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October 2019 Monthly Challenge
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BINGO, COME HOME!By Mirta Oliva
When I thought I would not be raising any more kittens, our seven-year-old cat brought home two just-born, black creatures. No matter how many times I had told the children not to leave the door open, it had happened again. It is apparent that a free-roaming black cat had eyes on our sweet Sybil and convinced her they should have a kitty together. Needless to say, the tiny, furry and playful kitties were welcome with love in our house.
Bingo and Lotto are doing fine thanks to the care received from cat mom. Today is Halloween and I have warned all in our house to make sure the kitties do not escape or we may never see them again. Around seven, the kids left home with a bucket of small toys in lieu of candies plus their home-made Jack-O-Lantern. In turn, I placed a box with toys on the porch to avoid a mishap with the kittens.
"Be careful, kids, go straight to your friend's house and back." Two voices answered in unison, "Yes, mom."
When I opened the door, Sybil was frantically running around the house, from one room to the next, as if she were looking for something. I realized it may have to do with her kittens so I looked in her bed and, sure enough, only Lotto was there. I tried to communicate with the worried mom but she would only cry a desperate "meow" while running back and forth. I searched well inside and around the house but no kitten. Then I thought perhaps the children had taken the little one to show him to his friends.
An hour later, as the children returned from trick-or-tricking, I asked them about Bingo. They were surprised and preoccupied to hear the kitty was gone. They looked around to no avail.
The next morning, the kids posted fliers everywhere asking for Bingo's return. They added a plea on behalf of Sybil who was still looking for her newborn. When my children returned from school, I had no good news.
"Mom, we would like to go from house to house and see if anyone had seen Bingo," said Jasper.
"Fine, kids, but be careful. Do not go inside any house and come back soon."
An hour later, the kids had not returned and I was becoming worried. When my husband returned from work, we went on foot searching for the boys without luck; however, a short distance ahead there was a small crowd surrounding something or someone. We ran fast, hoping it had nothing to do with the boys but it did. Jasper and Walter were on the floor crying, being consoled by the passerby neighbors. The children had followed a stranger on a bike, who was holding Bingo. As they got close to the man, asking for the kitty, they were hit with the bicycle on purpose. Luckily, our children were not hurt--they were just crying for Bingo. We thanked the good Samaritans and rushed back home to call the police. Sybil was still wandering throughout the house looking for her kitten.
We were watching TV when the doorbell rang. A police officer arrived holding Bingo. He said a petty-thief had broken inside a house a few blocks away and was terrifying the owner with a knife while still holding the kitty. He was apprehended. In a strange twist, Bingo--the lost kitty--averted an assault of possible grave consequences.
Wow. Nice story Mirta. A "Cat" burglar. :)
Thanks, Shae. It was a bit rushed out of necessity but it followed the prompts.
Okay folks. Mirta has hers posted. I just wrote mine.... yeah. I did it again. cried all through it. but I can't post it till you all post and vote. So get writing. (She said with a big smile.)
Wow. I scared everyone off. What a halloween trick! LOL
A KAIKU call to celebrate Halloween with a ghostly story following Shae's guidelines listed above. (For those new to Haikus, I have added asterisks to separate the syllables).A "5-7-5" SYLLABLES HAIKU
By M. Oliva
Hal*low*een is here
So write about ghost*ly be*ings
In Writ*ers' 750 Group
The prompts are sim*ple
A Jack*O*Lan*tern, cat, child
Plus a dis*tressed group
For the record and not to scare anyone, as I was watching the moon tonight,
a nasty ghost pulled me by the hair and murmured in my ear:
"Tell those 750 writers to scare the living daylights of readers by posting
eerie stories of ghosts, witches, black cats, etc., or else!"
He soon left floating in the night. (I am just the messenger).
Shae wrote: "Wow. I scared everyone off. What a halloween trick! LOL"That was funny, Shae.
Good story Mitra. It was unexpected. Nice ending that brought the kitten back home to cat mom.
Thank you, Terry. I am looking forward to reading your story plus many others.
JACK-O-LANTERNS IN THE ATTIC
terry turner 994 words
The iron gate squealed on its rusting hinges as I pushed it open causing a vibration that ran up my arm and bounced off my eardrums like fingernails on a chalkboard. I let go of the gate which closed shut behind me with more squeaks, cracks, and pops.
