Py's October Writing Contest (winners announced!)

[! honeysuckle !]

Username: tuttifrutti000
Prompt used: Pumpkin
Submission: Down below

You could could smell the thick stench of rotting a mile away.

Obnoxious flies circled the decaying vegetables, filling the humid atmosphere with a cacophony of buzzing.

With barely any strength left in my bony body, I staggered towards them.

A powerful wave of exhaustion crashed down on me and I collapsed.

I found myself in the foul-smelling heap of pumpkins, their lumpy flesh spread across my limbs.

My stomach churning, I didn’t know how I would manage to eat the repulsive rot.

But if I wanted to survive I had no choice.

Long ago, I cared for these pumpkins, watering them daily, tidying their beds, harvesting them when they were ripe. Keeping them alive

Now it was time for them to keep me alive.

I tore off a chunk of the least decayed one, and reluctantly slotted it into my mouth.

It smelt, felt, and tasted putrid, but it was food.

Gradually, I forced myself to take another bite. And another. And another.

Before I was aware of it, I had consumed an entire pumpkin.

The wolf viciously clawing at the door of my stomach had relented.

My throbbing head had cleared.

I had found food. Food that kept me alive - or so I thought...

A sudden wave of sickness washed over me, and I heard the sound of gleeful cackling circle in my ears.

The sickness intensified, and, doubling over, all the pumpkin came rushing back up and spurting out onto the rotting patch.

Nausea rushed through my gut, my head, my veins.

Once again, I collapsed.

“Whatever made you think we’d let you live?” a throaty voice chuckled.

Fear and confusion shot through me. “Who is this…?”

“Oh, just the poor old pumpkin patch you forgot all about and left to die.”

“B-b-but, pumpkins can’t talk…” I croaked.

“Does the same go for jack-o-lanterns?”

I spun around, and I was face-to-face with a gleaming, bright orange pumpkin.

It wasn’t disintegrating, and through a carved grin and triangle eyes you could see a candle flickering.

“Where did you come from?”

Right before my very eyes, its beam stretched even broader.

Then it maliciously chortled, “Happy Halloween!”

My jaw dropped as every rotten pumpkin transformed into a jack-o-lantern, every one of them cackling and screeching, “Happy Halloween! Happy Halloween!”

Fright-filled tears streamed down my hollow cheeks as I desperately asked, “What is going…”

My voice was drowned out by the horrific symphony of shrieking and cackling.


“For every thing you abandon there’s a price you have to pay
Halloween, Halloween, today’s the day
That you’ll regret that you left us
For things you thought to be better
And then you come, to our disgust,
Crawling, crawling back to us
Once things have turned pear-shaped
But we don’t want you - go away
Or maybe we could torture you instead
Break your bones, scare you to death
For every thing you abandon there’s a price you have to pay
Halloween, Halloween, today’s the day…”

[Pyjaks]

Final reminder, deadline is in less than 12 hours!! (11:59pm EST)

[pillowa]

Username: Pillowa; Prompt used: Spooky; Submission:
October 27th
The swing sways.
Up and down,
up and down,
up and down,
it climbs higher.
Up and down,
up and down,
up and down,
but it's empty.

It's the wind,
it's the wind,
it's the wind,
I told myself.
It's the wind,
it's the wind,
it's the wind,
but even I know that's untrue.

"Jack!"
I snap out of my daze and blink, the light suddenly a painful beam. My feet stumble as I struggle to steady myself on a nearby street pole, fully aware of Slinky's eyes boring into my skull.
"Was that a seizure or something?"
A seizure.
No, it wasn't a seizure.
My eyes dark back over to the swings, which lay peacefully still.
My heart lurched and my stomach churned.
They were moving just a minute ago.

October 27th
The wind blows strong,
whoosh,
whoosh,
whoosh,
but the footsteps are undeniable,
whoosh,
whoosh,
whoosh,
she's behind me.

Don't look back,
don't look back,
don't look back,
pick up my pace,
don't look back,
don't look back,
don't look back,
just keep walking.

