With much excitement and pleasure, I am thrilled to announce the top 5 posts for my first-ever Fiction challenge.
This challenge saw a wonderful response with 29 entries in total. I was so pumped to read all of them and evaluate them based on various aspects such as language, imagery, grammar { yes, I am particular 😉 } and of course, word count! The whole trick of Flash fiction and microfiction, in particular, is the skill of weaving an entire story into the shortest number of words possible. And might I say, you people did a fabulous job with the prompt! Without further ado, here are the top 5 posts, for your pleasure. Winner’s post is at the bottom of the list. Hey, I am saving the best for last 😉 Thanks to the two Mystery judge bloggers who verified their choice of the top 5 posts. I owe you guys 🙂
To refresh your memory, here were the prompts:
Word prompt: REUNION
Phrase Prompt: ‘At long last’
Picture Prompt:
TOP 5 POSTS
#5
Reunion by Aditi Kausiva
Tongue tied
they stared,
As the forgotten scars
started brewing again.
The memories of the war,
the blood, love, lust and betrayal;
Threatened to fire up…
Until he wiped off his ego,
along with the
embarrassed sweat
And said “I am sorry”
as she broke down in his arms.
What I particularly liked about this response to the prompt is the way the author took the direction of the prompts, without actually using any of the words. The reunion is implied as an undercurrent in the entire poem, which makes it that much more powerful. That, plus the fact that men like the protagonist do exist, made me feel all happy inside 🙂 You can read more of her posts at her blog, Life is a journey…make it beaYOUtiful.
#4
Reunion- #15 words by Uma Chellappa
Breaking free from curious fingers, she flew into her lover’s fragrant arms at long last.
The brilliance of this piece lies in the way she has combined three prompts in 15 words. It’s always great to see how people will test their own limits and I can honestly say that Uma has done a fantastic job at microfiction 🙂 You can read more of her posts at her blog, My Musings
#3
Free by Nabanita Dhar
Carrie stood at the precipice gazing at the orange-hued sinking sun.
At long last she felt like the butterfly on the red flower tree outside her window. Free.
The abusive relationship was now history.
It was her reunion with joy as all her aches faded away with the sinking sun.
There is a certain nuanced feel to this piece. As one of the judges put it, it is one of the most complete responses to the prompt and filled with meaning. You instantly connect to the protagonist as she stands there, watching her unhappiness fall away. You will notice that feeling when you read all of Nabanita’s posts over at her blog, Random Thoughts- Naba.
#2
Reunion by Sfurti Sinha
The urge to reunite with her core was stronger today. Siya knew she didn’t belong here; her true self was inside. With a swift motion she dug the knife inside her and touched her bones. She reached the skeleton of what she was. She will never be incomplete again.
This post by Sfurti was so stark and candid in its rendition that it left me breathless. It was a completely different take on the prompt and I applaud her for doing complete justice to the idea. You can read more of her posts at her blog, Juzt a Mom.
<3 WINNING POST <3
Butterfly Muses by Mridubala
THEN:
An expanse, the free wind stuffed with pure, sweet aura, the florets blushed, kisses ensured sweet nectar.
NOW:
A pigeonhole, asphyxiating air, endangered blooms, nectar tastes of tears.
This post, by Mridubala, captured it beautifully for me. It simultaneously deals with the literal image of the butterfly and the metaphorical image of us in our pigeonhole existence. I read this piece over and over again , because it was so beautiful! You can read more of her work at her blog.
Congratulations, Mridubala, Sfurti, Nabanita, Uma and Aditi! Get your respective badges below 🙂
I would like to thank everyone who participated, shared, encouraged and supported this endeavour and I eagerly look forward to setting next month’s challenge and reading the thrilling entries 🙂 Okay, okay, before I start sounding like those judges on those TV reality shows, I’ll leave, but not without the parting statement: You guys complete me 😉
So, what are you five waiting for? Grab the image below and display it on your blog. I am trying to create a badge for the challenge, so do bear with me while I work out the technical aspects of the same 🙂
Yay! Thank you so much Shailaja and congrats everyone
Congratulations to all the winners!! 🙂
Thanks Shailaja.. You just made my Sunday 🙂 and congrats to the rest …
Congratulations to the winners. Great choices.
Congratulations to all the winners..I’m honoured and humbled.Thanks a lot, judges and Shailaja!
What an encouragement, this means a lot to me…thank you!
<3 A happy cub 🙂
Congratulations girls! Very well deserved 🙂 Thank you Shailaja, loved being a part of this!
Congratulations to all. These entries are awesome and I agree with the judge’s comments too. Wonderful picks.
Congratulations, winners! Well deserved wins! Loved reading all the posts. This was so much fun, Shailaja. Eagerly awaiting next months challenge!:)