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Terrie replied to the topic Monthly competition October 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 1 week ago
<u>Pocket Money</u>
Hidden in gloom-light, he shadow-shifts within the numinous cloak of darkness rippling and folding into a Samhain-shadowed mist, as it protects him within its unsettled veil.
Hood pushed back, revealing small horns twisting, like red fingers, on dark hair, falling away over his shoulders, he glides over the grass.
Drawn…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 1 week ago
I’m late with the congratulations – life has been frantic for a few days! Thanks so much for the prompt, @jillsted. A thoughtful piece from @libby is a more-than-worthy winner. And well done to @knickylaurelle for a splendidly acute story.
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Knicks replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 1 week ago
Congratulations, Libby! Well and beautifully written to you and Ath too 🙂
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Libby started the topic Monthly competition October 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 1 week ago
It’s October and I’m going for the obvious: Halloween. Or All Saints’ Eve or Hallowmas Eve or whatever you prefer. It doesn’t have to be ghostly though if you can give us all the shivers that would be fun.
Max 400 words, connected to 31st October in some way.
Deadline midnight 31st October.
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 1 week ago
Thank you, Jill! That was a lovely surprise when I switched on this morning. Such brilliant writing from Knicks and Ath, everything so vivid and pleasurable to read.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 2 weeks ago
The Artist of Wexton
A gust of icy wind blew across the beach, and I turned to one side and pulled my coat tighter. Doing so, I realised that something was wrong, but I wasn’t quite sure what. An elderly woman stood about fifty yards to the west looking out to sea. There was something almost mournful about her, and, against my usual inclination I…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Emma Darwin has started a youtube channel in the forum Coffee Shop 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Fabulous indeed – thanks for the link, Libby. I’ve much enjoyed Emma’s two previous novels, so this will be a cert.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Sorry Jill, Returned from ten days away to a refusing-to-charge laptop, and three days from going away for another week I’ll not be posting anything for this month’s comp’ Looks like you’ve got some good response so I’ll aim to read ASAP.
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Libby started the topic Emma Darwin has started a youtube channel in the forum Coffee Shop 8 months, 2 weeks ago
At present it’s only advertising her new novel.
The ad is fabulous.
https://www.youtube.com/@emmadarwinwriter/videos
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Knicks replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 3 weeks ago
(Untitled, 394 words)
The book was finished, the story told. But more importantly, the truth laid bare. Every pocket dimension of past trauma exorcised. Every chapter of his life stamped adult, checked as complete. Every fragment of what it meant to be human sorted and struck through.
Now was a new time. A beginning time. Time to rejoin the…[Read more]
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Fiona posted an update 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Hello! I think it’s years since I last dropped in but in switching computers I rediscovered this page. So glad to see some familiar faces and competitions going strong. Fiona (SE 2013)
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly Competion – September 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 8 months, 3 weeks ago
This month I’ve gone for an essay, or at any rate not a story.
338 words
Outside my window there’s the small garden and then a field, where a tractor drags a harrow. The harrow’s arms are open and horizontal. Metal discs hang below them, making contact with the ground, and I hear the discs rattling along the soil and bouncing over flints. The…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition August 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 9 months, 1 week ago
Only two entries, as Athelstone rightly points out, but both were a joy insofar as they echoed some of my experiences. Like Jill, Steve and I were but 16 and eighteen – me young enough to be banned from going on the back of his motorbike, but after four years of ‘going steady’, when  Steve asked my Dad for,  permission  to marry me his response…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition August 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 9 months, 1 week ago
Only two entries, as Athelstone rightly points out, but both were a joy insofar as they echoed some of my experiences. Like Jill, Steve and I were but sixteen and eighteen – me young enough to be banned from going on the back of his motorbike, but after four years of ‘going steady’, when  Steve asked my Dad for,  permission  to marry me his respo…[Read more]
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition August 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 9 months, 1 week ago
Aargh – busy weekend filled with grandchildren visits and attempts to add names to a 1905 photo of a Christmas celebration family history question. I’ll get to reading and deciding ASAP.
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Bless you Ath!! Details of the Winter comp so inspired me I had sentences in my head when I woke this morning that needed me to get up and write them down immediately. That hasn’t happened for some months, and though I know what you’ve still to reveal will change things, I’m confident l’ll be able to incorporate it with the as-yet loose ideas I…[Read more]
That makes me very happy. Thank you Sandra.