Short Story Contest

CLOSED FOR JUDGING! CLOSED! CLOSED!

Xx I Love You xX

She put her head in her hands and tried to block out the memories spilling from her mind. The kisses, the hugs, the way he held her hand and the sweet words he whispered in her ear...

(I love you)

The tears welled in her eyes and she pressed her fists to her face to quell the unstoppable flow. But the damn had finally burst and there was no preventing it...

(I love you)

Those words taunted her. She had had songs stuck in her head from time to time, she had sometimes been annoyed when she couldn't shift it but she would gladly welcome them now, anything to keep those words from swirling in her mind...

(I love you)

It wasn't supposed to end like this. It wasn't supposed to end. They were in love, they were supposed to last. Everyone said so. Didn't those words mean anything...

(I love you)

Why couldn't she keep her temper in check? Why did she have to say things without thinking? Why did he have to be so infuriating? Why did she have to love him so much...?

(I love you)

She would do anything to see him again. To say she was sorry. To say it was such a stupid argument. To touch him. To hug him. To kiss him... The longing overwhelmed her, she had to see him...

(I love you)

She wiped away the streams of mascara and smoothed her hair back. She straightened her dress and stood up. She had to find him. She had to work this out. They were to in love to spilt up over something so stupid...

(I love you)

She heard someone clearing their throat behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She felt his lips on her cheek. She felt his love mingling with hers. And then she felt his words...

"I love you."

*Gem*
Copyright©GemmaStott2007

*edit*

Is this a dud then?

Eeee you found it!

I couldn't when I looked for it.

Looks like it is going to be a dud =(

Unless some more people enter...I'll leave it open a few more days and see.

Cool =)

Oh. can we enter more than one?

I'm working on a story now, when I finish it I shall post it.
It will be done within the next few days. [[Tomorrow or Saturday]].

Yep, you can enter more than one!

Transformed Hans Christian Anderson's short story of the little mermaid into a ballad poem for my A level coursework. It's very long so if you get to the end of it, a cookie for you. x

The Little Mermaid

Down below the waves where the sea folk live
Where the plants grow on the ocean floor
Where the fish play instead of the birds
And there's no such thing as fighting or war

In the deepest spot of the ocean
Is the grand palace of the sea king
He had six and lovely daughters
Who would so enchantingly sing

The six princesses were beautiful girls
But the youngest was the loveliest sight
Eyes such a deep blue and hair so red
And a smile so gorgeous and bright

But like her sisters she had no feet
But a shimmering aqua fish tail
As beautiful as the angel fish
And as strong as the great blue whale

Outside the palace were stunning gardens
Where all the flowers grew with pure love
And when the sea was calm and quiet
You could see the sun shining up above

Each princess had a small charming plot
Where she could grow flowers, plants and trees
Plant vines, place statues, a coral reef
She could decorate how she pleased

The youngest had an unusual plot
And she spend all of her free time there
With a statue of a handsome prince
Who received all of her love and care

The grandmother told the little mermaid
"The day that you reach the age fifteen
You'll be able to rise up from the ocean
And see great things that you've never seen"

The youngest had to wait five long years
For her turn to see the sun drenched land
Feeling so wistful when her sisters spoke
Of the wonders they'd seen and found

The eldest spoke of the cities and towns
Where all of the lights twinkled like stars
She spoke of the music and ringing bells
And the commotion from the motorcars

The second spoke of the pretty sunset
Painting the clouds red and pink in the sky
She watched the swans fly toward the sunset
With a contented and happy sigh

The third sister was the boldest one
She swam up a river to a quiet creek
Where she saw some children splashing about
Who saw her and ran, too scared to speak

The fourth one was not so venturesome
And she stayed far away from the shore
She played with the dolphins and porpoises
Until she was too tired to play anymore

The fifth sister was the next one to go
In the winter time with the snow and ice
She saw countless, luminous ice bergs
And she rode atop the biggest one twice

The sisters took great delight in swimming
Up to the surface and feeling so free
But they always became nostalgic for home
And longed to be back beneath the sea

