The “Picture This” Short Story Competition
November 2021 ✨
Our awesome participants (aged 9-14) wrote a 800-1,000 word story, using one of four Picture Prompts as inspiration.
The winner (Greta Michaels, Aged 13, from New Zealand) got to choose their prize from 3 amazing book options:
- ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ by Trenton Lee Stewart
- ‘Keeper of the Lost Cities’ by Shannon Messenger
- ‘On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness’ (The Wingfeather Saga Bk 1) by Andrew Peterson
Raya Frazier, Age 9, from the United States was our fabulous Honourable Mention
Winning Entry and Honourable Mentions below!
Winning Entry:
Afonya and the New World
© Greta Michaels – Age 13, New Zealand
Afonya Valeska Timon strode steadily on, the wet earth squelching beneath her worn boots. As she walked she practiced telling someone about herself.
“I am Afonya Timon, I am on a quest to find my family.”
Afonya changed her voice down a tone, “Why are you looking for your family? Did you lose them?”
“No of course not!” she exclaimed, her voice back to normal. She topped another rise in the land, in front of her spread a large patch of flat ground, right where the ground began to grow lumpy again a run-down building of stone stood, in the late evening light it looked almost like a large lump of rock.
“Maybe I could sleep there tonight,” Afonya went slowly over to it, “It seems empty.” Afonya had been on her own for so long that she had taken to thinking aloud just to hear another voice. Afonya poked her head inside, she glanced round, but barely took anything in, “I don’t like this place, it seems too empty,” Even the words felt strangely loud. …
Honourable Mention:
My Cat Tale
© Raya Frazier – Age 9, United States
“Oh come on! We’re going to be late, Marie!”
Princess Elaine was in her dressing room, and for the third time that week, she put on her old coat, plucked me off my feet (I have four of them because I’m a cat), rushed down the steps (all six flights of them), ran to the dock, and boarded a small boat.
The cold winter wind whipped my ears, and salt stung my eyes. It was true misery, but Elaine did not care. She was going to see Keir. Elaine and Keir were in love, and I, Marie, was not going to interfere–unless, of course, it put Elaine in any kind of danger. And right now she was, so it was up to me to do something.
Last night, as I was wandering the streets as I sometimes did, I came across two burly, nasty-looking men. These men were talking about my mistress, Elaine, and so I sat down and listened. The men had a long conversation, and I only caught bits and pieces of it, but from what I heard, I knew that they had suspicions about Elaine’s mysterious journeys by boat, and they were going to try and interfere. Soon. I needed to stop them, but how? …
“You can make anything by writing.”
– C. S. Lewis
Afonya and the New World
© Greta Michaels 2021
Afonya Valeska Timon strode steadily on, the wet earth squelching beneath her worn boots. As she walked she practiced telling someone about herself.
“I am Afonya Timon, I am on a quest to find my family.”
Afonya changed her voice down a tone, “Why are you looking for your family? Did you lose them?”
“No of course not!” she exclaimed, her voice back to normal. She topped another rise in the land, in front of her spread a large patch of flat ground, right where the ground began to grow lumpy again a run-down building of stone stood, in the late evening light it looked almost like a large lump of rock.
“Maybe I could sleep there tonight,” Afonya went slowly over to it, “It seems empty.” Afonya had been on her own for so long that she had taken to thinking aloud just to hear another voice. Afonya poked her head inside, she glanced round, but barely took anything in, “I don’t like this place, it seems too empty,” Even the words felt strangely loud. Afonya turned back the way she’d come, leaving the ruin behind. A little way off she threw her pack down, ate a small meal, and lay down on the wet grass to sleep, not caring that she was getting herself soaked.
Later that night Afonya woke with a start, her dragon pendant was humming. They alert people out in the open to dragons, most people do not need them, safe in their homes, as a dragon will not come for you if it cannot see you.
Afonya felt in her pack quickly finding what she was looking for, a wooden torch, and flint.
“Dragons are afraid of fire, Dragons are afraid of fire,” Afonya muttered to herself as she lit the torch. She glanced round assessing her options, “Nothing for it,” she decided. Grabbing her pack she ran for the ruin, she paused at the entrance and took another look, the light from her torch flickered, casting a warm glow around, making her dark hair shine and her amber eyes look orangey. The stone structure was about two-and-a-half times her hight, and part of the roof was gone, letting dim starlight in. Directly in front of her and above her head was a small window, to her right a stone bench stood, and on her left was a set of stone steps, which Afonya presumed were used for shelves, as they led nowhere and would hardly fit someone’s foot on them.
“I still didn’t like the look of the place, but I’m not taking any chance on those dragons.” She swallowed her fear and stepped further into the stone wreckage. The building seemed a little more inviting with dragons in question. With nothing more to do, she pulled a thin blanket out of her pack, lay down on the stone bench, and slowly fell asleep.
Afonya’s family were slaves in Tarik, and when Afonya was just a little girl she had been re-sold to a new master in Fina. Her new boss had been a harsh man, and she had eventually run away, deciding that it was time to find her family, so here she was, asleep in an old stone ruin, a small speck in the great plain between Fina and Tarik.
When she woke up in the morning the first things she saw were strange markings carved around the inside of the door frame. “That’s not any language I know,” she decided. Afonya had learned five languages, including Tarish, the language spoken in Tarik, the country where her family was.
Afonya sat up and walked over to the writing to get a better look, suddenly the writing sharpened, as if coming into focus for the first time and Afonya found that she could read it.
