Flash Fiction Winners Part IV

Congratulations to the winners of our Flash Fiction Challenge! Students in grades 6-12 were invited to complete the writing prompt, "It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself trapped in Bremen Public Library."

Winners:

Mason Hale – 12th grade
Sara Boyer – 11th grade
Cody L.N. Fritz – 10th grade
Brylee Murphy – 10th grade
Isiah Sarille – 10th grade
Hanna DePoy – 9th grade
Emma Heller – 7th grade
Amanda Hohulin – 7th grade
Braden Unruh – 7th grade
Katie Wilson – 7th grade

Watch our blog in the days leading up to Halloween to read the winning stories. Today we are featuring stories by Mason Hale and Emma Heller.

Stories appear as submitted by the authors, unedited.

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Mason Hale, 12th grade

It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself trapped in Bremen Public Library. I was trying to find a way out. My foot hit a doorknob that was laying on the floor. It was so heavy that I nearly broke my pinky toe! Then suddenly, I punched the door and broke my knuckles. I heard a voice say, “COME ON!!!”. I kept going, searching, wandering, crawling, for a way out.

A bolt of lightning struck and I was able to find my way out.  I turned around, and saw another bolt of lightning.  I was lost, in Bremen.  I stood at the library for a little while and then I kept on walking out in the rain. And then I came back to the library and went back inside. I waited inside until it stopped raining. I found a book called “Beauty and the Beast”.

I looked outside, and it finally stopped raining. However, I wasn’t in Bremen any more! I walked outside and a woman said, “Bonjour!”. I stared furiously and growled. I didn’t know this woman and she bothered me! My pinky toe was STILL throbbing, I was in a horrible mood!

I started limping. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but apparently my feet did! I saw this enormous castle, and walked right in. There was a girl sitting in MY chair in front of MY fireplace. I was infuriated! I told her to get up so I can sit down. She took a washcloth to wipe the blood off of my pinky toe. She nudged into my toe, and I kicked her. I said, “that hurt! Why would you do a thing like that?” So I sent her to her room in the east wing and told her never to come out of her room and IF she does, do not go into the west wing! IT IS FORBIDDEN!

As I sat down for dinner, I was extremely lonely. I told my servants to go to her room and get her.  But, she wasn’t there. I searched, and searched until I realized she went to the west wing! I became infuriated again! Why has she not obeyed me?!

I walk into the west wing, and see her staring at a glowing book! My special, magical book! I have never seen it before, but I knew, she was not allowed to touch it!

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” I yelled.

“Just browsing.”

“I told you not to come in here!” I tried to say politely.

She stormed out of the castle and ran into a pack of wolves who tried to kill her. She was severely wounded. I saved her before she was killed, and brought her back to the castle.

I had this wonderful idea, to bring her to the west wing. I took her foot and touched it to my glowing book. Magically she was turned into a beast also! Once she woke up, she fell madly in love with me.

I would like to say, that this was all just a dream…but it’s not. It happened. I am still a Beast today, living in France with my wife and 20 beast kids. I somehow do not miss Bremen one little tad bit.

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Emma Heller – 7th grade

It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself trapped in Bremen Public Library. I was browsing the fiction section, looking for a good book. Suddenly, I realized it was very quiet. Then the pit-patter of rain started to pound on the roof. Thunder crashed. Then I realized: It was 8:13 p.m., and the library had closed at 8. Lightning struck outside, and the lights turned off. In a panic, I dropped the book I was looking at, and ran to the front door. But I was too late. The door was locked. It wouldn’t budge no matter how hard I pushed and pulled it.

Frantically, I searched for a lightswitch, but when I found one, it didn’t work. I found my way behind the desk, where I searched through drawers for a flashlight. Then, I felt something. It was a reading light! I turned it on, and luckily the batteries worked.

“Yes!” I shouted with victory, even though no one was there to hear it. I searched for a key to open the doors, but couldn’t find one. It was getting late, and I decided I would have to spend the night in the library. What better thing to do in a library than read?  So I continued to look for a good book.

I came across an old favorite, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I hadn’t read it in a while, so I decided to read it again. I opened the book, and suddenly something changed! I was wearing a cape, and I had a wand. I was Harry Potter! I thought I was dreaming, but it was real. I sat down the book and closed it, which turned me back to my normal self. Weird, I thought. I wondered if it would work with another book. So, I tried it!

I opened up a classic, Alice in Wonderland, and I became Alice! I had an “eat me” cookie in my hand. I was very hungry, so I took a bite. Then, I started to grow, and grow, and grow! I was so big that my head touched the ceiling. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing, so, I closed the book.

I kept wandering the shelves, when I found Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was Charlie, and I had a fizzy drink in my hand. I remembered from reading it that it made you fly! So, I drank it. I was flying! I flew over the shelves of books looking down on the library. It was so fun!but I wanted to try being a new character.

I opened many different books, becoming new people, trying new things. I opened books I had never even read before. One book I opened was The Wizard of Oz. I became Dorothy, ruby slippers and all. I had fun at the library that night, but I was ready to leave. Just like Dorothy, I was homesick. I clicked my heels three times. I was transported back home. I became myself again, and I was lying in my bed. Then, I realized it was all a dream.