On evenings when they rose up together
The youngest sister had to stay behind
But a mermaid has no tears to cry with
So it just looked like she did not mind

But at long last she reached the age
Where she could climb up to the surface
The sun had set and the air was fresh
It was such a calm and peaceful place

The little mermaid saw a ship sail by
Where there was cheerful music and more
And fireworks bursting up in the sky
Each one as bright as the one before

On the deck was a very handsome prince
Whose birthday it was on that lively night
But suddenly a storm blew over the sea
And all of the crew on board gave fright

Waves rose high and the dark clouds gathered
Forks of lightning flashed in the distance
The ship couldn't handle the angry sea
And the main mast snapped in an instance

The little mermaid saw the peril
Each time the lightning cracked and flashed
She tried to help out the best she could
But the whole entire ship was smashed

The princes eyes remained tightly shut
As the little mermaid kissed his brow
When she heard voices coming toward her
She swam away, what would happen now?

She watched as the prince regained consciousness
And smiled at everyone gathered around
But he never smiled across at her
So she sank down sadly without a sound

She'd always been melancholy and quiet
But now she would not even smile or sing
When her sisters asked what she saw above
She wouldn't tell them a single thing

Many times she visited the palace
Where she had left her beloved prince
But she always returned feeling upset
Because she never caught a single glimpse

Finally she told her eldest sister
Who told her what she needed to know
Hand in hand, they swam to the surface
And her sister showed where she should go...

(To Be continued...)

*Gem*
Copyright©GemmaStott2007

The last we saw, the little mermaid had finally swam to the surface and rescued the prince but will she find him again?)

The Little Mermaid (Part Two)

A palace with stairs leading to the sea
Made of a pale and shimmering stone
It was the most magnificent place
A glorious and spectacular home

Now she knew where her beloved lived
She spent many days and evenings there
Watching her prince with love in her heart
Wishing she could touch his shining hair

There was so much that she wanted to know
About the world and the people above
She sought advice from her wise grandmother
Who asked what she wanted to know of

"I want to know that if men aren't drowned
Do they live on forever or die"
"Yes they die" her grandmother answered
"Except they have souls that travel high"

"We can live until three hundred years old
But then we perish into mere foam
While humans have an immortal soul
And rise up to a heavenly home"

"Can I not win an immortal soul?"
The little mermaid sadly inquired
"I want to share in that heavenly realm
Of the sea I'm getting ever so tired"

"The only way to secure your own soul
Is to win a human mortal heart
He must love you more than anyone
And desire never to be apart"

"But alas my child," the grandmother said
"Human men have such meager taste
They recoil at the thought of our tails
Which gives us all our beauty and grace"

The little mermaid felt her heart sink
As she sat down in her garden alone
What could she do to be with her prince?
How could she win an immortal soul?

Then an idea struck her so suddenly
A way to leave the sea behind her
She would seek help from the great sea witch
But first of all she had to find her

She swam through whirlpools as best she could
And then across the sea witched marsh
Straight toward a terrifying abode
Where lived a witch so dismal and harsh

She finally reached her, feeling so scared
And she opened her mouth to confess
But the sea witch stopped her with a grin
"I know what you want my dear princess"

"It's foolish of you for it will bring grief
But I'll make a drought for you to drink down
But it's irreversible I must stress
It is the strongest potion I've found"

"Before sunrise you must drink it on land
As your tail will divide in two and shrink
It will be painful like a stinging knife
Now do you still want to take this drink?"

"You will still keep your elegant form
No dancer will ever compare to you
But each step will feel like treading on blades
It's your decision, what will you do?"

"But remember once you take human form
You can never be a mermaid again
You must win his heart or become the sea
Are you keen to risk the heartbreak and pain?"

