No, you haven’t, but Jack and Jill are criminals in it
Ended BYC Writing Prompts! A Short Story Contest
- Thread starter Blue Raptor
- Start date
Wiccanchickens
Chirping
Um...first writing contest, let's go! Here's a bit from a W.I.P story I might publish. For context, it takes place in a D&D type world and Roux is a half elf.
prompt: apocalyptic.
Title: The Vriends
Roux sat up from the bench and yawned. She spent the whole night slapping together a half-assed report for school that she was sure she wouldn’t earn more than a 20% on and was extremely tired. What was the stupid thing about anyway? The history of the donut? Who needed to know that anyway. ‘The donut was first invented in the year 1847 when a hungry satyr decided to blah, blah, blah.’ She raised her arms up to the ceiling in a stretch and then reached down to touch her toes. She grabbed her guitar and walked out the door. Fresh air blasted her in the face full force but it carried something…odd. She could sense something was wrong. It was spring, but there were no mosquitoes or black flies that normally assaulted her exposed legs and face. The air felt…sick. That was stupid. Air couldn’t get sick.
Roux rushed outside, hoping it was only her imagination. She almost slid out of the woods due to the mud. Well…the house was still standing. That’s a good sign…right? Roux opened the door slowly. It let out a ‘creeeeak’ sound. That’s funny. It never creaked. Roux stepped cautiously into her home.
“Mom?” She called timidly. “Dad?” Her walk slowly turned to a run and she explored her house more. “MOM? DAD?” Desperation found its way into her voice. “MOM! DAD!” Everything was starting to look blurry, even with her glasses on. Panic was slowly starting to set in. She sat down on the couch, legs shaking, breath hitching. Roux took a few deep breaths.
In.
Out.
Again.
And again.
And one more for good measure.
Okay. That was better. She could think now. Maybe they were just out. Maybe they were taking a hike in one of Austenite’s many woods. Yes, that’s it. But…they would have left a note or something, right? They never left without telling her where they went. She got up to look again, this time with a cooler head. She walked up to the kitchen table and glanced under it. Maybe the note fell somehow? And that’s when she saw it. Roux’s insides were churning. She barely noticed she ran to the sink and threw up in it. She coughed up whatever was left of her stomach and turned the water on, watching it run down the drain. She was getting the panicky feeling again. Instead of taking deep breaths, she was hyperventilating. She didn’t dare look back to verify what she’d seen. She thought she’d seen a severed hand. With her mom’s wedding ring on the ring finger. Her legs were shaking again. She half walked, half stumbled over to the home phone and picked it up. With wobbly fingers, she typed 9 and then 1 and then 1 again. She waited for someone to pick up but suddenly, the line was cut short. She chucked the phone at the wall in a short burst of rage and backed away, into the table and nearly hurled again, remembering what was under it. She scrambled over to the couch and collapsed onto it. Maybe this was a bad dream. She looked up at a sudden noise coming from the hallway. It sounded kind of like a seagull stuck in a washing machine. Maybe it was her imagination. Even so, she wasn’t ready to face it. Not yet. Even if it was getting closer….
Maybe she should just sit there, face buried in the cushions. What a way to go. She forced herself to look up into the impossibly dark hall- were the lights off?- and she made out a tall shadowy figure.
“...Dad?” She whispered. She stood up and shuffled to get a closer look. Something with ashen gray skin and watery bloodshot eyes leaped out at her. Roux screamed. She bolted for the door and grabbed her guitar she left next to the door. She leaped outside and slammed the door shut. The thing scratched at the door, which was made out of glass. It appeared to be too stupid to open the door and left long claw marks from where it scratched. It threw itself at the glass in an attempt to get to Roux. She didn’t want to but…she got a closer look at the thing. It…looked like her father…almost…the long salt and pepper hair…the pointed elf ears…the large nose, rather like her own….
“What’s going on…?” She whispered. The electricity and phones didn’t work. Her mom was…she refused to even think about it. And her dad? Was he…a thing? Whatever that thing was. She wanted to collapse onto the soft grass, sink into the earth and never come back. But she couldn’t do that yet. She needed to get help. She glanced at her bike. It was a five minute ride to town. But what would she find there?
“One way to find out.” Roux righted her bike and mounted it. She didn’t know what she’d find along the way…but what choice did she have?
prompt: apocalyptic.
Title: The Vriends
Roux sat up from the bench and yawned. She spent the whole night slapping together a half-assed report for school that she was sure she wouldn’t earn more than a 20% on and was extremely tired. What was the stupid thing about anyway? The history of the donut? Who needed to know that anyway. ‘The donut was first invented in the year 1847 when a hungry satyr decided to blah, blah, blah.’ She raised her arms up to the ceiling in a stretch and then reached down to touch her toes. She grabbed her guitar and walked out the door. Fresh air blasted her in the face full force but it carried something…odd. She could sense something was wrong. It was spring, but there were no mosquitoes or black flies that normally assaulted her exposed legs and face. The air felt…sick. That was stupid. Air couldn’t get sick.
