Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion
Weekly Short Story Contests
>
Week 209 (April 13-20). Stories. Topic: Eclipse
date
newest »
newest »
Ohhh I gotta write my thing fast, I keep trying to post one... then it's the voting day when I finish it...
M wrote: "Excellent topic!"
Here is an interesting article on an Eclipse coming up on the 15th. And others happening in the next year.
:)http://earthsky.org/space/a-christian...
Here is an interesting article on an Eclipse coming up on the 15th. And others happening in the next year.
:)http://earthsky.org/space/a-christian...
Definitely trying this time. Last week I still had a bad cold. XP
Aurora wrote: "Ohhh I gotta write my thing fast, I keep trying to post one... then it's the voting day when I finish it..."
XD Same!
XD Same!
Cat wrote: "M wrote: "Excellent topic!"Here is an interesting article on an Eclipse coming up on the 15th. And others happening in the next year.
:)http://earthsky.org/space/a-christian......"
Hi Cat! I checked out that article, very interesting.
Here is my short story submission for the topic: Eclipse. **This is my very first attempt at "science-fiction". It is not normally my thing but I thought I'd give it a shot. Feedback ALWAYS welcome!
ECLIPSE MONSTERS by: Melissa Andres
Word Count: 994
The year was 3010. I remember it vividly. It was the year my father died. It was a year of change for the moonlings.
For the past decade, the wealthiest of the wealthy had been trekking to the moon in pursuit of adventurous vacations and explorations.
Moon natives, or moonlings, tried to keep to themselves; burrowing deep into their craters; creeping out only at night.
As days, weeks, months and years progressed, the moon became less of an oddity and humans seemed more interested in extending those vacations and setting up permanent residency.
Simple pods were erected but quickly became more and more elaborate. Small villages became booming, busy cities. The hustle and bustle on the moon was unsettling for most of the natives but there were some curiosity-seekers amongst them.
My Mom was one of those curiosity-seekers. She knew the eclipse was coming. She knew it was dangerous but she couldn't help herself. She had been watching him. She loved the buckles on his heavy gravity-boots. Her doe-like eyes had wandered over the slight curve of his hips and his broad shoulders as he moved about in his thin flight suit. She giggled as she told me about the moonbeams dancing through his sandy hair.
Peaking through the heavy Plexiglass of the pod, my mother grasped the door handle with each of her three long fingers. Dark shadows elongated a pale turquoise countenance.
"Tonfa! Tonfa!" she heard her own mother call in the distance. "Asil nocja!" She must return to the crater immediately before the eclipse was at full strength. Eclipse extermination was imminent.
But for Tonfa, it was too late. She would be unable to make it to the crater in time. A sense of panic rose inside, causing the tiny gills on each side of her neck to quiver slightly.
The human inside the pod looked out, right into the moonling's fear.
"Etul osba!" Tonfa shrieked. "Etul osba!" The language was shrill, demanding, yet pitiful. He felt sorrow for the creature. He knew the eclipse monsters would soon be on the prowl. Humans or moonlings; it didn;t matter who or what would satiate their hunger. As soon as the total darkness enveloped the moon, the feast would begin.
Tonfa urgently shuffled through the open pod door. My mother was so brave. Going into the virtually unknown, she was more afraid of the danger without than the danger within.
I had heard him, many times, describe my mother as beautiful and wonderfully unique. She was highly intelligent and learned quite a bit of English from him that very night.
They huddled together in his sleeping quarters as they listened in horror to the screams, clashing of teeth and claws and the crunching of bones.
"Reaf roht," my mother said as she lay her head on his shoulder. He put a strong arm around her torso and they wept together in silence.
The year was 3010. I remember it vividly. It was the year my father died. It was a year of change for the humans.
I was six years old and began to notice how different I was from the others. I was not quite human and not quite moonling. I had the large doe-like eyes of my mother but the white skin of my father. I had gills on each side of my neck like my mother although not as prominent. I had ten fingers and toes like my father. I was the first half-human/half-moonling to ever exist. I was shunned by both species.
This particular morning I knew the eclipse would be coming. My mother had reminded me several times.
"Augnill," she warned. "Eclipse extermination is imminent." I nodded my head knowing the procedures. As soon as the dark shadows emerged, take cover in the pod. Looking toward the sky, I knew I had plenty of playtime left.
As I sat near the edge of the dark side of the moon, I sifted dust through my chubby fingers. My gills twitched and flapped wildly as I snickered at the moonbeams' glitters and sparkles.
It happened so suddenly I didn't even notice at first. Blackness, like thick oil, stained the rocks, the rims of the craters and the carefully constructed pods. As I wiped the dust from my human hands, a group of moonlings grabbed me from behind. They were going to throw me to the eclipse monsters.
"Estseb seimit!" the tallest moonling exclaimed. "Kroy wen." They were ready to be rid of me as I was a disgrace to their kind.
As I twisted in their hard three-pronged fingers, I saw several humans running in our direction.
"Hold her!" a harsh-looking woman screamed. "Don't let her get away!"
The darkness descended, deeper and deeper. Chants filled my mind. "Eclipse! Eclipse! Erocs! Erocs!"
Almost pitch dark, I began to sob. I was not ready to die.
As I was thrown to the ground, I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to feel the flesh torn from my bones. I didn't want to hear the crunch in my ears. I didn't want to taste my own blood in my mouth.
