Your character runs an inn for resting mountaineers. It’s a calm life, until they encounter a twist of fate.

Posted in Winter on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 48 stories

“An Echoing Bark” by Lydi B

When the frigid stranger entered my inn, the thump of snow-dusted paws swallowed our greetings. The patchy tan and white coat barreling toward me could belong to only one canine: my precious Dublin.“Burns, come’ere,” the man shouted from the door, but I was transfixed. I dropped to my knees, accepting enthusiastic tongue slaps on my face.Those familiar snorts took me out of the hearth-warmed great room and hurtled me back two years ago. The last time I saw Dublin, he was running for his life…“Sorry, ma’am,” the man sa...

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“The saddest part about the day I met your mother” by Jonathan Tam

The saddest part about the day I met your mother was that it was also the day her husband died.I still remember that morning. Rainier was as calm and as clear as you could have asked for. A single layer of stratus clouds grazed the rocky peak and you could see every detail of the summit from the doors of the inn. At the base of the mountain, the last bits of white had left the fields to a vibrant green and a clearing along the dirt path rode all the way to the foothills.All signs pointed to a good day for a climb....

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“The Mountains Are Calling” by Jamie Gregory

[CW: Death] Harold trudged down the winding path that led to the inn from his cabin tucked in the woods. Rays from the late-winter sunrise filtered through the trees arousing the birds who had returned from the south recently and they greeted him with a serenade. Harold was a middle-aged man with a grizzly beard and the build of a lumberjack. He’d been running the Climber’s Haven Inn on ...

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“Powdered Donut” by Emerald Lace

Insane. Mad. Idiotic. Those were a few of the words that were tossed around when Sheila told her family that she’d cashed in her retirement and bought an aging inn on Mount Olympus in Greece. But as she stepped out of the stone and thatched building with her steaming cup of coffee and breathed in the clear, clean scent of mountains, snow, and freedom---she couldn’t find an ounce of care for their opin...

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“Abominable” by Laura Jarosz

As a kid, whenever Charlie had misbehaved, Grandma Ahnah always had a cautionary tale ready to convince him to stay in line. 'Listen to your parents, or the Qalupalik will rise up out of the sea and steal you away!' 'Don't go out on the dock without a grownup, or a Tizheruk might snatch you into the water and drown you!' 'Don't stray too far from the lodge at night, or the Keelut might stalk you and devour you!" ...

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“The Unexpected Guest” by Dhruv Srivastava

For most of the year, Lydia Coulter was able to enjoy living amidst the tall cedar pines of Vermont rent-free, watching nature pass her by. Every day she got up around dawn to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee - her alarm clock actually made drip coffee for her which was hot and ready right when she got up. She’d head down to the kitchen and fix herself a modest breakfast, likely consisting of oatmeal, and then ...

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“Recompense” by S. Closson

Connor’s face twisted in confusion as he looked up at the odd woman lingering in front of the check-in counter. The burly fellow had met his fair share of characters since inheriting ownership of Guppy’s Peak Inn, but this lady took the cake by a country mile. “I’m sorry, miss...” “Maude,” the woman said, her name hanging in the air like a frosty breath. “Miss Maude, perhaps I misheard you. Your clients want to do what now?” Connor asked, a bemused frow...

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“You Can Checkout Anytime You Like... But You Can Never Leave” by Michael Danyluk

The inn gets pretty quiet this time of year. The snowy seasons' just about done, then it’s real quiet; completely dead. We're only one stage away from dead. When it's dead, there's nothing for me to do. I used to spend time with the wife, or at least that's how it has been the past 2 years. She left me, left me with this inn with all this shit to run; said she wanted a “better life,”. I don't blame her: this inn is a nightmare. When you settle down, you never know how it's going to end up. Two years ago, I inherited...

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“The Vacation Before The End” by Marcia H.

Rosa stood with her back straight and eyes forward behind the old brown wooden desk at the inn she owned and ran. She kept her eyes glued to the glass doors at the entrance. Her small frame wouldn’t move until she saw her much anticipated guest. Rosa had been waiting for this moment all year long. Her best friend, Elosie would come once a year to visit her. They would laugh, sip coffee by the fireplace, and eat good hom...