"You'll have to pay me," the sea witch said
"What I want is your melodic voice
You'll win his heart with your looks and grace
Now do you agree? It's all your choice"

"I agree," the little mermaid replied
But her face had turned so very pale
"I will take this risk and drink this drought
Anything for liberty from this tail"

The witch threw ingredients into a pot
And steam swirled up in a thick gray mist
It started to boil, hot and spitting
And the little mermaid clenched her fists

When the drought was ready, it shone so bright
And it glittered in the mermaid's hand
She grasped the bottle and swam up above
Coming to rest on a gold stretch of sand

When the first sun ray burst on the land
The little mermaid swallowed the drought
She felt a sharp unbearable pain
But then she looked down and tried to laugh

Her tail had gone and there in it's place
The loveliest legs seen on any maid
And there in front of her was her prince
But she felt her voice begin to fade

The prince asked who she was and where she lived
But the little mermaid could not speak
So he led her up into the palace
She stumbled, as her new legs were weak

Servants dressed her in rich silky clothes
She was the most fine-looking girl there
The beautiful slaves stepped forward to sing
Bur our mermaid couldn't, it wasn't fair

As the graceful slaves began to dance
The little mermaid smiled and rose
Each move showed off her beauty and poise
As she floated on the tips of her toes

She amazed everyone with her style
The prince said he'd keep her forever more
He took her with him wherever he went
And she slept on a pillow outside his door

But while everyone in the palace slept
She would creep out into the cool night
She would see her sister's arm in arm
Silhouetted so forlorn in the moonlight...

(To be continued..)

*Gem*
Copyright©GemmaStott2007

Final part, the little mermaid is finally with her prince, but will things go as planned?

The Little Mermaid (Part Three)

"You're most dear to me," the prince declared
"You look so much like a girl I once saw
Such a beautiful girl who saved my life
After I was shipwrecked and washed ashore"

"She's the only girl I could ever love
But you're so like her, its kind to my heart
She belongs to temple and not to me
It's my good luck you're here, we'll never part"

"Alas he doesn't know, I saved his life"
The little mermaid thought in despair
"I saw the maid he loves more than me
But she didn't save him, it isn't fair"

"But she's owned by the temple, not by him
So they'll never see each other again
It is I he will be with most every day
It is I who'll love him until the end"

Soon rumors arose, the prince was to marry
The daughter of a neighboring king
The rumors told that the prince was glad
But the little mermaid knew the real thing

"I am forced to make this journey," he said
"But I will never marry against my will
So does not resemble my love like you
If I married you, I would be fulfilled"

He kissed her on the mouth so tenderly
And she dreamed of bliss and immortal souls
She laid her head upon his broad chest
And for the first time her heart felt whole

"I trust you aren't afraid of the sea"
He said as they boarded the striking vessel
He kept her close and told her stories
The little mermaid felt loved and special

In the clear moonlight when all was quiet
She sat on the rails and looked out to sea
Her sisters appeared looking so grim
She smiled to show that she was happy

The next day when the ship came to dock
The little mermaid strained to see the princess
She couldn't help but feel ill at ease
Would her beloved prince still love her best?

At last the princess boarded the ship
And the mermaid saw the rumors were true
The princess's skin was clear and fair
Dark lashes framed her eyes of deep blue

"It was you!" the prince cried. "Who saved my life
The maid who saved me from the angry sea"
He smiled with joy at his blushing bride
"I'm as happy as any man could be!"

He told the mermaid, "You'll share my joy?
For you loved me when I was so alone"
But the little mermaid felt her heart break
For the next morn would see her turn to foam

The chapel bells rang out through the streets
And the little mermaid held the brides train
But her thoughts stayed on her last night alive
And she felt her heart constrict with pain

The ship set sail after the couple wed
Brightly colored lanterns lit up the night
The wedding party was loud and merry
The little mermaid danced with all her might

After midnight, the party calmed down
And our little mermaid watched for daybreak
Her sisters suddenly rose form the waves
And her body began to shiver and shake

For there was no sign of their long rich hair
Instead they held a glinting sharp knife
"Before sunrise, strike it in the prince's heart
The sea witch said it would save your life!"

"She took our hair in a way of price
So you can come back to us under the sea
Make haste, one of you will die before morn
It's your decision, which one will it be?"

