forum Short Story Writing Competition #2
Started by @LittleBear group
tune

people_alt 9 followers

@Masterkey

Hey LittleBear, I can swap out with you as a judge so that you can compete if you want! I like judging. (And I feel like I'm a more natural editor than writer…)

@LittleBear group

Okay I am going to extend the limit to 2000…. I went a little overboard.

To anyone else, the view by the Hudson would be beautiful, with gentle waves lapping against the rocky shore and little boats chugging away. I was too concerned with getting to the next mile marker. My feet pounded the pavement to Eminem’s beat. My stomach was cramping. My knees hurt. I wanted nothing more than to lay down on the asphalt to take a nap.

My phone began to ring. I pressed the button on my headphones and wondered if the caller was important enough to stop my run. “Hello?” I asked, panting.

“Hey you! Sorry it’s been so long since my last call, school has been absolutely crazy.” Yup. He was definitely important enough.

“Asher! Give me a second, my lungs are about to fall out of my face. Tell me about your week.” I breathed and his laughter rang through my ears.

“Well, I have to start packing for Nepal.” There was a crash and a clatter on the other end, followed by a string of curse words.

“You alright?” I giggled.

“Yeah, I was trying to juggle the phone and the pizza and my life. I dropped the pizza.”

“Dude! You should have dropped the phone.” I could just imagine the look of utter devastation on his face.

“I need to reevaluate my life,” he groaned. “It was double stuffed crust too. Oh, and I’m really sorry but I can’t do Texas this summer.”

I cursed. “But getting drunk every night and swing dancing and real Mexican food.”

“Yeah, I’m bummed. But, I don’t get back from Nepal until late this summer and then I’m going to Maine with the girlfriend.”

“Boo, Armadillos are better than Lobsters,” I whined.

“But you can’t eat Armadillos,” he laughed.

“You would be surprised –” I trailed off as something caught my eye. More like someone. She was standing there in a floor length gown, her black hair fell around her shoulders, and her impossibly blue eyes squinted when she saw me. I knew exactly who she was. “Shit. Hey, Asher I have to go.”

“Wha– ” I took out my headphones.

“Natiselle Deracose?” I asked as I jogged to her.

“You! You are who I have come to see,” she said but once she fully took me in, her mouth fell agape. “You – I – how are you in public right now? You are in nothing but your underthings!”

“I, um –” What? How? This was it. I was finally going crazy. “This is actually pretty conservative.”

“If you say so,” she said skeptically.

“Just, walk with me and tell me why you’re here.” I said as I started to make my way back to the pier.

“You are taking this awfully well. Is this a normal occurrence for you? Do your characters regularly materialize?” She asked as she matched my brisk pace.

“No, but answer the question.” My mind was whirling, how was I going to get her on post undiscovered? How was I going to get her back to her land? She could not be here.

Natiselle –

She was a small little thing, with pixie-like features and dark hair. Sweat dripped from her brow and her cheeks were pink from exertion. She listened with rapt attention as I described the old wise woman who I sought help from.

“She pushed you down a well?” She exclaimed.

“Of all the horrors you have written, you are surprised by falling down a well?” I asked incredulously.

“Okay, that’s fair.” I did not know what this ‘Okay’ word meant, but she did not say it unkindly. “How far did you fall?”

“I suppose about 30 units.” I answered after a moment.

“Alright, I think that I know how to get you back to Darion,” She murmured, almost to herself, “So what did you need help with? I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my best.”

“I am afraid for my family. I have come to beg for their lives.” There was no sense in hiding my true intentions. I had expected her to push back, to not recognize me. I did not expect her to be so straightforward.

“Nati,” It was strange to hear her say my nickname; although I suppose she was my creator and knew me better that I knew myself. “Think of it like you would economics.”

I cut her off, “Strisen is the one who is good with numbers.”

She cocked one eyebrow and chided me, “Don’t pretend that Erion did not teach you economics.” Gods I hated that she knew more about me than I did her. What was her life like in this strange world? What were her days filled with? “In the terms of Cost-Benefit
Analysis, to gain something there is always a cost. Your hope is to take back your rightful throne, right?” She sounded like Erion, trying to teach me a new concept.

I nodded.

“If your throne and the end of the end of corruption is the benefit, there has to be a cost. The cost is war. Erion knew that, that is why he pushed you and Kraio so hard. Even if I thought changing your story was the best thing to do, I wouldn’t be able to.”

My heart was sinking. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry, but I just write your story. I get little glimpses of your world and connect the dots. Only you can change your fate.” To her credit, her brow was furrowed and it looked like it actually pained her.

We came to a pier and she stopped to pull a bag from underneath. “Are you wearing your trousers right now?” She asked.

“Always.”

“Okay, take off your skirt and we’ll hide it somewhere. You need to put this on.” She said as she handed me a peculiar piece of fabric. “It’s a blouse. And I’m going to need your weapons.”

“No,” I said as I stowed my skirt under the pier. If she thought I was going to give up my knives freely, she may have not been the writer after all.

“I’m telling you right now, there are armed guards at the gates with –” she paused, looking for the correct word. “Um, deadly crossbows.
They will not hesitate to shoot you if they see that you have a bullwhip and knives.” On second thought, she may have a point. I handed them over and watched as she slipped my things into the bag. I switched my blouse for her’s and I could not help but marvel at the quality of the fabric. There was not a single stich out of place.

“Guards? Are you a princess?” She did not look like one, but who was I to pass judgment on this strange world.

She laughed a ringing peal of a thing. “Me? Oh no. This is just a military base. We have –” she paused again. “Things that have to be kept secure.” That I understood. “Now, I need you to talk to me as if we were just friends.”

What in three hells did friends talk about in this land? She had been talking to someone when I first spotted her. That seemed like a safe topic. “Who were you speaking to?”

LittleBear -

I threw up a salute to two officers as they passed, “Evening Gentlemen.” They returned the salute and we went on our way.
Natiselle’s eyes were as big as saucers as she took in the towering stone buildings, all of the cadets milling about, and the large construction machinery.

I did not want to talk about him, but it looked like she needed a distraction or else she was going to get whiplash. “His name is Asher.”

She turned to me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Continue.”

With a sigh, I told her all about him and our friendship. I talked about the long phone calls, the holiday visits with his friends and family, and sleeping with his dogs. And despite my better judgement, I told her about that New Year’s party where I ruined everything.

We had just arrived at the gym when she asked, “What is stopping you? You have written the nuances between Strisen and I. Surely you must see what I can.” I busied myself with finding my keycard and scolded myself for making her so pretty. In all that I wrote about her, she had never felt the sting of rejection. I made a mental note to change that.

Once I found it, I touched the key pad. After a moment, the door unlocked with a beep. “He has a girlfriend.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

“I mean he has a girl that he has been wooing for a long time,” I explained.

Natiselle’s face fell in sympathy and she stepped through the open door.

“I tried to tell him how I felt, but I met her. It’s a lot harder to be a homewrecker when you put a person to the name. And I just couldn’t do that to her,” I breathed, it shouldn’t have been this hard to talk about.

“It is clear to see that you are meant for each other –” she trailed off as the saw the domed ceiling of the gym. “What is this place?”

“I’m taking you to the pool; I think that there is a way to get you back home in here.” I tried to push open the door, but it was locked.

Cursing, I looked around for another entrance.

“Let me.” Natiselle said, already kneeling at the lock, one of her hairpins in the tumbler.

I chuckled and mentally patted myself on the back for giving her lock picking lessons.

After a moment, the door sprung open and Natiselle proudly opened the door for me. It looked like we home free but then suddenly my phone began to ring. Desperately, I yanked my phone out of my armband and answered it.

“Hey you!” I whispered.

“Is everything alright? You hung up so suddenly and didn’t even say bye.” I could hear the concern that tinged his voice.

“Everything is fi –” the phone was wrenched out of my hand.

“So you have not the faintest idea of who I am, however –” I could feel the color drain out of my face as Natiselle spoke into the phone.

I grabbed onto her arm and spat, “I swear to God Natiselle, if you tell him, I will kill off Strisen and Kraio. And then I curse you with immortality.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You would not dare.”

“You piss off the writer, people die.”

She handed me the phone.

“Sorry, that was a stupid Freshman. I’m fine! Talk to you later, bye!” And I hung up on him for the second time. I turned to Natiselle, “Walk. It’s time for you to go home.”

She eyed me warily but didn’t protest or breathe a word as I steered her towards the ten meter dive platform. “This is about the same height as the well was deep. It should take you back, if not, the water will break your fall. When you jump you are going to want to hug yourself and keep your feet together,” I said as I handed her back her daggers and her whip. “Don’t worry; you will be back in no time.”

“You did not mean that did you? About Stris and Kraio?” Her voice wavered slightly and I realized how cruel I had been. Especially after she had come all this way to beg for her family’s lives. I was so accustomed to her being utterly fearless that I forgot how powerful I must seem to her, like one of her gods. She could not kill me like all the others that threatened her. If I died, her entire world would wither away.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. No matter how much you piss me off, I could never just kill people off for the sake of it. Everyone has their time and I wont take them early, I promise.”

She let out a relived puff of air and smiled gratefully at me. “I apologize as well. I meant only to bring to two of you together; I did not realize how much it would mean to you.”

I reached out and squeezed her shoulder, “It’s best to let these things come in their own time.”

“I will take that to heart,” Natiselle whispered, “thank you.” And at that she jumped.

There was no splash.

@TryToDoItWrite

Heyo! I'd love to compete but I'm swamped with theatre and school. i should be writing a paper for my speech class/editing a history paper rn and the school's spring musical opens this friday! Maybe next time? I'll be free a lot over the summer :)
(i'm entering in another competition on this site but even then, my entry is a hot garbage fire)

@Reblod flag

I was gonna ask this through messages but I couldn't figure it out so
Would you like art for the first place prize? I wouldn't mind drawing the winner's character of choice

If not that's fine

Deleted user 

                                                             *An Unexpected Occurrence*

I plopped onto the sofa, tired out from the day of school. I glanced at my backpack, filled to the brim with homework due the next day. I groaned and grabbed it by the straps, glancing around as I quietly slid it under the coffee table. I let my pent-up breath out in relief after looking around one last time to make sure no one had seen.

I looked at the sketchbook and pencils to my right and snatched them up. I opened it, looking for an empty page. I tensed up as I neared the end of the sketchbook, had I already filled up all the pages? I sighed in relief when I found an empty page and started sketching a picture of a cat.

As I started sketching the ears, a loud knock sounded at the door, “I’ll get it, Mom!” I called and set the sketchbook down on the coffee table, “Hello? Who is it- HOLY STINKING SUPER CRAP!!!!” I jumped back and slammed the door in surprise. I leaned against the door, wondering if that’d just been my imagination. There was the knocking again, so I cracked open the door to see if it had been who I thought it was. Yup. I slammed the door closed again.

“Uh, hello? I don’t mean to be rude but…. Could you open the door please? You kinda smashed my pinkie finger in the door,” a muffled voice pleaded through the door.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I opened the door and looked at the person, “Sorry, you just look like someone else!”

“They must be handsome, then,” he winked.

This couldn’t be him…. Could it?, I thought, This guy’s acting like he would, though… I thought of a way to see if it was really who I thought it was, “So… I have a muffin if yo-

“Wait dID YOU SAW MUFFIN?!?!” he started to freak out.

“Ok, what in the whOLE WIDE WORLD YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE YOU’RE A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!” I started to freak out.

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell ya! So, I got here ‘cause, well, I don’t know why, but yeah… I think we should figure out what’s happening,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “Oh, right, I’m-”

“Naoki Koyama, yeah, I know.”

“Oh, true, you did create me, anyway,” Naoki chuckled quietly.

“Ok, ok, so you’re here and you don’t know why?” I asked and rubbed my forehead, “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

“One sec,” sparkles started appearing from his arm and a lemon started coming out of his arm with a pen. He grabbed both and wrote something on the lemon, “You like it?” he gave me the lemon and I turned it over, revealing a phone number, “It’s a pick-up lime,” he winked and made finger guns with both hands.

“Ok wait, is this a book? Or a short story or something?” I look at the camera in your head, and yes, the tense is changing now because I’m talking to you now, not in the past. The tense change isn’t a typo and I know cause this is a book, isn’t it? This wouldn’t ever happen in real life, so don’t think I wasn’t suspicious from the beginning! Uh… just so you know I’m wagging my finger at you for being so naïve. Ok, I’m just done with this crap. Peace.

@Natasha

(Wow this was longer than I thought.)
I stared at my wall, taking a shaky breath. Panic attacks are the worst. I thought, clenching my jaws and taking a deep breath. My music could be heard faintly in the backround. You’re an overcomer! Stayn’ to fight till the final round! You’re not going under! ‘Cause God is holding you right now! I closed my eyes and let my mind drift, thinking about how to better develop the plot for my book.
Suddenly I heard a soft thud and a knock on my window. I opened my eyes and turned to look out the window. My eyes widened in shock. I recognized the girl right away. “Sydney?!?!?!?” I said incredulously. Sydney lifted her head a touch in greeting.
“Open the window kid.” She commanded. I did so quickly, and she dropped in. “How did you even…?” I trailed off. Sydney shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno. But I need your help kid.” She told me, sitting down on my bed. I inhaled. “If this is about Tyler’s capture I can’t help you there.”
“But–”
“I’m sorry Syd, but you have to save him yourself. And it was also one of those three a.m. plot twists, so I can’t really change it.”
“But you’re the writer, isn’t changing our fates your decision?” Sydney asked, slightly confused. I shook my head with a slight smile. “I can, but I don’t want to because it makes the story better. You feel me?” Sydney gave me a grudging nod. And at that moment I was glad that I made Sydney so understanding. Sydney suddenly shook her head and stood up, grabbing my tablet.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked, beginning to stand up. Sydney put up a hand. “You need to listen to this song.” She said as she played a song. Broken Prayers by Riley Clemmons. Wow. Sydney’s deducting skills really were as good as I had wanted them to be.
“How did you…?”
“Your hands are still shaking, which I’m guessing means you recently had a panic attack. And this is one of the songs that helps you calm down.”
“Again. How did you…?” I asked with my eyebrow raised.
“You made me that good. Now. About Jessica–”
“I’m going to make her a more important character to the story soon Syd, just you wait.” Sydney raised her eyebrow. “And now I’m scared. What are you going to do?”
“You’ll see, you’ll see.” I replied. Then I heard, “Hey Natasha! Lunch time!” I looked back at Sydney. “You should probably go back before my siblings come get me." Sydney nodded. She started going towards the door, then she turned around and walked back to me, engulfing me in a tight hug, kissing my forehead. “Stay strong kid. I’ll come back to visit you again soon.” She pulled away and bent slightly to look me in the eye. “Can you do that for me? Stay strong?” I nodded, tears forming in my eyes. Hearing that from someone other than myself was really nice. Sydney nodded with a smile. “Good. See ya ‘round kid!” Then she was gone. I smiled. Best. Day. Ever. Then I ran downstairs to eat.

Deleted user

(Note: Sorry my story was so bad, I didn't have anytime and I realized that was about as good ans my story was gonna get.)

Deleted user

Wait, is it due Saturday night/early Sunday morning? I always think it's due Sunday night/early Monday morning…