It was then my flesh crawled and my hair stood on end, for as I neared the corner of the house, I saw two saucer-sized yellow eyes staring at me – no, watching me from behind a grimy window giving me pause. A flush of bright yellow dandelions fringed the cracked narrow slate pathway that ran along the Southern side of the old mansion. Dark green moss covered the windowsills and the lower surrounding brickwork.
Turning the corner, a rush of wind from nowhere passed across my body and went on to part the garden’s long grass to show three blackened headstones standing there like ancient soldiers on watch.
Then, without reason, came a shrill keening cry that made every nerve in my body cringe. I looked around but I saw nothing.
I had asked my friend, Kathy, to go with me to evaluate what I thought to be an old abandoned estate house to determine if it would be suitable for our Halloween tours this year. Kathy was also a member of our committee and I regularly relied heavily on her opinion. However, Kathy canceled at the last minute due to a family emergency so I was forced to go it alone.
As I approached the front door with the ornate skeleton key in hand, I discovered the door was already unlocked and seemed to open on its own. I just stood there gazing around at the interior of the parlor. Cautiously, I poked my head in and looked to the left toward the window where I had seen the yellow eyes. I had to chuckle to myself because sitting in the window was a large black cat licking its paws and washing its face. With much relief, I slowly moved the rest of my body through the doorway.
A damp musty smell invaded my nostrils, reminiscent of age and decay. The rust-colored velvet curtains hung in heavy folds over the high set windows blocking out most of the daylight. Dust danced on the shaft of sunlight now streaming through the open door and illuminated the lacy cobwebs that had invaded much of the room. Off to the right was a lovely spiral staircase.
As I approached the staircase, I was intrigued to see the high ceiling walls adorned with very large ornately framed portraits of a family from an earlier time who, I suspected, had once lived in this great house. I marveled at the most beautifully carved handrails I had ever seen. I felt a bit uneasy as the eyes of the child in the painting seemed to follow me as I climbed the stairs.
When I reached the top, I continued down a short hallway. There was an unfinished room off to my left that could only be the attic. The door was ajar so I peeked in to see a group of vintage jack-o-lanterns all looking in my direction. Something was unnerving about their eyes so I decided to give that room a miss and, instead, stepped out onto a small balcony.
Looking down into the overgrown garden below, my eyes glimpsed a dark shadow that hovered in the parted grass over the headstones.
Is this real or am I imagining things? I decided it was time to leave. As I retraced my steps, I could hear strange noises coming from the attic. When I passed the open door, I looked in to see a dark shadow moving the jack-o-lanterns around. I just had to get out of there and fast. Moving quickly down the stairs, I almost fell when I felt the child reach out from the portrait and touch my shoulder. At the bottom of the stairs, I came to a skidding halt because there, silhouetted in the doorway, was a little girl who looked like the girl in the portrait. Her fair hair streamed down to her waist and in her arms, she held a doll.
I froze in my footsteps. She looked straight at me with large black eyes and cried, “what have you done with my mommy?” It was then I heard an agonizing cry coming from the doll.
I thought I felt something behind me but as I turned to look, there was nothing there.
When I turned back to face the child, she was gone. I quickly headed for the door but it slammed shut in my face and I heard again the cry of the doll. When I turned around, I saw the dark shadow at the top of the stairs looking at me with bright glowing red eyes. I backed toward the door and gave the knob a hard twist but it was locked. Frantically, I fished for the key in my pocket but then remembered I had left the key in the lock on the outside.
The dark figure glided down the stairs. I pressed my trembling body firmly against the door and began to pray. I felt faint as the dark shadowy figure came ever closer and closer.
It was then that the black cat sprang from the window and positioned its self between me and the dark figure, arching its back with loud hissing sounds. The dark figure backed away and I heard the lock on the door click. Without thinking I pushed down on the handle and to my surprise, the door opened. I ran out as fast as I could run. As I neared the large wrought iron gate, a Jack-o-lantern sat with glowing orange eyes laughing at me. I flew through the gate and down the street leaving my car behind. I decided the old mansion would not be suitable after all for our Halloween tour.
terry turner 994 words
The iron gate squealed on its rusting hinges as I pushed it open causing a vibration that ran up my arm and bounced off my eardrums like fingernails on a chalkboard. I let go of the gate which closed shut behind me with more squeaks, cracks, and pops.