The mermaid crept to the prince's room
And heard him murmur the name of his bride
The knife trembled in her small pale hand
She knew what she had to do deep inside

She flung herself up and over the rails
As the first sun ray dissolved her to foam
But she did not feel the hand of death
She felt a warm sense of coming home

In the light she saw ethereal spirits
They floated as wingless as the air
The mermaid realized she was like them
And she ascended with a graceful flair

"We strive to gain an immortal soul
By doing good deeds," one softly sighed
"Who are you?" the little mermaid asked
"We're the daughters of the air," they replied

"For three hundred years, we've done what we can
To win a soul and share eternal bliss
We have to put others before ourselves
Which is what you did, despite what you'd miss"

For the first time the mermaid felt tears fall
As she vowed to do all the deeds she could
She looked to where the prince and bride slept
And wished their lives to be happy and good

Unseen by them she kissed them on the heads
And rose with the daughters above at last
"This is the way to the kingdom of God
Where we'll rest after the years have passed"

And so ends the story of the little mermaid
A story of bravery, magic and love
But at last our mermaid has found her peace
A she begins her flight to heaven above

*Gem*
Copyright©GemmaStott2007

(Sorry that was so long, it is a story after all =)

Edit

I'm going to leave it until the 15th to see if any more people enter.

if not I will start judging.
xx

Ooh i want to enter

By all means, do so!

Ok so how many can we eneter? jw

As many as you like.