"Leave my daughter alone!" my father bellowed. Both groups, human and moonling backed away.
I opened my eyes just in time to see a giant claw clasp around my father's ankle and drag him away. He didn't scream, only whispered, "You will always be beautiful and wonderfully unique!"
The year was 3010. I remember it vividly. It was the year my father died. It was a year of change for humans and moonlings.
*****************************************************
Today, I teach history to human and moonling children alike. I want them to know dates and facts about their home, their past and the dangers of the eclipse monsters. I want them to know about my father; the man who started the Moon Unity Movement. And to the other half-human/half-moonlings, I want them to know that they will always be beautiful and wonderfully unique!
ECLIPSE MONSTERS by: Melissa Andres
Word Count: 994
The year was 3010. I remember it vividly. It was the year my father died. It was a year of change for the moonlings.
For the past decade, the wealthiest of the wealthy had been trekking to the moon in pursuit of adventurous vacations and explorations.
Moon natives, or moonlings, tried to keep to themselves; burrowing deep into their craters; creeping out only at night.
As days, weeks, months and years progressed, the moon became less of an oddity and humans seemed more interested in extending those vacations and setting up permanent residency.
Simple pods were erected but quickly became more and more elaborate. Small villages became booming, busy cities. The hustle and bustle on the moon was unsettling for most of the natives but there were some curiosity-seekers amongst them.
My Mom was one of those curiosity-seekers. She knew the eclipse was coming. She knew it was dangerous but she couldn't help herself. She had been watching him. She loved the buckles on his heavy gravity-boots. Her doe-like eyes had wandered over the slight curve of his hips and his broad shoulders as he moved about in his thin flight suit. She giggled as she told me about the moonbeams dancing through his sandy hair.
Peaking through the heavy Plexiglass of the pod, my mother grasped the door handle with each of her three long fingers. Dark shadows elongated a pale turquoise countenance.
"Tonfa! Tonfa!" she heard her own mother call in the distance. "Asil nocja!" She must return to the crater immediately before the eclipse was at full strength. Eclipse extermination was imminent.
But for Tonfa, it was too late. She would be unable to make it to the crater in time. A sense of panic rose inside, causing the tiny gills on each side of her neck to quiver slightly.
The human inside the pod looked out, right into the moonling's fear.
"Etul osba!" Tonfa shrieked. "Etul osba!" The language was shrill, demanding, yet pitiful. He felt sorrow for the creature. He knew the eclipse monsters would soon be on the prowl. Humans or moonlings; it didn;t matter who or what would satiate their hunger. As soon as the total darkness enveloped the moon, the feast would begin.
Tonfa urgently shuffled through the open pod door. My mother was so brave. Going into the virtually unknown, she was more afraid of the danger without than the danger within.
I had heard him, many times, describe my mother as beautiful and wonderfully unique. She was highly intelligent and learned quite a bit of English from him that very night.
They huddled together in his sleeping quarters as they listened in horror to the screams, clashing of teeth and claws and the crunching of bones.
"Reaf roht," my mother said as she lay her head on his shoulder. He put a strong arm around her torso and they wept together in silence.
The year was 3010. I remember it vividly. It was the year my father died. It was a year of change for the humans.
I was six years old and began to notice how different I was from the others. I was not quite human and not quite moonling. I had the large doe-like eyes of my mother but the white skin of my father. I had gills on each side of my neck like my mother although not as prominent. I had ten fingers and toes like my father. I was the first half-human/half-moonling to ever exist. I was shunned by both species.
This particular morning I knew the eclipse would be coming. My mother had reminded me several times.
"Augnill," she warned. "Eclipse extermination is imminent." I nodded my head knowing the procedures. As soon as the dark shadows emerged, take cover in the pod. Looking toward the sky, I knew I had plenty of playtime left.
As I sat near the edge of the dark side of the moon, I sifted dust through my chubby fingers. My gills twitched and flapped wildly as I snickered at the moonbeams' glitters and sparkles.
It happened so suddenly I didn't even notice at first. Blackness, like thick oil, stained the rocks, the rims of the craters and the carefully constructed pods. As I wiped the dust from my human hands, a group of moonlings grabbed me from behind. They were going to throw me to the eclipse monsters.
"Estseb seimit!" the tallest moonling exclaimed. "Kroy wen." They were ready to be rid of me as I was a disgrace to their kind.
As I twisted in their hard three-pronged fingers, I saw several humans running in our direction.
"Hold her!" a harsh-looking woman screamed. "Don't let her get away!"
The darkness descended, deeper and deeper. Chants filled my mind. "Eclipse! Eclipse! Erocs! Erocs!"
Almost pitch dark, I began to sob. I was not ready to die.
As I was thrown to the ground, I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to feel the flesh torn from my bones. I didn't want to hear the crunch in my ears. I didn't want to taste my own blood in my mouth.
"Leave my daughter alone!" my father bellowed. Both groups, human and moonling backed away.
I opened my eyes just in time to see a giant claw clasp around my father's ankle and drag him away. He didn't scream, only whispered, "You will always be beautiful and wonderfully unique!"
The year was 3010. I remember it vividly. It was the year my father died. It was a year of change for humans and moonlings.
