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Writting Contest!!!!!
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Writting Contest!!!!!
Writting Contest!!!!!
I'm going to have a short-story contest. Here are the rules:
1: the story must be your original work
2: it must be at least 300 words
3: you must use some dialouge
4:only 1 submission
Here's the good news:
5: you can choose any genre you want
6: you have till June 15, which is 2 months.
7: you may use something that you have already written
Ok, happy writing. I'm looking forward to seeing your submissions. the stories will be judged on June 20th. There are 3 prizes, also.
submitted by Strawberri, age 12 winters, earth
(April 16, 2020 - 11:02 am)
(April 16, 2020 - 11:02 am)
Here is my submission:
Leaves
If you are reading this, then you must know who I am. My name is Josey Ellyn, but you probably know me better as The Witch. People are afraid to say my name, after what happened. But if you are reading this, you know what happened, and it hurts to say it again. All I am going to say is something you already know: I am the Bad Guy. I didn’t choose to play that part, but that is how the City of Aspen cast me.
But that is not what I am here to tell you. If you are reading this, it means you are willing to give me a chance, and I will take that chance. I am not the Bad Guy, and Anjie Ceely was not the Hero. I did not make her disappear. “What?” you say. “But- but- everyone says that’s what happened!” Well, everyone was wrong. Anjie was my best friend- we were always together, we did everything together, we were like sisters. I loved her, she loved me. I don’t know whose bad luck made us meet- hers or mine. But it was someone’s because one day it all fell apart.
In the Forest of Aspen, we were playing Hide-and-Seek. “What?” you say. “That’s forbidden!” Not then, it wasn’t. Anjie was calling my name. “Josey! Josey! Where are you?” She said it laughing, and I giggled in my hiding place. “Josey Ellyn, I can hear you, you know.” I was about to swing down from the tree I was hiding in, when she screamed. Loudly. Scarily. I screamed her name. “ANJIE! ANJIE, WHAT HAPPENED?” “Run!” she shrieked from somewhere below me. I jumped down and ran, in tears, toward her voice. But when I got there… there was nothing. Just a pile of yellow aspen leaves.
When I got back to the City, I was accused of witchcraft. They said I, Josephine Ellyn, made Anjelica Ceely disappear. Like I would ever do that. Like an 8 year old girl could even do that. No one thought to point this out though. So I ran. The citizens of Aspen wanted to tell me I was a witch, let them think I was, but I wasn’t going to get killed by one of those ridiculous Witch-Hunting Brigades.
As you know, if you were paying attention in Geography, anyways, the Three Nations are actually an archipelago. The City of Aspen, which is the capital of the Tree Nation, is on the Southernmost island, and so I planned to go to the Northernmost island of the Tree Nation, where the City of Sequoia is located. Sequoia is the city of Witchcraft.
I am not sure if you have already jumped to conclusions about Sequoia, but just in case you have, Sequoia is not a city of evil witchcraft. It is a city where the persecuted can practice magic in peace. If I had wanted to become evil, I would have gone to the Elder City. That is the city of evil. And that is where I became the “Bad Guy.”
I got to Sequoia through the AquaTunnels, which you must know are the train system of the Three Nations. They welcomed me there, as a student of magic. My teacher was Miss Ira Jay, and she called me Josey-fine. She believed in me and my truth about what happened to Anjie. But five years later, when I was thirteen, it all fell apart. Ira thought I was ready to graduate. I did not. Unfortunately, I proved my point.
Lord Dareys of Aspen, was a great man. He fought for his people and did what he thought was right. I respect that. However, in this instance, his moral compass was clearly broken. “What?” you say. “Lord Dareys was the best Lord there was! He never made mistakes!” Well, hate to break it to you, but he did. He invaded Sequoia. And I lost control. As a former citizen of Aspen, I knew their horrible opinions of magic. To them, Sequoia and Elder were one and the same. Quite wrong of course, but Dareys didn’t know that, and didn’t bother to find out.
By that time, Sequoia was my home. Miss Ira Jay was my family, as well as my teacher. And so I lost control. All my anger and hate at Lord Dareys for letting an eight year old girl be persecuted for witchcraft she didn’t perform, and for coming here to stamp out magic, spilled out and overflowed. In the end, all that was left of Lord Dareys was a purple feather left from a bird escaping. And all that was left of Miss Ira Jay was a pile of dark green Sequoia leaves- and I swear I didn’t do it. I don’t know how to do that. But it happened to Anjie… what if it was me?