It was then my flesh crawled and my hair stood on end, for as I neared the corner of the house, I saw two saucer-sized yellow eyes staring at me – no, watching me from behind a grimy window giving me pause. A flush of bright yellow dandelions fringed the cracked narrow slate pathway that ran along the Southern side of the old mansion. Dark green moss covered the windowsills and the lower surrounding brickwork.
Turning the corner, a rush of wind from nowhere passed across my body and went on to part the garden’s long grass to show three blackened headstones standing there like ancient soldiers on watch.
Then, without reason, came a shrill keening cry that made every nerve in my body cringe. I looked around but I saw nothing.
I had asked my friend, Kathy, to go with me to evaluate what I thought to be an old abandoned estate house to determine if it would be suitable for our Halloween tours this year. Kathy was also a member of our committee and I regularly relied heavily on her opinion. However, Kathy canceled at the last minute due to a family emergency so I was forced to go it alone.
As I approached the front door with the ornate skeleton key in hand, I discovered the door was already unlocked and seemed to open on its own. I just stood there gazing around at the interior of the parlor. Cautiously, I poked my head in and looked to the left toward the window where I had seen the yellow eyes. I had to chuckle to myself because sitting in the window was a large black cat licking its paws and washing its face. With much relief, I slowly moved the rest of my body through the doorway.
A damp musty smell invaded my nostrils, reminiscent of age and decay. The rust-colored velvet curtains hung in heavy folds over the high set windows blocking out most of the daylight. Dust danced on the shaft of sunlight now streaming through the open door and illuminated the lacy cobwebs that had invaded much of the room. Off to the right was a lovely spiral staircase.
As I approached the staircase, I was intrigued to see the high ceiling walls adorned with very large ornately framed portraits of a family from an earlier time who, I suspected, had once lived in this great house. I marveled at the most beautifully carved handrails I had ever seen. I felt a bit uneasy as the eyes of the child in the painting seemed to follow me as I climbed the stairs.
When I reached the top, I continued down a short hallway. There was an unfinished room off to my left that could only be the attic. The door was ajar so I peeked in to see a group of vintage jack-o-lanterns all looking in my direction. Something was unnerving about their eyes so I decided to give that room a miss and, instead, stepped out onto a small balcony.
Looking down into the overgrown garden below, my eyes glimpsed a dark shadow that hovered in the parted grass over the headstones.
Is this real or am I imagining things? I decided it was time to leave. As I retraced my steps, I could hear strange noises coming from the attic. When I passed the open door, I looked in to see a dark shadow moving the jack-o-lanterns around. I just had to get out of there and fast. Moving quickly down the stairs, I almost fell when I felt the child reach out from the portrait and touch my shoulder. At the bottom of the stairs, I came to a skidding halt because there, silhouetted in the doorway, was a little girl who looked like the girl in the portrait. Her fair hair streamed down to her waist and in her arms, she held a doll.
I froze in my footsteps. She looked straight at me with large black eyes and cried, “what have you done with my mommy?” It was then I heard an agonizing cry coming from the doll.
I thought I felt something behind me but as I turned to look, there was nothing there.
When I turned back to face the child, she was gone. I quickly headed for the door but it slammed shut in my face and I heard again the cry of the doll. When I turned around, I saw the dark shadow at the top of the stairs looking at me with bright glowing red eyes. I backed toward the door and gave the knob a hard twist but it was locked. Frantically, I fished for the key in my pocket but then remembered I had left the key in the lock on the outside.
The dark figure glided down the stairs. I pressed my trembling body firmly against the door and began to pray. I felt faint as the dark shadowy figure came ever closer and closer.
It was then that the black cat sprang from the window and positioned its self between me and the dark figure, arching its back with loud hissing sounds. The dark figure backed away and I heard the lock on the door click. Without thinking I pushed down on the handle and to my surprise, the door opened. I ran out as fast as I could run. As I neared the large wrought iron gate, a Jack-o-lantern sat with glowing orange eyes laughing at me. I flew through the gate and down the street leaving my car behind. I decided the old mansion would not be suitable after all for our Halloween tour.
TERRY wrote: "JACK-O-LANTERNS IN THE ATTIC terry turner 994 words
The iron gate squealed on its rusting hinges as I pushed it open causing a vibration that ran up my arm and bounced off my eardrums like finger..."