*****************************************************
Today, I teach history to human and moonling children alike. I want them to know dates and facts about their home, their past and the dangers of the eclipse monsters. I want them to know about my father; the man who started the Moon Unity Movement. And to the other half-human/half-moonlings, I want them to know that they will always be beautiful and wonderfully unique!
Cool story, Melissa. I really enjoyed reading it. You created a setting that feels very solid. You had a couple of lines that really stood out to me as being special, my favorite: 'As I sat near the edge of the dark side of the moon'. Great imagination and well done for stepping out of your comfort zone.
Thank you, Ryan! I admit, I was really afraid to post this one! I appreciate your nice comments!
Luci and The MoonRyan Stone © 2014
1170 words, feedback appreciated
April 29, 2014. 4:48 pm local time. Melbourne, Australia.
Puffing, Luci wiped a drop of sweat from her brow and pushed on. Almost there. There's still time. The physical exertion of the climb had partially relieved the tension that a series of blunders had lodged between her shoulder blades. I shouldn't still be climbing. I should already be there. Despite weeks of meticulous planning, her itinerary was in a state of chaos due to circumstances beyond her control. Ignoring the lactic acid tightness in her hamstrings and the bleating of her calves, she kept climbing.
Relief asserted itself as Luci moved around a cluster of large rocks and discovered she had reached the mountain's pinnacle. A clear, uninterrupted view to the west stretched out before her. The sun, like a bright yellow helium-filled balloon from last week's party, sat low on the horizon. Still full. I made it. Relaxing for the first time since boarding her flight two days earlier, Luci examined the clearing around her. Secluded, isolated and hard to reach; this spot was perfect for her needs. Unmarked on any map, bar the one folded safely in the pocket of her combat pants, Luci knew she was unlikely to be disturbed.
Luci looked down at the multi-faceted watch encircling her wrist. On one display, a countdown timer marched steadily towards zero: 00:06:43. The main face showed the time: 17:00:17. Five o'clock. Less than seven minutes. Gratefully unslinging a worn hiking pack from chafed shoulders, she pulled a tartan rug from within. Luci spread the rug over the grassed clearing and sat down, facing the western skyline.
In imperceptible increments, light bled from the clearing. At this time of the year, day wasn't due to retire for another thirty-five minutes but, as Luci watched through slitted eyes, the moon inched its way across the face of the sun to plunge the clearing into false night. Not the complete lightless-ness of a total eclipse, however the partial dark of this annular eclipse should be enough, Luci prayed, to serve her purpose.
The countdown alarm on Luci's watch chimed, signaling 5:07 pm, and Luci felt her breath catch in her throat. She waited, not daring to breathe. Nothing. It isn't enough.
Then, suddenly, into the darkness of the clearing, a quicksilver mist arose. Although she was aware of a twinkling shifting of light, it seemed just beyond the reach of her searching eyes. Each time Luci attempted to lock onto the pulses that teased her peripheral vision, she was met with nothing but darkness.
The moon seemed to pause, suspended in a sensual embrace with the sun. In that moment, Luci knew she was no longer alone in the clearing. The elusive quicksilver of moments before writhed and twisted, focusing its intensity into a humanlike form that glowed with a soft light that illuminated the tears on Luci's upturned face.
'My sweet Luciana.' A deep voice entered the stillness of the clearing.
'You came, my love. I wasn't sure that you would,' Luci replied.
'Hush child. No words of doubt, for our time is short. I cannot avert the sun's gaze for long this time.'
'I know, my love,' Luci said, looking at her watch. A second countdown timer had begun at the time the first alarm had sounded. ''We have five and a half minutes together.'
'Long have I waited to stand beside you once more.'
'As have I, my love. Will you embrace me?' Luci pleaded.
'I have dreamed such dreams, Luciana, but I still do not possess the strength in your realm. Not yet, I fear.'
Luci raised her hands, palms turned outward, and sighed. She could see a faint, almost metallic light seeping between her parted fingers as two hand-shaped patches of moonglow came to rest against hers. As each time before, the slightest hint of a tingle, not unlike electricity, caressed each of her fingertips. A feeling of warmth spread from her fingers to flow through her hands and down her arms, quickly enveloping her body in a sensation of comfort.
'Not a night has passed since last we spoke that I haven't sung to you, my love,' Luci said.
'I know, dear Luciana. Even from the heavens, I hear your words. Your song is my sustenance throughout the long night.'
'When will I feel your arms around me? When will our lips meet, my love?' Luci asked.
'The time fast approaches when night eclipses day. At the hour of full dark, our love will be consummated.'
'I don't know that I can wait that long.'
'Be patient, Luciana. I have but one heart; it is eternal and beats for you alone.'
Luci let his voice fill her, saw the moonlight emanating from his form wash over her body. With it came a sense of calm; of peace and hope. She knew he spoke the truth. She floated on a whisper and dreamed she gazed down on the world from a lofty palace in the sky.
A dull chiming at the edge of her consciousness brought Luci back to the present. She hadn't realised she had closed her eyes and quickly flicked them open. The moon above had been released from its stasis and only the thinnest crescent still hovered in front of the sun. A single tear rolled down Luci's cheek as her peace evaporated with the last silver mist from the clearing, leaving her alone with the setting sun.
