Love of Writing discussion
Monthly Short Story Contest
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April: Into the woods
Susan loved your story, your description of the tunnel and different world was good especially with the space we have.
THE BUNYIPBy Christene Britton-Jones (956 words)
“Tribal elders say it comes out of the dreaming, the Dreamtime at the beginning before the time of man and animal; came with the Old Ones,” Will had answered to Dawn’s inquiry.
A heavy silence settled. A small flash suddenly broke the silence; a fire flare of crackling dried gum leaves as smoldering coals caught the scavenged heat dried timber branch in the campfire pit. Graham leaned forward and put another piece of dried mallee root, already crumbling from white-ant rot, on the fire before he leaned back and lit his cigarette with a glowing twig.
Dawn and Evelyn clung tightly to one another, huge goose bumps rose on their arms and legs. Eyes wide, they stared into the darkness that encroached upon the campfire lit perimeter.
Will paused. He studied the faces of his friends, and when he spoke again, his words were soft, and in his native tongue, “Cooma el ngruwar, ngruwar of cooma, illa booka mer ley urrie urrie.”
“What?” Dawn whispered, searching his now ashen face no longer the color of his usually dark skin.
“One is all, all is one, the soul will not die,” he replied, not meeting her eyes. He just stared into the flames of the campfire.
There was a sudden silence but for the crackling fire. Evelyn and Dawn stared at the fire, each in their own thoughts. Just an old tale, Evelyn tried to convince herself. Just an old tale.
The group broke up each one silently headed towards their tent.
Dawn dived into her tent and retrieved the book she had promised Evelyn, that of Fredericka the latest Regency romance novel by Georgette Heyer. Evelyn said shakily that she wouldn’t sleep at all after listening to Will so gladly accepted the proffered paperback.
“Come, let me show you something Evelyn,” Will spoke softly as he walked towards her.
The two of them walked away, disappearing down a dark path along the river. Dawn smiled as she turned back to her tent...
* * *
“You said you wanted to show me something,” Evelyn said. Her hand was clasped tight in Will’s.
“I didn’t finish the story of the billabong devil spirit,” he replied. His words were soft and distant. “I thought maybe you wanted to hear the rest of it.”
A twig snapped. Somewhere close by. They stopped. Evelyn glanced, a fearful glance, and then looked back at Will. He seemed unconcerned, even smiling.
“The Bunyip…,” he started to say.
“Out there?” Evelyn said fearfully.
Will chuckled. “No, my story,” he replied. “Do you want to hear the rest of it?”
She gasped, nodded, held her breath. Will’s smile widened.
“Alright,” Will said.
He paused, looked into the dark, and then turned his gaze back to Evelyn. For the first time she saw a strange light in his eyes and sensed something not right, unnatural. He was hiding something. And whatever it was, Evelyn was certain it wasn’t good.
“The Bunyip comes from long ago,” Will continued his story. “From the Dreamtime. It lives in billabongs and swamps and marshes and rivers…”
“You told us that already,” Evelyn said, suddenly wanting the story to hurry up and finish so they could get back to camp.
”Yeah, I did,” Will agreed. “Just a reference point.” He paused, smiled a lopsided smile. “But what I didn’t say was that sometimes the Bunyip makes pacts with people.”
“Pacts?” Evelyn squeaked, unconsciously dropping her book.
Will nodded. “Blood pacts,” he said. “A promise to lure victims to it in exchange for your life.”
A tentacle slithered across the damp earth. Another twig snapped and echoed through the night.
Evelyn gasped. Turned. Will looked into the dark. They waited, listening. Only silence.
“You’re joking, right?” Evelyn said, looking back at Will. “It’s only a story. There really isn’t any Bunyip, is there?”
Will just smiled. That strange light in his eyes danced. Then Evelyn knew. The Bunyip was real. And what’s more, Will had made a pact with one.
“No…no,” she cried, shaking her head. Her voice was weak, broken.
Suddenly she recognized the light in Will’s eyes. Madness.
Will nodded. “Yes,” he replied, cackling softly. “It’s coming for you, Evelyn. Listen.”
A sudden explosion of noise tore through the woods. Something was coming and coming fast. Trees shook twigs and branches snapped. It bounced from tree to tree through the woods toward Evelyn and Will. Then it stopped. The silence returned.