“Watch your footing, danger lies ahead, what you seek comes not easily, are you ready to take th…?” Afonya stepped closer trying to distinguish the last words, but she never got the chance. As her foot came down it passed through the earthen floor and down she fell, crashing straight through. The stones disappeared as she fell, turning into blue sky, her eyes instead seeing not wet grass, but a strange world, a world of tall buildings and asphalt highways. Afonya though, didn’t have time to take any of it in, thudding painfully onto what we know as a waterslide, (Afonya had no idea what it was, as there we no waterslides where she lived). She raced down the slide, soaking herself even more than the previous night, she gave a squeak that was cut short as she flew through the air and landed with a splash in a pool at the bottom. Confused, she flailed wildly, coming up spluttering to hear a young male voice from the side off the pool saying,
“Here, take my hand, what are…”
The boy’s speech was cut short as Afonya grabbed his hand trying to pull herself out, unfortunately succeeding in nothing but pulling the boy in as well. He waded to the side and dragged himself out. Afonya followed him over and pulled herself over the side, landing clumsily on the ground.
“What are you doing? For one thing, the slide’s not open, and also, you cannot swim. Best not to get into water if you can’t get out!”
Afonya rubbed water out of her eyes, searching for the speaker. A young boy, about ten, was glaring at her. He shook his sandy hair, sending droplets flying.
Then Afonya saw his clothing, he was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, ordinary enough, but to Afonya they were very strange, especially next to her own leather tunic, and rough leggings. Afonya gazed around, taking in her surroundings, then the reality of what had just happened struck her in full force, Afonya was in a completely different world, her homeland gone, and no way of knowing if she could get back.
To be continued…
My Cat Tale
© Raya Frazier 2021
“Oh come on! We’re going to be late, Marie!”
Princess Elaine was in her dressing room, and for the third time that week, she put on her old coat, plucked me off my feet (I have four of them because I’m a cat), rushed down the steps (all six flights of them), ran to the dock, and boarded a small boat.
The cold winter wind whipped my ears, and salt stung my eyes. It was true misery, but Elaine did not care. She was going to see Keir. Elaine and Keir were in love, and I, Marie, was not going to interfere–unless, of course, it put Elaine in any kind of danger. And right now she was, so it was up to me to do something.
Last night, as I was wandering the streets as I sometimes did, I came across two burly, nasty-looking men. These men were talking about my mistress, Elaine, and so I sat down and listened. The men had a long conversation, and I only caught bits and pieces of it, but from what I heard, I knew that they had suspicions about Elaine’s mysterious journeys by boat, and they were going to try and interfere. Soon. I needed to stop them, but how?
By now, we were on the island. Elaine and Keir were discussing important matters such as a house and even kids, when I heard it. Footsteps. Many of them.
Now, you might wonder why people knowing about this romance would be such a bad thing, and now I’m going to tell you. Keir’s uncle Zackshar was an army general and was not on good terms with Elaine’s late parents. The reason was when Zackshar was much younger, he had tried to take Elaine’s parents’ kingdom. He tried over and over again. Once he almost succeeded, and in the process he killed her parents. Elaine thought that her parents probably wouldn’t want her marrying anyone who had anything to do with Zackshar.
Thump, thump, thump. The footsteps were getting closer. I had to get Elaine and Keir to hide, because if that army saw them here, they might tattle on Elaine. Then, way in the distance, I saw it: the footsteps really were an army, and the army was led by Zackshar himself.
Now we really had to hide. I had an idea. I found a good climbing tree, climbed it, and pretended to be stuck. Both Elaine and Keir climbed the tree and tried to get me down. Just then, they noticed the army. Ten minutes later, the army passed right under our tree. One of the men looked up. I thought this was going to be the end.
“Extremely interesting birds,” the soldier said, passing by.
The adventures were over for that night, and by dawn Elaine and I were back at the castle.
Three days later, a messenger boy came running into Elaine’s room, calling, “Zackshar has broken through the castle gates! Zackshar has broken through the castle gates!”
Suddenly battle cries broke out, and it was clear that Zackshar had reached the throne room.
I rushed down the castle steps expecting to see all the castle occupants dead on the ground, but instead I saw Keir and a whole troop of servants fighting Zackshar and his army.
Elaine rushed downstairs after me and right away spotted Keir! She ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck. Just then a sword came swinging through the air and hit Keir’s foot. He stumbled backwards, and Elaine caught him. She looked Keir square in the eyes and did something I will never forget: she grabbed one of the many decorative swords off the wall and started to scream commands to her “soldiers.”
That’s when I realized just how much Elaine and Keir trusted each other. Just then Elaine screamed. Humans sometimes talk gibberish, and now Elaine was. “Keir is hurt! You fight! I’ll drag Keir upstairs!”
I did not know just how strong Elaine could be, but now I felt there was a possibility that she could carry Keir up the stairs (all six flights of them), and that is just what she was doing! When Keir, Elaine, and I were all safely upstairs, Elaine examined Keir’s foot.
“Badly bruised, and probably broken,” she said.
By the next morning, the fight was over, and the only trace of it left was Keir’s foot. His foot was indeed broken, and not just badly bruised.
Two weeks later the first snows of winter came. Also, though, came the preparations. That night Elaine had announced that because Keir was willing to fight on her side, it meant he was loyal, and since he was loyal, she thought that her late parents would not mind her marrying him. So that is just what she was going to do.
The preparations done, all there was to do was wait. When the wedding day finally arrived, it was clear that the weather was not going to behave. It hailed, and only half the guests arrived. But Elaine and Keir had a good time anyway.
After the party was over, Elaine and Keir went out for a walk. I thought it was about time I found them a wedding present. I went out to the garden and did what most cats would do. I brought the mouse to the steps of the castle, where I sat down to wait for Keir and Elaine. Shortly after they got home, I presented them with my gift. They screamed and pounced on it. They must have been so happy!
THE END
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