In the fading evening light, Luci retrieved a book from her pack and placed it on the rug before her. It fell open to a well-worn page divided into columns. She moved her eyes down to the row labelled April 29, 2014. Glancing across, she read the information printed beside the date: Annular eclipse, duration 5min 30sec, best view-Melbourne, Australia. Luci drew a line through the row, mirroring many such rows above, and then ran her finger down the page. The next date listed was October 23, 2014. Moving her finger across the row, she read: Partial eclipse, duration 48sec, best view-Mexico, 21:45UTC. Luci let out a small, involuntary sigh as a moment of despair took her. So far to travel for 48 bittersweet seconds. Yet, she knew beyond doubt that travel she would.
It was the final row, the next one down, where Luci let her gaze rest: March 20, 2015. Total eclipse, duration 2min 47sec, best view-Faroe Islands, 09:46UTC. She felt a familiar flutter within her chest as she re-read the words total eclipse. Lying back on the rug, she let the feeling consume her, building in intensity until, many hours later, it danced free from her mouth in a song of resilience; of pain and hope.
Far above, the moon looked down, tracing a quicksilver path through the night sky.
Well done, Ryan - I love the way you've told us so much in so few words, and all of it the natural flow of a good story. You've given me all I need to know for my own imagination to take flight; there are so many possibilities dancing through my mind now :)
Thank you, Jay. That's a big compliment indeed :)
Story ©2014 by Cat Niedzwiecki
This is an ABSTRACT STORY.
There are many kinds of eclipse. There are germinal disks. Upgrowths and inflamations. Thaumaturges and slanderers. Ruff trumps where one hand eclipses another. There are gallows where a man’s head is forsaken by an exalting indention. There is the winner and there is the runner up. There is the flat side moon and the aching, faceted sun. There is standing room only seen at the entrance. There is trivia and there is non-trivia. But there is me, and there is this story. There is a piece of paper covering my face. There are these concurrencies. And the dance that makes writing a dark art for a moment.
Once I was synodical. My soul and my self. Once I was triune with a body. Something diminished, germinating shadows. My name was Orry, and a sibilating snake put a t infront of his ssss’s hiss – and his tongue remained hidden, and I did not feel his spit. But I was changed.
Eclipsed by the roots of letters that grew into a marvelous alphabet. Eclipsed by the sound of red hanging full from a din of branches. Habitual temperance turns me into a superhighway for the sentences that run over my self, my soul, my body. I am a social service. But don’t make me change you. My beginning, my middle, my end. Soar over me with your eyes, but keep your mouth shut.
Yellow jackets; black over yellow over black over yellow. False foxglove. There is Yet. Eta and ALE. There is me: Story. There is you: Not a story – Yet. There is word for word, and there is wordless wraith. You were wry. You are Y. Go some place, and become who you are. Et al.
Now I am at the end. Xanthein eclipsing the natural state of flowers. I am sword shaped ice berg eclipsing the nothingness of water. I am you, we are tangled closely together. My story, myself, is my false god, my idol. Worthy of a beginning, a middle, and an end. The matriarch, the yen. The bashful maunder muttering gloom. But there was a beginning. There was a middle. Here is my end.
The eclipse of a good story, by a bad or peculiar disposition to induce story. The eclipse of the misunderstood. The roon before your hiss, and my old name, And y. My book eclipsed by the brook eclipsed by the broke look a writer gave me once. The matrimony vine of all time. The light and the dark. And the germinating shadows that lead you to my tree, my forked tongue. My Y. My thee. The sky. The plea. The horseshoe of U aimed at me.
Job lots and Job’s tears that eclipse regular grass garbles. My cloddy wholeness. My story. My new name. The rhyme I cannot find. The poem and the story. The clear fear. The starry clime. The block and tackle of an idea. The skin and the meat. The invisible, the mime. The moment, the time. But there was an eclipse that happened in the eyes. And the nose met the air. And I am floating there.
This is an ABSTRACT STORY.
There are many kinds of eclipse. There are germinal disks. Upgrowths and inflamations. Thaumaturges and slanderers. Ruff trumps where one hand eclipses another. There are gallows where a man’s head is forsaken by an exalting indention. There is the winner and there is the runner up. There is the flat side moon and the aching, faceted sun. There is standing room only seen at the entrance. There is trivia and there is non-trivia. But there is me, and there is this story. There is a piece of paper covering my face. There are these concurrencies. And the dance that makes writing a dark art for a moment.
Once I was synodical. My soul and my self. Once I was triune with a body. Something diminished, germinating shadows. My name was Orry, and a sibilating snake put a t infront of his ssss’s hiss – and his tongue remained hidden, and I did not feel his spit. But I was changed.
Eclipsed by the roots of letters that grew into a marvelous alphabet. Eclipsed by the sound of red hanging full from a din of branches. Habitual temperance turns me into a superhighway for the sentences that run over my self, my soul, my body. I am a social service. But don’t make me change you. My beginning, my middle, my end. Soar over me with your eyes, but keep your mouth shut.
Yellow jackets; black over yellow over black over yellow. False foxglove. There is Yet. Eta and ALE. There is me: Story. There is you: Not a story – Yet. There is word for word, and there is wordless wraith. You were wry. You are Y. Go some place, and become who you are. Et al.
Now I am at the end. Xanthein eclipsing the natural state of flowers. I am sword shaped ice berg eclipsing the nothingness of water. I am you, we are tangled closely together. My story, myself, is my false god, my idol. Worthy of a beginning, a middle, and an end. The matriarch, the yen. The bashful maunder muttering gloom. But there was a beginning. There was a middle. Here is my end.