I was scared. What if… the City of Aspen was right? I was a witch- I belonged in the Elder City. “No,” I told myself, “that’s not me.” “I would never.” Would you though? I asked myself.
No.
NO.
NO.
“Yes.” it was a tiny word that escaped, but it crushed me. It crushed everything. What happened to Anjie and Ira was my fault. All. My. Fault. And then I realized: I hadn’t said that. I looked up to find all of Lord Darey’s soldiers staring at me. One of them grabbed me, and hissed, “Josephine Elvyster, your time has come.” His eyes blinked red, and then turned green again, because as you know, (if you live in the Tree Nation at least), the Tree people have green eyes. All of them.
I was so scared I didn’t say a word the entire time he marched me right through the AquaTunnels and dropped me off in the Elder City. He gave them one instruction: never to let me leave. But- before he left he whispered something to the tallest shadow, and his eyes briefly turned red again.
As soon as he left, the shadows emerged. They did not look evil, but one can never tell. The tallest one stepped forward. “We are not evil. And you are not either, by the looks of it.” The tallest one waved his hand, which had surprisingly, long, pale fingers. Every shadow’s cloak fell off.
I saw the tallest one’s face and I scrambled back in shock and surprise. “Mr…. Jay?” He looked mildly surprised. “How did you know? Yes, I am Eimon Jay.” I burst into tears. Now Mr. Eimon Jay looked mildly alarmed. “What’s wrong? Captain Atile”-he said the name like it was a curse- “told me that when you were eight, you made your best friend- Anjelica Ceely- disappear. You then ran away to Sequoia, where they gave you magic training. Five years later, today, the late Lord Dareys invaded Sequoia- with Captain Atile”-again, he said it like a curse- “and you made Lord Dareys and your magic instructor disappear. That is correct?”
I shook my head and cried harder. “Miss Ellyn, you must calm down and tell me the truth. The truth, you hear?” It was a command, not a request. So I did. “Mr. Jay, I will tell you what happened, because you don’t seem evil.” “When I was eight years old, Anjie Ceely disappeared in the Forest of Aspen. She was gone, and there was only a pile of leaves. It wasn’t me. They told me I was a witch, so I ran. To Sequoia. They gave me a teacher, and she was like my family. Now I am thirteen, and Dareys invaded Sequoia. I hated him- so much. I lost control and made Dareys disappear. All that was left was a purple feather. And all that was left of Miss Ira Jay was a pile of Sequoia leaves. But I didn’t do it- I swear. And what happened to Anjie was not my fault either. It was someone else.”
“Josephine-” “It’s Josey,” I corrected. “Josey.” Eimon agreed. “I am sorry to hear what happened to my sister. I think I know who made Ira and Anjie disappear. And I will tell you- as part of your training. Call me Eimon, and we are not criminals here. We are people banished from our cities, for practicing magic or losing control. Rather like you.” “Yes, sir.” I whispered.
On my third day in Elder, my training started. Eimon told me that Ira was right: I knew everything that was taught. But control is not taught: it must be learned. So we practiced. And practiced. Until finally, on the eleventh Saturday, Eimon told me I was ready to learn who had turned all my closest things to family into piles of leaves. You have do idea how surprised I was to find out. No idea.
But first- let me clear something up. You may be shocked to hear Eimon talking about Captain Atile that way. But Captain- no, Lord (isn’t he the successor of Lord Dareys?)- Atile was a bad man. Is a bad man, too. “What?” you say. “Lord Atile is an honorable man. He defeated the Witch!” Forgot already, did you? I am the Witch. Or I was.
I sat down on a stone slab. Eimon sat across from me. I looked at him. He looked at me. “Josey, you cannot lose control today. I cannot stress that enough. This piece of information… is despicable. I have no doubt you have the power to let your hate rain down on this person, who is just as despicable. BUT- I also believe that you have the power to control yourself. You will need to work together with yourself to keep your power from turning anyone into birds.” I nodded. I promised him. For once, I was able to keep that promise.
