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2021 August Masks Short Story Contest
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August Masks Short Story ContestTOPIC: Masks
THEME: Disguises
SETTING: You decide if the protagonist has a disguise or if the antagonist is disguised. Someone’s true identity is hidden, partially or fully. You decide how the disguise affects the conflict. The disguise might even be the cause of an undesired effect.
3 HIGHLIGHTS: (include): A disguise, an engraving, and a body of water (a lake, river, sea, ocean, etc.)
SUBMISSIONS: Post your story where it says POST YOUR STORY OF 750-1,500 WORDS at the website, Writers 750 Program.
https://writers750program.com/writers...
I think we’re going to watch “Phantom of the Opera” this weekend. :)
Mod
1,300 words
There was once a family of witches that lived in the enchanted Willow Forest by the name of Shackleton. Each member of the family was stricken with a fleshy “mask” that covered their faces from their forehead to their noses making them blind. Each one wore a talisman that served as their eye for sight and such was their legacy. It happened that as the years went by, Ethel Shackleton was the last remaining witch of her family. One day as she was in the village selling her muffins on the side of the road, she watched a young girl and her mother through her talisman. The girl had just helped her mother place an engraved sign on the door of their establishment which read, Witches Keep Out! Ethel was deeply offended. She smiled a wicked smile as she schemed a plan. After chanting an incantation that changed her appearance to look like a woman known to the family, she waited by the side of the road. When the girl named Ryanna came near, Ethel pretended to cry. Ryanna came closer to console her. Ethel placed a hand over the girl’s mouth and cast a sleeping spell over her. She quickly put the girl into a sack. Ethel wondered how she was going to get this burden home. The witch did another incantation that made the sack float in the air. She secured a rope around it and made her way back home.
After returning home with Ryanna, Ethel promptly chained her up to prevent her from escaping. The girl was soon working at a grinding millstone just outside of the house. Ethel needed to grind grains and spices to make her muffins to sell. Ethel’s property was protected by two mongrelwolves that were chained in the front. These mongrelwolves were cousins of the mongrelfolk and part wolf. They had shaggy hair on their shoulders and back, clawed humanoid hands, bony hips and shoulder blades, and wolf-like feet. They seemed satisfied with the scraps that Ethel tossed them every now and then, but they would never change their ferocious nature.
One day while Tristin and Pogo his tabby cat were walking through Willow Forest, they heard the grinding of a millstone. Upon closer inspection they saw the dark-haired, dirty faced Ryanna chained up and forced to work the millstone. She was hard at work turning the handle round and round to grind the grain. Tristin came close enough to be seen by the girl who shook her head, telling him not to come near. She placed a finger to her lips to silence him, and then she pointed to the mongrelwolves. He had previously had a run in with a mongrelwolf while he was traveling with his father to Odenville. Tristin put his hand up to let her know he understood and turned to leave.
When it was dark, Tristin readied himself to return to Ethel’s house. Pogo was standing at his side with his tail curled around Tristin’s leg.
“No! You stay here. The last thing I want to see is my cat being eaten by a mongrelwolf!”
Pogo put his ears back and crawled up on the bed. Tristin took some tools out from under his bed that he had secretly gathered for his mission. He also took his little oil lamp to light his way. He quietly crawled out of his bedroom window.
When he arrived at Ethel’s house, the mongrelwolves were snoring loudly. Ryanna was curled up on some straw on the ground. Tristen approached her quietly, then gently shook her awake. After trying all of his tools without success, he used a skinny file to pick the lock. The chain fell away. The clanking of the chain woke one of the mongrelwolves that began howling at the boy. Soon the other one joined in.
“Quick! We need to get out of here!” warned Tristin.
He took Ryanna by the hand as both of them ran through the woods. By this time, Ethel sprang from her front door with her talisman held to her forehead for sight. She saw the retreating glow of the lamp through the woods. She let out an angry scream at the discovery that her slave had escaped. She straightaway unchained her mongrelwolves to chase down her slave and anyone helping her escape.
The little fairies of the Enchanted Forest watched the fleeing humans as the mongrelwolves started to close the gap. They quickly alerted King Tofur who dispatched his warriors, the Guardians of the Relawen.
Tristin knew that they were being pursued. He quickly picked out a tree that they both could climb to get out of harm’s way. Just as Tristin took Ryanna’s hand to help her up the tree, one of the mongrelwolves bit into her clothing and tore a chunk out. She screamed with fright. By then all of the inhabitants of the woods were on high alert of the assault.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. That was close!” replied Ryanna.