Hesitantly, Evelyn glanced back over her shoulder. Something was there. A shadow rose up, flailing tentacles against the starlit sky.
Then it came, the horrendous unearthly howls and deep bellows that reached out and clutched her heart.
Evelyn screamed, bolted past Will, fleeing aimlessly into the woods.
Will roared with crazed laughter as she fled for her life. “Run, Evelyn! Run!”
* * *
Dawn opened her eyes. She knew the direction of the howling bellows, the direction in which Will and Evelyn had disappeared.
Suddenly, a mournful deep howl rumbled on over and over, reverberating and echoing across the flats surrounding the embankment. The mournful bellowing ripped through the night.
Then silence.
Not a sound. Not a thing moved.
Dawn rose then ran in the direction that Will and Evelyn had gone. Low hanging branches barred her way, clawing at her face and arms as she tried to dodge them. On three occasions she tripped over stones and roots on the uneven path. Finally, she broke into a small clearing near the river.
She stopped and looked. Across the clearing stood Will. Alone. He was looking back.
Their eyes met.
There was no sign of Evelyn but in his hand, covered in mud, he held a book.
* * *
Something different here in my story: this is one injected with suspense, horror and intrigue hopefully... This has been a long month for me but I am slowly getting up and about and am on the mend again.
Invasionby Sharon Willett
635 Words
Ellen worked the ground with her hands, breathing in its rich odor, while George used the hoe around the tomato plants. A Blue jay flew overhead squawking erratically. Ellen noticed the silence of the other birds as a shadow covered the garden at that moment.
She glanced up. Hundreds of dark orbs descended, each landing atop a tree in the dense forest only a half mile from their home. “George. What is that?”
He gave a fleeting glance in the direction she pointed then returned his gaze to the work at hand. Immediately he snapped to attention, shifting his gaze back to the trees. “I don’t know.” He dropped the hoe and hurried to his wife. He assured her, or maybe himself, of their safety all the way to the house.
Once inside he locked the patio slider. “You stay here and tell me what’s going on?” He rushed throughout the house locking the other door and all of the windows.
“Those balls are, um, like flattening out over the tops of the trees. Come here and watch this. It looks like someone draped black canopies on the trees.” She turned toward him and wiped a tear from her cheek. At the same time noticed her hand shook.
He wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her tight to him. As they watched together, they could hear loud snapping. The top of each tree appeared to shrink away. The process slowed after the top branches were gone and the sound changed to a crunching. The trunk of each tree seemed to melt under the darkness.
George ran out of the room and seconds later returned with a pair of binoculars. She tried to be patient, but could wait no longer. Ellen grabbed the eyeglasses away. She watched a dark orb finish its meal of tree. Once on the ground, the darkness gathered inward and upward into a large cigar shape. Wings unfurled at each side and opened to show a tall, grey man with shiny eyes and large black wings.
She dropped the binoculars and stepped back. He scooped them up and she watched as he scanned the distant tree line.
“I believe they’re Mothmen.” Again he left her, but this time she followed.
“What is a moth man?”
He unlocked the gun cabinet, grabbed a gun along with two clips and a box of bullets. They returned to the patio door.
Ellen didn’t need aid to see. “They’re walking toward our house,” she gasped. “Look how big those wings are. What is a moth man?” The last five words were more of a demand than a question.
“Ellen, many believe aliens have inhabited this planet for hundreds of years. I have a book that tells about many species. A Mothman was spotted in West Virginia in the mid 60’s. It’s called that because the creature is the size of a man but with dark wings and can fly. They normally are only seen at night. What I don’t know, is what they want from us?”
Ellen cried. At first it was just a whimper like she was trying to understand, then a full out wail came from deep in her throat. “You mean there is no God?” Her words barely understandable.
George picked Ellen up and carried her into the living room, gently laying her on the couch. He patted her hand then went back for the gun. He quickly returned, knelt down beside her wiping the tears from her beautiful brown eyes. With a soothing voice he said, “God is real. You know that. You’ve felt His Spirit and seen His power. He has the ability to create more than one planet with life.”
They heard breaking glass.
“We can’t worry about what we have no control.” George picked up the gun.
Mod
Mod
Shelly wrote: "Nature’s WayBy
Shelly Heskett Harris
1050 words
A giant, flat rock, against an ancient oak, by a bubbling brook, deep in the woods may sound like a setting found only in fiction, but such a plac..."
