winners

Flash contest #19: Write a backwards story The week commencing August 3 (Daily Creativity Prompt #96) was our nineteenth week of flash contests, with a prompt that asked our entrants to write a story that goes backwards. The entries we received covered a broad range of topics, from family to animals to weather to space travel to time travel to friendship, and much more, even including a few poems. We greatly enjoyed reading all of the entries we received, and loved how the plots of the stories were slowly revealed as they traveled backwards. Well done to all of our entrants for taking on the difficult task of telling a story backwards, and particular congratulations to our Winners and Honorable Mentions, listed below. Read on past the list of winners to experience the Winners’ work for yourselves. Winners The Project by Katie Bergsieker, 12 (Denver, CO) Surprise by Scarlet He, 9 (Scarsdale, NY) Once and For All by Joyce Hong, 10 (Oakville, ON) This Day Has Come Too Soon by Ella Pierce, 12 (Hudson, WI) Sea of Souls by Daniel Wei, 13 (Weddington, NC) Honorable Mentions Jewish Friend, Backwards End by Becca Jacobson, 11 (Montclair, NJ) Falling by Vaishnavi Kumbala, 12 (Metairie, LA) The Irrefusable Offer by Kyler Min, 9 (Vienna, VA) On Top of the World by Mihika Sakharpe, 11 (Frisco, TX) Last Thoughts by Ismini Vasiloglou, 11 (Atlanta, GA/Athens, Greece) Katie Bergsieker, 12Denver, CO The Project Katie Bergsieker, 12 “Sophie! Thank goodness you’re here! Look!” my best friend Kylie cries, pointing. I follow her finger. She is pointing to a boy that has my hair color, eyes, skin tone, and more. He looks almost identical to me. “Stephen?” I breathe, unbelieving. “I’m told that I belong to the McGrafty family? I was taken by a van while playing with my sister, you see…” His voice is deeper than I expected. “Stephen,” I say as he pauses for breath. “I am your sister.” My eyes, and his, fill with tears. I should start from the beginning. And my beginning actually starts with a very perturbed me.   No. “I’m not going to the carnival, Mom,” I say, exasperated. “I know, but honey, can’t you take a break?” Mom says. “You know that you don’t have to be working on your… ahem… project every second of the day, right?” “I do, actually,” I mumble. “I can’t go to the carnival because… oh, Kylie invited me to come over to her house.” That wasn’t true, but Mom couldn’t have guessed. I spend a ton of time with my BFF, Kylie. At least I did, before I got sucked into my important project. Mom raises one eyebrow. “Fine. I’ll go to the carnival with George, then. Have fun with Kylie. Do you need me to drive you?” “No, I can walk,” I reply. “Kylie lives a block away, so what’s the point of driving, anyway?” “Okay,” Mom says, turning to pick up my baby brother George. “Be back by six. And what is your “project”, again?” Mom always asks about the project. Now it’s my turn to raise my eyebrow. “Mom, I told you already. I’m not going to tell you!” I swore to secrecy that I wouldn’t tell anyone. I’m not about to break that promise now. Mom, as usual, takes forever to pack all of George’s things before finally heading out the garage door. “Bye, Sophie!” she calls over an upset, screaming George who doesn’t want to go into his stroller. Instead of going to Kylie’s house right away (I didn’t say that I was going to, did I?), I plop down in front of our computer. I open up a new browser and type: Sophie McGrafty. My name. The internet gives me many articles that I can type on. They’re all the same as usual though. Sophie McGrafty looking for missing twin. Twin missing. Where is Sophie McGrafty’s twin? Explorers search for thirteen year old girl’s twin. No twin found for Sophie McGrafty, 13. I should explain. Five years ago, when searching in my mom and dad’s closet, I found a shoebox. There was a birth certificate inside. Stephen King McGrafty, it said. Born February 2. My birthday. Digging around in the shoebox some more, I had found a faded newspaper article. Stephen McGrafty, 2, reported missing, it said. I scanned the article. ‘Two year old Stephen McGrafty was playing with his twin sister, Sophie, when a van drove up to their house. Sophie ran into the house, but Stephen stayed, hypnotized by the beautiful dog in the van’s window. By the time Sophie’s parents realized Stephen wasn’t home for dinner, the van, and Stephen, were gone. The search continues, and if you see this van, please call 123-HELP.’ Of course, I didn’t remember any of this happening. I don’t even remember Stephen. Mom and Dad never talk about him. When I looked at this article, I made it my vow to try to find Stephen. After all, it was totally my fault. What kind of twin leaves their sibling behind when a creepy van pulls up in front of their house? I’m getting close. The other day, I found an article saying that a couple in Utah, only a few hours away from our house in Colorado, have a kid that they found on the side of the street. They picked him up and named him Bob. And another article said that someone named Bob Dah could be the Stephen McGrafty that we had been looking for this whole time. So I am on my search for Bob Dah. But first I have to walk over to Kylie’s house. For real. I need to ask her for a favor. I lace up my sneakers and head out. When I get to Kylie’s house, I see paparazzi, police cars, vans, and more parked outside. I push my way through and see my best friend sitting in the back corner. I look and see a boy identical to me.

