The Mighty Pen flash fiction contest is a just for fun writing contest (inspired by my wonderful husband). I post the beginning of a story – and you post an end! I will choose a winner and several honorable mentions. The contest is open until Sunday night and the winner is announce on Monday where I feature them on my blog. Check out past winners on the tab above.
Note: This is a family friendly blog – so please keep it PG rated. Thanks!
The Beginning
'Twas the night before Christmas and...
Twas the night before Christmas and seven-year-old Peter was determined to catch that sneaky Santa, who crept down chimneys to deliver gifts and watched him when he was sleeping. It was creepy and he didn’t want this Santa guy to frighten Abby. She was ten months old and since Daddy was away in the war, Peter was the man of house. That’s what Daddy had told him a year ago. It was hard for the little boy to believe that he hadn’t seen his dad in so long. Long letters with pencil drawings of him, promises of playing ball with him, seeing his face on a grainy computer screen image, and emails that left Mommy crying. It wasn’t enough.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing Peter could do was protect his family. He protected his mom from the women in the grocery store that tried to talk to her when her eyes were welling with tears and she just wanted to buy some milk. He protected her from Grandma’s twenty questions over the phone. He protected her from herself by crawling into her bed at night so she had someone to hold and comfort her. Peter would do anything for him Mommy and Abby.
Peter sat on the couch in his Thomas the Tank Engine pajamas, wrapped in Abby’s extra pink blanket, and holding a small Nerf gun with three orange projectiles. He was gonna get Santa. There was a clatter on the roof. Santa! He knew it. Peter sprang from his couch to make his move. He knelt on the floor as there was a clatter of keys outside the front door. Santa didn’t normally come in the door. Probably had been snacking on too many cookies and couldn’t fit. The door slowly opened and a dark figure dropped a bad on the floor.
“Freeze!” Peter yelled. “I got you Santa!”
“It’s not Santa.”
Peter didn’t lower his gun. “Who is it?”
“Don’t you know me, Peter?”
A light flicked on, blinding him for a moment. Dressed in Army fatigues and holding a wrapped present was his Daddy.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Peter said, running into his dad’s arms.
“Merry Christmas, Peter. I love you.”
“I love you too Daddy.”
I was going to enter, but I just read Krista's entry and now I have something in my eye.
ReplyDelete@Sarah - I know it made me a little misty eyed too.
ReplyDelete@Krista - Great story!