“Captain Atile. He is the one.” The next day, Eimon was gone. Only a pile of leaves: Sequoia and Elder, mixed together. When I came to start my training that day… well. I didn’t. Because Atile hopped off one of the crumbling stone window sills, and imprisoned me in Eimon’s old home, with only his leaves for company. As he snapped his fingers to disappear, his ghostly voice whispered, “You will not repeat what he told you, or I will know.” His eyes flickered red and he was gone.
Now at eighteen, I have escaped. This narrative is not just a narrative. It is a cry to action. Join me. Help me defeat Atile, and get Anjie, and the Jay siblings, back. I think I know where to start looking. You can find me in the AquaTunnel that leads to the City of Sycamore- where all things are forgiven. Except maybe me. ~
(May 1, 2020 - 11:58 am)
Sorry I forgot the genre- I think it would count as fantasy? I'm not sure... If you have a better idea let me know.
(May 4, 2020 - 10:19 am)
I need at least one other judge to be on the commitee. You MAY NOT join the commitee if you are entering the contest.
(May 1, 2020 - 12:38 pm)
March might help? None of my AEs are going to submit a story, except maybe Cordial.
(May 1, 2020 - 2:21 pm)
Here's mine!
"What are you talking about?" I said, munching on my popcorn. Lizzy said that her family was moving to the other side of the world. "Sorry, Rose, but it's true." Lizzy said, shaking her head softly. "Well, no Lizzy, no club." Pierre said, his beret falling off his head. It never stays on for some reason. "Yeah. After all, Lizzy is the one who started this club. And she's the only one who has a phone." I said, still munching on my popcorn. "Yeah. Well, I have to go home now. Mom said to be home by 5:30 and it's 5:00 and she will be so mad at me, even if I'm only a second late." Pierre said, standing up and putting his beret back on his head. We all said good-bye and I walked home. "Rose! How's it going?" My twin brother, Cooper said. "Awful! Lizzy's moving in two weeks and we can't do anything about it. An to make matters worse, there won't be a club!" I said, sitting next to Cooper. He nodded and we went to bed that night, wondering what to do. The next day, Lizzy and I met up at her house before Pierre came. We talked about what we would do after she moved. "Rose, I need to tell you the real reason why I'm moving. The townspeople found out my secret. I can't live with these people. They WILL tell others." Lizzy said, her yellow eyes filling up with tears. "I'm here. Coopers with me too." Pierre said, with Cooper by his side. "Don't tell me..." I said, shaking my head again. "Yep. He found out I'm not like you." Cooper said, looking worried. "Rose, Pierre, get the stuff. Now." Lizzy said, looking at Cooper. Pierre and I nodded, walking to the basement. We unlocked a secret shelf and took out a bottle of brown liquid. "What, what are you guys doing? Rose, tell me what's going on, please!" Cooper said, his green eyes looking worried. "Sorry, bro, but it's for your own good." I said, giving him the brown liquid. Later that night, we all howled at the full moon. "Rose, you have the mind-wipe stuff right?" Pierre said, smiling at me. "Yep. Come on, Cooper, keep up!" I said to Cooper. We gave the mind-wipe stuff to the townspeople. We all smiled and went to my house to cook some hot dogs. This is our club. The Were-Wolf Club. Were-wolves only.
How did I do?
(May 1, 2020 - 1:12 pm)
Good, but you forgt to tell which genre.
(May 1, 2020 - 2:17 pm)
Ohhhhhhhhh... Sorry. It's a were-wolf genre. I think.
(May 3, 2020 - 12:41 pm)
So... fantasy?
(May 3, 2020 - 9:25 pm)
Nah, I think fiction. At least I filed it under fiction.
(May 4, 2020 - 6:41 pm)
I think it's fantasy.
(May 14, 2020 - 3:22 pm)
I'll help judge!
(May 2, 2020 - 9:14 am)
PLEASE DON'T LET THIS DIE!!!!!!!!
(May 6, 2020 - 11:03 am)
I'll help judge!
(May 6, 2020 - 11:47 am)
This is an assignment from school. To me, it's finger nails against a chalk board, but I don't know. Maybe that's just because I wrote it?
