Our July Flash Contest was based on Prompt #210 (provided by Stone Soup intern Sage Millen), which asked that participants write a story about glasses that did more than just improve vision. As of late, Sage has set a precedent for uniquely specific, wacky prompts that allow writers to focus largely on storytelling. Unsurprisingly, we received a wide breadth of submissions (including one poem), with fleshed out, vivid plots that ranged from the all-too-real consequences brought on by lie-detecting glasses to an exploration of the ramifications of glasses that hide what the wearer wishes not to see to a heartwarming tale brought on by glasses that can resurrect any memory into the physical realm. As always, we thank all who submitted and encourage you to submit again next month! In particular, we congratulate our Winners and our Honorable Mentions, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “A Memory” by Hayden Carroll, 10 “More, or Less?” by Peri Gordon, 12 “Liar” by Sophie Li, 11 “Memories through the Lenses” by Audrey Ren, 11 “Numb” by Eliana Wang, 13 Honorable Mentions “The Passing Lens” by Natalie Jong, 9 “The Things We Don’t See” by Lui Lung, 13 “A Strange Gift” by Bela Harini Ramesh, 10 “Defining Deeds” by Emily Tang, 13 “Eccentric Eyeglasses” by Melody You, 11 A Memory Hayden Carroll, 10 Feel the frame Dip in the middle, Are you brave enough to put them on? Do it. Do it. Look through the delicate glass, That can be broken with the slightest crack. What do you see? A world, with all your hopes and dreams Trapped inside. Melted candy drops from trees, Instead of sticky sap. Take your newfound treasure off, Before you become, none but A memory. More, or Less? Peri Gordon, 12 “I’m fine! The doctor will tell you the same thing! I’m fine, and you can’t make me go!” I bellow. I picture myself as an enormous bison and try to make myself as heavy as possible as my mom drags me to the car. Why can’t I be like my dog, Pine Cone, and prevent a trip to the doctor by barking, running away, and flashing irresistible puppy eyes? “Amity, I’m going to find out what’s wrong with you whether you like it or not,” replies my mom in an eerily calm voice. “I think this new doctor will be really helpful. He should…bring a very different perspective to the problem.” Yeah, right. That’s what my parents said about the last five doctors who found nothing wrong with me. Nobody understands that the reason I’ve been throwing up every night for months–ever since my ninth birthday–isn’t because of a physical illness. But I force myself into the car, slamming the door closed with all of my strength just for the fun of making Pine Cone bark. Twenty minutes later, the examination begins. I grumble, “How long will this take?” and Dr. Clumer, a squat man with bright green eyes, says, “That depends on you.” I scowl. After twenty more minutes, Dr. Clumer announces that I’m in “optimal physical condition.” But after only ten more, I am told that I need to get glasses. I snort. “I have 20/20 vision! And…you didn’t even test my vision! What do glasses have to do with vomit?” “See for yourself,” replies my crazy new doctor, handing me a pair of thin gold frames with shiny lenses that seem to twinkle. The next thing I know, I find myself clamping my fingers around them, entranced. The gleaming lenses are hard and smooth to the touch, and although it’s silly, I find myself asking, “Are these lenses made of diamonds?” Dr. Clumer laughs in a way that makes my hands tingle–my body’s way of telling me that I’m nervous, whether I like it or not–and replies, “No, dear, they’re made of bovite.” Bovite? I turn to my mom, who shrugs, then looks away, seeming unusually worried. I ask the doctor, “What will the glasses do?” “I wonder…” says Dr. Clumer in a singsong voice, paired with a piercing stare. Is he…mocking me? Testing me? Having officially decided that everything this doctor says is completely unhelpful, I slowly place the glasses onto my narrow nose. The doctor disappears. I spring back in shock, crashing into a desk. “Mom?” I ask in a shaky voice. “Everything okay, sweetie?” She turns to her left. “Does this mean they’re working?” “Mom, who are you talking to?” She continues speaking to the empty space to her left. “Amity can’t see you?” She pauses, as if listening to someone else, then says, “Oh my God.” “What do you mean, ‘Oh my God?’ Who can’t I see? The doctor?” I rip off the glasses, and suddenly, there he is again. My mom approaches, but I back away. “Okay, what just happened?” My mom glances at the doctor, who is apparently too deep in thought to pay any attention to his patients. I double my volume. “WHAT JUST HAPPENED? WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?” When no one responds, I prepare to break the stupid glasses in half. I start to– “Sweetie, don’t do that,” my mom says, rushing to my side and grabbing the glasses before I can break them. The glasses that make people disappear–but only for me. Who am I, just some kid she can let a mad scientist experiment on? I verbalize this, and Dr. Clumer shakes his head. “I’m not a mad scientist. I’m trying to help you. I know there’s nothing physically wrong with you. You keep throwing up because you’re upset. Disturbed.” “And we need to know why,” my mom interrupts. I roll my eyes. “Yes, we do,” the doctor continues. “But we also need to remedy the problem. These glasses do more than help you see. These glasses help you block out the things you don’t want to see–they can block all five senses, actually.
