SUSANNA HILL'S 4TH ANNUAL HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST - My Entry

Once again, it's time for Susanna Hill's Annual Halloweensie Contest. I've entered a couple of her other contests, but this is the first time I've tried my hand at writing one for Halloween. She always has some tough guidelines to follow. This time around the story (told in prose or poetic form) had to include the words pumpkin, creak and broomstick, AND it had to be 100 words of less. Yikes!

Here's my entry. After you've read it, I would appreciate it if you would leave a comment. Also, please go back to Susanna's blog and click on the links for the other entries. Thanks!

TILLY'S NEW BROOMSTICK

Tilly sighed when she picked up her broomstick. It creaked and groaned every time she flew. “I need a new one, but I’m broke. What else can I use?”

She tried a curtain rod from the window. Too flimsy.

She found a board in the garage. Too heavy and too splintery. Ouch!

Would her snow shovel, propped beside the pumpkin work? It did but the shovel end made it too hard to guide.

Tilly cut that off. With a bit of string, she tied some straw to the handle.

“Perfect,” she said. “Now I’m ready for Halloween.”

Roger the Reindeer - Contest Entry

I'm posting this Christmas story, ROGER THE REINDEER, as my entry into Susanna Hill's latest Holiday Mishap contest (click the link to read more contest entries). The challenge was to write a story of 350 words or less that had something to do with a holiday mishap, mix-up, miscommunication, mistake or potential story. I think this fits the bill.

Here's my story:

ROGER THE REINDEER – word count 306

 

“Are you ready, Rudolph?” Santa asked.

“Ready, Santa,” Roger said.

Roger pranced proudly beside Santa. The fake, glowing nose Roger had rigged up must be working if Santa didn’t suspect anything

Roger was tired of Rudolph getting all the attention. First, everyone made fun of his nose. Then, everyone thought it was wonderful he could make his nose glow. Roger had been working his way up the ranks to be on Santa’s team, and then Santa chose that upstart Rudolph.

Roger had put Rudolph out of commission by lacing his oats with sleeping potion. Rudolph wouldn’t sleep all night, but by the time he woke up, it would be too late. Roger would be flying high through the skies, pulling Santa’s sleigh.

“I need you to line up with the rest of the reindeer.” Santa led Roger in front of Dasher and Dancer. As he was about to snap the lead in place, he said, “Rudolph, what’s wrong with your nose?”

“I don’t know, Santa. What’s it doing?”

“Your nose is blinking. Shouldn’t it just be glowing ?”

“Um…” Roger stammered. He scrunched up his face “Is that better?”

“No,” Santa said, as with a spit and a sputter, the light in Roger’s nose went out.

“What’s wrong Santa?”

“Your nose. It’s not glowing anymore.” Santa leaned over Roger. “It looks like there’s something on the end of it.” Santa touched it. “What’s going on?” When the fake nose slipped off, Santa asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m...I'm...um... Roger.”

“Where’s Rudolph?”

“He’s asleep in the barn.”

Pointing at some elves, Santa said, “Go get Rudolph.” To Roger he said, “I’ll deal with you later.”

When Santa took off with Rudolph in the lead, Roger hung his head, ashamed at what he’d done. “It sounded like a good idea at the time,” he said to himself.

A Special Cake - Contest Entry

Susanna Hill is having a children's writing contest on her blog.  It is called "The Fourth of July Secret Mystery Writing Contest." 

Here is my entry:

A SPECIAL CAKE – 399 words

“When do the fireworks start?” Emily asked on the Fourth of July.

“When it’s dark,” mom said.

“When do we eat?”

“When everyone gets here.”

“When will that be?”

“Soon,” mom said. “Do you need something?”

“No,” Emily said, “I just can’t ‘til Uncle Jake gets here!”

“Why?”

“Can’t tell you, it’s a secret.”

“A secret? Hmm.”

“He’s here!” Emily ran off the porch and into her uncle’s arms.

“What’s your hurry?”

“You know, Uncle Jake.” Emily looked at him. “Do you have it? Is it time yet?”

“Do you have what and is it time for what?” mom asked. She looked at her brother Jake. “What’s going on?”

“Can’t tell you,” Jake said, “It’s a secret.”

Emily giggled.

“A secret, huh? Seems like that’s going around today. Do you think you could spare a few minutes and help me? Zach and the boys will be here soon.”

Each grabbed an armload of items, took them across the yard, and placed them on the picnic table. Just as they were finishing, Emily’s dad and brothers arrived. “Where’s Kaitlin?” Emily asked Uncle Jake. “We can’t have the surprise without her.”

“Surprise? What surprise?” Emily’s dad asked as he scooped Emily up in his arms.

“We can’t tell,” Emily said.

“It’s a secret,” Jake agreed.

“Humph,” he said with a smile on his face.

“Time to eat,” Mom said.

“We can’t eat without Kaitlin.” Emily said.

“Don’t worry,” Uncle Jake said. “She’ll be here for dessert.”

“’Bout time you got here,” Jake teased Kaitlin when she arrived, “or we would have to eat cake without you.”

“Better not,” Kaitlin said. “Hope you saved me a piece.”

“Actually, you get a whole cake to yourself,” Jake said as he opened a box sitting beside him.

“A whole cake, for me?” Kaitlin asked. She looked very surprised.

Everyone, but Emily, did, too. Emily knew about the special cake. She couldn’t wait for Kaitlin to cut it.

“Hurry, hurry!” Emily shouted.

Jake laughed.

Kaitlin started cutting the cake, then stopped. She had a funny look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Jake asked. He looked completely innocent.

“There’s something in it,” Kaitlin said.

Emily giggled.

Kaitlin picked a piece of cake up with a fork and took a close look at it. “It looks like a –“

“Will you marry me,” Jake asked.

“Say yes! Say yes!” Emily yelled.

“Yes! Kaitlin said.

“Yeah!” Emily yelled.