Terry, Terry... I enjoyed every creepy line of your story, though I am glad I just read it in daylight time. LOL
Mirta wrote: "TERRY wrote: "JACK-O-LANTERNS IN THE ATTIC
terry turner 994 words
Thanks Mirta. Glad you liked. Maybe another story for next years 31 Days of Oct????
terry turner 994 words
Thanks Mirta. Glad you liked. Maybe another story for next years 31 Days of Oct????
In my opinion, Terry, it would be just perfect. Maybe the guidelines will require a few extra lines but you can do it.
Mirta wrote: "TERRY wrote: "JACK-O-LANTERNS IN THE ATTIC terry turner 994 words
The iron gate squealed on its rusting hinges as I pushed it open causing a vibration that ran up my arm and bounced off my eardru..."
Mirta, me too. Wow, Terry, great story. I'm glad waited to today to read it. Last night might have left me to awake to sleep. At least I'm off tomorrow. Really great story.
The ending was great too.
Shae wrote: "Mirta wrote: "TERRY wrote: "JACK-O-LANTERNS IN THE ATTIC
terry turner 994 words
Thanks Shae.
terry turner 994 words
Thanks Shae.
Mod
By Glenda
623 words
I’ll never forget that Halloween at my Grandmother Mimi’s house. It left a lasting impression on me. There were three of us kids including me and my two siblings who lived with Mimi. I loved the fact that her house was built on a sloping hill just outside of some woods in the Tennessee country. Other than the television, the woods provided a good place for preteen kids to play. The dirt driveway was home to several dogs that were chained near their dog houses. I always wondered why there were so many dogs since they were not used for hunting.
Just days before, her son - my Uncle Victor - came to visit. He just lived a few miles from Mimi's house; his visit was not out of the ordinary. There was a stray tabby cat that just wouldn’t leave Mimi’s property. Why would it when there were children that gave it love and attention? I peered out of the kitchen window at Victor who was seated just outside the window. Across the driveway from him sat the tabby cat oblivious to my uncle’s intentions. Victor pulled a small pistol from his pocket and shot the cat. You can imagine that as a child, seeing an animal killed for the first time would have caused some distress. The cat was confused as it writhed on the ground before dying. My brother Sammy acted like a big boy as he volunteered to throw the cat’s body in the woods. My uncle wasn’t a mean man; he thought he was doing his mother a favor. After all, it was another mouth to feed. Who needs a cat, right?
That image was burned in my brain.
After school, I went into the woods to be alone with my thoughts. The autumn leaves crunched under my feet. The smell of fall was in the air as the leaves fell into brown and gold piles on the forest floor. There was a woody vine that we would swing on in the center of the woods. I blew off some pent up energy by swinging on the vine. On my second try, I slipped off and fell in a pile of leaves. I immediately felt a stinging sensation as a wasp stung my leg. After swiping it off, I rolled onto my knees. The sound of crushed leaves made me look behind me. A tabby cat lay there with its ears pinned down and large black eyes. It emitted a guttural growling and hissing as it edged toward me. It looked just like the cat that I had seen die just a few days before.
It can’t be!
I clawed my way up the slope. My eye caught the movement of a snake to my left going in and out of the leaves. I tripped over a thick tree root and landed on my face and stomach. There’s nothing like a black, hairy spider crawling towards your face to get you up and running again. I could have sworn I saw a pair of glowing eyes following me at a distance.
Beautiful daylight greeted me as I ran out of the woods, down the small hill, and into the house. I crossed the den and sat at the kitchen table where my brother was putting the finishing touches on a Jack-O-Lantern. Sammy stuck his tongue out at me as if to say, don’t touch my pumpkin, or else! After the afternoon I had, I wouldn’t dream of it.
After several minutes, I stood up from the kitchen table. I happened to glance out of the kitchen window. I took a quick intake of breath…for at the edge of the woods was a pair of glowing eyes.
All in a Summer's day moment of a child. I felt this a true experience. Sad to read of an innocent animal's demise for no reason. Riveting story Glenda.
Mod
The Threat of the Hermit Gnome by F. F. Burwick 1000 wordsThe Habindens were a poor Telobite family isolated from others in this neighborhood. Though others in the neighborhood did not have anything against any of Semitic ethnicity, the peculiar Telobite cultural differences, and their poverty, kept others away from them.