The eclipse of a good story, by a bad or peculiar disposition to induce story. The eclipse of the misunderstood. The roon before your hiss, and my old name, And y. My book eclipsed by the brook eclipsed by the broke look a writer gave me once. The matrimony vine of all time. The light and the dark. And the germinating shadows that lead you to my tree, my forked tongue. My Y. My thee. The sky. The plea. The horseshoe of U aimed at me.
Job lots and Job’s tears that eclipse regular grass garbles. My cloddy wholeness. My story. My new name. The rhyme I cannot find. The poem and the story. The clear fear. The starry clime. The block and tackle of an idea. The skin and the meat. The invisible, the mime. The moment, the time. But there was an eclipse that happened in the eyes. And the nose met the air. And I am floating there.
Stunning, Cat. What a way you have with words. Very lyrical and beautiful to read.
Dreams
By: December Evans
114 words
Tonight is an eclipse, and tonight they will come. They will come for all of us, I look around the poor excuse for a hiding place. It had about fifty people in it and they were all huddled up on the floor. How could a simple dream cause all this worry? But it was a pretty weird dream... I shook my head, not letting myself think about it. I have to many other things to think about, just not my nightmare. “Hey.” I heard Wyatt say. I turned and saw him walking towards me. I nodded,
“Hi. You worried for tonight?” I asked, he looked morally offended, like I stabbed him or something. “Why would I be afraid of something you dreamed about? I don’t even get why we’re here, it’s stupid. Why they listened to you is beyond me.” He replied. His words hurt, but I faked a smiled and nodded. “Wonder why...” I whispered. Wonder why you’re always so mean to me. Wonder why I ever liked you. I wanted to say these things so bad, but didn’t. I’m supposed to like him. I was made for him. He for me. We just have to survive the night.
“So, what’s supposed to come get us tonight Chloe? Zombies?” He laughed. I shook my head,
“No, beasts.”
“Beasts?” He asked, like I’d lie to him. I turned and glared at him, right into his emerald eyes.
“Yes, beasts. Evil, wolf like beasts. Beasts that could eat you in one bite.” I turned on my heel and began to walk away from him, but he grabbed my hand, and pulled me back. He pushed me against the wall. “You’re lying, I know you, that’s not what you saw, what did you really see?” He demanded shaking my arms, knocking my head against the wall. “Why would I lie Wyatt?” I asked. “That’s what I dreamt Wyatt, so just leave me alone.” I pushed him away from me and ran to the other side of the room. I heard him follow me. “Wyatt!” His dad screamed. “Leave Chloe alone! You know you shouldn’t do that!” We both stopped, he was terrified, I was laughing inside. Wyatt turned to face his dad. “Hi, dad.” He managed, stuttering. His dad just glared.
“You can’t annoy Chloe, you have to be nice to her, or else you both we made for nothing.” He growled. If alone was ever a werewolf, he would be. He is the only person who scares me in this room, my dad walks in. Ok no he’s not. “Sorry, dad.” Wyatt looks to the floor.
“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to Chloe.” He growled again. Wyatt looked at me, eyes filled with fear and rage.”She lied, nothing’s coming tonight. She said that to get us all scared. To ruin our clan dad.” He said pointing at me. What? What did he just say? I started to say something back, but felt my dad’s hand’s on my back. “Wyatt, she wouldn’t lie. Why would she? She doesn’t lie.” My dad was defending me. I smiled at Wyatt, his dad didn’t even like him.
“She lied about her name.” Wyatt pointed out.
“And my dad likes me just fine.” He mouthed.
“So, she doesn’t like the name Philomena, so she likes her middle name. So what Wyatt?”
“It’s still lying.” Wyatt sneared. Why do I have to marry him? Why?
“No, it’s not being called a name you hate.” I snorted, rolling my eyes. By now a lot of people were watching our argument. “She is still lying about her dream.”
“Fine, if you don't believe me, go outside Wyatt.” I suggested. He looked at me strangely, like seeing me in a new light. “Fine I will.” He ran to the door and I heard him running up the stairs.
“What did I just do?” I asked, feeling numb.
“Ohh.. You just killed my son!” Wyatt’s dad yelled at me. “How could you be so stupid?”
He ran after his son. “All we can do is wait for nightfall Chloe, we warned them.” My dad disappeared from behind me and went to comfort my little sister, Emily. I just stood there and stared at the stairway, Wyatt was going to die. Well most likely. Because I dared him to test his theory. I felt hollow, he annoys me, but it turns out I need him. Turns out I need the one I was made for, didn’t expect that. I turned, Beatrix was staring at me. “What?” I asked. She didn’t respond. I stomped over to her, “What’s your problem?” I asked. She blinked.
“He was supposed to be mine Philomena, now he’ll nones.” She whispered. What? She was made for Christopher, she said that a lot. I glanced at him, “What do you mean Beatrix?” I asked.
