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

Posted in Winter on Dec 1, 2023

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✍️ 84 stories

The Outer Lands

Shortlisted for Contest #227 ⭐️

Ice crystals descend from a sunless sky in a transient spell. They hit the destitute ground with a warning, inescapable and silent. Anther watches them, jaw tensed, through a hole in the metal wall used for a window. They tell a story. Winter has arrived.A welcoming sight to those fortunate enough to live in the Inner City. Resentment twists inside Anther’s gut like a venomous snake, paused and waiting to strike, as he pictures their faces full of delight. Are they watching the dawning of a new season from their balconies, sipping hot drinks...

48 likes 66 comments 66
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Farmhouse Dinner

Weekly Contest #227

Christina wondered how long she should wait before she reported her husband missing. Two days seemed too soon, but a week too long. Who would take a whole week to notice their husband missing? She held her hot cocoa in both hands, sipping it slowly as she watched the gentle flakes drifting through the pine trees. The first cold snap of the season had come with several inches of snow, and it covered the ground in a white, soft blanket.  She loved being alone in her kitchen, and had spent the morning rearranging her utensils, th...

32 likes 28 comments 28
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BUDAPEST

Weekly Contest #227

“Tom, has it been snowin?”“Not quite, Eric?”“First day of Winter brings the first snow of the season. Result!”“It’s not snowing, Eric.”“I must ‘ave slept through it.”“You were passed out, Eric. There’s a difference.”“Was I? That bleedin’ Jägermeister is strong stuff, innit.”“You’re not supposed to drink the whole bottle all at once, Eric.”“Yeah, well, I got a taste for it in Budapest at the dentist’s office, didn’t I. They give you shots of it while you’re waiting to see the tooth puller.”“Instead of anaesthetic?”“Nah, they give you that too...

31 likes 25 comments 25
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The Last Shindig

Shortlisted for Contest #227 ⭐️

Outside, the first snow covers the yard. The arms of the elms have turned white and a northern wind seeps through the windows.My husband slips across the ice to his Jeep. The engine starts, sputters, and dies. Finally, the ignition turns over and the Jeep pulls down the long driveway that leads to the street.I walk slowly down the hall, the soles of my feet cold on the wooden floor. I slip off my robe. A bruise spreads over my abdomen, purple at the center and gray at the edges. In a day, it will turn yellow-green.I stand beneath the shower ...

23 likes 10 comments 10
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An Early Snow in St Petersburg

Weekly Contest #227

November 1913 — St. PetersburgAn early flurry of snow that fell on St. Petersburg on a late afternoon in November 1913, would change history in unexpected ways.On that afternoon, Princess Irina Alexandrovna gazed at her suitor of the day, one of several who were regularly allowed into the Peterhof Palace.Felix Yusupov stood at an impressive height, his chiseled features and piercing gaze commanding attention in any room he was in. Well-dressed, he came from the wealthiest family in St. Petersburg. As the two conversed throughout the afternoo...

20 likes 17 comments 17
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Why Is Jake Always So Lucky?

Shortlisted for Contest #227 ⭐️

Why Is Jake Always So Lucky?A short story by Paul CrehanAs a kid, he was the one who found quarters on the sidewalk—and a lot of times he’d get two Hershey Bars out of the vending machine when he’d just paid for one. Two or three times, when he wasn’t ready for a test, the teacher wouldn't show up. Test cancelled. Stuff like that. His whole life.And look at this now, today—the first snowfall of the season, coming down like God had emptied the bin of his paper shredder, and there’d be no less than three feet of it in a couple of hours. And th...

19 likes 5 comments 5
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Eli Wants to Shovel

Weekly Contest #227

Eli popped out of bed the moment his eyelids flipped opened. The light on his Ok To Wake! clock was green, and that meant he was allowed to get out of bed. He tiptoed over to the window and peeked through the blinds. Eli couldn’t believe what he saw. The backyard was covered in a thick blanket of white. Fat flakes were falling from the sky. He started to jump up and down. “Mommy! Mommy! Come, quick! You’ve got to see this!” he cried, still jumping. Eli’s mommy opened the door and stifled a yawn as she stepped into his room. “What is ...