They both climbed higher and higher. The mongrelwolves started grasping the tree branches with their hairy hands to climb up in pursuit. When one got too close, Tristan took a hammer he’d brought from home and smashed the mongrelwolf on the head. The fairies hurled mud balls at beasts to blind their eyes. The mongrelwolf hit by the hammer fell to the ground which caused it to be pelted unmercifully with mud balls, stones, and acorns. The guardian warriors surrounded the tree. In the blink of an eye, the mongrelwolf on the ground had three arrows in his body. As the creature writhed on the ground, a male warrior named Terik with red eyes and pointed ears, cut off the mongrelwolf’s head. The mongrelwolf in the tree looked down at his dead mate. It lunged into a nearby tree in an attempt to escape. Terik blew his horn as a signal of pursuit.
The mongrelwolf ran wildly through the woods until it reached the home of Ethel. She saw him coming with her talisman pressed against her forehead. She reached out to stroke the beast to calm it.
“Don’t worry, my love. You have nothing to fear,” she assured it.
Ethel sprinkled her magic herbs on the mongrelwolf and chanted an incantation. Swirling thick smoke enveloped the beast at once with dark magic. Then a black dragon appeared in its place. Ethel seated herself on its back, jabbed her heals into its side, and both of them took flight into the night sky. By the time the dark elfen guardians arrived, they stood looking at the retreating pair.
When Tristin and Ryanna came down from the tree, Terik spoke to them saying, “You’re now free to go. The other creature is gone with the witch. Be careful on your way home.”
“I have been gone from my mother for too long. Can you take me home please?” she asked Terik.
“I will be happy to escort you home, little one,” he promised the girl.
Ryanna turned to Tristin and asked, “Will I see you again?”
“I’m sure you will. My papa sells his crops in the village all of the time. We also frequent The Copper Kettle too.”
“Really? My mama happens to be the owner of The Copper Kettle,” she said with pride.
“Perfect! I will see you there soon. Be careful.” Ryanna flung her arms around Tristin to thank him for freeing her from slavery. She kissed his cheek before turning to leave with Terik.
*****
Meanwhile, Ethel guided her black dragon over dark lakes and hills until they arrived high on a tree covered mountain where she kept a cozy cottage. She dismounted and stroked the dragon’s scaly head.
“They have not heard the last from us!” she promised. “Sleep now, my love.”
Mod
"Arthur Chappell
GAS MASKS 996 Words
I can’t tell if he is a guard or a prisoner here. He stands on the other side of the mesh and stares at me through the eye-sockets of his gas mask. When he tries to speak, it is a desperate and urgent sounding mumble of gibberish, a babble of tongues, akin to religious Glossolalia...."
I just had to finish reading this story before getting off my computer. The mood was set and gripped me within the first couple of sentences. Very creepy to be caught in a horrifying repetitive cycle. Good job, Arthur.
SHOELACE MURDERS
by terry turner 1147 words
“Who is this blind date you have in mind for me,” Clair asked Leanne as she tapped the speaker icon on the cell phone screen?
“Just show up at the party in costume and I will introduce you. He will be wearing a Joker’s outfit.”
“You’re not going to tell me anything about him?
“Don’t worry. You will know all about him in due time.”
“Fine. I’ll see you there.”
--------------------------
Detective Adams sat at his desk mulling over the crime scene photos of the shoelace serial killer. The sorted images told the gruesome story of torture, rape, and murder along the river. The only clue he had to work with was a gold-linked chain found at one of the scenes with the letters DSJ engraved on the back. “Sick bastard,” he mumbled to himself. The phone ringing broke his train of thoughts, as he nibbled through his third chocolate eclair.
“Detective Adams, can I help you?”
Adams grabbed a pen and started scribbling down notes on a pad. When he had finished writing, he started to say something but the caller abruptly hung up. He quickly pressed *55 and said, “Rodes, come in here.” Rodes was Adams’ investigating assistant.
“What’s up boss,” Rodes said as he entered with a cup of coffee in one hand and a donut in the other.
“I just received an anonymous phone call from an informant with information on the serial killer case we have been working on. The caller gave me a name and said the suspect would be at a masquerade party tonight wearing a Joker mask. I have the time and the address. We have to be there in costume.”
