Weekly Flash Contest #14: Write a poem or a story where a sudden change in the weather provides a pivotal point. The week commencing June 29th (Daily Creativity prompt #71) was our fourteenth week of flash contests–and we would not have guessed so many of you would be inspired by the weather! We had a record number of entries (more than 50 this week), and we were, as usual, very impressed. Everyone brought to life various weather events–from blizzards to rainstorms–in varying forms–from poems (including concrete poems) to prose. The judges had a hard time battling through all those changes in temperature, but in the end we emerged, windswept and drenched, into the warm sunshine of decisions made. Well done to everyone who entered, but particular congratulations to those who made it with us through the storm as Honorable Mentions and Winners. See below for all their names, and read the whole blog post to experience the weather conjured up by our top-placed winners. Winners “Cabin Catastrophe” by Isabel Bashaw, 10, Enumclaw, WA “Michi and Kieto” by Lucy Berberich, 11, Oxford, OH “Transformation” by Sofie Dardzinski, 9, Potomac, MD “A Line of Cars” by Wesley Moniz, 9, Belmont, MA “The Hotel of Angels” by Emerson Swift, 12, Mill Valley, CA Honorable Mention “The Flower’s Lesson” by Audrey Fan, 10, Cary, NC “Driftwood on the Sea” by Meleah Goldman, 10, Oakland, CA “Rain” by Misha Nasarpuri, 12, Portland, OR “Rose After Rain” by Amruta Krishnan Srinivasan, 9, San Jose, CA “The Money Rain” by Cici Zou, 11, Concord, MA Isabel Bashaw, 10Enumclaw, WA Cabin Catastrophe Isabel Bashaw, 10 ¨Dad! Where did you put my slippers?? I can’t find them!¨ Hi, my name is Bella. I live in Seal Rock, Oregon. It’s spring break, so my family went on a trip from the damp Oregon coast where we live, to even damper forests in the mountains. We were staying in the same small, cozy cabin we always did, but this year it seemed to be raining even more than usual. It was nearly time for dinner, and our family was almost done unpacking. ¨I don’t know honey!” replied my Dad. ¨Check in the bags.¨ I rolled my eyes, since obviously I already had. I gave one last glance at my bedroom before I walked out. My bed was creaky, but the rest was fine. There was an antique dresser, where I had put my clothes and my ipad, as well as an old wooden bookshelf. Each year I neatly lined up the collection of books I would read that week. Deciding that I must have left my slippers at home, I sat in an old armchair and looked out the window. The misty fog had drifted away (thank goodness), but in its place a slow drizzle showered the forest. Dull gray clouds wandered along the dark sky, but the cheerful cabin was cozy. There were radiators for heat, so I put my cold toes on one to warm up. The cabin was at least as warm as our own house in Seal Rock, but each year my little sister, Lola, still insisted on having Dad light a fire in the fireplace every day. ¨Well, time for dinner! Dish up!¨ my Mom said as I walked into the kitchen. I took a slice of sourdough bread and a bit of salad, but nothing else. Lola took the opposite: roasted potatoes, broccoli, and chicken. I despised anything roasted or burned, and I didn’t eat meat. For some reason my parents made whatever dinner they wanted to anyway. I nibbled at my bread and picked at my salad. I never really wanted to leave home to visit this small cabin. I didn’t like nature walks or rain (or worst of all, nature walks in the rain). I preferred the idea of tropical climates, five star hotels, and crystal clear oceans with white, sandy beaches. ¨Bella. You hardly have any food and you aren’t even touching that! Are you sick? Do you feel alright?¨ Mom looked at me, worried. I shrugged. ¨Can I go to bed?¨ I asked, not wanting to eat. Mom sighed. ¨Okay, go ahead. I´ll come and tuck you in after dinner.¨ As she picked up my plate I went back to my room and got into my pajamas. I clambered into my soft bed, and read until I heard Mom coming up. I turned off the lamplight and shoved my book under my pillow. Pretending to be asleep, I closed my eyes as my mom kissed me on the forehead and whispered, ¨Goodnight, Bella.¨ After she left the room, I pulled out my flashlight and read until dark. Then I put my book on top of my dresser, and laid on my back, trying to sleep. After a while my eyelids felt heavy, and I drifted off to sleep. … BOOM!! BOOM!! I shot up in bed. Was this a nightmare, or real thunder? I couldn’t tell. I rolled over on my side, trying to get back to sleep. BOOM!! BOOM!! It was louder this time. I tried to ignore the noise and just go back to sleep, but it just went on. I couldn’t sleep, and it was all nature’s fault. I bet it wasn´t thundering back at the beach, where my friends were probably hanging out at a sleepover, playing video games and having fun. I sleepily got out of my bed, and shuffled down to the kitchen, dimly lit by one light. I made myself hot cocoa to try to make myself drowsy again. As I sipped it, I looked out the window into the pouring rain. It was all blackness, but during the day we had a great view of the mountainside from here. I was startled out of my thoughts when a great white flash of lighting struck across the midnight sky. Then almost immediately came more booms of thunder. Suddenly Lola appeared in the kitchen doorway. She glanced at my cocoa. ¨I can’t sleep. Can
Contests
Flash Contest #13: Write a Story Through Correspondence. Our Winners and Their Work!