16 likes 3 comments 3
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The Storm

Weekly Contest #227

Winter was here. The first snow of the season was accompanied by a horrible storm. It had been a miserable day, with fierce winds slamming against the shutters like the beating rhythm of an out of synch drum. The thin window panes whistled in the small gaps around every opening in the old house with an irritating sound. A fire was burning in the hearth, but blowing strongly as the air came rolling down the chimney. Heavy snow fell from the sky, already covering the ground in a thick white blanket, several feet deep. Although it was only five...

16 likes 4 comments 4
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It All Melts Away

Weekly Contest #227

It All Melts Away“If you ever find two snowflakes that are exactly alike, don’t bring them inside.”                                                                          &nbs...

15 likes 3 comments 3
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Snow Day

Weekly Contest #227

I opened my eyes and slowly stretched my arms above my still-sleepy head. I stretched my legs under my soft, gray, fleece blanket and felt Porkchop’s razor blade cat fangs sink right into my bare big toe.  “Ouch! That’s my foot!”  I pulled back my foot and checked for blood. He stared at me unfazed and began to lick his black paw with the little white spot that made it look like he was wearing socks. A name I refused to suffer upon him. Rather, he took on the name of the first meal he swiped from my dinner plate. The first of man...

15 likes 10 comments 10
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First Snow

Weekly Contest #227

First Snow By Paromita De Pamela stared out the window and saw the first trickle of flurries falling slowly towards the ground. “SNOW” she cried! It was her first winter in Boston. She was going to college at BU, and she was studying with her friend Matt that night. “There is going to be a lot more than that” said Matt sarcastically. “You California peeps are so spoiled ha” For Pamela, there was an excitement in the air. She was feeling the cozy, warm holiday spirit. Matt handed her some hot coffee as they studied for their Chemistry test t...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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Jackal Snow

Weekly Contest #227

Jackal Snow The violence of the night before rang in her ears and her cheeks still stung with his smacks. Although Casey managed a few hours of sleep between the violence and the morning light, the physical reminders woke her. Pushing herself up from the wrinkled and reeking sheets she pledged to burn them later, there was a lot to do first, her days were always busy. She turned her head, noticing that the light coming through the dark red curtains seemed brighter than normal for the beginning of December. She dragged yesterday's jeans ov...

13 likes 6 comments 6
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Navigating Grief at My Window

Weekly Contest #227

***TW: REALISTIC ELEMENTS OF GRIEF*** It's the first snowfall of the season, but it's been cold all year.  Normally, the first snowfall is a special, quiet day with my love. This year, this snowfall feels more like bitter closure than a sweet tradition.  You'd think that eight months without him would mean there's less of a sting, but it seems about the same. Usually, I hear of people hitting one year and they've at least been through all the firsts - the first birthday without them, the first summer without them, the first s...

13 likes 10 comments 10
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Memories No. 2

Weekly Contest #227

Flakes fall like soft summer rain. The gentle folds of snow waltz through the sky before their journey comes to an end. They caress the earth. Safety in numbers. Their existence depends on elements out of their control. The first snowfall of the season. There is such delight in taking a moment to pause and watch the snow. It is moments like these that make me reflect on my life. The good and the bad. The lessons I have learned and the path I am walking. The decisions I have made and the memories of those I have left behind. I lean back in my...

12 likes 3 comments 3
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Promises Kept

Weekly Contest #227

“Absolutely beautiful!” “What’s that, hon?” Chris asked from beneath the covers “The snow, dear. The first snowfall of the season is always the most beautiful. I think it was J.B. Priestly who said, ‘The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different.’” Chris rolled down the covers and got out of bed. He walked over to the window where Gertrude was standing. He slid the wooden slats of the indoor shutters further apart an...

12 likes 3 comments 3
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