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Holiday Writing Contest 2012
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luc pfeiffer
luc pfeiffer
Red-Nosed

Dec-20-2012 17:51

HALLO AGAIN!!! :o)

We finally found Snuffles the Bloodhound and Klondike the Reindeer (he was stealing Clyde the Moose's carrots down at the Zoo). So, as promised, here we go... :o)

The Directors of Wish On A Star have held a holiday writing contest for several years. And while we're starting this just a wee bit late (sorry bout that, folks), we got together and decided, why not, we'll put this up and see if we get any bites. This year's offering includes some traditional requirements, like entries should not exceed the length of 3 posts; and some new hurdles, like the ones below. So...here goes!! ;o)

We would like you to have your stories set, at least in part, in New York City, and in the time period of 1920 to 1945 or so (i.e.--the Noir Era). We want you to set your stories up to be about a holiday between November 20 and January 20; however; we don't care which Holiday you choose. (Yes, even Druids qualify.) Naming the Holiday is not sufficient; the authour should include what the character(s) do to honor that particular festive occasion in their story. Does the story have to be a mystery? Nope. It can be, but it can be a comedy, a drama, a role-play, whatever you want.

We want you to include one Townsperson or other major NY character (Big Lucy or her staff, a Faction Head, Ella May Viddel, Cabaret Singer, Marcus Cairn, Head Librarian, etc.) in your story. You need to do more than just list the person's name and job; we want you to describe the character, develop what personality traits you think this person has, and include this person, even if only in a minor role, in your story.

Final part of the boring stuff: We would like you to include a theme of music in your story. We want authors at least to allude to one piece of music in the entry. But!! Naming a song just won't cut it. We want you to describe the music in some way and incorporate it into your story in a meaningful way. All music must be written/published/copyrighted BEFORE 1945.

Replies

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:20

Back Story
operare non meno l’ongiegno che la forza - Còsimo di Giovanni degli Mèdici
“Exercise intellect, as much as force”
I have never met my mama (mother); she died long before my baba (father) met Tiffany. My ba kept only one photo of her in lining of his old jacket, stuffed in the back of the closet. Past the gross lingering of Lucky Strikes, the scent of jasmine stuffed my nostrils. There are few things about my ma that I know of. I want to believe she smelled fresh as the jasmine flower. The photo has the folds of a cross, from the two creases my ba made. Her beautiful raven locks pinned in a bun with two beautiful hair comb nestled in the center. She wore a long Chinese dress, she smiled flirtatiously at the photographer. Happy was my ma.

My ba refused to explain to me why my mother no longer existed in my life, I suspect guilt and grief still held him back. Tiffany is the closest to a mother figure that I ever had. She is a white woman with shiny blonde hair. She married my ba not too long after he got off the boat from Shanghai. I thought she was my real mom until my ba had to explain to me that she was not. I loved Tiffany as if she is my ma.

Something about my ba’s past troubled Tiffany. She tried to wash his sins away by introducing him to the ways of the Bible. I think it did little for my mother, I don’t think that he believed that eve God could forgive him for his sins. As far as I knew, I was a good child of Christ. I went with Tiffany to church every Sunday, and listened to her read passages to me by my bedside. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I shall die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.” Tiffany and I whispered to the lord. “Mother, what happened to ma? Is she in heaven?”

Tiffany’s face turned a ghostly white. She held me in her arms and wept, “My poor child…” over and over again. She wanted to protect me from the truth, but the Lord told her somehow that I needed to know.


CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:21

My ba once was part of the Eastern Triads. He did things that Tiffany could not forgive, but prayed to God that his forgiveness would be enough to guide his soul to heaven. Then he met my ma, he wanted to leave the mafia and start a life with her. The crime lord was extremely displeased with this, and wanted to make one last bargain with my ba. He could leave on the condition that he gives up his first born child. The crime lord loses one member, but he shall replace my father with me. My ba had fallen in love, but his cold heart had not completely melted just yet, nor was he ready to be a father. He agreed to the trade with no second thought.

Come the day of my birth, my ba’s frozen heart had melted like ice-cream on the streets of NY. My ma did not know of the arrangement, she knew of my ba’s history but was able to talk him out of that lifestyle. The Triad attempted to collect early, days after my birth. My ba was at home reading the Chinese newspaper. My ma was dusting the house. I was hanging to my ma’s back via a tied wrap. Suddenly my ba looks very afraid. My ma looked down at the mirror she was cleaning and saw the reflection. The mafia had come to collect. My ba tried to bargain with the members, failing terribly. My ma just flat out refused, and was shot straight to the heart. I was on her back, her body stopped the bullet from reaching me. My father took me and ran. Ran all the way to the docks of Shanghai and never looked back again.

If I could turn back time, I would tell my ba that running away from a problem seldom takes care of it. In this case when you are dealing with the Triad, he better hope he can keep running forever.