Roux rushed outside, hoping it was only her imagination. She almost slid out of the woods due to the mud. Well…the house was still standing. That’s a good sign…right? Roux opened the door slowly. It let out a ‘creeeeak’ sound. That’s funny. It never creaked. Roux stepped cautiously into her home.
“Mom?” She called timidly. “Dad?” Her walk slowly turned to a run and she explored her house more. “MOM? DAD?” Desperation found its way into her voice. “MOM! DAD!” Everything was starting to look blurry, even with her glasses on. Panic was slowly starting to set in. She sat down on the couch, legs shaking, breath hitching. Roux took a few deep breaths.
In.
Out.
Again.
And again.
And one more for good measure.
Okay. That was better. She could think now. Maybe they were just out. Maybe they were taking a hike in one of Austenite’s many woods. Yes, that’s it. But…they would have left a note or something, right? They never left without telling her where they went. She got up to look again, this time with a cooler head. She walked up to the kitchen table and glanced under it. Maybe the note fell somehow? And that’s when she saw it. Roux’s insides were churning. She barely noticed she ran to the sink and threw up in it. She coughed up whatever was left of her stomach and turned the water on, watching it run down the drain. She was getting the panicky feeling again. Instead of taking deep breaths, she was hyperventilating. She didn’t dare look back to verify what she’d seen. She thought she’d seen a severed hand. With her mom’s wedding ring on the ring finger. Her legs were shaking again. She half walked, half stumbled over to the home phone and picked it up. With wobbly fingers, she typed 9 and then 1 and then 1 again. She waited for someone to pick up but suddenly, the line was cut short. She chucked the phone at the wall in a short burst of rage and backed away, into the table and nearly hurled again, remembering what was under it. She scrambled over to the couch and collapsed onto it. Maybe this was a bad dream. She looked up at a sudden noise coming from the hallway. It sounded kind of like a seagull stuck in a washing machine. Maybe it was her imagination. Even so, she wasn’t ready to face it. Not yet. Even if it was getting closer….
Maybe she should just sit there, face buried in the cushions. What a way to go. She forced herself to look up into the impossibly dark hall- were the lights off?- and she made out a tall shadowy figure.
“...Dad?” She whispered. She stood up and shuffled to get a closer look. Something with ashen gray skin and watery bloodshot eyes leaped out at her. Roux screamed. She bolted for the door and grabbed her guitar she left next to the door. She leaped outside and slammed the door shut. The thing scratched at the door, which was made out of glass. It appeared to be too stupid to open the door and left long claw marks from where it scratched. It threw itself at the glass in an attempt to get to Roux. She didn’t want to but…she got a closer look at the thing. It…looked like her father…almost…the long salt and pepper hair…the pointed elf ears…the large nose, rather like her own….
“What’s going on…?” She whispered. The electricity and phones didn’t work. Her mom was…she refused to even think about it. And her dad? Was he…a thing? Whatever that thing was. She wanted to collapse onto the soft grass, sink into the earth and never come back. But she couldn’t do that yet. She needed to get help. She glanced at her bike. It was a five minute ride to town. But what would she find there?
“One way to find out.” Roux righted her bike and mounted it. She didn’t know what she’d find along the way…but what choice did she have?
wasn't sure whether to laugh emoji or heart emoji this.
- Thread starter
- #185
It is very good!
Not an Entry.
Prompt: a letter from a dog.
This is part of a chain of multiple letters starting about 2005 that I wrote to our breeder after we got our first Malamute. I collected them all today while I was window-shopping her site for maybe a new pupper.
"Dear Miss Jolene,
Hello! I wanted to send a letter home to my mom Kayobi and let her know that I made it to Arizona safe and sound. Since she has trouble reading, I was hoping I could write to you and you could tell her for me.
The trip out was interesting. I've never been on a plane before, but the people at the airports were nice and looked after me and Niko (that’s my brother's name) until Niko's new mom came to get us. There was another really big puppy in the cargo hangar in New Mexico, all the airport people were sort of scared of him. When Niko's new mom got there and we were able to get out, we were very excited! We ran and tumbled and played and had a lot of fun. Then we slept.
The next day Niko's mom put us back in the crate. I didn't like that too much so I kept banging against it trying to get out, but I couldn't get the door opened fast enough and she caught me. We Drove allllll day and finally made it to Niko's new house and his mom called my new family. They were there in no time flat to pick me up. I played a little while with Niko and then it was time to go. I wasn't too sure about leaving Niko, but I think I'll see him again pretty soon so it will be ok. We drove for a little while and then I was at my new home! It's very exciting. There's another dog that lives upstairs. She's sort of grumpy but She keeps looking at me like she's trying to decide what to make of me. I think we'll get along ok though. I'm already bigger than her and if she gets too rowdy I'll just kick her butt.