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“Mountain Terror ” by M. M.

Somewhere in a peaceful mountain near Denver, Colorado ........Wilbur finished his accounting for the night, the Inn was quiet this time of the year as the guests normally didn't show due to bad weather. He had marked down in red the things that needed immediate attention, such as the repairs on the roof, depilating pipes, as well as other items that needed tending to but not as urgent as the roof and pipes were. He sighed, pondered heavily on the fact that money was tight these days...

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“Cold days, dark nights” by Shauna Fields

The firelight in the fireplace danced as the snow swirled outside, but Regina couldn’t enjoy it. She had been inside tidying and preparing food alone in the inn for what felt like an eternity. The snow had been falling – gentle but steady – for days. Still, the fear of being snowed in had scared off many of her customers. The night came early here and hers was the last overnight stop before reaching the summit.Had it been hours, days, weeks? It was hard to say with every day exactly the same. All she knew for sure w...

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“My Name Is Jan Weaver” by Kelsey Hunt

"My name is Jan Weaver," I tell the investigator for the millionth time. He does not believe me. He keeps asking things like "What happened to Jan?” and “When was the last time you saw Jan Weaver?” I keep telling him I AM Jan Weaver. But he still doesn’t believe me. Now they are calling me a suspect. Of what? I just want to help find the missing girl. They won’t let me go, and they keep asking what happened to Jan Weaver – me. It was always my life dream to run an Inn,...

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“The Hatch” by Kara Beth Baker

“Isn’t this the best thing ever?” said Annie to her husband, “It’s gotta be the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had..like ever. But Rhett didn’t hear her. He was transfixed with the wintry view outside. He had been so lost in his head with the wedding plans and wedding itself-the last few weeks in themselves had been such a blur. He was just enjoying the peace and the calmness of not having to do any...

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“The Dragon Hunter’s Keeper” by Alexis W.

The Ice Wyrms moved up-mountain during every summer season, retreating into caves left frozen for centuries while the spring frost in the lowlands melted. The Stalkers followed, tracking the scaled flocks to the northernmost points of treacherous mountains. But the Stalkers were only human - albeit slightly magic - so they were forced to take breaks on their treks. As the Ice Wyrms continued to hike upwards, following the instinctual embedded paths in the snow, the Stalkers found shelter at my inn. ...

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“Just A Spoonful of Poison” by Kathryn Gabrielle

The year is 1496. The place is Rome, Italy. The snow-capped mountains in the distance are beautiful. The air is crisp with the promise of snowfall. Lucretia Borgia is sitting at a large table in the kitchen of the Vatican thinking about how to get rid of the rats.Her father, Pope Alexander VI, wants her to take a job as a cook at a nearby Inn. Lucretia, with her blonde hair and kind heart, is a cinch for getting the kitchen job.Meanwhile, the snow is falling softly at the Mountainside Inn near Rome. The...

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Your character runs an inn for resting mountaineers. It’s a calm life, until they encounter a twist of fate.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 48 stories

“An Echoing Bark” by Lydi B

“The saddest part about the day I met your mother” by Jonathan Tam

“The Mountains Are Calling” by Jamie Gregory

“Powdered Donut” by Emerald Lace

“Abominable” by Laura Jarosz

“The Unexpected Guest” by Dhruv Srivastava

“Recompense” by S. Closson

“You Can Checkout Anytime You Like... But You Can Never Leave” by Michael Danyluk

“The Vacation Before The End” by Marcia H.

“Mountain Terror ” by M. M.

“Cold days, dark nights” by Shauna Fields

“My Name Is Jan Weaver” by Kelsey Hunt

“The Hatch” by Kara Beth Baker

“The Dragon Hunter’s Keeper” by Alexis W.

“Just A Spoonful of Poison” by Kathryn Gabrielle

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin your story with a character crashing into something (or someone) while skiing.

Write about a skier who accidentally strays off-piste.

Set your story in a snowed-in chalet.

Write your story from the point of view of someone learning or teaching an extreme hobby.

Contest #129

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

183

Contest entries

93

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: