Weekly Short Stories Contest and Company! discussion
Weekly Short Story Contests
>
Week 98- (October 8th-14th) Stories--- Topic: Full Moon DONE!
date
newest »
newest »
Nice topic choice, Stephanie! I’m looking forward to this.
Maybe we’ll have another long week to finish a story.
A new NaNoWriMo website?
Title: The Full Moon's TerrorWords: 573
Dark yellow eyes reflected the moon’s bright, white light.
The girl swiftly turned to her right and gazed into the forest. Nothing. Her heart pounded in her chest as she rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress. Almost there. She gripped her fallen basket and scooped its scattered contents back into it. Brushing tiny flakes of snow off her knees, she stood up straight and continued her journey.
The cabin wasn’t far now; a corner of the roof could be seen through a tunnel of trees. Snow crunched loudly under her footsteps. It was like fireworks exploding in the air. She hastened forward, ducking beneath a few branches as she crossed into a thicker part of the forest where the tree branches wound in and around each other.
Heart still pounding, she gripped her basket even tighter, turning her knuckles white. What was that? She craned her head so she could hear it better. Soft voices made their way to her. What were they saying? She frowned in concentration, everything in her telling her to bolt.
“Death…. Pain…. Suffering…. Death,” the voices slowly chanted.
Her heart stopped. White invaded her once-flushed cheeks. Snow flew into the air as her feet scuffed across the white surface. She moved her legs and feet as fast as she could but it didn’t seem quick enough. Her numb legs moved mechanically. She glanced down so as to see if anything was in the way. Her numb feet made it hard to tell.
A creature flew from between two trees and slammed into her. Its heavy body weight disabled the girl’s ability to move. She fought to get air into her lungs as her chest was crushed under the creature’s massive body.
She could vaguely feel a pressure in her numb side. It slid down her body, biting into one of her legs. A cold burning sensation manifested itself in her leg. Her eyes grew wide as the cold burning spread to her torso. A liquid spilled onto her unwounded leg, warming the numb surface.
The girl looked into the dark yellow eyes then glanced at the full moon. She tried to speak but no sound came out as the creature clamped its jaws around her neck.
* * *
Heavy footsteps made their way through the misty forest, following a bloody trail. The man took his hat off and wiped his forehead with the back of his head. He knelt down next to the mangled body. “Poor soul,” he muttered. He pulled a picture from his pocket and held it next to the lifeless face.
“Is it her, Van Helsing?” a man asked from behind the first.
“It would seem so,” Van Helsing answered grimly. “Miss Jessica Harris.”
“I’ll send word,” the other man replied.
Van Helsing stared at the cold, terrified face before him as his companion’s footsteps faded away. Standing up, he searched the area for any evidence of the culprit. Many more footsteps made their way to Jessica’s body. He stopped behind a tree.
“Boys,” Van Helsing began, “get the rope. We have our werewolf.” He gripped the shirtless man’s freezing arm and jerked the cowering being to his feet.
“I-I-I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t know,” the man plead.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Van Helsing replied coldly. He threw the man to his companions and, spinning on his heel, walked away, his black coat flapping in the air.
Fast, tense action! It was over before I knew it. Very clear description. I felt as though I were there. Poor Jessica Harris. Let the werewolf swing!
Thanks, Kat; I'm glad you liked it!
Stephanie wrote: "Title: The Full Moon's TerrorWords: 573
Dark yellow eyes reflected the moon’s bright, white light.
The girl swiftly turned to her right and gazed into the forest. Nothing. Her heart pounde..."
Very well-written Stephanie! Well-paced and free-flowing. I loved the image of the black coat flapping in the air!
Thanks, Alex. I'll have to read your story later. The Son of Neptune calls. Haha
I have to admit, I didn’t expect the ending! The narration is taut, the description wonderfully graphic: “The sweet sounds coming from the other side sent sweet chills down his arms,” “. . . a frightened and tremulous young woman handcuffed, sitting in a wooden chair,” “She spat in his face and received a slap in return . . .”At the end, the story seems to explore the gray area between the world we write and the world we live in. In that way it reminds me of what I try to do sometimes in my own stories.
Alex, that was amazing! I, too, put myself in my characters situations. :) Great minds think alike. Steph,
Kat wrote: "Alex, that was amazing! I, too, put myself in my characters situations. :) Great minds think alike. Steph, I CANT BELIEVE YOU HAVE THAT! I cant wait until I get mine :) I GOT MINE YAY!"
I'm over half way through it. It's amazing!
Stephanie, your story was nicely told. Terse, energetic, fun in the best gothic sense.Al, your story is paced well. Exciting, with great twists and character development.
But I hate those kinds of endings! They strike me as being the modern equivalent of deus ex machina.
