2020 Short Story Contest Submission: Echoes

  

This year for the first time we are sharing several of our short story submissions publicly! Please enjoy the following story by middle school student Evan Schmidt:

Echoes

Evan Schmidt

 

Cold, that’s all I felt when I woke up from my dreary, deep, sleep. I opened my eyes to find myself in a pod, much like a cocoon. “Oxygen levels low, take action immediately.” I started fumbling around in the pod until I found a flashing button. In panic I vigorously tapped the

button until the pod opened. Then, I stumbled out onto the cold, hard, metal floor. I tried to sit up and look around but my head was ringing and my eyes were watering. I sat there wondering how I got here or why I was there. All I remember was yells and screams, echoes of the past. I shook

it all away and got back up to explore re around this mysterious place. By the looks of it it looked like an abandoned factory or a futuristic encampment. I made my way through it and discovered that it was looking less like a factory and more of something that the military would use. Guns, lockers, and bunks, definitely not comfortable ones. I need to get out of this place! I thought to myself, but how exactly would I do this? Instantly, I thought of fire and burning a hole through the side. Perfect! All I needed something to use. Hmm… I needed to look deeper in this place and find out what it was doing and why I was here.  I ventured in a direction I presumed was deeper into the place. Suddenly, I had a fit of pain in my head. I sat down onto the ground and closed my eyes. Breath in, breathe out. “Hello, General Anderson.” “Hello, General Talbot.” Abruptly, two male voices started talking. “Do you fancy a coffee, Talbot?” “No, thanks.” Could this be planned? Are there speakers in this place? I listened to them jabber on and on about their children and how they were doing but then, boom! “Anderson, we need all hands on deck, I repeat all hands on deck!” But there was no answer. Then the sound faded away like the sunset on a warm summer night. I slowly regained my bearings and stood up again. I’m glad that’s over. I was puzzled by what just happened but I had to move on. As I made my way around I found provisions like food and water that would keep me alive if I couldn't get out.

 

Finally, I got to a command or a control room, I couldn't tell the difference. But there I discovered I was flying, I was on a ship! I ran to the main dashboard and tried to decipher the controls to find out where I was going and why. I fiddled around with a few controls but then the ship started shaking. That’s not good. Then it started shaking more vigorously. Uh-oh! Hold on!

I grabbed the bottom of the main control console and held on for my dear life. “Going down! Going down! Disengage!” It was happening again and at the worst of times. “Private Smith, are we going to make it.” “I don’t know” I was struggling to hold on to my anchor in this sea of madness. Before I let go I wrapped myself in a ball to reduce the impact. Then, I let go and went out like a lightbulb. “Wake up, wake up!” “She’s not waking.” I heard whispers and conversations. Then, I drifted off to sleep again. I finally woke up and rubbed my eyes. “Hello.” “Who are you?” “My name is Talbot.” “General Talbot?” “The one and only.” We chatted for a while. I found out that I was on the military ship The Pit Viper or the Space Force Viper. It was abandoned because the ship was heading straight for a giant meteor. The engines were damaged by the meteor field surrounding it so they had to use the escape pods to disembark. I started to get up but Talbot pushed me down. “Rest.” “No, I’m fine.” I took off all my medical equipment and got up. “I insist.” “No, really I’m fine.” I needed to do some snooping around. “Do you guys have a bathroom?” “Yeah, down the hall and then a right.” I promptly left and tried to look for the main control room. After a few minutes of searching I found it, there were 3 soldiers, all unarmed. I needed to draw them out. Pull the fire alarm. BEEP! BEEP! The fire alarm rang like

a T-rex roaring. I ran into the hall to hide from the soldiers. “Let’s go!” “Move out!” I ran into the control room and looked around. Computers, where are you?

 

I dashed across the room to the soldiers workstations. I got to one of the soldiers computers and clicked it on. Shoot. It was asking for a password. I looked around the computers to see if any of them were logged in. I found something even better, a sticky note with the password to the computer. Too cocky in your “impenetrable fortress,” huh? I typed it in and I was in. I also found a USB drive lying on another soldier's desk. I hope this isn’t important. I plugged it in and it popped up. It read Subject Data. I dove into the sea of data. There wasn't much time so I skimmed over it. It was just some hospital data, probably a soldier's data. I copied over all the important looking files from the computer onto the drive and ran. “Long bathroom break, huh?”