---------------------------
At 9 PM, Adams and Rodes were greeted by Frankenstein at the door of the house where the party was being held. Adams looked masculine wearing a Top Gun Flight Suit with sunglasses and the Karate Kid costume Rodes chose suited his slim muscular body just fine. Adams noticed that Frankenstein’s face was not covered with a rubber mask but thick makeup which included stitches and scars. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to create such a face. Frankenstein welcomed them with hand gestures and grunts pointing toward a large room where many guests had already arrived. To Adams’s delight, the Joker was among the crowd.
The room was a blur of color as the characters moved around the dance floor in many wild and beautiful costumes. The strings of tiny lights that crisscrossed the ceiling blinked like little stars. The disco light attached to the high ceiling rafters projected blue, green, and red lights, spicing up the hardwood floor below. The dancer’s outfits changed in color with every beat of the loud music creating an eerie atmosphere.
Rodes whispered in Adams’ ear, “I see the Joker is here already. Sizing up his next victim no doubt.”
“Yes. Here is the plan. You meander around to his left side and I will approach from the right. When I give you the signal, we will move in to apprehend and take him downtown for questioning.”
When both the detectives were in place, Adams looked at Rodes and was about to signal him. But about that same time, another Joker entered the room from a hallway. Adams looked at Rodes in disbelief and headed to the other side of the room. Rodes, followed suit, working his way slowly through the crowd to rendezvous with Adams.
It was then that Frankenstein escorted Clair Bolinsky into the great hall wearing a very authentic gladiator warrior disguise. All eyes turned in her direction. She scanned the room for her best friend Leanne but there was no sign of her. She did notice two Jokers, however, among the party-goers. She quickly sent a text to Leanne and then went to the bar for a glass of wine.
Meanwhile, Adams and Rodes were conferring about the dilemma of the two Jokers in an out-of-the-way corner of the room without being conspicuous. If they thought two Jokers was a dilemma, they were about to be in for a big surprise.
Frankenstein again appeared at the entrance to the great hall with several costumed characters in tow. Among them was another Joker.
“This complicates the situation even further,” Adams said to Rodes in a low voice. “Let’s think about the killer. What do we know about him? One: He kills only women under the age of thirty. Two: All of the crime scenes show that the murders are very violent. Three: Each victim so far has been strangled with a shoelace. Here’s an idea. Let’s casually mingle and see if any of the Jokers are wearing shoes with laces.”
While Adams and Rodes were assessing the shoes of the three Jokers, the latest Joker to arrive went to the bar for a beer. Clair was standing there sipping on a glass of wine and waiting for Leanne to answer her text.
Adams and Roads met again in the usual secluded corner of the room.
"The shoelace idea is not working,” Rodes said to Adams. “Their trouser legs are too long and covers the shoes.”
“I noticed that too,” Adams replied. “I have another plan, but first, we must wait to see if any more Jokers show up."
At around 11 PM, Clair had still not received a reply from Leanna, although, she had sent several texts and also tried to call. Adams observed one of the Jokers alone at the bar nursing a beer. Of the two remaining Jokers, one was sitting on the sofa in heavy conversation with a girl dressed as Snow White. The other Joker was working the crowd talking to multiple women.
“It is time to act, Rodes,” Adams said. “I want to take the Jokers, one at a time, into the hallway and have a look at their IDs. According to the phone call this morning our suspect’s name is Danny St John.”
The detectives were disappointed that the first two Jokers checked out clean confirmed with two forms of identification. However, there was still hope that the last Joker would be their man.
“He is not at the bar, Rodes,” Adams said anxiously. “Check the restroom. I’ll check the dance floor.”
“He’s not in the restroom, sir.”
“I don’t see him in here either. Let’s talk to the bartender.”
“Yes, he was here. Then he paid his tab and left with that pretty Roman Gladiator.”
“How did he pay?”
“With a credit card.”
“What is the name on the receipt.”
“Let’s see. Yes, here it is. Danny St John.”
Adam's body went rigid. Rodes cursed.
Rushing to the front door, Adams verified with Frankenstein that the Joker and the Roman Gladiator had indeed left together.
By the time they got to the street, their suspect had vanished into the night.
The detectives were now back to square one.
by terry turner 1147 words
“Who is this blind date you have in mind for me,” Clair asked Leanne as she tapped the speaker icon on the cell phone screen?
“Just show up at the party in costume and I will introduce you. He will be wearing a Joker’s outfit.”
“You’re not going to tell me anything about him?
“Don’t worry. You will know all about him in due time.”
“Fine. I’ll see you there.”
--------------------------
Detective Adams sat at his desk mulling over the crime scene photos of the shoelace serial killer. The sorted images told the gruesome story of torture, rape, and murder along the river. The only clue he had to work with was a gold-linked chain found at one of the scenes with the letters DSJ engraved on the back. “Sick bastard,” he mumbled to himself. The phone ringing broke his train of thoughts, as he nibbled through his third chocolate eclair.
“Detective Adams, can I help you?”
Adams grabbed a pen and started scribbling down notes on a pad. When he had finished writing, he started to say something but the caller abruptly hung up. He quickly pressed *55 and said, “Rodes, come in here.” Rodes was Adams’ investigating assistant.
“What’s up boss,” Rodes said as he entered with a cup of coffee in one hand and a donut in the other.
“I just received an anonymous phone call from an informant with information on the serial killer case we have been working on. The caller gave me a name and said the suspect would be at a masquerade party tonight wearing a Joker mask. I have the time and the address. We have to be there in costume.”
---------------------------
At 9 PM, Adams and Rodes were greeted by Frankenstein at the door of the house where the party was being held. Adams looked masculine wearing a Top Gun Flight Suit with sunglasses and the Karate Kid costume Rodes chose suited his slim muscular body just fine. Adams noticed that Frankenstein’s face was not covered with a rubber mask but thick makeup which included stitches and scars. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to create such a face. Frankenstein welcomed them with hand gestures and grunts pointing toward a large room where many guests had already arrived. To Adams’s delight, the Joker was among the crowd.
The room was a blur of color as the characters moved around the dance floor in many wild and beautiful costumes. The strings of tiny lights that crisscrossed the ceiling blinked like little stars. The disco light attached to the high ceiling rafters projected blue, green, and red lights, spicing up the hardwood floor below. The dancer’s outfits changed in color with every beat of the loud music creating an eerie atmosphere.
Rodes whispered in Adams’ ear, “I see the Joker is here already. Sizing up his next victim no doubt.”
“Yes. Here is the plan. You meander around to his left side and I will approach from the right. When I give you the signal, we will move in to apprehend and take him downtown for questioning.”
When both the detectives were in place, Adams looked at Rodes and was about to signal him. But about that same time, another Joker entered the room from a hallway. Adams looked at Rodes in disbelief and headed to the other side of the room. Rodes, followed suit, working his way slowly through the crowd to rendezvous with Adams.
It was then that Frankenstein escorted Clair Bolinsky into the great hall wearing a very authentic gladiator warrior disguise. All eyes turned in her direction. She scanned the room for her best friend Leanne but there was no sign of her. She did notice two Jokers, however, among the party-goers. She quickly sent a text to Leanne and then went to the bar for a glass of wine.
Meanwhile, Adams and Rodes were conferring about the dilemma of the two Jokers in an out-of-the-way corner of the room without being conspicuous. If they thought two Jokers was a dilemma, they were about to be in for a big surprise.
Frankenstein again appeared at the entrance to the great hall with several costumed characters in tow. Among them was another Joker.
“This complicates the situation even further,” Adams said to Rodes in a low voice. “Let’s think about the killer. What do we know about him? One: He kills only women under the age of thirty. Two: All of the crime scenes show that the murders are very violent. Three: Each victim so far has been strangled with a shoelace. Here’s an idea. Let’s casually mingle and see if any of the Jokers are wearing shoes with laces.”
While Adams and Rodes were assessing the shoes of the three Jokers, the latest Joker to arrive went to the bar for a beer. Clair was standing there sipping on a glass of wine and waiting for Leanne to answer her text.
Adams and Roads met again in the usual secluded corner of the room.
"The shoelace idea is not working,” Rodes said to Adams. “Their trouser legs are too long and covers the shoes.”
“I noticed that too,” Adams replied. “I have another plan, but first, we must wait to see if any more Jokers show up."
At around 11 PM, Clair had still not received a reply from Leanna, although, she had sent several texts and also tried to call. Adams observed one of the Jokers alone at the bar nursing a beer. Of the two remaining Jokers, one was sitting on the sofa in heavy conversation with a girl dressed as Snow White. The other Joker was working the crowd talking to multiple women.
“It is time to act, Rodes,” Adams said. “I want to take the Jokers, one at a time, into the hallway and have a look at their IDs. According to the phone call this morning our suspect’s name is Danny St John.”
The detectives were disappointed that the first two Jokers checked out clean confirmed with two forms of identification. However, there was still hope that the last Joker would be their man.
“He is not at the bar, Rodes,” Adams said anxiously. “Check the restroom. I’ll check the dance floor.”