Nice descriptions, Shelly - I love deer and have a deep appreciation for this story...and really like the happy ending: )
Shelly wrote: "Susan loved your story, your description of the tunnel and different world was good especially with the space we have."Thank you, Shelly...glad you liked the story.
Christene wrote: "THE BUNYIPBy Christene Britton-Jones (956 words)
“Tribal elders say it comes out of the dreaming, the Dreamtime at the beginning before the time of man and animal; came with the Old Ones,” Will h..."
You're right on the genre - suspense, horror, and intrigue - good show. It's surprising how much "story" can be pulled off in such a few words - you managed it well; )
S. wrote: "Invasionby Sharon Willett
635 Words
Ellen worked the ground with her hands, breathing in its rich odor, while George used the hoe around the tomato plants. A Blue jay flew overhead squawking erra..."
Sharon, wow! Strong image scenes (descending balls of black, melting trees, description of the "Mothmen", and George with the gun) - from gardening to horror: ) Gripping in a good way:)
Mod
by Glenda Reynolds
996 words
After Tristin had finished cutting wood, he gathered some pieces in his arms to carry it into Lord Eric’s cottage. It was late in the afternoon. Puffy gray clouds covered the sky. An unusual sight caught his attention. A plume of fire and smoke rose from the nearby forest. After delivering his bundle of wood beside the fireplace, Tristin headed to the woods. Pogo the tabby trailed after him as he went.
The woods was eerily silent. He noticed the absence of the joyful songs of birds that was always present. Something was wrong. He was a quarter mile into the forest when leaves started raining on Tristin’s head and shoulders.
Dead silence.
Tristin slowly turned and looked up. At first he saw nothing. Then the hideous form of a dragon came into view. It was able to camouflage itself as it sat perched in a giant Sequoia tree. Pogo growled then hissed, and his fur was puffed out in alarm.
“What do you want, little man child?” the dragon said as it creeped slowly down the tree.
Tristin swallowed and found his voice, “I only wanted to see what was the cause of the fire and smoke”.
“And so you have. Do I frighten you?”
“Of course you do! I’ve read stories about dragons in my bedtime story books. They never end well.”
“What is your name?”
“Tristin. What’s yours?”
“Grughus.” At the sight of Pogo, the pupils of his golden eyes became dilated as he exclaimed, “I see you come baring a gift! I’ve wondered what cats taste like,” he snorted. The dragon was finally standing on the ground. He was covered in light brown scales from head to tale. Pointed fleshy scales fanned out around his head as two horns graced the top and curved backward. He bent his head low to sniff the new visitors.
“I dare you to try. He helped kill some Mongrelfolk a while back.”
At this news, Grughus flinched backward, “Mongrelfolk! So, you are the one.”
“We are the ones. We mean you no harm as I hope that the feeling is mutual. Are you a full grown dragon?”
“No, I am not. There are much larger ones than me.”
“There are more of your kind?” Tristin saw that a bloody arrow was stuck in the dragon’s wing. It was in a bad spot, making it difficult for Grughus to dislodge it. “I see that someone has injured you with an arrow.”
“Yes, indeed. One of those silly boys training to be a knight. He calls himself Radolf. He is a trouble maker.”
“You don’t know the half of it. He is a purebred werewolf. He chased me and my friend the other day. He would’ve torn me to shreds if he could.”
The pupils of the dragon’s eyes became slits as he thought of something. “I’ll make you a deal: you pull this arrow out of my wing, and I’ll owe you a favor.”
“I accept!” said Tristin confidently. “How do I get up there to pull it out?”
“Climb on my head,” Grughus said as he laid his head on the forest floor. Tristin wasted no time climbing from the nose to the horns, then sliding down the neck to the injured wing. Grughus flattened his wing for Tristin to reach it. After some tugging, Tristin pulled the arrow out of the wing. He jumped to the ground and held the arrow for Grughus to see.
“Thank you, Tristin, Mongrelfolk Slayer, Helper of Dragons!”
“No, it’s just Tristin. Someone is coming.” His gaze turned to find Lord Eric walking through the forest to find him. When Tristin turned to speak to Grughus, the dragon had camouflaged himself again. Tristin threw the bloody arrow into the low brush.