“ I was looking for someone to help me with that fire alarm going on.” He nodded in understanding. I sat back down on the cot. “Can I have some alone time?” “Sure.” I searched the room for a laptop and my search ended up short.

I had to steal one. I peeked outside “False alarm, huh?” “Yes, I believe the girl did it.” “Why?” “I don't know.” I walked out of the room. “Can I get a glass of water?” “Sure.” He started to walk away. Wait! “Can I come with you? I need to stretch my legs.” He signaled me to come. We walked together in silence to the break room. He handed me my glass of water. “Thanks.” “No problem.” Suddenly, the alarms started blaring. “UNKNOWN SHIP IN AIRSPACE, PRESENCE IMMEDIATE.” Then, a boom rocked the ship. “Let’s get you to safety.” After a short walk we arrived at my new room. “Not exactly a luxury suite, huh?” “It’s safe that’s what it is.” He shoved me in and hustled away. More like a prison than safety.  “BREACH IN HULL, ENGINES AT 50%.” We started to slow down until we almost came to a complete stop. Oh god. I started to have these “hallucinations” again. “She just came in and we found her floating outside in open space.” “How is she not dead?” “We don’t know. We’re running tests right now.” “Good.”

Then, I realized those hospital records were mine! Someone was running toward me and my cell that wasn't military. I started panicking and I hid myself in the corner of my cell. The man looked around the cell and then said “I know you’re there.” I replied “Who are you?” “The good guys. Listen, I’ll break you out of here but you have to trust me.” “Where will you take me?” “Away, far away.” I stood up and nodded my head. “I’m in.” He got out a laser cutter and started cutting a hole for me to climb through. “Fugitive breaking out Subject! Engage!” “Give me the cutter and run. Trust me.” He fit the cutter through the bars and then did exactly as told. I don’t think the guards noticed me so I started to cut through the bars. One of the guards glanced over at me but quickly glanced back.  “Let’s go, move out!” I was in the clear. The hole that I cut fell out of the cell and I started to run where the mysterious man ran. “Come on!” I saw him running towards a door, presumably leading to the docking bay. “What’s your name?” “What, now?” “Yes!” “Anderson!” I stopped for a second. General Anderson, I thought he was dead! “Let’s go! Explosives are rigged to explode in a few minutes!” We ran through the door onto a platform overlooking a plethora of ships. “Which one is yours?” “The flaming wreck. We need to take one of theirs!” I dove down the stairs and ran into the bay. I saw a sizable ship that looked pretty sturdy. “That one!” I pointed to it. ”Sure! Hop in.” We climbed up to the cockpit and we hopped in. We started to take off but then Talbot entered the bay. “Anderson, I thought you were dead!” That’s what I thought also. “Why are you working for someone else?” “Because I discovered what you actually do!” “Men, guns free!” We started to get shot at but our ship held up and we had enough time to get out of the bay. “Thank goodness that’s over.” “Not yet” “Do you have a laptop?” “There should be a laptop in here.” I found it and plugged in the USB. “What’s that?” “Stolen data.”

“Really? That would mean millions for me and my employer!” “Why?” “You have visions right?” We talked and he has these hallucinations too. He calls them “echoes.” “It’s okay now. We’ll find a place to settle down for a while and we can talk more.”  “Ok, good.”

Then, we flew off into the distance and never looked back.

2020 Short Story Contest Submission: The Curse

  This year for the first time we are sharing several of our short story submissions publicly! Please enjoy the following story by middle school student Emilia Hunt:

Curse​

Emilia Hunt

 

The town’s seer began the story.

 

The woman with the hair as dark as night and the skin white as snow left her run-down home. It had just rained, and the wind was harsh, making the winter even worse. That woman did not seem to care about the weather, though she looked paler than ever. Bypassers avoided her. No one knew anything about her, but when they saw her piercing green eyes, everyone felt uneasy. She had moved to La Misérable Ville years earlier, from an unknown place, and she had become a healer whom only travelers would visit. The results of her patients were surreal, and that made people trust her even less. The town was suffering a terrible winter, which made the woman come out more often, in the darkest, stormiest nights, all alone. This time, the woman was out in the day, a very uncommon thing. She rushed downtown, seeming furious at something, though she always looked mad. But this time she seemed deadlier than ever.