Weekly Flash Contest #13: Some of the earliest novels were written in the form of letters between characters (“epistolary novels”). Try writing a story as a series of text messages, group chats, emails, letters or postcards exchanged between at least two characters. The week commencing June 22nd (Daily Creativity prompt #66) was our thirteenth week of flash contests, with a challenge taking us back to one of the earliest forms of the novel: stories told through letters, or “epistolary novels”. Our entrants had the option to bring the form up to date using today’s equivalent of the letter (text messages, group chats etc.), or to take themselves back in time with more formal writing evocative of a past age. The form was no limitation on the imagination shown in the stories these messages between character told. We loved reading the many entries, that came in, and thank you all for participating. Special congratulations to this week’s Winners and Honorable Mentions. Your work really stood out for its creative response and playfulness! You can read this week’s winners’ work below, and the all winning entries from previous weeks on the Flash Contest Winners Roll page. Winners “Letters to the President” by Prisha Aswal, 7, Portland, OR “Child of Magic” by Amelia Pozzo, 11, Arnold, MO “Apocalypse” by Ian Xie, 12, Weston, MA “Black and White” by Ella Yamamura, 12, Cary, NC “The Excuse” by Michela You, 11, Lexington, MA Honorable Mention “Well that escalated quickly…” by Lucy Berberich, 11, Oxford, OH “Venus and Mars and the search for Pluto” by Sara Shah, 8, Portland, OR “The Banter of the Bathroom Buddies” by Mihika Sakharpe, 11, Frisco, TX “Apple & Banana” by Kevin Zhang, 10, Lexington, MA Prisha Aswal, 7Portland, OR Letters to the President Prisha Aswal, 7 May 24, 2020 Dear Corona Borealis, The first girl President of the United States. My name is Lyra Ara. I am 7 years old. I live in California. My address is 42970 NW Cygnus Lane. I am a second grader in Hydra Apus Elementary. I have been thinking about a few things that I wish my school had and is lacking, and then thought if there is anyone who can help me, it is you. You, because: 1. I read somewhere that you loved going to school, just like me. 2. You and I both want to be the President. (Of course you already are and I will be someday) 3 . You are friendly and you think of good ideas. But that’s not why I am writing this letter. Before I tell you the main reason of writing this letter, let me first tell you what I love about my school and why you should think of my request. Here are some good things I like about my school. 1. All the teachers are friendly. Like one day, my teacher, Miss Leo gave us a 3rd recess! One of my favorite teachers is Mrs Antlia. She teaches magic and is incredibly kind and creative with her spells. 2. We have an amazing playground. We have monkeys on the monkey-bars, and dogs and birds shaped bark chips. 3. The teachers teach Magic. One day, when I was hungry, Mrs Antlia, my magic teacher, snapped her fingers and treated me with the yummiest Macaroni in the world! 4. They do a lot of fun things, like one day we were trying to make animals, and I made a tiny puppy, a Siberian husky! I named her Sagitta. She is my pet now. 5. We do a lot of P.E. to keep us fit. Although sometimes it gets boring to do the same things again and again, I still love dancing on brain boost every day. But also, there are a few things that I don’t like about Hydra Apus Elementary. Maybe when you come visit me, I will tell you about things that I don’t like and you can do something about it. I got to go now. I am going to tell my reason for writing to you in my next letter. Sincerely, Lyra Ara June 9th, 2020 Dear Lyra Ara, Thank you for sending this letter to me. I did not know this about Hydra Apus Elementary. Well, I do like that you have Magic class. Sounds interesting. I like that you exercise a lot. Doing the same things over and over again is really boring, even for a President. Thank you for sharing this with me. I can’t wait to hear your reason. Sincerely, Corona Borealis June 22, 2020 Dear President Corona Borealis, Thank you for writing back to me. I was checking everyday in the mailbox, and you have no idea how happy I am to see your letter. You are right! Doing the same things over and over again is boring, but I think it is important sometimes, so that you get practice. I tried to do handstands, cartwheels, and ride my bike. I was really bad at it first, but then I practiced and practiced and finally got it. I will tell you why I am writing. 9-24-20 is when my teacher Mrs Antlia is going to retire from work. I am so sad because she is a fantastic teacher. We are going to have a great farewell party for her that day. One day, during circle time, when we were talking about our wishes, Mrs Antlia said she always wanted our country to have a girl President and now that there is one, she wishes she could meet her someday. I really want to make her wish come true. Please, will you come? Happy 4th of July! Sincerely, Lyra Ara July 3, 2020 Dear Lyra Ara, Happy 4th of July! Yes I will come. I’m also really happy to see your letter. I’m really sad that Mrs.Antlia is retiring from your school, Hydra Apus Elementary. I will have to fly in an airplane to get to California because I live in the White House and the
Flash Contest #12: A World Without Color. Our Winners and Their Work!