“I wondered where you were since you didn’t answer my call for dinner,” Eric said as he ruffled the boy’s hair. “Remember: knights never keep their hosts waiting for dinner.”
*****
The next day, Eric took Tristin hunting for deer at Scarlet Peak. This gave Tristin the chance to learn how to use a crossbow. After waiting patiently, they saw a large doe walking cautiously through the woods. Tristin took aim and fired the crossbow. The arrow landed in the neck of the deer; however, she began to run away from them. Eric mounted his horse to chase her down.
“Stay here,” he instructed Tristin who nodded in obedience.
Once Eric was gone, the silence was deafening only to be replaced by the growling of a wolf. There were boulders to the right of Tristin. A red wolf with glowing eyes stood baring his teeth at the boy. Tristin ran with all his might, running blindly through the forest; branches were cutting his face. The trees gave way to daylight. He found himself trapped at the edge of a cliff. The wolf took it’s time trying to see what angle to pounce on the boy. The rush of wings filled Tristin’s ears. Grughus the dragon snatched the wolf in his great claws. The wolf turned into a boy as he struggled and yelled for help. Radolf screamed,reaching his hand out as he pleaded. There was nothing Tristin could do but to watch. Grugus released the boy who fell to his death on the rocks below. His body turned back into a red wolf, as was the way of purebreds.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard drawing near. Grughus flew away just in time.
“I thought I heard something,” inquired Erik who had the doe tied to the back of his horse.
“You did. A wolf just died,” Tristin said as he pointed to the rocks below.
“So it did. Let’s go home now. It’s been a long day.”
*****
After a good meal and the chores were done, Tristin stepped outside in the growing twilight. Grughus jumped to the ground from a nearby tree.
“Thank you for saving me today.”
“That’s what friends are for!” said the dragon.
Hello Writers,Susan, that's quite a story and well-written with plenty of adjectives. Not sure I like the ending though. That darn Tsoren.
Shelly, good Texan tall tale. I thought we might get a western Michigan goodie set on Lake Mich. I would probably omit the last sentence and let the extra word count ride this month.
David Russell
Lynette, your prompts and theme led to some very good tales.David B. – It takes time, insight, and patience to write poetry. You gave us not only a fun read, but one with a life lesson for adults and children.
David R. – Good start to a flash fiction tale. I wonder if it might be more powerful by everyone gathering to make something different from the factory instead of tearing it down. You’re brave to tackle a difficult subject.
Sandy C. – You’re so good a historical fiction. The last line is tantalizing.
Gene – How did the author visit at B&N go?
Susan D. – I loved Becca’s surprise and questioning at the end, while you also let us see that she’s already coming to terms with the situation.
Shelly H. – A feel good story with an ending that could take us on a different journey. Great beginning paragraph!
Christene J. – You must be feeling better, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to rip us out of our worlds and into Will’s so successfully.
Glenda R. – From the time of kings, queens, lords and ladies comes a dragon tale of honor. Well done.
Amazing group of good writers.
Mod
https://www.facebook.com/gene.hilgreen
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Great stories everyone. This month's contest closes tomorrow night at midnight and voting will open. Voting will close at midnight on the 30th. I will announce the winners on the first or once everybody has voted. Remember votes count as follows:1st choice 3 votes
2nd choice 2 votes
3rd choice 1 vote
You can send your votes to whitefantasybooks@gmail.com or send to me as message here in Goodreads.
Glenda wrote: "Unlikely Heroby Glenda Reynolds
996 words
After Tristin had finished cutting wood, he gathered some pieces in his arms to carry it into Lord Eric’s cottage. It was late in the afternoon. Puffy gr..."
Strong characters - and love the fantasy spin and the unlikely hero concept. Good read, Glenda; )
Mod
Thank you, Ms. Susan.
Preparing for an Encounter in the Woods by F. F. Burwick 910 wordsMalcolm Putts grew up going to the school operated by his family's church. He developed his values from that background. How he then had kept this book from that time, he did not remember. He was only doing spring cleaning, and was surprised to find it again, among several boxes with old things he had kept, after it had been long forgotten.
It was that collection of most interesting creatures in the world. He remembered how he was so interested in the creatures shown in that, but didn't recall how he happened to keep that book and yet forget about it still.