 

The mayor had been expecting her. He needed to talk about her, since people were threatening to move away if she didn’t leave this town. He was nervous, almost shaking, but he had to keep calm, as the mayor. The woman stepped into his office and glared at him with her emerald eyes. The mayor motioned her to sit down, however, she remained standing dangerously by the door.

 

“What do you want?” she growled.

 

The mayor didn’t answer at first. He was trembling at this point. He took a deep breath. This needed to be addressed.

 

“Er... Y-you must l-leave here. E-everyone t-thinks-”

 

“​What​? You cannot tell me to leave this horrid little town!” the woman roared at the cowering mayor.

 

“B-but i-if you think it-it’s terrible-” he stammered.

 

The woman’s eyes seemed to have flecks of carmine red with the green. She stormed off into the wildly blowing wind. It was dusk by then. She stormed to the woods near La Misérable Ville, and the darkness slowly swallowed her up. Everyone was questioning the mayor, and what he could possibly do to make that maniac woman so furious. He was speechless and wide-eyed. All of the town was petrified of how enraged she seemed. What would happen to the small town if this abnormal seeming woman was upset? Suddenly, a figure with dark, flowing hair emerged from the woods. The woman was back, and she was smirking at all the horrified townspeople. She raised her hands by her sides, and told a chilling incantation, into a booming voice.

 

“The storms, the troubles of this town will build up, until my heir releases it. You will all be doomed when my wrath rains down on you,” the woman recited. Then, she disappeared into thin air. La Misérable Ville was cursed from then on,”

 

The diviner finished, looking up from the crystal ball.

 

2020 Short Story Contest Submission: The Music Box

 This year for the first time we are sharing several of our short story submissions publicly! Please enjoy the following story by middle school student Madeline Dickson:

The Music Box Ghost

A Short Story By Madeline Dickson

Riley did not like this new house. It was big and old, and it looked like no one had lived in it since the 16th century. Riley and her family had moved to the town Everdale after her identical twin sister had been kidnapped, and had almost taken her to. The police advised that they move incase the kidnapper happens to come back for her. So they moved. 

“Riley! Come see your new room!” Her mother called from upstairs. Sighing, Riley picked up her boxes and came upstairs. When she got to her room, she gasped, it was huge, with a canopy bed and bookshelves filled with books from the last people who lived here. All her anger and sadness from moving vanished, she loved this room. Her mother smiled and told her dinner was in an hour, and to explore the house some more. Riley quickly nodded and ushered her mother out of the room. She set down the boxes and began to explore the room. She peeled back the curtain on the window and found something surprising. It was a framed picture of a little girl and her mother. Riley guessed it was from the family who lived here before. Beside it was a music box, it was square with a clock in its center and phone on top. Checking her phone, she saw that the clock was correct about the time. She picked it up and turned the switch on the back, it played a haunting melody that gave Riley shivers. 

“Oh! Hello!” A child’s voice said from behind. Whipping around, Riley came face to face with a spirt  of a young girl, Mabey eight. “No ones been here since I died, it has been sooooo lonely,” The girl said flopping on the bed, then she got up and came over to Riley, Riley stood perfectly still, not daring to move a muscle. “Now that I think about, do I know you?” The ghost said,

“I-i don’t think so” Riley stuttered. “What are you? And what’s your name?” Riley said. The ghost lit up and said,

“Oh! Sorry for not introducing myself! My name is Lilly Anne and I am an object ghost. That means I died and my spirit became attached to an object, probably because I have to watch over one of my descendants or I am holding on to something and can’t let go. I am attached to the music box.”

“Oh, ok,” Riley said, “Um, my name is Riley Avens and I am 16 years old” 

“Cool! My last name is Avens to! Mabey you are one of my descendants and I’m here to protect you!” Lilly Anne said gleefully. That got Riley thinking,

“What year did you die?” She said,

“Um, I think 2016? About 30 years ago. Why?”

“Oh, just a hunch” Riley responded. 30 years ago was when her mother’s sister was found dead. Riley’s mother had barely made it out alive, she had a scar down her neck to show it. 

“Riley! Come down for dinner!” Her mother called from downstairs

“Coming mom!” She called back, “I have to go,” She told Lilly Anne

“Oh ok, also, one thing that you must remember is to always play my music box before you go to bed. The bad man will come and kill you if you don’t, as he did to me.” Lilly Anne Said shaking.

“Um ok,” Riley said, She wasn’t too worried. 

After dinner and clean up. Riley went back upstairs

“Lilly Anne? Lilly Anne?” Riley said,

“Why would you say her name?” Her mother said from behind

“You know her? Shes short has her hair in pigtails, about eight?” Riley said

“Why would I not know my own sister?” Her mother said

“She is your sister?” 

“Yes, this is the house she died in.” Her mother said

“SISTER” Lilly Anne materialized in front of Riley, “Oh! I’m so happy your back I thought you would never come back”  Riley’s mother looked shocked.

“I must be hallucinating, first my sister and now my daughter,” She said under her breath and went to her room. Lilly Anne looked hurt and embarrassed, she went into Riley’s room and sat on the bed.

“So I’m your aunt,” She said. Riley nodded, “Listen to me Riley, if you ever forget to play the music box, the bad man will come, you must never tell him where I am, do you understand?

“Ok…” Riley said with uncertainty. Lilly Anne evaporated and was gone. Riley went to bed, she wanted to see the bad man.
    At around 2:30 in the morning Riley woke up with a start, something smelled horrible. When she looked up there was a man with no face standing above her.

“Whereeeeeee issss thhheeeee girlll” The things words where slurred. 

“I-i d-d-don’t know” Riley cried. The thing hissed and disappeared. It went on like this for the next three months. One day, Riley had had enough. 

“Lilly Anne! Listen to me, I think you cant pass on because you are scared of this “Bad Man” You need to stand up to him, like a school bully.”

“Y-you think I could do that?” The girl stuttered

“YES, he is here because of you, you are the only one who can make him go away.”

“I will try” Lilly Anne gave a weak smile

That night, as usual, Riley woke up to bad breath

“Whereeeeeee issss thhheeeee girlll” The thing said. Tonight was going to be different, tonight they were going to get rid of this man. 

“She is over there,” Riley said pointing to where Lilly Anne was standing. The monster slithered over to Lilly Anne.

“I’M NOT SCARED OF YOU, I DONT CARE THAT YOU KILLED ME, OR THAT YOU ARE MY DAD, I AM NOT SCARED OF YOU” Lilly Anne screamed with tears in her eyes. The monster looked at her strange and then slithered away out the window. Lilly Anne collapsed crying. Riley hopped off the bed and ran over to her. 

“What do you mean dad, are you saying that was my grandfather? Riley said

“Yes, that was my father he abused my mother and me and my sister, he was always drunk and was doing bad drugs. We never called him Dad, he was a monster or the bad man. He killed me and tried to kill your mother. Thank you for helping me face my fears.” Lilly Annes spirt began to denigrate into little balls of light and began to float out the window.

“Any time.” Whispered Riley.

Two months later

“Riley! Riley! They found her!” Her mother screamed

“They found Selene? My sister?!” 

“Yes! Yes, they did!” Her mother cried. Riley smiled now everything was ok, her sister was found, Lilly Anne was at peace, her Grandfather had been dealt with. It was going to be ok. 

Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Reviewer: Julian E.
Stars: 3.5 stars

Welcome to Night Vale is not your ordinary book. Much of what a reader would expect a book to read like is just simply not so in this novel. This, however, occurs in such a delightful manner. Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor present a bewilderingly peculiar yet highly enjoyable set of characters and plot within the mystical desert town known as Night Vale. something rather different, or to any fan of the original podcast. All in all, I give this book a 3.5 star rating, so definitely give it a try. I think you’ll like it.   

Jackie Fierro is not your every-day teenager. This is not because she’s a prodigy, or that she’s mature for her age, or that she is an early high school graduate, because she is none of those things. She is and has been, however, 19 years old for several decades and the owner of a pawnshop for just as long. Change does not bother to happen in Jackie’s life. Then, one fateful day, a shady customer approaches her, hands her a slip of paper, and vanishes. While this may be par-for-the-course in a town like Night Vale, something isn’t right about the slip and the man who gave it. 

But this isn’t the only strange occurrence happening within the town. Diane Crayton, the mother of a shape-shifting 15-year-old, has lately been seeing her son’s ex-father pop-up around the town. Whether that be as a police officer, waiter, city official, Diane strives to divert her son’s peeking interest in the identity of his father while simultaneously seeking to confront him herself. But that’s not all she has to worry about; a few of her co-workers seemingly disappear without a trace, leaving behind a wake of unsettling events. The plot of Welcome to Night Vale revolves around the intertwining of Jackie and Diane’s lives and their search for answers in the curious town of Night Vale. 

For how strange and sometimes confusing the story was to me, it usually managed to keep me interested with well-written characters and a fascinating world to discover and unfurl the mysteries of. Although, I found the aforementioned plot to be a little too nonsensical at times, which usually came up every instance the writers seemed to prioritize the novelty of their style of writing rather than focusing on maintaining continuity. This also affected my level of engagement, as the non-linear aspect of the story was disorienting. This may be due to the fact the book is based off of the pre-existing podcast by the same name, which might have covered a few details left untouched by the book. Despite my negative skew, I would still recommend this book purely based off of the sheer and immense whimsy of the backdrop as a whole. Night Vale seems like just such a fantastic place to explore and dive into, similar to the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter series. So more specifically, I recommend this to any reader seeking

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Reviewer: Mikayla P.
Stars: 4 stars

Sadie is the enthralling story of teenager Sadie as she goes on a search to find her younger sister’s murderer. Mattie was Sadie’s world; every time their mom, wasted or high, disappeared to see another guy, Sadie picked up where their mom should have been. When Mattie disappeared one night and her body was found days later, Sadie’s world collapsed around her. Sadie switches points of view between Sadie herself, on the run and looking to avenge her sister, and “Girls,” a podcast that follows girls that have disappeared, as they track Sadie’s story later on. I read the novel, and though it took me a little bit to get used to the podcast as a written transcript, I was swept up enough in the story that I quickly forgot about it. I, myself, didn’t listen to the audiobook but one of my friends did and she told me that it’s one of the best she’s ever listened to. It includes a full cast of voice actors for everyone interviewed on “Girls” and makes it feel like you’re listening to a real podcast. While the story took a bit to pick up speed, once it did I couldn’t put it down. It was hauntingly real with, as stated on the Goodreads description of the book, “...an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.”

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Reviewer: Mikayla P.
Stars: 5 stars

Despite Sarah J. Maas being my favorite author, I was hesitant to read Catwoman since I am not a superhero fan. After deciding to go for it, I can honestly say that I don’t regret one minute I spent reading it and would recommend it to Maas fans, superhero fans, and romance lovers alike. Although it is technically the third book in the series sponsored by DC, it is plenty capable of standing alone (I didn’t read any of the others). Despite being a superhero story, it deals with racial and monetary inequalities tastefully. My only complaint about it is that Selina, the main character, is very similar to, though not as developed as, Maas’s other characters. Beyond that, the world and plot are very unique, I absolutely adore the love interest as well as Selina’s friends. The plot is thrilling, fast-paced, and captivated my attention from the first page to the last. It’s not a particularly deep or developed plot or world but that keeps it from getting too slow or wordy. It’s not the best fantasy-style novel I’ve ever read, but I still loved every minute of it and it’s unique in that it’s a great standalone novel.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Reviewer: Mikayla P.
Stars: 5 stars

Girls of Paper and Fire is set in a fantasy world loosely based off of ancient China. There is a rigid class system in place: the Moon Caste at the top (demons whose bodies are more animal than human), Steel Caste (demon/human hybrids), and Paper Caste (the fragile humans) at the bottom. Lei is a young Paper woman who grew up in a small village far from the action of the capital. Although the Paper Caste is incredibly oppressed, Lei’s village is so far from the cities that she and her father are able to live a happy and relatively undisturbed life. Until one day one of the Demon King’s soldiers arrives in the village to bring Lei to the capital, by any means necessary, in order for her to be a Paper Girl, one of the Demon King’s concubines. Girls of Paper and Fire is an astonishing journey undertaken by many young girls forced into a position considered incredibly honorable by society despite its inherent brutality and pain. Each girl is unique and strong in her own way, and despite being merely words on paper become living beings in the reader’s mind extremely quickly. The world is impeccable and the plot is endlessly breathtaking. Despite being a fast-paced adventure, the novel artfully deals with heavy topics such as racism, rape, and sexuality. Girls of Paper and Fire would be easily worth reading just for the world, just for the plot, just for the characters, or just for the romance. Combine all four and you have Ngan’s incredible masterpiece.