Present Day
If there was a day I loved more than my birthday out of the 365 days of the year, it would be Christmas. Bing Crosby’s voice droned on the radio as I decorated The Mother of Innocence Cathedral. I wish I could sing, whenever I tried Father Mandred Gesling would suddenly remember that the church is a holy

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:22

place that deserved absolute silence. I know he is joking…I think. It started with church every Sunday, but Tiffany insisted that our dedication lasts on more than just Sunday. I agreed with her, God had chosen to spare me and give my ba another chance. Tiffany and I are very involved in the church. Tiffany enrolled me in Bible study and Latin study. Father Gresling taught both at Sunday school. Though I am no longer a young child, I am now a woman with a very deep faith.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas..with every Christmas card I"

“Enough, enough, child!” Gesling’s voice echoes from his office. He rushes towards me waving his hands as if he is washing the stained glass windows. Father is a serious man if you sit down and listen to him preach on Sunday. Today I get the privilege of watching him waddle toward me like a penguin. He certainly looked like one too with his robes. I step down from the ladder. “Yes, Father?” I say innocently to him. It is funny to me, how such a small man in stature decided to speak for the big man. He takes his job very seriously, dooming him with a terrible social life. Even having one drink is a characteristic of a hedonist.

“Child, the lord and I thank you for your volunteer work. But you need to leave now. I need to meet with-“
“Brother Gesling, I apologize for my tardiness.”

Gesling and I turn to look behind us. There stood a man perhaps ten or fifteen years older than I. He is handsome, with a full head of hair as opposed to Gesling. He too wore robes, but the way in which he wore them was on another spectrum from Gesling. This man wore them almost in a business sense.“Father Chen, I was just about to close the church doors.” Gesling hurriedly says, it sounds like an apology.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Father Chen. Happy holidays.” I say.
“Child, I have heard of your dedication to this Church. I have a position I would like to offer you…” Chen extends his hand, in the direction of Gesling’s office. Chen

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:23

eyes Gesling. “Oh, yes, yes…” Gesling scuttles off and returns shortly with a plate of Christmas cookies.
…..
Days later, I now work with Father Chen. My time now goes into the duties of the Dies Arcanum Brotherhood. My simple duties of volunteer work and charity are a thing of the past. I now solve crimes committed against God. There are many evils that lurk in New York. I am nothing but a simple woman. What I lack in strength, I make up in intellect. Father Chen saw that I have a potential of tracking down sinners. After I find who had wronged God, I preset them to the Brotherhood. What they do from that point on does not concern me. I feel good with every duty I complete.

Father Chen let me off early today, the waitress at the restaurant had some information that the Brotherhood wanted. I sat there for hours, consuming the Christmas Chocolate Cake special slice after slice. I gave up and answered her ridiculous questions. God have mercy on her soul.

As I left the restaurant, I ponder on what to give to Tiffany. My ba is easy to shop for, a nice bottle and he will be happy until New Years. Tiffany doesn’t have a set hobby; it changes each season each year. One year it will be scrapbooking in the spring, then book club, and something else and something else. I decide the safest route is a fruitcake. I window-shop for half an hour, and stop to look at the décor in the bakery display. In the reflection of the glass, I see three men approaching behind me, fast. They are Asian, and look like they are in the mafia. The Eastern Triad? What are they doing outside of their domain in New York? I abandoned the window and bolted down the street, they followed. An alleyway beckoned to me, and I answer. I make the turn, but not into garbage. I bumped into a fine Italian suit; a needle is jammed into my arm from another direction.

The last thing I remember is being thrown into a cell. Then darkness. Then nothing.

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:25

I finally come to. I am bound. I am gagged. I am naked. There is a pain on my right shoulder blade, as if my bones were the subject of scrimshaw. My body hurt in every direction. I turn to my side and look back to see what was digging into my skin. To my horror, I am marked by the Eastern Triad. The bastards are fond of marking what they consider to be theirs. I wept. This was the worst Christmas I had ever had. I want to die. These are the people that took my mother from me. My sobs are interrupted by a tired cough, then a sigh from the corner.

“Hello?”
“….human…I am hungry. They starve me and drain me as torture.” It murmurs.

A chill shot through me. I further confirm that I would rather be dead and die with my loyalty to the Brotherhood than to be a traitor and tortured. I collect my thoughts, that is, after it speaks again.
“Human…feed me, and I can help you escape.” It pleads.

“I do not wish to escape. The Triad killed my ma back in Shanghai when they tried to get me. They came to New York to collect a debt that my b- father owes. If I run, they will only follow.” I see my breath form in front of me, how I wish my winter coat was on me again. “The only escape is death. God will save me from this and reunite me with my ma.” I say.

I hear a grumble, and then I hear him curse. “There is no God. If there is a God, he would not have let you get into this situation.”

I gasp and was about to lecture it on the word of the Bible when I hear him speak once more. “Under different conditions, I would have killed you for your belief in God. And, I would not tell you what I am about to…I am a vampire.”

My reaction must not have been what it expected. I believe in something much greater than just a mere mythical race, it is hypocritical to believe in an all-powerful being and dismiss that lesser beings could exist. “You are not surprised.” No response from me. “Human, you and I are powerless now. I am hungry and you are mortal. You wish death than escape

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:26

Do you see what I am leading to? We need each other. If you feed me, I will turn you. You will no longer be amongst the living. You will have the strength to seek out your enemy and end this debt. If not revenge, your death ends your father’s debt.”