There was one creature described in it that was especially interesting to him. This was the bigfoot that was said to inhabit forests of that part of the country including the woods near to his home back then. He now thought much more about it.
Malcolm was in a position where he could invest in a team project to explore parts of the forest where there were claimed sightings of such a creature, and bring what would be needed for documenting it. So he decided to return back to that area that same season, with time he could arrange for that.
The day finally came, and Malcolm had a team of five others with him, including Steve Irving, an experienced scout in the wilderness. They went on a circuit to forest areas with those alleged sightings. After half a dozen places, they had no sighting of any large creature, and a few spots where broken branches and twigs gave suggestion of something but without any tracks found for confirmation.
They came then to the Putter's Wood. Here they came upon a course of broken branches that could be tracked in one direction. The six men followed, and they finally came to a small stream, where tracks could be seen imprinted in the wet bank on the other side of them. And they were great wide prints of such a bipedal creature. With excitement, yet moving quietly, they continued onward.
At length they came to where a large creature was seen lying down, under one great tree. They stopped, watching for a while, and then Steve spoke very softly, "It is sleeping, let us move a bit closer, but quietly."
He led the way, and they moved slowly closer, and came to within twenty feet of that still figure. Three others there among them started documenting this occasion, which they had come for.
They could see here that the fur of the creature was definitely dappled with brown and green. Steve walked up a little further, he was carrying the folded net he pulled out from the bag of the items they brought, and just then that animal stirred. The pointed ears were seen pricking up. Steve moved quietly and quickly back.
"It is a googol dog, that is extremely rare, anywhere," Steve told the others. "It is injured. It seems to have been scratched, and is bleeding on its side facing us."
The animal then raised its head, and they saw that indeed it was a large dog. It still lay there, not moving.
Dan Wielton, the one with them having medical experience and bringing medical equipment for emergency situations, stepped forward, and told Steve to walk nearby as he approached. Dan then came to the dog softly, which did not move away as he came. And Dan kneeled next to it, and spoke in a comforting way briefly, as he pulled out what he could treat the wound with, sterilizing it first, as Steve was stationed a little to the side, ready to use the net if that was needed. The dog just remained there, enduring it as if understanding this was for being of help.
After a bit of work, Dan had the wound bandaged. The group had some food they had brought for themselves, and they put a little of what they had, which dogs would eat, before the googol dog, which then ate from that gratefully.
Afterwards, the dog then stood up again, showing them it was a quite large male dog, and then walked a little way carefully, and then stood watching them for a few moments, and walked carefully on.
The group talked briefly among themselves, and they agreed the googol dog was waiting to have them follow. They followed him then, and the dog led them at an easy pace down a gentle slope, to an open area by a dry creek bed. Here there were bits of debris scattered around, broken off from dry vegetation there, and some footprints were found, they were those that would be from the googol dog, and those that looked like the bigfoot footprints. They could clearly see there had been a melee between the dog and that large creature, that must be the bigfoot. They had documentation made of that site, and the googol dog accompanied them as they continued to search all over that forest. It must have still been there, but the creature was so elusive, in an uncannily intelligent way, that even with the googol dog there to help them with that, it was never found, and they finally admitted to themselves that they could have no more success than what they found. The googol dog accompanied them as they headed back to where they had entered the forest, and they stepped away from it, the googol dog was quickly gone.
Hello Writers,- First, thanks Sharon for the comments on mine and just about everyone's story here. I appreciate your critique.
Christene, Catchy title and glad you felt well enough to give us an entertaining story! Hope you are on the mend.
- Susan, I meant Soren not Tsoren in my comment, sorry for the spelling error and oversight. Still wanted a different ending though. Oh well.
- Last but not least, Fred Burwick, you dazzle us with your unique writing style and command of the language. Good for you!
Off to cast my votes as it has been a taking care of business kind of day for yours truly. Happy writing, book signings, or where ever you find yourself on the writing journey at the moment. Just keep moving forward!
David
F.F. wrote: "Preparing for an Encounter in the Woods by F. F. Burwick 910 wordsMalcolm Putts grew up going to the school operated by his family's church. He developed his values from that background. How he t..."
Hi F.F. Interesting story, included all of the components requested, and quite the unique googol dog. Good show: )
F.F. this story had me. I didn't expect to find the dog. Love how the googol dog told on bigfoot!