“I mean you took my crush Philomena!” She whispered louder. I stepped away from her,
“I didn’t chose who they made me for, not my fault. Should’ve said this before you were my best friend.” Her face softened, but I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She looked to the floor, I need to get away from everyone. I went over to my dad and sat down on the makeshift bed they had for me, falling backwards, I moaned. “I hate today.” My dad nodded, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, but not for long. I woke to the sound of screams, my dream was right. I felt arms around me, keeping me locked in this hole in the ground, while I heard my best friends screams, which I caused. “Chloe, ignore him.”Emily whispered. I glared at her, telling her to be quiet without words. She didn’t say a thing a thing after that. Wyatts screams echoed through the room, why didn’t I stop him? I closed my eyes, trying to block them out, they stopped. I opened them again. No arms around me, no Emily glaring at me either. Total silence filled the room, everyone was looking at me. “What?” My voice echoed through the room. Beatrix stood up,
“Your dream was right, but Wyatt and his dad didn’t die. The beasts weren’t mean, you didn;t say that.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” I glared at her.
“I don’t know, why didn’t you?”
“Because my dream didn’t show me that, I can’t tell you guys stuff I don’t know.”
“Well maybe that’s better, you got us all scared for nothing. You should never tell anyone your dreams, ever.” She sat back down and everyone nodded.
By: December Evans
114 words
Tonight is an eclipse, and tonight they will come. They will come for all of us, I look around the poor excuse for a hiding place. It had about fifty people in it and they were all huddled up on the floor. How could a simple dream cause all this worry? But it was a pretty weird dream... I shook my head, not letting myself think about it. I have to many other things to think about, just not my nightmare. “Hey.” I heard Wyatt say. I turned and saw him walking towards me. I nodded,
“Hi. You worried for tonight?” I asked, he looked morally offended, like I stabbed him or something. “Why would I be afraid of something you dreamed about? I don’t even get why we’re here, it’s stupid. Why they listened to you is beyond me.” He replied. His words hurt, but I faked a smiled and nodded. “Wonder why...” I whispered. Wonder why you’re always so mean to me. Wonder why I ever liked you. I wanted to say these things so bad, but didn’t. I’m supposed to like him. I was made for him. He for me. We just have to survive the night.
“So, what’s supposed to come get us tonight Chloe? Zombies?” He laughed. I shook my head,
“No, beasts.”
“Beasts?” He asked, like I’d lie to him. I turned and glared at him, right into his emerald eyes.
“Yes, beasts. Evil, wolf like beasts. Beasts that could eat you in one bite.” I turned on my heel and began to walk away from him, but he grabbed my hand, and pulled me back. He pushed me against the wall. “You’re lying, I know you, that’s not what you saw, what did you really see?” He demanded shaking my arms, knocking my head against the wall. “Why would I lie Wyatt?” I asked. “That’s what I dreamt Wyatt, so just leave me alone.” I pushed him away from me and ran to the other side of the room. I heard him follow me. “Wyatt!” His dad screamed. “Leave Chloe alone! You know you shouldn’t do that!” We both stopped, he was terrified, I was laughing inside. Wyatt turned to face his dad. “Hi, dad.” He managed, stuttering. His dad just glared.
“You can’t annoy Chloe, you have to be nice to her, or else you both we made for nothing.” He growled. If alone was ever a werewolf, he would be. He is the only person who scares me in this room, my dad walks in. Ok no he’s not. “Sorry, dad.” Wyatt looks to the floor.
“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to Chloe.” He growled again. Wyatt looked at me, eyes filled with fear and rage.”She lied, nothing’s coming tonight. She said that to get us all scared. To ruin our clan dad.” He said pointing at me. What? What did he just say? I started to say something back, but felt my dad’s hand’s on my back. “Wyatt, she wouldn’t lie. Why would she? She doesn’t lie.” My dad was defending me. I smiled at Wyatt, his dad didn’t even like him.
“She lied about her name.” Wyatt pointed out.
“And my dad likes me just fine.” He mouthed.
“So, she doesn’t like the name Philomena, so she likes her middle name. So what Wyatt?”
“It’s still lying.” Wyatt sneared. Why do I have to marry him? Why?
“No, it’s not being called a name you hate.” I snorted, rolling my eyes. By now a lot of people were watching our argument. “She is still lying about her dream.”
“Fine, if you don't believe me, go outside Wyatt.” I suggested. He looked at me strangely, like seeing me in a new light. “Fine I will.” He ran to the door and I heard him running up the stairs.
“What did I just do?” I asked, feeling numb.
“Ohh.. You just killed my son!” Wyatt’s dad yelled at me. “How could you be so stupid?”
He ran after his son. “All we can do is wait for nightfall Chloe, we warned them.” My dad disappeared from behind me and went to comfort my little sister, Emily. I just stood there and stared at the stairway, Wyatt was going to die. Well most likely. Because I dared him to test his theory. I felt hollow, he annoys me, but it turns out I need him. Turns out I need the one I was made for, didn’t expect that. I turned, Beatrix was staring at me. “What?” I asked. She didn’t respond. I stomped over to her, “What’s your problem?” I asked. She blinked.
“He was supposed to be mine Philomena, now he’ll nones.” She whispered. What? She was made for Christopher, she said that a lot. I glanced at him, “What do you mean Beatrix?” I asked.
