Writing challenge for APRIL

Patriot

Patriot

Active Member
Hope nobody has any objections. . .figured I would start April's challenge following dorkelf's format. If I have stepped out of bounds feel free to knee me in the stomach and push me back in line. =)

This thread is now in the SUBMISSIONS phase. Please do not post critiques or comments until posted that it has entered the CRITIQUE phase.

The story idea: Use the phrase "what goes up must come down" as the inspiration for your story.

Your story must be no more than 300 words. Its a good idea to let yourself write a longer story and then cut it down to 300 words. This process will teach you a lot about how to get your ideas across to the reader...and how to eliminate ideas that are not necessary to your story.

The time to write is now! Support the cgalliance writing community with your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing the ideas you come up with!
 
Go easy. This is my first attempt at creative writing in a really long time. 300 words exact.

James Thompson was having the worst day of his life. His mother woke him up from a dream that he was really enjoying - who wouldn't want to trick Sally Jackson into eating a mud pie? Breakfast was the pits. Cream of Wheat. Just the thought of it made him a little queasy. His bike got a flat tire three houses down the street. His favorite television program was canceled because the baseball game was running long. His grandmother was making their dinner, just like she did every Thursday. The worst would be when grandma gave him a big sloppy kiss and pinched his cheek. And to top it off, even during dinner, everyone acted like they forgot his birthday. After dinner, his mother decided they should take a walk over to the park. He couldn't help but think about how dreadful this would be without his friends.

James got excited when they reached the playground because everyone was there! His best friend, Jack Wilson was over on the left, waving happily. Over on the right were Willy Norman and Joey Bartley. A little farther back were Danny Morris and Mikey Roberts. And the table behind them had a big stack of presents! He got the customary new jeans and t-shirts, a new pair of shoes, a radio-controlled race car. The last present was his favorite. It was a brand new basketball. He and his friends would be able to play a game of 3-on-3.

The surprise party at Grandma's made it all okay, until he was playing with his new basketball. On his very first shot, he through up the ball and it missed, but it was coming right back to him. Then what goes up, must come down. Right on James' nose. What a terrible day, after all.
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The characters in the following story are fictional. If they bear any resemblance to real people on this forum, I assure you it is entirely coincidental. This is an attempt at situational humor.

Title: The Patriot

“You can’t do this!”

I spun around. I hadn’t expected D.E. to get here so quickly. What began as an innocent attempt to get the community to rally around my cause had gone south at a rate that boggled my mind.

I was in over my head. The threatening email was my first indication that I’d stepped over my bounds. I’d started packing immediately.

D.E. was in my face before I could even turn to run, vaulting over a few boxes filled with my cherished writings. His forearm caught me upside the head, knocking me back over two boxes of unpublished books.

I’m not sure how long the beatings lasted, but when he was done, D.E. pulled me to my feet and growled fiercely before he through me to the floor and stormed out. “That post you put up – it must come down!”
 
I'm still laughing each time I read that. . .

Here's mine (I finished a different story and didn't like the ending nor could I figure out how to end it properly so I changed it to this) - I followed a little less explicit use of the inspiration phrase:

Title: Babel

"A little higher and we will be there," Jebulon glanced skyward as he motioned for Eranch to place the brick he was carrying in the wet mortar in front of him.

"It's a momentous day!" Eranch carefully placed the brick and reached for another, "we are finally in the clouds." He glanced down the side of the enormous tower to view the thousands of workers moving bricks and mortar as well as craftsmen putting finishing details on relief carvings. Sliding the brick into place he motioned at a wooden hammer lying on the floor near Jebulon, "Jeb, could you hand me that hammer?" When Jebulon didn't move he glanced up at his face. Jebulon looked back at him with an odd expression. "Jeb, c'mon! The mortar is setting, I need the hammer to set the brick!" Jebulon half-smiled but made no move to grab the hammer. "Fine! Fool around on the greatest day of all mankind!" He roughly brushed past Jebulon and grabbed the hammer.

"Gort bleet tranna winky wally?"

Eranch ignored Jebulon's odd behavior and tapped the brick deeper into the mortar.

"Yelly brach finnick respleck?"

Eranch finished and looked at his friend, "will you quit fooling around and help me finish this section?"

"Yelly brach kennik whertor?" Jebulon was becoming agitated and was gesturing angrily at Eranch.

"CUT IT OUT!" Eranch had reach his limit. He tossed the hammer at Jebulon who stepped aside.

"Rethron fellwer trackel!" Jebulon pointed a finger at Eranch.

"I'm out!" Eranch stormed to the ladder. He would come back tomorrow when people were in more of a working mood.

Jebulon watched him go with a quizical expression on his face. From behind him he heard, "Treken bellik rath bellow?" Angrily he turned to face Tellok, "first Eranch and now you? Quit fooling around!"
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The gravity of things

I missed the sun rise. I don’t know why, I just guess it wasn’t my time. Funny that I say time as I watch waves crest to crash on a rocky ledge and that began me thinking of the spirit of things. What goes up must come down, but what if what came down goes back up, and what if what came down isn’t wanted back up, thus I wonder is it trashed?

I began thinking about my life and how topsy-turvy it has been. I know you can relate more to a roller coaster but life is as it seems, just a little crazy but unworthily it drew me back in time. Does time tick up or is it ticking down? There is more in words than sounds and more to time than what can be found so where does one go to show more to what goes up and how it must come down. My mind wanders on a tangent of reality to come to grips with the facts of gravity when it hit me.

You see my second hand moves forward in a world not my own, drawing my hour hand up, so you may read within to see the necessity when I repeat the fact that even if I missed the sun rise and I still have until the sun comes down, to reach you and explain the gravity of things.

For the sun has risen and as promised will come back down!
 
Great stories last month! I really liked Patriot's story! The humor tickled me and the style caught my eye!

On a side note; Thank you Patriot for setting up a challenge and Thank you fellow participants for sharing your time and efforts!

So ahhh wuts next?
 
I suppose we should close this for entries and allow comments (kinda too late for that anyhow). Thank you for the kind words.

If anyone else wants to start May's thread with a theme feel free, otherwise I can have something in a couple days.
 
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