contest
Flash Contest #42, April 2022: Write a story where the character fails at everything—our winners and their work
Our April Flash Contest was based on Prompt #198 (provided by intern Sim Ling Thee), which challenged participants to write a story in which the protagonist failed at everything and ultimately didn’t succeed in the end. Unsurprisingly, this subverting prompt led to some the most inspired writing we’ve seen yet! Submissions ranged from a violin recital from the perspective of a snooty child to an unreliable narrator’s laundry list of past failures to an old woman’s battle with growing tomatoes. In one story, the unlikeable protagonist even smeared butter on their nemesis’ lawn! As always, thank you to all who submitted, and please submit again next month! In particular, we congratulate our Winners and our Honorable Mentions, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “Curses!” by Lui Lung, 12 (Danville, CA) “Beatrice” by Olivia Owens, 13 (Jacksonville, FL) “A Failing Success” by Emily Tang, 13 (Winterville, NC) “Cypress Woman” by Ellis Yang, 12 (Los Altos, CA) “You Win Some, You Lose Some” by Savarna Yang, 13 (Outram, New Zealand) Honorable Mentions “Dangly Necklaces” by Victoria Gong, 10 (Scarsdale, NY) “Learning to Fly” by Marin Hamory, 10 (Wellesley, MA) “The Last Leaf” by Kimberly Hu, 9 (Lake Oswego, OR) “The Performance” by Elizabeth Sabaev, 11 (Forest Hills, NY) “Gray” by Alex Zigoneanu, 11 (Portland, OR) Lui Lung, 12 (Danville, CA) Curses! Lui Lung, 12 “’When people heard his name, breathed reverently in hushed tones, it was fear that swiftly rooted in their veins.’ Curses! That doesn’t make sense. No, how about… ‘It was fear that blasted through their minds in a paralyzing rush!’” In the shadowed city that had long since fallen asleep, in a small apartment building tucked on the very outskirts, all but a single light remained aglow. Seemingly the only soul awake at such late hours gave an approving nod at his own writing, fingers gliding rapidly across the keyboard without a noticeable sign of halting. “’Their hearts stampeded in a cacophonous rhythm, their thoughts stumbling over one another like dominoes sent tumbling with a mere flick of his finger. This city was a ticking time bomb, and I’—or he, sorry—’would be the one to detonate it into a booming eruption.’ Here comes the big ending, Murphy, the crescendo to the grand conclusion of the symphony! ‘And within the thundering outburst and from the rubble that remains, I am’—no, he is—’the last one standing!’” The villain pumped his fists high into the air, a triumphant man high off a victory. He glanced at his trusty sidekick, Murphy, who languidly stretched on the tabletop. “Well, my friend? What do you think? Does that strike fear in your heart?” The heavyset, orange tabby simply yawned, his little pink mouth falling wide open. “Oh, no, you definitely need to cut down on the tuna,” sputtered the villain, fanning the air before him at the ghastliness of the cat’s breath. As if he understood, Murphy lunged forward and clamped his jaw down firmly upon his owner’s forearm. The villain frantically shook his arm to free himself from his companion’s vengeful grip. “Ow! Curse you, feline demon! I will—” “So, this is what the great terror of the city does in his free time,” a voice mused coolly. The villain would have known who that voice was without having to turn around, but he decided that slowly spinning around in his chair would provide the dramatic effect he needed to hide the shock. Unfortunately, he leaned too far in one direction while attempting to spin and the chair promptly tilted over, leaving him in an uncoordinated heap on the floor. “Curses! My back!” The sound of Murphy hissing his discontent and then slowly lumbering off followed. Why, that traitorous ingrate! He straightened at once, lifting his chin with as much dignity he had left to muster from where he sprawled below. “Hah! This is all part of my plan, you buffoon!” It was not. The hero smiled indulgently, like she was only playing along to soothe his wounded pride. “Right. I’m sure getting exposed and captured was all part of your plan.” “You silly heroes these days. There is no prison I cannot escape,” said the villain pompously, although the sweat trickling down the back of his neck suggested otherwise. “Well, how did you find me? I wanted you to find me, though. Obviously!” “Obviously,” the hero agreed, her gaze flickering to the computer screen where he’d been starting a rough draft of his next magnificent work. “Just as obvious as you were when you were trying to hide. Really, who else would write and publish pages and pages of nonsense praising this city’s most notorious villain that no one reads?” The villain’s face flushed in indignation. “Nonsense? Nay, my blog oozes evil brilliance! And I’m a super-villain, for your information.” He paused, thinking of a clever, new strategy to fool his heroic rival. “I mean, forget that. It’s actually not my blog, because I’m not the man you’re looking for!” The hero looked entirely unconvinced, which was peculiar. The villain knew he was a spectacular liar! In desperation, he called for the assistance of his fearsome cat. “Murphy, my honorable companion! I’m sorry I said you had bad breath, just help me now!” A disdainful meow sounded from somewhere in the mess of old pizza boxes and unwashed laundry. “I will have my revenge on you,” vowed the villain darkly. “And you, too, you weak hero! Evil will always prevail over good!” The hero’s expression was now one of pity more than anything, and she gave his arm a gentle pat before securing the handcuffs in place on his wrists. “Alright, buddy, I’m sure the police will love to hear all about your plans for vengeance.” “Ah, yes, my plans! You’ll never know the plans I have for this city! Take me alive or take me dead, that brilliant secret will—” “You mean the top-secret plans that you posted on your blog?” “Curses!” Olivia Owens, 13 (Jacksonville, FL) Beatrice Olivia Owens,
Other Writing Contests
Resources for the older Stone Soup reader Perhaps you are an aspiring novelist or author but have recently “aged out” of the submission requirements for Stone Soup’s contests—this post is for you! There are numerous writing contests occurring at any given time worldwide, and it can be hard to know where to look for information on what opportunities are out there. Recently, the folks at Kindlepreneur reached out to Stone Soup about featuring the Stone Soup Annual Book Contest on their list of “The Best Writing Contests”! We are honored to be considered, and furthermore, we thought their list could be a good resource for our readers, particularly English speakers living in the United States. While the majority of the contests noted on their site is aimed at older writers, there are a few children’s contests listed as well. Check it out! Visit Kindlepreneur’s article on “The Best Writing Contests and How to Apply.”