I lean against the tree, my head throbbing and my vision foggy. I was going crazy, I was hallucinating.
I rub my face, I pull at my hair, I dig my fingernails deep into my palms, I yell out, hoping to grasp back onto reality.
I glance behind me, no one was there. I wasn't being followed- heck, there isn't even any wind.

October 28th

Close the door,
lock it,
lock it,
lock it,
there's a knock,
GETOUTGETOUT
GETOUTGETOUT
GETOUTGETOUT

GETOUTGETOUT
GETOUTGETOUT
GETOUTGETOUT
GETOUTGETOUT

"You don't look well," My mother seats herself across from me, her eyes are laced with worry. "You've been staring off into space a lot lately, what's in your mind? It's not about your father is it?"
The mention of my father unexpectedly squeezed at my heart, but I shake my head, trying to drag air into my lungs.
She tilts her head, and I swear,
I swear her eyes glint with murderous insanity.

October 29th
Six minutes 'til midnight,
tick,
tick,
tick
wHat's thAt?
Tick,
tick,
tick,
she's comiNG
sHE's COMinG
SHE'S COMING
SHE'SCOMINGSHE'SCOMINGSHE'SCOMINGSHE'SCOMING

The voice was a soft female voice, melodic and pretty. But the whisper was sharp and cutting, it probed at my head, stabbing at it as if trying to warn me.
I force myself to concentrate, to break my gaze away from the clock, and to focus and listen to the professor's lecture.
My chest and throat constrict.
The professor's face was withered, wrinkled and lifeless. It stood there like a corpse, like a crumbling zombie.
The hair was ripped off, loose skin clung to his face like ticks.
The class looked over at me, their limbs bent all wrong, their lips spread into wicked grins, too big for their faces. Small, sharp, uneven teeth sliced out of their gums and their eyeballs bugged out as if they were going to explode.
They all stared at me, smirks growing wider each passing second,
"She's here, she's here, she's here,"
they chant.
I nearly fall out of my seat, a scream clawing to escape.
"Dude, what's bloody wrong with you?"
A harsh whisper cuts through the mantras.
I glance over at Slinky, who sat to the left of me. His face flickered, the whole classroom wavered for a long second before returning back to how it once was.
There was no sign of the monsters that once surrounded me.

October 30th
Hush, little baby,
don't you cry,
don't you cry,
don't you cry,
I'm gonna sing you
a lull-a-bye
a lull-a-bye
a lull-a-bye,
so hush little baby
CLOSE. YOUR. EYES.

It's just the same words, over and over again, bouncing off the walls of my bedroom.
It pounded through my ears, rattling my brain as I lay on my bed, not daring to even blink.
It abruptly stopped.
An uncomfortable silence followed, and my eyes grew heavy.
Darkness lashes out and envelopes me tight.

Something wet drips onto my cheek.
My eyes instantly pry open.
My heart nearly rips itself from my chest.
On the ceiling, clung a little girl with thin, stringy brown hair. Her face hallowed and deceased-looking. She had red, bloody holes where her eyes once her, with little black cracks that spread across her delicate, pale face. Her mouth stretched into a thin smile, slicing away her cheeks and yanking up to her eyes. She had no teeth, just a blank holw for a mouth. Her head flexed all the way back, twitching left and right like she was high on sugar. My eyes slide down to her fingers, long and sharp, like daggers, stained with dry blood.
She started wailing,
"Ring around the rosy,
pockets full of posies,"
My hands shot up to my ears, squeezing it, trying desperately to prevent the awful song from entering, but it was no use, I heard her cries loud and clear.
I scream, but it seemed muted out by her sorrowful singing.
"Ashes, ashes, we all,"
I will myself to move, to spring up and run, but I was frozen, my eyes glued to the child, who was slowly creeping closer.
"fall,"
The scent of decaying flesh fills my nostrils, blood seeps from the walls. I fight back a gag and squeeze my eyes shut.
"down,"

GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT
SHE'SCOMINGSHE'SCOMINGSHE'SCOMING
YOUR
NEXT
YOUR
NEXT
YOUR NEXT

[Ranger of the North]