Weekly Flash Contest #12: What would the world be like without color? What if there were a few select people who could see colors? Write about the effects of not being able to see color, or of there being no color, and how that affects people and society in a good or bad way . . . Anna Rowell, 15Redmond, WA The week commencing June 15th (Daily Creativity prompt #61) was our twelfth week of flash contests, with an intriguing challenge set by former contributor, Anna Rowell, 15. This is a prompt that got a lot of people’s juices flowing! Anna joined us on the judging panel, and with her help and thoughtful advice we managed to work our way through a wide and strong field of entries. Well done to everyone who sent an entry in: you did not make it easy for us to decide. In particular, thank you, Anna, for your help, and for a fantastic flash contest prompt–we look forward to doing it again sometime! Congratulations to our Winners and Honorable Mentions, listed below. Your work really stood out in an extra competitive field! You can read the winning entries for this week (and previous weeks) at the Stone Soup website. Winners “Seeing Through Gray” by Isabel Bashaw, 10, Enumclaw, WA “It’s All Ridiculous” by Lucy Berberich, 11, Oxford, OH “Flowers for Mamma” by Sophia Do, 12, Lititz, PA “The Sky is Blue” by Nora Heiskell, 12, Philadelphia, PA “Project Achromatopsia” by Alice Xie, 12, West Windsor, NJ Honorable Mention “Miya’s Gift” by Savannah Black, 9, Yuba City, CA “Colorless” by Anna Haakenson, 12, Beach Park, IL “A World Without Color” by Aditi Kumar, 10, Ashland, VA “In a World Without Color…” by Charlotte McAninch, 12, Chicago, IL “Color” by Michela You, Lexington, MA Isabel Bashaw, 10Enumclaw, WA Seeing Through Gray Isabel Bashaw, 10, Enumclaw, WA The new neighborhood with its new streets, sidewalks, houses, and noises were all varying shades of gray. Terrible. Dull. Hopeless. As terrible, dull and hopeless as I felt. I had just moved from my hometown to a different, smaller town hundreds of miles away from everything I loved. I hopped on my gray bike, strapped my gray helmet on my gray hair, and started riding across the gray sidewalks. I peddaled faster and faster, through a blur of gray. Everything was wrong. Why did my family have to move? Was a new job really more important than leaving the entire ten years of my life behind? The blur of gray became a whirl as I peddaled harder, barely looking upward. I glanced up and stared at the gray flowers as they whizzed by: colorless. I was beginning to hate the color gray. Then a sharp turn, and CRASH!, a big fall, and my cries into the gray world around me. The sidewalk was grayer than ever as I stared at it, almost as dark as the blood dripping down my leg. No wonder I crashed–it was hard to see where I was going when everything was the same series of non-colors. I looked up as a small gasp echoed through the block. A girl was walking toward me. I blushed with embarrassment–my cheeks turning from gray to grayer and back again. ¨Are you OK?¨ She asked, staring at my knee. ¨No¨ I said, my voice small. ¨Oh. . .¨ she said in response. I wiped away my tears. ¨I’ll get you a band-aid if you want.¨ I nodded gratefully, and she dashed back inside. I waited, and then she returned. As I put the band-aid over the scrape, she asked me: ¨So did you just move here?¨ ¨Yeah¨ I muttered. ¨Well I just moved here too!” she said, her face lighting up. ¨Maybe we can be each other’s first new friend? I saw a really fun park nearby!¨ Her name was Rosalie, and it turned out that she lived only a few blocks from my new house. ¨Time for dinner Rosalie!¨ ¨Well I gotta go,¨ said Rosalie, ¨but maybe if you’re not busy tomorrow morning you can ride your bike over and we can go to the park together?¨ Suddenly, as Rosalie smiled at me, the world brightened. The sky was bluish gray. The faint yellow sun shone down on Rosalie’s beautiful brown skin, the pinkish-white flowers moved in the breeze and my bike was a muted teal, no longer the horrible gray it used to be. I grinned and said ¨Sounds great! See you tomorrow, Rosalie!¨ Maybe this new place wasn’t so bad after all. Lucy Berberich, 11Oxford, OH It’s All Ridiculous Lucy Berberich, 11, Oxford, OH My name is Eva Wilson. I’m your all-around average teenage girl. I walk the three blocks to my middle school wearing the required outdoor gas mask every morning. My favorite subject is survival skills and my least favorite is bomb diffusion (it’s too stressful). I have a small group of close friends and we always sit in the back table of the cafeteria, watching people and making theories about who’s an alien and who is possessed by a demon or whatever. We’re kind of that one group no one notices, so it’s really easy to watch people. Sometimes we all walk home together, but most of my friends’ parents don’t want them being outside too much, because of the pollution and such, gas mask or not. My parents don’t mind me being out and about. They figured that if I hadn’t gotten poisoned by the air pollution at this point, I never would. Our world is kind of deteriorating at the moment. Everyone’s trying to save it all the time, but I don’t think we ever actually will. The damage humans did to this Earth is pretty much there forever. There’s no fixing it. I guess we’re all kind of waiting until we have the technology to send humans to another planet. Apparently there used to be this thing called color, but humans evolved and there was no longer a need to see it anymore. I’m not so sure I believe that, though. My mom says that the few people who