Flash Contest #18: Use a classic opening line as a starting point. The week commencing July 27 (Daily Creativity Prompt #91) was our eighteenth week of flash contests, and produced a lot of entries. Our entrants took the opening words of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, in all sorts of creative directions. The pieces we received ranged from stories about extreme weather, to family and family history, and to some introspective narratives. We immensely enjoyed reading all of the writing we received; well done to everyone for your work on this challenge, and especially to our Winners and Honorable Mentions, listed below. Read on after the list of winners to enjoy the winners’ work for yourselves. Winners Wash the World Away by Fern Hadley, 11 (Cary, NC) Streaks by Rachel Feldman, 10 (Narberth, PA) My Manderley by Anna Haakenson, 12 (Beach Park, IL) A Letter by Shuyin Liu, 8 (Kirkland, WA) Pour Your Heart Into the Sink by Alice Xie, 12 (West Windsor, NJ) Honorable Mentions No Possibility by Katherine Bergsieker, 12 (Denver, CO) The Light Will Come Through Again by Sneha Jiju, 12 (Chandler, AZ) Dream and Dream More… by Prisha Aswal, 7 (Portland, OR) In the Kitchen Sink by Allie Dollar, 11 (Monticello, FL) Deadly Heat Wave by Nishil KC, 10 (Chantilly, VA) Fern Hadley, 11 Cary, NC Wash the World Away Fern Hadley, 11 Like Mom quoted Jane Eyre a few times: “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.” It perfectly describes today. I stare through the window, my chin propped on my hand as I watch sheets of rain fall from the sky in waves, bouncing off the asphalt. Rain is collecting on the window’s mesh board like dewdrops on spiderwebs. For the most part, I love rain. Sometimes when humid storms sweep across the city, I go outside, my arms outstretched, my face turned to the sky. There I’ll stand, my eyes closed as warm raindrops fall onto my face. At night, rain is my lullaby. I can hear the gentle patter of raindrops through my window, and the melodic rhythm soothes me to sleep. But today, the rain appears no more than a nuisance. Beside me, Luna gazes out the window with me with an intrigued expression. I stroke her silvery grey fur as I wonder if she ever wishes she could stand outside in the warm rain like I sometimes do. We don’t allow her out for her own safety, although I think she wants to. “I wish it wasn’t raining,” I confess to Luna. “Now I can’t take a walk.” Or can I? Luna glances at me with wide blue eyes before turning back to the window. Her eyes look like the window’s glass, clear and wet with rain. Sometimes cats are better companions than humans because they can’t talk. “Honey, where are you?” I look over my shoulder. “I’m over here. By the window.” My mother steps into the living room. “There you are. What do you want me to make you for dinner?” “I don’t know.” I rub Luna’s chin as I continue to watch the rain. “If you don’t care, I’ll make lasagna,” Mom offers. She knows I hate lasagna. “Just make Dad’s favorite,” I sigh. “Tacos?” “I said Dad’s favorite.” I glare at her. “I didn’t say Stanley’s favorite.” Mom sighs. She leans against the wall and crosses her arms. “Hon, we’ve been through this before.” “You asked me what I want for dinner.” She ignores me. “Look, I know Stanley can’t ever replace your father. But both you and me had to get through the loss of your father, so please don’t make this any harder than it needs to be, okay? Stanley’s doing his best right now, and I am too.” “Mom, all I said was that I want Dad’s favorite for dinner.” Mom shuts her eyes. For a moment I regret what I said, but then she just turns and walks back into the kitchen. I feel even worse. I keep staring out the window, hoping that the rain would let up. Pulling my phone out, I check the weather app. It tells me that it won’t stop raining until ten in the evening. I grumble and shove my phone back into my pocket. Suddenly, an idea escapes from the depths of my mind. I quickly catch it before it can flutter away as swift as it came. Memories emerge to the surface. That, I inform myself, is a stupid plan. I decide to do it anyway and race out the back door. The screen door slams behind me. “Honey, what are you up to?” my mom calls from the kitchen. “Be back soon!” I yell back. Only moments after I leave the house, I’m soaked. I didn’t bother to bring a sweater, and I don’t care. I fly down the block, the sound of my footsteps lost in the storm. Past the forest. Over the fence. Through the field. Make a left. I run past my house, where Mom may or may not be making Dad’s favorite. I run past the school, the library, the cafe. I run past the mall, the warehouse, the police station. All the while, the storm is relentless. I decide I need a break. I sit down on a bench in the park, catching my breath as the rain drenches my hair. The first time I ran in the rain was before I even joined track. Dad had still been alive then, and he used to run with me all the time. “Where are you two going?” Mom stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Just taking a walk or something,” Dad grinned. Mom shook her head. “ ‘There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.’ ” “What is that—Peter Pan?” “Jane Eyre.” Mom put her hands on her hips. “You shouldn’t be taking a walk in the rain. You two could