It became an issue in the year they had moved into that neighborhood to an affordable but neglected home, when Halloween came.
Jared and Ilsa accommodated their eight year old son Farrell for fitting in with children who went trick-or-treating that night. For this he wore a black covering from the top of his head to his feet with a dark cowl and dark netting extending to go over the face, to appear as a dark phantom. Farrell was told to go with his Halloween bag to houses around the block, and to come home after that.
A neighbor on one side soon came over to see them. The couple was surprised to see someone in the neighborhood coming to see them, which never happened before. The neighbor introduced himself as Wilford.
"I saw your child dressed for Halloween going out from here, and walking in the other direction. Why you would have your child go out for that now? With what the news shows, no one has their children go out now. Didn't you know?"
"Oh no!" Jared answered. "We have no access to news. What is the problem?"
"There is report of a hermit gnome in the area luring young people in to enslave them for others who are malicious."
"Really? How is he never caught, if he is doing that?"
"It isn't known where the hermit gnome is living. He was spotted, a child escaped and was rescued giving testimony identifying him. Those who gave chase thought they were near to grabbing him, he turned behind something and then he was gone, and no one could find him. But he has caught children in this area. We don't let our children go out at night."
"And our son is out there now! We must bring him back! Ilsa, come, we must find Farrell and bring him back, he might be in danger!"
"Let's hurry!" Wilford said.
Wilford went with Jared and Ilsa to the house on the other side of the Habindens' home. Wilford knocked, and in a moment a middle aged woman opened the door looking out.
"Wilford! What brings you here just now?"
"Sandy, these are the neighbors between us, Jared and Ilsa. They have a young son, who was dressed up in costume and went this way and would have stopped at your home. Did you see him? We have to find him and bring him back before he would be taken by the hermit gnome."
"The hermit gnome? We heard of that around Halloween last year. Didn't they catch him? We see children have not been going out at night, the way they did a long time ago. It was a surprise the boy came here, but we had cookies anyway, and we gave some to him."
"No, they never caught him, and he remains a danger to children! We have to find this boy right away!"
"Yes! I will help you look for him." Sandy hurried out to join the three.
They hurried to the walkway along the residential street, and looked along the row of houses. They saw no door opened, and no child in sight, though Farrell was dressed in a dark costume and not easy to see. The four hurried on in distress looking for the child.
They looked at all the houses along the street. Not seeing any activity, they went on, looking, until they came to the corner of the block."
"Farrell was told to turn here and go around the block," Ilsa said.
"Look!" Wilford said, pointing.
The others stood where Wilford was standing, and looked that way. Down that street by the next corner, they saw two figures. Those seemed small, and each of the four felt sure one was Farrell.
As they hurried to that corner, the two figures, with hands held, crossed the street to the other corner, going along that street away from the block. "I think that is the hermit gnome with your son!" Wilford said.
They came to that corner. Jared looked along the street on the other side of their block. No one was seen there. "I think you are right. Let's go after them."
They crossed the street where the two went. Those two were ahead almost a block away and had not stopped at any houses. One figure turned and looked back at them. It was not the costume phantom, the face showing seemed disfigured and might have been a mask. That one led the other to the side, where they went in between houses those following saw from there. The four hurried over to where the two had turned.
They ran to that spot as soon as they could. They looked to where the two had turned. Between houses they saw further back shadowy strange growths surrounding a giant jack-o-lantern. They hurried that way.
The great jack-o-lantern they came to was brightly lit within. Wilford reached out, feeling the structure. "It is wooden."
The jack-o-lantern had an open mouth large enough for any of them to enter through. Wilford looked in, and he stepped through. Jared, Ilsa, and Sandy looked in, and followed him. They were in an area like a room with a lit torch.
"See, there is a hole right here in the floor."
Wilford kneeled and looked in the hole. A small dark figure with no face showing looked up. "Farrell, is that you?"
"Yes," said a small voice.
Wilford reached in. "See, your parents are here. Grab my hand, I will pull you out from there."
Wilford pulled, Jared and Sandy went on either side to help the little dark phantom figure out from the hole.
Jared said, "Come, Farrell. We need to get you out from here."
F.F. wrote: "The Threat of the Hermit Gnome by F. F. Burwick 1000 words
Very interesting Fred. I was beginning to get worried for Farrell. The giant Jack-o-lantern with the room was interesting.