“I mean you took my crush Philomena!” She whispered louder. I stepped away from her,
“I didn’t chose who they made me for, not my fault. Should’ve said this before you were my best friend.” Her face softened, but I didn’t want to hear what she had to say.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” She looked to the floor, I need to get away from everyone. I went over to my dad and sat down on the makeshift bed they had for me, falling backwards, I moaned. “I hate today.” My dad nodded, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, but not for long. I woke to the sound of screams, my dream was right. I felt arms around me, keeping me locked in this hole in the ground, while I heard my best friends screams, which I caused. “Chloe, ignore him.”Emily whispered. I glared at her, telling her to be quiet without words. She didn’t say a thing a thing after that. Wyatts screams echoed through the room, why didn’t I stop him? I closed my eyes, trying to block them out, they stopped. I opened them again. No arms around me, no Emily glaring at me either. Total silence filled the room, everyone was looking at me. “What?” My voice echoed through the room. Beatrix stood up,
“Your dream was right, but Wyatt and his dad didn’t die. The beasts weren’t mean, you didn;t say that.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” I glared at her.
“I don’t know, why didn’t you?”
“Because my dream didn’t show me that, I can’t tell you guys stuff I don’t know.”
“Well maybe that’s better, you got us all scared for nothing. You should never tell anyone your dreams, ever.” She sat back down and everyone nodded.
Title: Seeing the EclipseWord Count: 1930
My weekend is going to be perfect. Or at least it better be my friends and I have been planning it for months. I’ve been counting down the days. We are all going to see an eclipse. Today we will be hiking most of the way there and then tomorrow at noon we will get to see an eclipse. I love camping I can’t wait to camp outside tonight. Plus this gives me an excuse to actually use my pocket knife and not just play with it.
“Hey Alyx. You ready to go?” my best friend, Tina, asks.
“I’ve been ready for months and you know that.” I tell her.
“Just making sure.” Then she grabs my arm and pulls me towards the rest of our group.
There’s six of us in total. What’s strange is that our group comprises of three pairs that come together to form a rather eclectic group of people. There’s Tina, who looks like a ballerina, and me, who is big and gruff like one of those female baseball players. Tina and I are the only pair of best friends in the group. All the other pairs are couples. Faith and Daniel, or as I call them Goth and Quarterback, have been dating for six months. Allison and Nick, a.k.a. The Clowns, have been dating for about three months. The six of us met on the first day of high school. We were all trying to stay in the background. Due to a lack of seats at lunch we all ended up sitting next to each other. We’ve stuck together ever since.
We all climb into Nick’s big van. Allison and Nick take the task of of entertaining us on the drive to the forest. Within minutes we are all laughing. By the time we get there my abs hurt and I had the hiccups.
After gulping some water to get rid of the hiccups I pulled out the map to find the best route to take to the camping clearing. I figure out the general direction we need to go and point it out to everyone else. We began hiking.
“Hey Alyx. I heard you were talking to a new guy. Looking to add to the group, because then we’d have an odd number and I can’t see that working out.” Nick teased
“I would never compromise our groups integrity like that. Besides I’m planning on growing old with no one but you guys and thirty cats. Especially after what happened with Zale.” I tell him.
Zale is my ex-boyfriend. I really did love him, but he beat me. It went on for about three months. Then Tina found out and told everyone else. They helped my break up with him. It wasn’t a highlight in my life. It was his idea to go see the eclipse. He even researched this place, but I’m happier here with my friends and not him.
“Don’t think about that. Besides I can see you with thirty cats. Alyx Star, the crazy cat lady.” Tina says trying to take my mind off Zale. I lightly punch her in the arm for the crazy cat lady joke. She feigns agonizing pain.
“Now, now, girls no fighting.” says Daniel while pushing his way in between us.
“Ha, ha. Like I’d hurt Tina. Without her I would be stuck as fifth wheel on a couples mobil. Gross!” I gagged.
The rest of the walk was passed with regular conversation. After a while the couples broke off to do the couple thing. leaving Tina and me to entertain ourselves. To pass the time we play Favorites. It’s basically a game where you ask someone their favorite something and they answer.
“Favorite movie?” Tina asks.
“You know this one.”
“I know. Answer anyway.”
“Fine. Red Dawn. The new version. Favorite book?” I ask with a smile. Tina loves books and refuses to pick a favorite. She says it’s like choosing your favorite child.
“Oh you know I can never choose.” I glare at her. “Fine. Can I pick a whole series?” she asks.
“Yes. Just answer.”
“I’d have to say Harry Potter wins.” she says
We pass the rest of the hike playing the game. When it starts getting dark we want to stop and make camp. I look around for the couples, but they aren’t around us.
“Where did they go?” asks Tina.
“I don’t know maybe they are ahead of us.” I say. “Or they could be behind us.” I adds on a second thought.
“We should should split up . You go back and I’ll keep going.” she suggests.
“How will I find you if I find them?”
“Start a fire. Every half hour I will search the sky for smoke. You do the same.”
“Okay, but if we don’t find them by noon tomorrow we go back to the ranger station. Okay?”
“Deal.” she says and starts hurdling through the trees.
I steadily walk backwards careful not to take in my surroundings too much, because I know that if I study the dark, spooky trees or listen to all the weird unexplainable noises I will freak myself out. After about ten minutes I decide calling for them might be more productive.
“Faith! Daniel!” I yell “Allison! Nick!”
I wait for responses but all I hear is eery silence. I scream some more. Getting more desperate with every yell. I scan the sky for smoke, but sometime while I was looking it got dark. Pitch blackness is everywhere around me. I feel like the blackness is smothering me. I’m drowning in it. No air. Suffocation. I fumble for my flashlight and turn it on. The flashlight helps, but only a little. I run through the woods still screaming their names until I can’t scream anymore.