Flash contest #16: Write about a character waiting for something, but don’t reveal what they’re waiting for until the end. The week commencing July 20th (Daily Creativity prompt #86) was our seventeenth week of flash contests, with a challenge set by former contributor Ana Rowell, 15, who also helped us judge this week’s contest. Thank you, Anna! This prompt produced lots of entries, all of them filled with suspense. You obviously all had fun structuring your stories to keep us guessing about what we were waiting for, and even who or what it was that was waiting (animal, vegetable or mineral)! Our favourites kept us waiting until the end to find out what was really going on; and made us go back to the beginning to pick up the subtle hints we might not have piked up first time. Well done everyone for your work on this challenge, and especially to our winners and honorable mentions, listed below. Read on after the list of winners to enjoy the winners’ work for yourselves. Winners “Stalling” by Sophia Do, 12 (Lititz, PA) “Rain” by Kyler Min, 9 (Vienna, VA) “Waiting for a Comet” by Madeline Sornson, 13 (La Jolla, CA) “From the Other Side of the Road” by Amruta Krishnan Srinivasan, 9 (San Jose, CA) “Wait for it . . .” by Ian Xie, 12 (Weston, MA) Honorable Mention “The Waiting Game” by Elsa N. Ahern, 10 (Winnetka, IL) “The Waiting Hill” by Liam Hancock, 12 (Danville, CA) “Cats of War and Peace” by Sneha Jiju, 12 (Chandler, AZ) “The Woman” by April Yu, 12 (East Brunswick, NJ) “Something Worth Waiting For” by Mila Zhao, 6 (Blue Ash, OH) Also, look out on our COVID-19 blog next week for “The Goal” by Ziva Ye, 9 (Overland Park, KS), which both responds to the contest prompt and tells a great story related to the current pandemic–from a very unexpected perspective! Sophia Do, 12Lititz, PA Stalling Sophia Do, 12 Ella paced the floor. Come on, come on! she thought and started to jump and down. Hurry, hurry! People passed by and looked at her funny. Ella stopped jumping and stood up straight. Just act normal, she told herself. You can’t look suspicious. You never know who your enemies are. “Hi,” a woman with a short pixie cut hair said. “Is this the women’s?” “Yes,” Ella said and crossed her legs. The woman walked to the back of the line that went out of the door. Ugh, why are the lines always so long? The Council really needed to rethink this. “Hey, Ella!” A girl with blonde hair and blue tips bounced up to her, hands still damp from washing. “I thought you couldn’t come to the mall today?” “Oh, hi Mary Anne ” Ella said, and silently cursed the Council. Why did they have to send her to the mall? “I thought I had to, um, visit my grandma.” “I thought you said your grandma lived in California?” Mary Anne asked. “My other grandma,” Ella fibbed. “What are you doing here?” “Just hanging out with the girls,” Mary Anne said. “After you do your thing, do you want to hang out with us? We haven’t done a girls’ day at the mall in forever!” “Oh, uh, sure,” Ella said. “I’ll meet you by the food court.” “Great!” Mary Anne said and flounced out of the bathroom. Why? Why? Why? Ella groaned. This is bad. Now I have to make up an excuse for why I didn’t meet up with her! A couple more minutes passed and Ella was starting to worry. If I’m not there in time the Council is going to kill me. Adam said the meeting is important. What is taking this person so long!? Finally, the line moved forward and Ella was soon inside. She peeked under the first stall and saw it was occupied. “Excuse me?” A small voice asked. “Do you mind if I cut in front of you?” Ella turned around and an older petite woman smiled up at her, adding more lines to her already wrinkled face. “I’m sorry, but I really have to go!” “Oh, of course,” Ella said and let the woman cut in front of her. Ella bit her lip, hoping that the next door to open wasn’t the one that she wanted. Thankfully, the last door in the line of stalls opened and the little old lady walked in. A few more minutes passed and another door opened in the middle of the hall of stalls, “Ms,” the pregnant woman behind her said, “that one’s open.” “Oh, you can go,” Ella said, “I like this one.” She motioned to the one that she was standing in front of. The pregnant lady gave her a weird look and moved on. Finally, the door that Ella wanted opened and a woman in red high heels walked out. Ella froze, what was Counselor Rylie doing here? Were they going to kick her out? Counselor Rylie brushed past Ella and shoved something in her hand. When she was gone, Ella unfolded her hand and opened up the piece of paper. Second Floor. Ella cursed, “Excuse me,” she said and pushed her way out of the room. She passed Mary Anne by the food court. “Are you done?” she called. “No, sorry! Line was too long!” Ella called back and beelined for the stairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, she made a sharp right and screeched to a stop, staring at another long line. Wow, were they giving out free drinks at the food court today? she thought as she went to the back of the line. Minutes passed, but unlike the other line, this one moved faster. Ella looked at the piece of paper again to make sure that she was at the right one. What was wrong with the other one? She thought. We really need a better way to do this. Finally, she was at the front of the line. Ella paced anxiously and