“He’s not in the restroom, sir.”
“I don’t see him in here either. Let’s talk to the bartender.”
“Yes, he was here. Then he paid his tab and left with that pretty Roman Gladiator.”
“How did he pay?”
“With a credit card.”
“What is the name on the receipt.”
“Let’s see. Yes, here it is. Danny St John.”
Adam's body went rigid. Rodes cursed.
Rushing to the front door, Adams verified with Frankenstein that the Joker and the Roman Gladiator had indeed left together.
By the time they got to the street, their suspect had vanished into the night.
The detectives were now back to square one.
Mod
Sounds like more drama ahead in this storyline. Enjoyed the read, Glenda.
Glenda wrote: "Grinding Mill Slave
1,300 words
There was once a family of witches that lived in the enchanted Willow Forest by the name of Shackleton. Each member of the family was stricken with a fleshy “mask” ..."
Glenda wrote: "Grinding Mill Slave
1,300 words
There was once a family of witches that lived in the enchanted Willow Forest by the name of Shackleton. Each member of the family was stricken with a fleshy “mask” ..."
Mod
August Masks Awards:Shoelace Murders by Terry Turner
Best Disguise
A Grift from the Heart by Paul Ahnert
Best Surprise Ending
Gas Masks by Arthur Chappell
Best Paranormal Doppelganger
Grinding Mill Slave by Glenda Reynolds
Best Villain
August Masks Winning Story:
Gas Masks by Arthur Chappell
Congrats!
You all did a great job writing these stories!
Thank you for posting a story in August Masks!!
I hope to see you again in September Heirlooms!!
Here is a link to September Heirlooms:
https://wordpress.com/page/writers750...
Thank you for voting! It was fun reading your stories!!
Congrats Arthur. Creative story.
Mod
Congratulations Arthur! Really enjoyed your story, cool concept!
Thanks for voting for me - all the entries were tremendous
Sorry about that link not working up above. I figured out how to fix it! You can find the next contest, September Heirlooms, here at Goodreads. This is where we can chat and keep in touch each month. The website, Writers 750 Program, is where we can post our stories each month and find them when it's time to vote.
The reason why we post our stories at the website is because if twenty or thirty people ever post a story in one month, it's the easiest way to find the stories and vote without all the extra chat.
For now, our group is nice and cozy. It's been easy to read the stories each month when the count is low. I think thirty is the highest we've ever seen it in one month. It felt pretty full at thirty in one month. I'm fine either way, having 4-5 or 20-30. When we get to 20 or 30 stories, we can post second place and third place, which is kinda fun.
I love reading your stories every month! Hope to see you in September Heirlooms.
Here's a link to where you can post your story:
https://writers750program.com/writers...
THEME: Disguises
SETTING: You decide if the protagonist has a disguise or if the antagonist is disguised. Someone’s true identity is hidden, partially or fully. You decide how the disguise affects the conflict. The disguise might even be the cause of an undesired effect.
3 HIGHLIGHTS: (include): A disguise, an engraving, and a body of water (a lake, river, sea, ocean, etc.)
WORD COUNT: 750-1,500
AWARDS: Each story will receive an award!
DEADLINE: Always due on the 25th of each month.
PRIZE: Winner receives a book!
SUBMISSIONS: Post your story at this Writers 750 Program Link: https://writers750program.com/writers...
Also post your story here at Goodreads; our Goodreads group is a "chat" while Writers 750 Program is for stories only.
3 PROMPTS TO GET YOU STARTED:
1.) Your character has been working so long to perform something on a certain day. You decide if it’s a musical performance, an athletic event, or some other kind of work performance. Worried at first, the day ends up turning out better than expected. However, the next day, a false report came out, giving credit to someone else. Give a stranger, friend, or your boss all credit? You decide what happens.
2.) Sometimes we entertain an angel unaware. Your character has a conversation with someone who seems to be a human being. You decide what the message might be. You decide if your character ever finds out the true identity.
3.) An enemy lurks out in the jungle or somewhere. Your character secretively places a totem pole as a gift for those people to enjoy. You decide what the pole is really hiding: a microphone, camera, drone, chemical testing, etc. You decide what kind of information your character gathers to expose evil deeds. Inspired by the Trojan horse.
WINNER(S) and AWARDS will be announced on September 1, 2021.
OPTIONAL RESOURCES:
You can find additional optional conflicts on pages 102-103 in “Writers 750 Emerald Workbook” written by H.M. Schuldt.