Very interesting Fred. I was beginning to get worried for Farrell. The giant Jack-o-lantern with the room was interesting.
Mod
Janet Bond messaged me yesterday by way of Goodreads question (not Goodreads message/email) about where to post her October story. I answered her question then also messaged her at Goodreads.
Sorry for the delay. here is the Survey Monkey link or you can send me a message here. Thanks everyone for the great stories. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CZNSHLZ
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
If anyone else is reading this, please think about hosting for 2020. Thank you!
Shae wrote: "Sorry for the delay. here is the Survey Monkey link or you can send me a message here. Thanks everyone for the great stories.
I got an email this morning from you with the link to Survey Monkey but I had voted a few days ago via the Monkey. Did you get my votes?
I got an email this morning from you with the link to Survey Monkey but I had voted a few days ago via the Monkey. Did you get my votes?
Mod
Mod
Rejoice wrote: "Wow, amazingly good stories from everyone. Loved the suspense and the twists. I have sent in my votes."
Sorry you did not submit one this month. I miss reading what you come up with.
Sorry you did not submit one this month. I miss reading what you come up with.
My vote was sent in almost three days ago with Survey Monkey, so I think it came in. The November Challenge is up currently. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
okay, we have the winners. It was a tough battle.
First place goes to Terry Turner with JACK-O-LANTERNS IN THE ATTIC. Congrats Terry.
Second place was a tie between F. F. Burwick with The Threat of the Hermit Gnome and Glenda Reynolds with Cat's Eyes. Congrats to both of you.
And Third place went to Mirta Oliva with BINGO, COME HOME! (though actually she nearly tied for second as well). Congrats.
Thank you all for being here, reading the stories, and participating when you can. A really great month for being such a busy one.
God bless and head on over to the November Challenge at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Mod
Mod
Congrats to winning writers. And thank you for that response, Glenda.
Thanks everyone. Enjoyed reading all the stories. Now on to November. Can't believe the year is almost gone.
(200-300 words (flash), or 500-1,000 words(short))
Deadline: 10:00 p.m. (CDT) Saturday, October 26, 2019
Voting: Between October 27th and October 30th. Winners will be posted in this thread on October 31st, 2019.
Please make this a new work and a complete story with an end. This is part of the Challenge.
Highlights (use 3 of the 4):
A Jack-O-Lantern
A Cat
A Distressed group of people
A Child
Theme: Halloween or All Saints Day (or both), (or Day of the Dead)
Setting – Author's choice (future, past, present, real, or imaginary; any place)
Plot – Author’s choice
Genre: General Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Drama, Etc.; erotica excluded.
Challenge Guidelines
Purpose:
Some fiction writers are looking to win a short story contest, keeping in touch with making deadlines, and/or simply sharpening the skill of writing fiction.
The main purpose of this contest is to sharpen plot and character skills, collect your own short stories, receive good feedback, make a good connection with other writers, and take a short break from your current novel to get a fresh view when you return to it.
Rules and Directions -
* Type in English - a minimum of 200 words; a maximum of 1,000 words; no erotica, no profanity.
* Post your title, by line, and word count total in the first line of your story posting.
* Writers are responsible for their own copyright. Authors keep all rights. PRIVACY POLICY IS ENFORCED. COPYRIGHTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS BELONG TO INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. THIS CONTEST DOES NOT GRANT ANY PERSON THE RIGHT OR LICENSE TO COPY OR USE OTHER STORIES. EACH STORY IS PROTECTED BY THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.
* ONE entry per person must be writer's original work (no rework of previously posted stories in this group), a final revision (should be finished draft and not the first draft), and a new piece of writing(a new and original story for this challenge. can reuse characters, but plot and scene should be new). If you need to edit your submission (typo or such), click "edit" and do not re-post elsewhere in the thread. Try to post your final revision.
Judging: The story will be judged on the use of the above story prompts, creativity, proper grammar, good punctuation, and overall good quality for the story.
Voting: Please vote for the first, second, and third place. You are not allowed to vote for yourself. If posting this month, you MUST vote in order for your story to remain eligible. If not posting a story, you may still vote if you read all the posted stories.
Please send your story vote to: a survey monkey link will be provided when voting begins or you can message Shae Hamrick here at goodreads.