Arizona's Hot! Man! I didn't know places could get this hot. I don't like going outside in the daytime, but my new owner tries to help. He goes out and turns the garden hose on to soak the yard so it's cooler and I don't burn my feet when I have to go. After the sun goes down it's not so bad, I've been exploring the house and the yard, and I've found where the coolest places are on the tile so I can flop down and sprawl out to keep cool when it's warm out.
My new family seems to be pretty neat. The mom is nice to me and she smells good. She plays with me and doesn't get too upset if I have an accident in the house. She makes me sleep in a crate at night though, and I don't really like that. I yell and complain and even howl, but they don't let me out. I guess I'll get used to it. My new dad is pretty nice too. He's got really long hair and I like to sneak up behind him and grab some in my mouth and run away. He plays rough with me, and I like that. He lets me know if I get too rough though and he'll get up and stop playing with me if I get too rough. They have 2 boys too. One's not a lot bigger than me and he and I play chase a lot. He makes almost as much noise as I do, and we have been sitting on the floor howling together. It's a lot of fun. The bigger boy hasn't quite taken to me yet. I can tell he really likes me a lot, but he won't play with me and he tries to act all cool when people are around. It's ok though, I can tell he's a god boy and we'll get along fine. They got me plenty of chewy toys and squeaky toys, and I have my choice of puppy beds! I do miss my mom and brothers and sisters, especially at night, but I think I like living here and I'll do just fine.
I sent along some pictures that my new family took of me in the last couple of days. Tell my mom I miss her, but that I'll be just fine on my own.
Loki.
--Translated for Loki by Brian"
Prompt: a letter from a dog.
This is part of a chain of multiple letters starting about 2005 that I wrote to our breeder after we got our first Malamute. I collected them all today while I was window-shopping her site for maybe a new pupper.
"Dear Miss Jolene,
Hello! I wanted to send a letter home to my mom Kayobi and let her know that I made it to Arizona safe and sound. Since she has trouble reading, I was hoping I could write to you and you could tell her for me.
The trip out was interesting. I've never been on a plane before, but the people at the airports were nice and looked after me and Niko (that’s my brother's name) until Niko's new mom came to get us. There was another really big puppy in the cargo hangar in New Mexico, all the airport people were sort of scared of him. When Niko's new mom got there and we were able to get out, we were very excited! We ran and tumbled and played and had a lot of fun. Then we slept.
The next day Niko's mom put us back in the crate. I didn't like that too much so I kept banging against it trying to get out, but I couldn't get the door opened fast enough and she caught me. We Drove allllll day and finally made it to Niko's new house and his mom called my new family. They were there in no time flat to pick me up. I played a little while with Niko and then it was time to go. I wasn't too sure about leaving Niko, but I think I'll see him again pretty soon so it will be ok. We drove for a little while and then I was at my new home! It's very exciting. There's another dog that lives upstairs. She's sort of grumpy but She keeps looking at me like she's trying to decide what to make of me. I think we'll get along ok though. I'm already bigger than her and if she gets too rowdy I'll just kick her butt.
Arizona's Hot! Man! I didn't know places could get this hot. I don't like going outside in the daytime, but my new owner tries to help. He goes out and turns the garden hose on to soak the yard so it's cooler and I don't burn my feet when I have to go. After the sun goes down it's not so bad, I've been exploring the house and the yard, and I've found where the coolest places are on the tile so I can flop down and sprawl out to keep cool when it's warm out.
My new family seems to be pretty neat. The mom is nice to me and she smells good. She plays with me and doesn't get too upset if I have an accident in the house. She makes me sleep in a crate at night though, and I don't really like that. I yell and complain and even howl, but they don't let me out. I guess I'll get used to it. My new dad is pretty nice too. He's got really long hair and I like to sneak up behind him and grab some in my mouth and run away. He plays rough with me, and I like that. He lets me know if I get too rough though and he'll get up and stop playing with me if I get too rough. They have 2 boys too. One's not a lot bigger than me and he and I play chase a lot. He makes almost as much noise as I do, and we have been sitting on the floor howling together. It's a lot of fun. The bigger boy hasn't quite taken to me yet. I can tell he really likes me a lot, but he won't play with me and he tries to act all cool when people are around. It's ok though, I can tell he's a god boy and we'll get along fine. They got me plenty of chewy toys and squeaky toys, and I have my choice of puppy beds! I do miss my mom and brothers and sisters, especially at night, but I think I like living here and I'll do just fine.
I sent along some pictures that my new family took of me in the last couple of days. Tell my mom I miss her, but that I'll be just fine on my own.
Loki.
--Translated for Loki by Brian"
Both are appropriate.
I thought today was the last day. There's a whole other week for contestants.
LhickenChicken
Free Ranging
- Jan 5, 2023
- 2,500
- 14,145
- 581
Yay, more time to work on my next entry!
Looking forward to seeing it.
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