Mark, I enjoyed your story, especially the character of Miriam.
Thanks, Guy.
Full MoonBy Lydia
Word Count: 763
I had been sitting for so long that my legs cramped, but I could not move, for fear that my quarry would hear me. The midnight dew had settled around me, leaving teardrops on my clothes. I shifted my body slightly, freezing when a leaf, broken off from the branch I lingered on, fell down and settled next to its brothers. In that instant, the howling of several wolves started and I heard pounding footsteps coming closer, synchronizing with my beating heart. Faster, faster, faster.
I shot up in bed, my shirt soaked with sweat and layered with dirt. I had been sleepwalking again. My memories of last night were foggy, nothing seemed real. I swung my legs over the bed, leaning over and swiping my hair off my forehead. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall anything about last night. A strange chant entered my head, and I couldn’t forget it, no matter how hard I tried.
Harvest moon, Hunter’s moon,
Feed the hungry, fill the soul,
Neptune’s trident, Ares’ sword,
Plant the seed, watch it grow.
There was more to it, but it hurt too much to think. I rubbed my forehead, trying to make sense of my thoughts. What time was it? I bent over to look at my clock, and gasped. It wasn’t even morning yet. Moonlight streamed through my window, giving the illusion of a brightened room.
I needed to clear my head.
I padded down the stairs silently, slipped my shoes on, and headed outside. Cold air greeted me as I entered my backyard and followed the worn trail leading into the woods.
As I walked, the world around me seemed to awaken. Birds began to sing a sorrowful song, as if mourning the soon to appear sunlight. I traveled down the familiar path, my mind clearing. All at once, the rest of the chant came to me.
Haunted people, haunted place,
Shoot the gun, kill the beast,
Midas’s crown, drummer’s beat,
Trap the minds, hear them scream.
Creeping willow, falling snow,
Feel the rhythm, lurking shadow,
Wild briar, thorny rose,
Watch your sanity, there it goes.
What did it mean? It wouldn’t leave me at peace, repeating over and over until I was sure I could actually hear the words being spoken out loud.
Get. Out. Of. My. Head. I stopped in the path, covering my ears, trying to shut out the song. I looked up to find myself underneath a large oak tree, with limbs made to climb on. Something seemed familiar about it, though I don’t know how; whenever I walked this path I ignored the wildlife, lost in my thoughts. I stifled a gasp as I realized where I had seen the tree.
My dreams. The foggy memories of wolves and forests became clearer. I leaned against the thick trunk trying to recall the events of past nights. A faint sound reached my ears, echoing inside of me.
Howling. And it was getting closer. My eyes widened at the sound of running footsteps. Then it hit me. My dreams weren’t genuine dreams. They were actual real events, and when they happened, I was barely conscious. So that meant...
A warm, solid object slammed into me, pushing me to the ground. It laid on me, flattening me and cutting off my air. It’s wet nose poked at me as black eyes examined me.
The wolf on top of me growled. I was almost running out of air. My hand groped around, trying to find something, anything. My fingers curled around a sharp rock, and I brought it up quickly. My aim was off from the lack of oxygen, and my hand slammed against the wolf’s side instead of his head.
He whined and pushed down on my chest. Feebly, I smashed the rock higher, hitting above his eye. Blood dripped down and he jumped off of me, looking as if he was squinting. As soon as he could see again, he immediately rushed me. I continually hit him with the rock until he relented. I expected him to limp away, but instead he lay flat, not a muscle moving.
The realization of what I had done made me turn and vomit; I couldn’t stop myself. I heard howling in the distance, and I started to shake. They were coming, I could feel it. I quickly swiveled and sped down the path. I only slowed down when the path changed from dirt to grass. Shadows danced across my yard, making shapes.
Cautiously, I crept back into my house; the full moon my only witness.
Graphic story, Mark! Roger tries to pull something sneaky and loses his head, but all’s well that ends well.Lydia, I don’t know what to make of “Full Moon,” but I like it! There’s a real sense of place and of the central character.
Mark, & Lydia, Nice stories. I enjoyed them both. Tough choice this week.
Nice story, Lydia. I really liked the line, "Watch your sanity, there it goes."
Interesting end to the story, Alex. I didn't expect that.
Mark, not what I expected from the title but good job.
Thanks, Guy and Stephanie! It was really fun to write the chant.. :D
Talk about a hard week to vote for. We're all winners! Haha.Lydia, Mark, Al, and Stephanie all tied.
Thanks for partcipating!
Stephanie wrote: "Mark, not what I expected from the title but good job."Thanks.
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 ONLY 300-2,500 words long.
REMEMBER! A short story is NOT a scene. It MUST have a BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END.
The topic this week is: Full Moon
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!