like getting lost inside a magic cloak. I know it sounds weird, but I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would come this close to my winter fantasy of getting lost.Even though I wanted this to be a dream, the doctors just broke the news to my loved ones. With a not-so-heavy heart and a lousy tone, they said I was in a coma. A couple of minutes ago, my entire family, consisting of my parents, my sister, a few friends I had earned, ...

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“Rime” by Ebony Milham

Submitted to Contest #227

The base was silent and dark. With no crewmembers bustling about, it almost seemed abandoned. No Captain kicking her bootheels on the floor, no Dr Jordan flicking through her papers, and no Ecologist Tommy making a mess of the cryonics chambers and tripping over his own dirty mugs. There was just you. - The cylinder lit up, a glass door sliding open—a wispy steam from the exhaust fumed in the chilled air. The biting air was the first thing you became aware of. It pricked the hair on your arm and stung your nose. It numbed your fingers ...

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“Phoenix on wheels ” by Yizheng Li

Submitted to Contest #227

We put in blood, sweat, and tears for you to just give up now! It’s not about losing the match. You know I’ve never liked tennis! I muttered. So what now? Don’t tell me you’re going to spend your time playing video games. A raspy and crickety train-like sound echoes behind me. At first, I think it is the rain. A blur glides past like a lightning bolt. The blur has bleached hair and his pants are drooped down below the waistline. He jumps, rotating 180 degrees in midair, his board glued to his feet, landing lightly...

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“Awakening Shadows” by Lynette Wermager

Submitted to Contest #227

Eleanor sat alone in her cozy study, wiped her eyes and tossed the final tissue. She was done with all that emotion yet it needed to be released. She sighed, and looked again, surrounded by remnants of her life. Photographs captured frozen moments of her sons' childhoods, diplomas declared her successful career as a lawyer, and the worn Bible on her desk testified to the recent resurgence of her faith. A late afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the room that seemed to echo the newfound warmth in her heart, and...

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“Reflections” by Clara Plumstead

Submitted to Contest #227

The dark, yawning shadows stifled dwindling frost from grasping the depths of the bear’s den, where a new mother dozed. Still unconscious, Zika’s head lulled against the compact foliage while her whelp pressed eagerly into her stomach, milk dripping from his chin. Yet to be labeled by the Calling, or ‘named’ as some put it, the virtuous cub was oblivious to the stillborn body that lay just inches from his paws. Not all life would make it, but he had yet to learn that lesson. For the moment, he was a carefree baby, free from the vines t...

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“To A Summer Fling, From A Winter's Devotion” by Tebo N

Submitted to Contest #227

It's time to reconcile with the tree.Enough time has passed. Avoiding things gives me indigestion and I’ve been avoiding that tree since last winter. The last time I saw it, its naked limbs looked angry, like a hand reaching out to grab justice from the world. Looking at it seemed too intimate so I looked away and never looked back, but I need to go back because of time. Time stopped when I left it behind. And I need to go back for you. You promised to meet me there.I woke up from a deep sleep a week ago on a blistering December morning. My ...

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“Awakened” by Susan Dunaway-Rogers

Submitted to Contest #227

Awakened I am here and my eyes are open wide. There is for me now light instead of darkness, and in its warmth I bask while returning to myself. I welcome it with outstretched arms and pull it toward me for comfort and protection. In my heart I plant it and vow to guard it diligently, to nurture it lovingly, keeping the darkness at bay. Repeatedly have I shut my eyes to the comings and goings of the world, telling myself the hurt of it doesn’t matter, and self-medicating to blur edges and soften blows. Behind my eyes, in self-induced sl...

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“Awake” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #227

Peter was warned by Jesus about his pending state of denial. He went right on ahead with it anyway. I don’t think I’m supposed to take consolation from that, but it’s there for the taking all the same. Sometimes, I think Jesus stitched his mate up. He put thoughts of denial in his head, and when Peter was confronted, his panicked mind grabbed a hold of the nearest concept. Without that warning from Jesus, Peter might have jumped to The Lord’s defence, played the hero and died. Where would the Christian church be then? Without a rock to build...

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“Waxing and Waning” by Krunali Shah

Submitted to Contest #227

“Coco? Coco?” Adil tried to wake me. The room is dark, curtains drawn. He switches on the light, and I squint. As my eyes adjust to the brightness, I see that Adil is sharply dressed in a blue suit. It is surely close to 10 in the morning. “Coco, are you awake? Give me a nod if you can hear me.” I moved my head a bit, hoping that would satisfy him. “Okay, then. I've put coffee with oats and toast in the microwave. Heat it and have it. Don't forget. The doctor’s said you need to eat. Also, there’s leftover pizza in the fridge....

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“Christmas Bear” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #227

The bear dreamt of sunshine warming his thick black coat. He dreamt of splashing into the great river and pouncing upon a fat salmon, its juices slick and oily on his tongue. He dreamt of his mate and his cubs and as he slept, tears ran down his muzzle. Equally sad were the dreams of his world as he knew it now. All his ten years he wished the humans would go away, and they did, mostly, but in their wake, they left a toxic wasteland, and the joke was on him. Mostly, though, he dreamt of the girl. She’d become the beacon that brought him out...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 61 stories

“The Journey” by Matthew Gordon

“The Basement of My Past” by Taylor Lunt

“Millennium Vertere” by Edd Baker

“Pool” by Jaden Laboux

“What Sleeps Under the Horizon” by Carlie Schwarm

“Nap” by Vishal KM

“Rime” by Ebony Milham

“Phoenix on wheels ” by Yizheng Li

“Awakening Shadows” by Lynette Wermager

“Reflections” by Clara Plumstead

“To A Summer Fling, From A Winter's Devotion” by Tebo N

“Awakened” by Susan Dunaway-Rogers

“Awake” by Jed Cope

“Waxing and Waning” by Krunali Shah

“Christmas Bear” by Tanya Humphreys

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

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.

Contest #227

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

299

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: