@Coroline, are you going to post results soon?

Thank you everyone for the amazing entries, and I'm so sorry for the wait.

In fourth place, we have a tie between Kitten and Quill, each receiving two points. Kitten, your poem was creative and interesting, keep it up. Quill, I loved the meaning behind your story and your an excellent writer, though I could tell you rushed a bit on this one.

And in third place is Moonlight! Your poem was meaningful, unique, and different from the other entries which I loved. Moonlight will recieve 3 points.

In second place is Soren Infinity. Soren, your poem was enjoyable to read and contained an interesting storyline. I enjoyed seeing you challenge yourself as a writer. (4 points)

And tied in second place we have Leafpool! Leafy, your story was creating and had an important and meaningful storyline.  

In first place, receiving five points, is *drumroll*

Bluebird! This poem was enjoyable to read and your writing skills were displayed through this meaningful peice.

The next theme is FREE WRITING under 750 words. 

I encourage everyone to participate in this round, as it determines who will make it through to the finals. There will be no ties in this round, but I'm sure the top eight will be a difficult decision to make. Anyone can sumbit a story at this point, no matter how many points you have. Enjoy!

I'm so sorry, Admins I made a mistake. In the most recent post I made about the results, could you please add this text in between Soren Infinity's second place results and Bluebird's first place results? 

And tied in second place we have Leafpool! Leafy, your story was creating and had an important and meaningful storyline.  

Thanks in advance! 

Done.

Admin

Second!! Thank you so, so much! I always feel like my poetry doesn't stand a chance, so this means a lot.

Ah, Leafy, we're tied for first! I feel like you'll beat me in the end, you have more experience. 

Fourth? And third overall? Wow, thanks! So, for the next round, are there any restrictions or prompts or how are you going to judge it or... sorry bout that! I seem to be overwhelmed by the unrestricted-ness of this topic. Could I enter something really short? Like... 150ish words?

Well guys, I wrote another sad story for this competion XD. I'm planning on transforming this into a whole novel, 'cause I could definitely make a bigger story with this idea. 

(It's 751 words with the title, I think... oof)

When Thea Writes Back 

There are things that shape you- not just change you, or leave you with a special memory, or make you momentarily feel something. No, things that make you who you are as a person and what your personality is. Well. I’ve been shaped by many things, like almost all people, but when I was shaped most recently, I wasn’t just taken in gentle hands and tweaked in a few ways- no, I was thrown upon the ground and shattered, then clumsily pieced back together by hands as careful and precise as a toddler’s. Now my “shape” is a big deformed hodgepodge.

Now, instead of waiting outside on the porch to watch the sunsets on muggy summer nights and giving non-living objects names, I look at the linings of the clouds and see grey rather than silver. I tell the empty quiet to shut up already because there used to be someone filling that darkness who I always told to shut up. Then my tone would soften and we would laugh.

I can’t ever laugh again. When I laughed, they would always be there to laugh with me. Actually, there are a lot of things I can’t ever do again. (We would stick together anywhere we went.)

You might ask, who is this person whose death has caused you to break in pieces and yell at the silence that it’s never quiet enough?

My twin. Thea. AKA the greatest person to ever leave footprints in the soil.

You see, it’s different with twins. A twin is more than a sibling- you’re extensions of each other. You’re two halves of one machine that only functions with both parts. You know what the other is thinking and feeling without having to ask. Their lives are weaved together like two different colors of yarn sewn together and woven into something new and far more vibrant and enticing than they were apart.

The other part malfunctioned. The other yarn color unraveled from the new creation.

Mercy doesn’t come with the deal of getting a broken neck. What does come is a frantic dash to the hospital, nurses in scrubs with rabbits on them (yeah, like friendly scrubs will make anything better), and tightly squeezing a frigid hand. Oh, and a lot of silent pain wedged in the back corner of your heart, slowly growing and infecting everything else. Basically the suckiest crud you could ever imagine, a gazillion times suckier.

I walk around only half alive, seeing the world through a pair of glasses with lenses fashioned with hurt and pessimism. Wishing the rest of the world might grieve with me. But reality always creeps up behind me and gives me a sharp slap on the head, reminding me that, no matter what happens, the world keeps spinning, never stopping for just a few people. That’s the harsh truth to face when you look at life- it doesn’t just hault for you to pick your broken pieces up off the ground and re-shape.

Tonight, another sleepless night (the nightmares are almost worse than the memories. Almost.). After staring at the half-illuminated ceiling for ten minutes, I crept across the hall and tucked myself into the crook between the start of the stairs and the upstairs hallway. Mom and Dad are still downstairs, bathing in the yellow kitchen lights cast dimly around the brown granite countertops.  The white glow of Dad’s laptop illuminates his chocolate-brown skin with an unhealthy glow. He’s totally engaged with whatever he’s reading, a helpless look plastered on his face. Mom stands by the edge of the table, rifling through papers, all businesslike.

“Catrina,” Dad blurts out, “Did you know that ‘Thea’ means “Light”?” His face crumples as a heartbroken, dry sob escapes from his lips. Mom freezes as the words hit her, then her face crumples too.

“Oh, Luke,” she cries, voice cracking. She hurries to his side and puts her hands on his shoulders. The dissolve into tears together.

Now, for the first time, the sudden realization hitting me like a bus, I truly recognize that on the night I lost a twin, my parents lost a daughter, and my brother lost a sister. And while the whole world isn’t suffering with me, some people whom I love are suffering too. I’m not as alone as I thought I was. The thought of it makes me feel so much better.

I crawl back to my room and, for the first time in forever, I get some sleep. 

Soren, your story is amazing! I... am really bad at writing praise for things, so please understand that I loved it so much I can't really put it into words.

Thanks for the prompt, but I decided to just use this (really short) piece I wrote for school. It's exactly 100 words because that was kind of the point, but I'm pretty proud of it and didn't feel inspired to write something new. I hope that's okay!

(anyway, here it is)

It started with a black teardrop. Hard and small in her sweaty palm, an anchor amid the horror. She dropped it while fleeing, dropped it and couldn’t find it again. But it was not forgotten.

Dirt settled, burying it deeper and deeper like the little bit of happiness still left in her. Clouds cried, and their tears fed it. A green shoot began to grow.

The princess searched, needing her anchor desperately, desperately, but it could not be found. As days passed, her despair growing, the stem appeared. Bloomed gloriously. And she finally knew what it was to be proud. 

@Coroline hey, is there a deadline?