Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Mighty Pen #7

The Mighty Pen writing contest is held every Thursday. I post the beginning of a story, you post your ending in the comments. I judge all the entries on style, voice, imagery, humor, and pretty much anything else I think is important. Entries are open until Sunday night. On the following Monday I present the winner with The Mighty Pen award and feature them on my blog.

See The Mighty Pen tab above for previous winners.

When you are done here. Hop over to Cheryl's blog to check out her Flashtastic flash fiction contest.

The Beginning

"You don't understand! I can't. I can't."...

10 comments:

  1. You don't understand!
    I can't, I can't
    just go up there
    and be part of the group.

    I'm a quiet girl
    yes I'm familiar from classes
    but what do I say

    I'm not used to this,
    only one on one
    just leave me alone.

    I hope you enjoyed the poem! I know it's different, but it's just what came out. Thanks, Fida (:

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  2. I can't," the young woman begged.

    "You will give him up to me," the man hissed, squeezing her wrist and causing her to cry out in pain.

    "Never, you can torture me, but I will never give him up to you! I cannot!" she yelled.

    He dropped her to the hard stone floor and let her fall, slamming the heavy wood door in her face. Lily trembled, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as she wept. Water dripped down the dungeon walls and the sound of someone screaming came from down the long hallway right outside her door. It was too much, but Lily refused to give up. She would protect her brother until the day she died. He was fighting for freedom and the mistreatment of their people. Death would just be another adventure.

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  3. @Fida I love the poem. I totally sympathize with the feeling.

    @Krista M love the story! So charged with emotion.

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  4. "You don't understand! I can't. I can't." Lisa shook her head violently swishing the image from side to side hoping it would fall from her vision.

    "All you have to do is grab hold and the rest will come naturally." Derek replied. His voice soft and warm on her cheek.

    She put her hands around the object, feeling its rough exterior in her hands and taking slow deep breaths. If she didn't do this with him, she'd be left behind.

    "That's a girl, just like that. No hold on as tight as you can."

    Lisa felt her body cling to Derek. His arms wrapped around her. She refused to open her eyes, she didn't want to see anything. A breeze stroked her hair backwards and suddenly everything stopped but the rapid beat of her heart.

    Lisa opened her eyes to find Derek held her just a foot above the ground. Her knuckles had clung to the rope so tight they were white. She looked back at the ledge she was trapped on. Heights- she'd never get used to them.

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  5. "You don't understand. I can't. I can't pretend like I'm okay when I see her. I can't lie. She'll know that--"

    "She won't know anything. How long have we been doing this? She hasn't caught on yet."

    "That doesn't make it okay. It makes us the opposite of okay. I can't do it anymore, Jay. We have to stop."

    "You can do it, and you will, Jennifer. I'm not the only one with something to lose if she finds out."

    Jennifer gathers the strength to look him in the eyes and finds out that he's serious. She'll have to keep seeing him, loving him, or they'll both lose everything.

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  6. “You don’t understand! I can’t! I can’t!”

    The voice sounded desperate, full of vulnerability and apprehension. It echoed from behind the doors of Mr. Collins’ office. I stood, my feet glued to the carpet, outside of the doors. I was just supposed to deliver the tea and go back to my desk. He said bring the tea at 11:15 sharp. Whenever I’m late he scowls. So today I’m early…

    And I can’t bring myself to open the door.

    Just open the door! Give him the tea and be done with it. You won’t have to hear anymore. You won’t have to feel like you’re working for a monster. Even though you’ve been thinking that since you started working… Wait he’s talking again…

    With haste I involuntarily stepped an inch closer, straining to hear.

    “…. by tomorrow Mrs. Cummings, this is not a matter to discuss. It’s a matter of time. And you can be the judge of what is best.”

    “Mr. Collins’ please…! Don’t be this way. Think of my children… My mother… It’s”

    “It’s necessary Mrs. Cummings.”

    Silence.

    This was my moment. I could take advantage of the silence, enter and disappear as if I hadn’t been eavesdropping…

    She was sniffling. There was a shuffle. I looked at the small gap between the bottom of the door and the carpeted floor. A shadow of legs shifted slowly across the room.

    “You will comply, Mrs. Cummings…” This was his agitated voice. “Or else, I will take the information I need by force. A procedure which will render you vegetable-like for the remaining years of you sorry insignificant life….”

    The last words ended with a hiss.
    I could imagine his tall thin body stooping over her like a praying mantis over a larval grub.

    There was some shuffling of fabric, the sound of a button. Her purse? Jacket?
    Then the shadow of legs backing slowly away from where they’d just advanced.

    “Wait… wait! Mrs. Cummings don’t!”

    There was a blunt pop. Someone sat abruptly on the couch, the leather crumpling beneath their weight.

    Silence.

    My heart was beating in my ears.

    The door swung open. And in a whirl of perfume and red hair out came Mrs. Cummings. Her eyes locked on me in a dead stare. In her right hand was a sleek gun equipped with a silencer.

    “Eavesdroppin’ are we Mrs. Beatrice?”

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  7. @Summer Rose I hate heights too!

    @Kelley Wow, makes me wonder why they would loose it all :)

    @CLB Love it!

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  8. Stuttered John into his mobile phone.

    He sounds terrified, thought Keith.

    “Why not John? Why? For god’s sake its Saturday, our busiest day of the week” Keith was furious. He was standing outside the gates of the zoo with the rest of the employees, unable to gain entry.

    “The animals, they’ve locked me in the Gorilla enclosure, it was an ambush, Kong was waiting for me, I couldn’t see him or the other Gorillas anywhere, so I went into the enclosure to see what was going on and they shut the door on me and locked me in” John was hysterical now.

    “Have you been on the old jazz cigarettes again John? Now pull yourself together, get yourself down here and open the gates” Keith was incredulous, he’s heard some excuses in his time but this took the biscuit.

    “I’m not lying Keith, I’m locked in the Gorilla enclosure, all the animals are stood around the barriers watching me, its freaking me out, STOP STARING WILL YOU!!” John screamed at the assembled citizens of the zoo “Wait, one of the Giraffes is leaning toward me, he’s got a piece of paper in his mouth"

    John put his phone down on the grass and reached up to grab the note from the Giraffe’s mouth. He picked up his phone again and spoke into it.

    “Okay, it’s a note, I can barely make it out. Oh dear, I think it’s written in blood”

    There was a pause

    “John...are you still there John? What does it say?” asked Keith eagerly

    “It says: Now you know how we feel”

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  9. "You don't understand! I can't. I can't."
    Why don't they listen to my rant?
    I've told them a hundred times ten.
    I just can't go back there again.

    It's dark; it's cold; it's lonely.
    Here is light and heat and lovely.
    "You must return from whence you came."
    I didn't come for fortune or fame.

    I broke the box; I dug the earth.
    They lit my candles and praised my worth.
    "I won't go back. I shan't! I shan't!
    You don't understand. I can't! I can't!"

    It isn't right for me to be walking.
    It is fearsome that I am talking.
    I'm supposed to be silent, cold, and buried.
    In the ground is where I was carried.

    But I won't go back to the dark place.
    I deserve to be here, with the human race.
    Burn your torches and voice your chant.
    You don't understand. I can't! I can't!

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