Username: Ranger of the North
Prompt used: A little bit of leaves and a little bit of spooky
Submission:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxA brisk wind sang through the forest, tickling trees and carrying with it the promise of coming rain. Kaia danced to its airy melody, hair snapping around her face, and flung her arms high.
xxxxx“Veil!” she cried. “Spring!”
xxxxxFor so it was. New lives kissed the world with rosy lips, innocent as the smallest child. Delicate blossoms adorned the trees like fairy ball-gowns, and tender young shoots forked like curious fingers from wise old branches. The whole world seemed fresh and green and beautiful.
xxxxx“So ‘tis,” the falcon chirped agreeably, glancing up from his preening. “It happens every year, friend. What’s new?”
xxxxx“That’s my point! Everything!”
xxxxx“Oh.” Veil flexed his talons, avoiding her gaze. “I see. You haven’t —”
xxxxx“What’s your favourite part of Spring?” Kaia interrupted hurriedly, swaying like a drunkard. “I like leaves.”
xxxxx“Leaves?” The falcon whistled, fluffing his feathers and settling them once more. “Whatever for? Personally, I rather fancy the rising numbers of mice and young finches.” He couldn’t help casting his talons a proud glance, and Kaia tumbled dizzily to the ground.
xxxxx“You would!” she cackled, watching as the world spun crazily.
xxxxxGrass prickled softly at her hands as she propped her head up, suddenly serious, and a small sigh exhaled the effects of the spin.
xxxxx“Leaves seem small and helpless, but they’re actually really powerful,” she explained. “After the dreary, lifeless, cold of winter, they herald warmth and the coming of Summer. They know what they’re supposed to do, they know how to get there — and they know how life works —” She paused for a moment to steady herself; press a knuckle to her eyes. “And they’re not abandoned before they’re ready.”
xxxxxVeil crooned softly, then glided effortlessly through the air to perch nearer the girl.
xxxxx“I still prefer mice,” he whistled. “Life is harsh and unforgiving, but they have a wisdom far beyond their age — the wisdom to survive. There are no set paths for their lives. They live happily; freely. They are constrained by no one. And, when life catches them, they die doing what they wanted.”
xxxxxKaia cleared her throat fiercely, not trusting herself to speak.
xxxxx“You should be a bloody poet, Veil,” she mumbled eventually.
xxxxx“Thank you.” The bird bobbed his head, and Kaia couldn’t resist a broken chuckle.
xxxxxSudden clouds swamped the sun. The wind shifted, growling a quiet threat, and the old trees, forsaking their usual cheery nods, flung their limbs skyward and wailed with the tongues of a thousand miseries.
xxxxxKaia’s hair prickled uncomfortably. Shuddering, she took deep breath of the warm, moist air, and rose to her feet. “Is that...?”
xxxxx“’Tis,” Veil affirmed quietly, regarding the sky with sharp eyes. “Hel-lo, October!” He shrieked in disgust.
xxxxxShifting to balance her weight on one foot, Kaia eyed the groping trees anxiously. “We need to run.”
xxxxx“What for?” The falcon’s jagged beak gleamed dangerously in the dying light as he cocked his head. “You had better get a move-on — go!” His words cut off in a sharp screech as the first fat raindrops hissed downward. “Go! I’ll find cover!”
xxxxxKaia broke into an immediate sprint, and tore through the trees like her life depended on it.
xxxxxDancing leaves swirled wraith-like through the air, obscuring her vision. Heavy branches appeared seemingly from nowhere, swiping at her head with deadly force. A snarling, vicious wind clawed hungrily at her heels. Rain pounded her too-thin clothes like furious fists, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
xxxxxBut she ran.
xxxxxShe ran, refusing to pause lest bitter cold freeze her bones. She ran, lungs and heart and bones and muscles aching to the rhythm of her blood. She ran — alone.
xxxxxVeil shot like an arrow from the treetops, grazing her shoulder, and a shudder of relief rattled her core.
xxxxx“This way!” he screeched, veering left, and Kaia spun to follow, heedless of the dripping hair splattered against her face. “Here, here! Quickly! Get underneath!” With a final flap of his wings, the falcon spread his talons to land atop a fallen kauri, and Kaia skidded under the trunk without a thought. Leaves and sticks clung to her drenched clothes like glue.
xxxxxShivering, and curling around herself at the furthermost end of the log, Kaia hurriedly flashed a glance over her unfamiliar surroundings. The tree had been torn from its old resting-place long ago, and its roots lay frozen — gnarled fingers, clawing desperately at the air. Shattered branches screamed into the sobbing wind with the hatred to kill a world, and Kaia desperately smashed her hands to her ears.
xxxxxSomething brushed her arm; tapped yet again, and she glanced up in surprise. Nodding cheerfully, a cluster of good, living ferns swayed and danced with the wind; Kaia’s eyes widened as she understood what they were trying to suggest.
xxxxxWhispering her gratitude to the fronds, she huddled like a lost bird amongst the plants. They willingly bore the brunt of the wind’s icy fury, but all the same, she was bitterly cold.
xxxxxEmerging from the ferns with a wet rustle, Veil paused momentarily to regard his friend. “Are you alright?”
xxxxxKaia nodded, not trusting herself to speak coherently; her teeth chattered like sparrows in her head.
xxxxxThe falcon clucked quietly to himself, then broke through the plants and leapt up onto her lap, fluffing his feathers out comfortably for warmth.
xxxxx“You’re frozen,” he observed, nibbling at his chest-feathers, and Kaia nodded again. She curled tightly around the bird, like a toddler cuddling her much-loved, much-needed teddy.
xxxxx“You’re warm.”
xxxxxA tear or two may have soaked into his feathers — or maybe it was the rain. But it didn’t really matter.
xxxxxHuman and falcon sheltered together through that icy day, while the wind screamed its fury to the trees, and the trees howled obscenities back to the wind. They were all they had left.