I can taste the blood in your mouth. I can feel my body aching. I just want to die; sadly I know my time is coming. I can here my two friends screaming and crying, the ones I would die for. You cannot die! I herd Ian say Please. He was crying and he never does. Sammy just stayed quiet, crying. I could see the blood dripping from her face and thought of what happened.
Sammy had been mad at me for the whole week, I did not really understand why but she was. She was hiding something and I did not know what, she started wearing long sleeves everyday and it was just about summer! Had she started cutting herself? I doubt it I had known her all my life she would never do that, but you never know. Ian and I could not figure it out. When I asked her if she was coming to my soccer game she said no, and she always comes and I always go to her plays. I wonder what is up with her! I said on the way to the soccer game after school with Ian. I dont know but she is hiding it from both of use and it can be good, he said. Maybe one of us should go see. I said. What about the game? This game meant a lot to me, it was a chance to get on one of the best teams in the country, and they practice just write outside of the town. I can miss the beginning. I said. No, ill go. He said. I was about to argue saying we both should go. He knew how much I wanted to get on that team. I nodded and watched him go and headed for warm ups. When we started the game something did not feel right. I was playing striker today, because that is the position I wanted on the team not forward. I was doing fine but my head was not fully in the game I had a bad feeling. I saw the coaches on the sideline watching closely. Our forward Andrea started of the game great, passing it off to me I passed it off to someone else and she scored, it was a great assist. Then our defense blocked the ball from the other team and we got it again. It got passed of to me and I scored it was a challenging to score but I got it past defense. Then the other team started playing for real. It was getting really hard to score but I felt I was playing really well. The other team had the ball and I went to go take a steal and they kicked it right at my head and I had to sit down for a second when they called timeout. When I sat down though the bad feeling I had got worse and I swear I herd yelling and screaming, but nobody was only cheering for the game but it was a time out so it was just our coach talking and the talking in the stands. Are you ok Lesley? I herd my coach say. I nodded yes. Then I saw blood on his face I jumped up and gasped. When I blinked there was no blood. Lesley are you sure your ok? He said again. No I was not there was something wrong with Ian or Sammy. I jumped up forgetting the game and started sprinting across the field. LESLEY! I herd my coach and teammates yell! I didnt care if I got on the team I had to help them! I just knew something was wrong. LESLEY COME BACK! I herd my coach yell and I didnt turn to see but I bet he was running after me. I glanced at the coaches watching from the team I wanted to get one they just looked back at me with no expression. I kept running out of the schoolyard onto the road. The yelling faded as I got farther away I headed for Ians first but I think that might have been a mistake. I knocked on the door nobody answered. Well I was to inpatient so I ran inside I yelled to his mom asking were he was she seemed so startled and when she said she did not know I ran out. Wait is something wrong? she yelled after me. I ran not caring I could barley breath from how fast I was going. I had to slow down it took me a while to get to Sammys house they lived a little out of the way of everyone else. When I got there I wanted to collapse! I was so tired from running so fare so fast! I wanted to cry because I could not breath. I didnt here anything so I knocked on the door not running in because her dad would be mad. Nobody answered so I walked in; the doors were unlocked which was unusual. Hello. I called, no answer. I walked around I hadnt been in Sammys house for so long she usually came to my house or Ians. I walked up to her room but the door was locked. I knocked and said, hello. No answer I knocked again. I looked under the door were the crack was I didnt see anyones shadow. I tried the door again nothing. I walked outside and looked up at her window, which was on the second story. I gripped onto the side of the house and the gutter. There was no tree to help or anything so I had to climb carefully but I fell. I went to find a latter no suck luck. I stood there for a long time wondering how to get up, because I thought I might find something that would help me. Nothing came to me. When I went to turn away I stopped, and walked to the house I kneeled down on the ground and there was blood. It was dry but if you looked all the way up to her window there were drops everywhere. The blood was even on the grass but it didnt go fare but there was a knife I saw. I was really scared now. I started running into the forest not knowing were I was going. But I kept running. Then I herd voices more like screaming I headed for the sound. Then I jumped into the bushes as Sammys dad and another man came walking by with Ian and Sammy. She was screaming. Her dad was laughing Ian was completely silent struggling to get loose but he was all beat up. I did not know what to do so I creped away and then sprinted for the house, which was, where they were heading. I ran inside and called the police knowing they were not far behind. Look I need the police, I said to the guy. There are these two men here and two kids all beat up and it looks like they did it! I told them the address and they said they would come check it out. I kind of doubted they believed me. I herd them outside. I didnt know were to go I couldnt go outode so I ran and hide under the sink. Sammy was crying I could hear her but barley see them Ian looked like he might be unconscious. Dad why! I herd Sammy cry! He just laughed. Your time is up. He said and She screamed again. NO! PLEASE.
Shut her up please! Her dad said to the other man. She immediately shut up! I dont know what he did. Then I heard someone open something I open up the cabinet a little and saw in his hand a gun. I saw Sammys eyes they were scared Ian was looking terrified also but was not crying he was to weak both of them it looked like. I slide out of the cabinet. Hoping not to be herd or seen, I wasnt. I saw him walk closer to Sammy. Which one first? The boy or her? he said mockingly. Then he pointed the gun at Sammy I saw the trigger go back but not fully I jumped up and ran to Sammy I herd the gun go and sirens at the same time I felt something hit me! A sharp pain went through my shoulder everything was blurry I herd someone scream then someone grabbed me to my feet and we ran out of the house my whole body was in pain but I ran. Collapsing at the edge of the forest. I looked up to see Sammy and Ian then everything was black.
I felt something weird like something was being taken away from me I struggled feeling the pain. I gasped knowing this was a dream, but I felt my life slowly slip away, I was dying. I had been shot. I struggled for so long the pain was to great to handle but I woke up. I can taste the blood in your mouth. I can feel your body aching. I just want to die; sadly I know my time is coming. I can here my two friends screaming and crying, the ones I would die for. You cannot die! I herd Ian say Please. He was crying and he never does. I am sorry, I said barley getting it out of me. Its my time.
NO! Ian practically yelled! Then we herd someone it was the police. They had come to find us.
They did not say much only took Sammy and Ian away from me. Bye, they said tears in there eyes fighting the police to stay. But then ever was black it was the end. I would never now if I could have made that team or why Sammys dad did that, but I know I tried living my life and I hope that Sammy and Ian will make there great I know they were m true friends. Her dad was in jail so they could both be happy now and make new friends well Sammy could Ian had plenty
The End

Grr this makes me made first it wont let me to quotes then it wont let me to do not in short form and it has 1661 words ill try and fix it sorry if i cant though

So whens this contest over?

1st Place- 5 comments
2nd Place- 5comments

1st Place- *Gem* for The Little Mermaid-Can I have my cookie now? =D

2nd Place- poetess for Dying Love

Remaining participants will each get two comments.

PM the poems you want doing to me and I will get them done asap.