I’m not sure how long I looked, but it must have been at least two to three hours until I laid on the ground in a fetal position sobbing my eyes out until it was light. Upon the newfound brightness I see smoke billowing from the direction I came from. I jump from my cramped position and start running for it.
It is longer than I thought. I don’t stumble upon the fire until nearly six in the morning. The fire is out when I get there. No one is around. Further inspection tells me this is where we planned to stay the night. We planned to get here around eight at night and leave as soon as the sun was up. I search the ground and find a note in Tina’s handwriting.
“Dear Alyx,” it states. “We went ahead when we figure out how far behind you were. Sorry, but we really didn’t want to miss it. Hurry and you’ll make it. Love Tina, Nick, Allison, Faith, and Daniel.”
Almost immediately after I finish reading I’m running again. I only have six hours to get to the eclipse clearing. I refuse to miss this. I’ve been looking forward to it for months. We calculated that it would take eight hours walking and taking frequent breaks. If I ran and didn’t stop I should make it. After the first three hours I was sweating and was so tired I was sure if I stopped running I was going to pass out. Somehow I kept going and got to the outskirts of the clearing a half hour early.
That’s when I started hearing the voice. I almost instantly recognize it. Zale is in the clearing. My mind goes back to him yelling at me. Telling my that I’m the worst girlfriend and that I’m lucky that he would take me. I shake the images out of my head.
“Alyx should be here any second. She should’ve known better than to use my plan. She should’ve known I wouldn’t allow it. This is all her fault. If she was a better girlfriend and didn’t break up with me I wouldn’t do this. But she crossed a line and this is the only solution. She needs punished and the only way to do it is to kill all her friends right in front of her.” Zale says to no one in particular.
I peek through the bushes to see Zale holding a gun. All my friends have duct tape around their hands, feet, and mouth. I set my pack down and grab my pocket knife. I open the longest blade and grip the handle so tight that my knuckles turn white.
“The real question is who should I kill first.” Zale continues. “I’m thinking we’ll start with Faith, then Daniel, then Allison, then Nick, and for the grand finale I’ll kill Tina.” I hear Faith whimper. “You should be happy Faith at least you don’t have to watch your friends die first.” She starts to cry. He smacks her. “Stupid bitch.” he mutters.
Suddenly I can’t stand in my hiding place. He’s not going to get away with this . Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. My heart is pounding. It’s taking all my willpower not to charge right in there without any plan. I tiptoe behind him as quietly as possible. Tina spots me and her eyes scream at me to go back, but I can’t leave them here with him. I’m standing right behind him ready to stab when he turns to face me.
“Alyx you made it. How nice. So unexpected.” he laughs at his own lame joke.
I grab at his gun and try to get it away from him. He laughs at my lame attempt.
“You can’t stop me. Don’t you know that if you bring a knife to a gunfight you will lose.” he says leveling his gun at my chest.
“You won’t shoot me.” I say and then I ruan at him.
I dig my knife into his flesh and rake it down into his abdomen. He falls. I hit him over the head for good measure and he goes unconscious. I run to my friends and cut their tape. Everyone hugs me at once. I’m being smothered in a various arms and legs.
“I thought we were going to die.” Faith wails.
“We tried to get away, but he tied us up.” Allison cries.
“He force me to write the note and to tell how we were going to communicate. Please forgive me.” Tina sobs.
“There’s nothing to forgive.” I smile.
“Hey look the eclipse is starting.” Daniel points out.
I look up and sure enough the moon is slowly covering the sun creating beautiful light fixtures. Sure we didn’t get here quite how I planned, but in the end it’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. When the sun was completely covered I suddenly got scared that it wasn’t coming back.
In our distraction Zale must have woken up. “Hey Alyx.” he says.
I turn to see Zale holding the gun. He appears to be in a lot of pain and it takes his last bit of strength to lift the gun off the ground.
“Still think I won’t shoot.” he gurgles and before I can react he shoots.
“Alyx! Alyx!” screams my friends. I’m too shocked to differentiate their voices.
I try to reassure them that I am fine, but gurgles are the only thing that comes out.
My friends continue to scream but I don’t hear them. I stare at the eclipse. The lights from the other side of the moon. I think about my fear that the sun isn’t coming back. And for me the sun doesn’t come back, because everything turns to blackness.
Ryan wrote: "Stunning, Cat. What a way you have with words. Very lyrical and beautiful to read."
Thank you, Ryan, Goodreads tactician.
Thank you, Ryan, Goodreads tactician.
Oh no! It's almost the deadline. Let's see if I can get mine typed up in time...It's about Loki and Apollo fighting over the same girl at a party for an eclipse - two eclipses, actually.
Well darn. I have to get up early tomorrow, so can't finish tonight. I have a little bit of time between work and class, but I highly doubt I'll be done by then. Oh well. If the polls aren't up by the time I finish, I'll enter...
Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a story previously used in this group.
Your story should be between 300 and 3,500 words long. PLEASE keep it between these limits or it will NOT be submitted for polls.
Also, if your story has paragraphs, please make it obvious.
REMEMBER! A short story is not merely a scene. It must have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
This week’s topic is: Eclipse
*Thanks to Rachel Strayer for the idea*
The rules are pretty loose. You could write a story about anything that has to do with the subject. I do not care, but it must relate to the story somehow.
Have fun!