I face the darkness. It had said the magic words. Though bound, I throw myself into the direction of the voice. It moves to position it’s mouth over my neck. The darkness consumes me as I died for the Brotherhood.

.....
From the depths of earth I rose. I am a child of the night and of God. If God did not want it this way, he would have damned me to hell. As I had whispered to him as the dirt was shoveled onto me... “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I shall die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.” God has given me his praise to walk on this world and bring justice to those who run from it. He has given me another chance as he had given my father, and with my deep gratitude I will do my best. This I convince myself is true.

After my creator fed and was about to turn me, the steps of the Triad descended the stairs. My creator said very little about the matter, he feigned weakness. As the members approached the cell, he broke free of his bindings and clawed the unfortunate messenger boy. He broke me free of my bindings and buried me in a place I whispered to him. I was behind the The Mother of Innocence Cathedral. The Vampiric Crypt wants nothing to do with Christianity. Though they adopt me as their own unconditionally, they think that I am enchanted with grandeurs of the faith. The vampires and my creator are wary of my faith and loyalty. I am but a one woman cause. I know there is someone that would have my back.

The candles glow down the hall as Father Chen settled the meeting with the Brotherhood and closes his doors. In my entrance I had accidentally blown out the flames with my speed. Father Chen whipped his head to the left. “Is there someone there?”

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:27

“It is I, Father Chen.” I whisper. Father produces a single flicker with his lighter, which too went out when he drops it soon after. “Stand back, demon! He hurriedly fumbles for the sign of the Holy Father on his neck. In one swoop I appear behind him, startling him to drop the cross. “Father Chen, you need not fear me.” My voice lingers in the darkness.

He drops to his knees, cries and prays for the lord’s protection. “Father..father..” I ty to soothe him without ever touching him. “Holy Father, is this a sign!” he echos. “Have I not done what you have told?” he sobs. Finally, I could not handle it anymore. My patience could last an eternity now, and his cries stretched on that time. I place a hand on his shoulder. The familiar church robe material against my cold fingers. Father Chen hushes his sobs in fright, a man that I once knew as fearless warrior of Christ. “caelitus mihi vires” I murmur in my rusty Latin.

“My strength is from heaven.” He translates to English. “This is a gift from heaven, Father Chen.” “How can THIS possibly be a gift?! This is a curse on you from the darkest corners of hell!” he screams with no regard to where we presently stand.

“If Holy Father did not want me as his child, surely I would have gone as punishment.” Silence. “The Eastern Triads attempted to make me their own. Their men marked me. My loyalty lay with the Dies Arcanum Brotherhood.” Nothing.

“The Eastern Triads want to come to New York, Father. “
“…”

“I wish to take care of these matters. My loyalty is deep. I would have rather been dead than to become their messenger. So, I chose that path.”

I hear his hands feel for something on the tiles. I hear his hand brush on the cross, I hold my breath and was ready to move until I hear his hand lift from that and his hand on a metal lighter.

He struggles to get a light, when he carries a flicker he held the light between us. My cold eyes stare into his frightened eyes. I turn and drop the drape that I am

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:28

wrapped in. Even in death the mark of the Triads followed me into my next life.

“My child…my child.” He cried. He drops the light once more and this time, stood up and embraced me. I think back to when I was a child. Tiffany holding me in her arms as she told me about my past. Father Chen did not need to say another word. I understand what is going through his mind this moment. The transition from the desire to stake me to his tight embrace tells me all I need to know.

“How do I…we…know that we can trust you?” Father Chen whispers as he separates our embrace.

“You do not. I died to protect our mission. There is no ulterior motive, Father.”

Father Chen is reluctant to trust me, as is the Vampiric Crypt. I try to keep both sides happy. Tonight I hear carolers walking from house to house. Last night they chose Jingle Bells, tonight they choose On the First day of Christmas. I sing outside of the church. “I am dreaming of a white Christmas…” my voice echoes eerily as I swoop in on my prey. “Just like the ones I used to know….” My bite sinks through layers of skin. I sloppily drain my victim. As I look up as I fed, the white sprinkles drifting onto a blanket of snow. Drops of blood trickle onto the snow. The warm blood looks so natural and beautiful against the pure white. How beautiful is the world that God put me in. Ah…now I’ll be thinking of a different kind of Christmas. Yes...I change my tune. “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…a Triad in a pear tree..”

CrabApple
CrabApple
Old Shoe

Jan-7-2013 20:29

Disclaimer(s):
I am not Christian.
This was written for phone.
Look VS, there is blood in my story ;).

Vampiric Smile
Vampiric Smile
Safety Officer

Jan-7-2013 22:08

Hehehe

I am really good in choosing the right people for the Crypt!

It is obvious that the Dragon under your skin is now alive. You are transformed into a pure Dragonian flame my dear…enjoy it!

Just a small clarification. There is absolutely no contradiction between the Crypt and Dies Arcanum Brotherhood. Actually philosophically we are extremely close. You see ….the majority of the Bishops that are top in the hierarchy of the brotherhood do actually believe that OUR WAY is the only secure way to eternal life!


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