The train station was filled with the noise, smells, and bright colors that come with large numbers of people. Many stand, while others sit on benches, waiting for their trains to come. One such bench has two people. You, the reader, and a young woman, probably around your age. She has on a cheap navy dress as well as a matching hat. Looking at her, most could never have known that her heart had long ago turned to ash. Once it had been a brightly burning fire, but she couldn’t fight hard enough against the wind to keep it going, and it had gone out. She sighs, and you turn to look. Her blond hair is lifeless and her smile is a mere ghost of that from just two months ago. You see her looking at you. Catching her eye, she abruptly frowns and looks down. How rude, you think. When the train you’re waiting for finally pulls into the station, both of you jump up, almost bumping into each other.
“Sorry.” she mumbles. The sound of a bird chirping adds to the noise of the station.
“No worries!” you laugh, flashing your trademark grin. She looks at you strangely and begins to lug her large suitcase and many bags in the direction of the train. Well, be that way. Can’t stop me from being polite. Pasting your best imitation of a smile on your face, you run to catch up with her.
“Hey, should I help you with that? I’m just going across the city, so no luggage for me!” Lifting one of your hands into the air to signify its emptiness, you put out the other. “Should I carry one of those bags for you?” Now she looks you straight in the eye.
“Thank you for your consideration, but I am just fine. Please. Just leave me alone.” The last part sounds pleading. The bird continues chirping somewhere inside the train station, now joined by another. You look at her condescendingly. She does not realize you have experience with this kind of thing.
“Let’s find seats.” She just sighs.
“That will never work! We can’t keep making up these plans to capture her and then- what?” The man in a blue coat threw up his hands and, standing up, began pacing around the table. “I know the law, but this has gone much too far. We need another way. We need to kill her!” A chorus of complaints arose, and a woman who looked as though she was in charge stood up, too.
“I know-we all know- how hard we’ve been working to apprehend her. So you know as well as I do that she has done severe damage. But we have no proof that she ever meant to harm anyone. When we capture her, she will get a fair trial. She is innocent until proven guilty. We cannot just ‘kill her’, as you so eloquently put it.”
“When?! This is if, not when, we capture her!”
“What do you mean, no proof?! It’s raining proof!”
“What about the danger she’s posing to others? What makes her more important than anyone else?”
“All the evidence we have is circumstantial, we can’t just-”
“You don’t honestly believe that, it’s all-”
“This is not a joke, it’s a very real-”
“This isn’t a joke, it’s an absurd over reaction, and-”
“SILENCE!” roared the woman over the chorus of voices. Everyone froze.“This is the last time a worker in this building will say anything implying that we are going to do anything involving killing someone who has not even gotten a trial. We are here to uphold the laws, not to break them. Anyone who wants to talk like that can leave right now and never come back. There’s no place for a murderer in this police force.” She sat down, breathing heavily. There was a moment of silence. Then the man who had been the first to speak again rose, staring the woman straight in the eye.
“You’re going to regret this. Someday you’ll have to answer to me, and you will regret this moment.” The man and woman sitting on either side of him stood, and the three of them strode out of the room. If Margaret thought this was to be the last time she heard from them, she was sorely mistaken.
There’s always a way to get them. What’s hers? you think as you walk back from buying some lunch in the dining car. As it was all the way on the other side of the train, you had plenty of time to ponder. Well, first things first. What do I know about her? Well, she always has her nose stuffed in that book of hers and hates to talk to anyone. She has all those bags, though she paid the same amount of money for the train as me. Also,-
“Ow! Watch where you’re going!” snaps a man in a blue coat when you trip and fall over his foot. He drops a folder and papers go everywhere. A woman who looks strangely like Snow White and a man wearing all black leer behind him.
“Maybe you shouldn’t stick your feet out like that,” you say as you gracefully stand up and brush yourself off. “While technically speaking you owe me an apology, I’ll let it pass. You're very welcome. No need to thank me.” Smiling kindly you begin to walk away, but you feel a hand on your shoulder. It’s Blue Coat.
“I told you there was no need to th-”
“What’s that smell on you?”
“Excuse me?” you gasp. Of all the rude things! “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
He’s staring at you intently. “This is a train, very crowded. Maybe she was near her?... Definitely none in her…” This guy is crazy. How do I get out of here? Now you’re pinned to the wall. You look around for someone to help, but the train car is empty except for Blue Coat, Snow White, and Depressed Guy.
“Which compartment were you in, girl?” depressed guy snarls.