(I decided to put an October-in-NZ spin on it! Hope that's alright?)

[Pyjaks]

Ok guys, contest is closed! Any edits or submissions made after this post will be ignored. I'll start reading them all ASAP and the winners will be chosen before the end of the month. Thank you to everyone who participated and good luck :D <3

[Ranger of the North]

Woot! Good luck, guys! :.D

[pillowa]

Yes! Good luck to all! ^v^//

[Pyjaks]

Anddd I've chosen the winners! Again, thank you all for participating, it was really fun to read everything. You're all such diverse, wonderful, creative writers and if I weren't limited to three winners I'd pick you all :> <33

OK, first some honorable mentions-
pillowa and Woogwoo Wren!! I thought you both used the prompt(s) in really cool ways and loved your writing styles! Great job you guys <33

andDDDDDD the winners...

3rd place- Ranger
Everything about your story was soso intriguing and unique, especially the setting and relationship between the two characters. I loveloveloved how you deviated a bit from what I was expecting because I feel like I learned something about New Zealand weather as well XP Such a nice lil story with so much emotion, I loved it!! <3

2nd place- raey
I very rarely feel spooked or uneasy when reading, but your story gave me goosebumps! That ending paragraph especially felt so sinister and just...creepy (and I say that in the nicest way possible). I really love your writing style, it paints such a vivid picture in my mind and definitely gave me those fall/Halloween-y vibes without being too forward or in your face. I may or may not have gone on a binge through your writing thread after reading this because I adore your style XP awesome job!!!

1st place- BigWolf643
Honestly I don't really know what to say other than I really loved this. It was so unique and intriguing and emotional. I felt hooked from the beginning with the forest creature and then even moreso after Suncatcher was introduced. It was such a sweet little story (after that initial spookiness with the forest walker lol) and I really wish I could read even more because you made me fall in love with those guys so quick. It also gave me SUCH an october vibe, and really just put me in the mood to walk through the forest, if that makes sense? I loved it so much!! <3

Congrats to the winners :D I'll be sending out the prizes after posting this.
Thank you one final time to everyone who participated!!!!!!! <3 It was really fun hosting this and I'll be doing it again, definitely :>

[BigWolf643]

oh my god thank you so much! i'm really glad you liked my story, because i really love writing about vaugly sentient forests and the creatures that live inside. i had such a fun time writing that, and it actually inspired me to write a few more stories taking place in the same iniverse, so once again, thanks for hosting the contest!

[Ranger of the North]

Aaaah, wow, thank you so much!! Congratulations, @everyone!
I loved all the entries I read (aka all of them). You guys did great