Read the story here: https://everydayfiction.com/picnic-at-the-top-of-the-world-by-lynn-m-rice/
For years, I’ve been fascinated with Mount Everest—its treacherous terrain, dangerous weather, avalanches, perilous crevasses, summit bids, courageous rescues . . .
When Australian Writers’ Centre issued their monthly flash fiction challenge for the month of January, it proved the perfect opportunity to answer with an Everest story. AWC’s monthly Furious Fiction challenges ask participants from all over the world to write a story of 500 words or less over the course of the first weekend of the month in response to a prompt. The January prompt requirements?
- Set at a luxury resort
- A character overhears something
- Uses the words book, pink, and puzzle
Hundreds of writers enter these monthly contests, so it’s especially wise to dream up an outside-the-box concept. As I wracked my brain, I asked some “what if” questions. (Fun fact: Most of my stories begin conceptually as I ask myself a “what if.”) What if there were a resort on the moon? What if there were a resort atop Mt. Everest? I don’t normally write futuristic stories, but what if I tried it? And, what if the narrator was telling the story to her granddaughter? As I plunged into writing in a future that doesn’t exist, it felt so freeing, and I enjoyed creating this story more than perhaps any other.
The result–my Furious Fiction submission, “Picnic at the Top of the World”–did not place in the top 10% of entries. That is always frustrating, but I love being given the opportunity to rework these stories and submit them elsewhere. As I returned to the editing table, “Picnic at the Top of the World” ’s setting changed names from the Everest Resort to the Everest Hotel; a new paragraph was added at the end; and, sentences were deleted or cleaned up. I truly appreciate the opportunity to take a break from a story and come back later and revise it with fresh eyes. It always gets better!
Every Day Fiction seemed a good fit for this story, and I submitted it to the online literary magazine earlier this month. 10 days later (a very quick turnaround for literary magazines), it was accepted! Due to a gap in the schedule, it was published a week later. What a whirlwind after a disappointing January “no”!
I’ve learned to quickly move on from disappointment when the rejections come. It helps that I have a God who I know is in control. I believe He definitely has something better in mind than my dreams for myself.
NOTES: (1) As you enter my futuristic world, please suspend your disbelief. Wind speeds, extreme cold, and oxygen levels at the summit are not accounted for. (2) My fictitious Everest Hotel is in no way associated with the Everest Hotel or the Hotel Everest View accommodations in Nepal.
Published on Every Day Fiction 2/27/2026
Leave a Reply