“Why do you want to know, it’s none of your business!” Your breathing is unsteady and your heart is beating quickly. A small voice in the back of your head notes that your face will be unpleasantly reddened when this ordeal is over. Blue Coat turns to Snow White.
“Ahead five train cars and the second compartment on the right.” she murmurs. You look stricken, but they take no notice of you. They stride out of the room, but you don’t follow. Suddenly you feel tired...so tired...just go...to sleep….
She sits with her head in her book, looking out the window every once in a while. Looking for a place to drop the evidence. Her eyes burned, but she would not cry. At least they didn’t know where she was. At least her companion was the least suspicious she could have asked for. Speaking of which, where was Daisy? Probably trying to convince someone that she could cure some terrible disease by smiling.... Marigold smiled involuntarily. Despite of herself she had become fond of the infuriating young woman. Sighing, in a way that conveyed calm happiness, she went back to her book.
“Lexi, are you ready?” murmured Blue Coat to Snow White.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“So get to it!” he snarled. Lexi took a step back.
“Okay, prepare for the jump,” she intoned. “George, Sam...we’re almost there.” A fleeting smile crossed her face. “Three...two...one...jump!” They tumbled out of the speeding train and flopped onto the ground. It was a miracle of some sort that they had all survived. For a couple seconds it was silent and they all lay motionless. Finally, George motioned for them to stand up. The expression on his face left no doubt that whatever he did next, it would not bode well for Marigold Honey Brown, the young woman sitting serenely in the train car.
Your eyes flicker open. A throbbing headache fills your mind as you pull yourself up, but you pay it no attention. The responsibility to warn Marigold lies firmly in your lap. Before you can march off, a folder catches your eye. Pressing your lips together, you realize it’s the folder that belonged to Blue Coat. Why respect his privacy if he can’t respect people’s lives, you think savagely, forgetting that Marigold is in danger. You open the folder and your cruel smile slips off. No, no, no, no….You pull a knife out of your pocket. You have a new job.
“We get in, we do it, we get out. Leave no evidence. We’re gone before the regular authorities come.” George says calmly, somehow. “Everybody got what they need?”
Lexi and Sam nod. “Good. let’s do this.”
You creep along the train, your knife hidden in your sweater. You shiver,as your mind flashes back to the folder. The big blown up picture. Murde- no, you think. Don’t say it. You have to do this. She’s a danger to society. Have to...have to...have...to…
The compartment is quiet, and Marigold’s nose is still in her book. There’s a slight smile on her face. She’s calm for the last time in her life. A noise comes from right outside the window. Her eyes narrow and her heartbeat quickens. Striding over to the window, she throws down her book. She leans to see and opens the window-
BANG! Glass shatters and cuts her face. Her scream rips through the air. George, Lexi, and Sam jump through the window. Another shriek joins hers, this time of an eagle. It swoops down and begins to scratch at the window, but can’t get through the window. She’s alone.
You hear shrieks and you assume the worst. You run, but then the screams stop. Your heart stops, you must be too late. Somehow you continue running. If the police weren’t able to finish this, you will. When you reach your compartment, you wrench open the door, pull out your knife, and run in. You’re surprised to see the fray, but that doesn’t stop you. You jump in, joining Lexi, George, and Sam, attacking the unsuspecting girl.
Finally you stand triumphantly over Marigold.
“Any last words, murderer?” you whisper, voice dripping with contempt. “I fell for you, you know.” Marigold blinks, looking taken aback.
“You think...my fault...not my fault...can’t control it...the birds...they do it...not me...save me from my magic...save me...tried to stop from talking...you...your fault...I thought you were....good.” She laughed bitterly before slumping sideways. She’s talking nonsense, you think. Magic? As you walk out of the compartment to call the authorities, you miss the three real murderers morphing...morphing and flying...flying away from their crime.
This is the smallest font on docs. I don't know how to change the size on here, sorry it's so big. I think this is fiction? Maybe fantasy, I don't really know what the difference is. Also, at the end she's knowcked out. Not dead. She's probably going to go to jail, but all that happened was that they knocked her out.
(May 7, 2020 - 10:33 am)
Get your posts in. We will stop ecxepting entries in roughly a month. Also, judges should read every post, so you need to be checking this.
(May 7, 2020 - 2:19 pm)