Read the story here: https://everydayfiction.com/the-punxsutawney-pilgrimage-by-lynn-m-rice/
Happy Groundhog Day! Although Punxsutawney Phil apparently saw his shadow today and proclaimed 6 more weeks of winter, I hope this short story makes you feel cozy on the inside.
“The Punxsutawney Pilgrimage” turned out to be a story that I fought for. I wanted to write a story about Groundhog Day to submit to one of my favorite online flash fiction literary journals. Every Day Fiction publishes one flash fiction story (1,000 words max) every day. Writers can submit in a general submissions category or submit month-themed submission. February’s call for stories included yarns inspired by Valentine’s Day, the Day the Music Died, Groundhog Day, etc.
The idea of creating a Groundhog Day story piqued my interest. A college friend grew up in Punxsutawney, PA, home of the famous groundhog. She told me two things about the town that I remembered. If I recall correctly, she said it was a small, run-down town and that the locals refer to it as Punxsy.
Yet, when it came to writing this story, I’ve never as much as been to Pennsylvania for context. Neither had I experienced the gut-wrenching life change that the two sibling characters have. This story required online research, and I really benefitted from YouTube videos of those who have been to see the big event at Gobbler’s Knob. I really enjoy writing from personal experience, so I felt like I had to imagine more than usual this time around.
Yet, I did have personal buy-ins and connections to this story. I am also an older sister with a younger brother; I attended college in Ohio; and I was writing to try to try to process the same thing as the characters: what to do with a tradition you personally didn’t connect with or understand after the loved one who insisted on that tradition dies. This happened in my life this past year after my grandma died. I still haven’t figured it out, but I like how this story turned out.
Thanks for reading!
Published on Every Day Fiction 2/2/2026
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