Hey, not to showcase my attention span. But how do we vote again?
Mod
1st place - 3 points
2nd place - 2 points
3rd place - 1 point
Send your votes via Goodreads message to Lynette White or email her at Whitefantasybooks@gmail.com
Many great stories this month. Didn't get mine finished in time. Again. Hope everyone the best. Can't wait to see who wins. I will be posting next month's challenge on the 1st. Thanks for reminding me, Glenda.
It's been a busy few months. Work is beginning to settle into a rhythm again and I finally got my camper repaired. We successfully went camping in it last weekend. Yeah. So now I have more time to focus on writing again.
Mod
We did some fishing on the shore and the docks. The only fish we caught was on the dock but was very tasty for dinner. Walked around Lake Eufaula's shore a lot. Went horseback riding. and hurried home to beat the hailstorm.... so had to cut it short. Despite the wind and storms, had a great time.
Mod
Shae sorry you didn't get your story in for this months read...looking forward to reading your next one. Your holiday sounds fabulous, so with all of that R&R (rest and relaxation) you must be rearing to go...Welcome back
I have voted. It was tough this month, so many great stories. I think everyone is a winner.
Thank you to everyone who has voted. There is still one last person who hasn't voted so as soon as they cast their votes I will be announcing the winners. It is a tight race so the last votes can completely change the outcome.Thank you, everybody for the great entries this month. Looking forward to the awesome challenge Shea has in store for us.
Have been in hosp--phnu--jst out this Pm so I could vote. have 2 or more to read, WILL HURRY
Shelly wrote: "THis is the wrong copy of my story. This version has 50 too many words. Take the last pargaraph off and the reference to the hogs and that'll do it. Or I can delete it and and re enter Which is the..."
Shelly hope you are recovering nicely from your hospital visit...sending some healing hugzzzzzzzzzzzzz your way.
Shelly, I hope you are feeling better. Let us know when you can how you are doing.
I'm sorry I could not participate in the April stories. The truth of the matter is my muse was suffering from a bad case of creativity. May will be better.
David wrote: "Shelly, I hope you are feeling better. Let us know when you can how you are doing."stories. The truth of the matter is my muse was suffering from a bad case of creativity. May will be better."
Patricia wrote: "I'm sorry I could not participate in the April stories. The truth of the matter is my muse was suffering from a bad case of creativity. May will be better."
David wrote: "Shelly, I hope you are feeling better. Let us know when you can how you are doing."not sure why this is picking up other commts? want to .,. it thank yall for your well wishes very suprised and pleased.
so sorry about the vote....got home by ambuance got my vtes ready and puter went down finally got them sent off. whew
I am sorry you were in the hospital, Shelly. I hope you get better soon. Patricia, I feel you. Hope you will be able to participate in the May contest.
So, the votes are in and it was such a tight contest that we actually have 6 winners this month. With that said here are your winners.First place is David Brown
We have three place winners: Sandy, Christine, and Sharon.
Third place goes to Susan and Glenda.
Congrats to all the winners and a huge thank you to everybody who submitted a story this month. Every story was excellent.
Wow, Lynett. You weren't kidding when you said the contest was close. Thanks for the inspiration to write. Congratulations to winners. Keep being inspired, all.
Thank you all so much. I have never received a first place on here. I feel light headed. lol. Thanks again everyone.
Wow it was certainly a tight knit voting group...and understandable as these fellow story writers of mine here had such a high standard of excellence....thank you for your votes and a big congratulation to the other winners and to all who submitted also...everyone was a winner in my eyes... and that poem of David's was just incredible now wasn't it? Off to see what Shae has for us for May.
David wrote: "Thank you all so much. I have never received a first place on here. I feel light headed. lol. Thanks again everyone."Well deserved David. Hope to see more of your talent on these pages in the future.
Mod
Glenda, thank you for buying my book. I am so proud. Some of the stories are a bit twisted and scary. Please let me know if you see the endings coming. I have tried to put twist ending in each story. If you can please leave me feedback on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Thank you again, and thank you all for voting for me.
Shelly wrote: "THis is the wrong copy of my story. This version has 50 too many words. Take the last pargaraph off and the reference to the hogs and that'll do it. Or I can delete it and and re enter Which is the..."