Book Nook and Writing Corner discussion

All right, everyone! You requested it, so here is the prompt for our first writing contest:





Abandoned houses! Every home has a story to tell, so I would like you to craft the story of a house that has somehow been deserted. Maybe tell me why and how it lapsed into this dilapidated condition. Just think: if the walls of the house could speak, what would they say?

You may begin! :D Remember, the contest closes on the 13th! Until then, write, but, most of all, write bravely!

It's fine! I'm so happy we have a first entry! :D

No problem! ;)

I'll post my entry in a few days I've just got to edit it.

I'll try and come up with something tonight and hopeful i'll post it tomorrow

All right, guys! I am overjoyed that people want to participate. Take your time!

So have you worked out a prize yet?

Hayley wrote: "So have you worked out a prize yet?"

Yes. The winner will be able to choose the next prompt, and receive bragging rights. Also, I will edit a chapter of the winner's book (they choose which one) on any website, as long as I am provided with a link.

Meiyu wrote: "Didn't she say like winner could be a judge for next contest???That would be cool"

That's right!

cool

It's not really an abandoned house... Technically, anyway, but it's been empty for four years, so I think of it as abandoned. The people who used to live there only stayed for a little while, but I personally was glad to see them go. Now their house is empty... I've been dying to go in ever since the house got moved into the field by the bank those years ago, but never got the chance... That is, until now.
The front door is locked, which is predictable for a house that's on sale. You wouldn't want anyone taking things before a showing, right? So I go around back and find, to my surprise, an open basement window! I crawl through, only to find someone staring right at me.
"I've been waiting for you for four years, m'dear. You're horribly late, now aren't you? What a naughty little girl!"
"Ummm... Sorry? Who are you, anyway?" My snarky tone was not lost on him.
"Oooh, a spunky one! My... Informants, shall we say, weren't very thorough. But in answer to your question, I am your worst nightmare. Pleasant dreams, m'dear," He walked toward me slowly and deliberately, the swishing of his expensive suit hypnotizing me. I tried to run, but my feet refused to obey me.
And then, everything went dark.

Yay! Second entry!

I step to the window, running the tips of my fingers over the rough, lichen covered stone. I don’t need to check my grandfather’s broken pocket watch to know what time was approaching. When Midnight strikes several things will happen: One they arrive and Two Heathstone will burn. And lastly, I get to relive my death. My night is about to very get exciting.
It burns every night—blazing hot and fast. Shoving the Moon back against the sky. I can see it now, bright tongues of flame licking up the walls, scorching down the maze of stairwells, devouring wood and marble and glass. I can’t be sure anymore if it is a supernatural thing, a devilish imprint of my last memory, or if it is a hellish reality. One thing I do know is that I am no longer afraid. I once was but whatever phantom pain I used to fear faded decades ago. I don’t feel, I don’t eat, I don’t sleep. I still think. A lot. But what good is that when all I can think about is what I can’t do and what I can’t eat?
The sound of the tide breaking against the cliffs is loud, but not nearly as loud as the revving churning growl of a misplaced engine. A boxy vehicle drives over the flagstone and idles there just where I can see. I remember when automobiles had curves and class. Whatever this is, it is not from my time—it is theirs. They are not tourists. I know tourist because they are pesky. Always snooping and jumping at every little sound. I give them a show if they’re up for it—oozing walls, shrieking. The whole ditty. Not these two, these hunters. I know what they are here to do. I just might let them—that is, if Heathstone doesn’t get to them first.
The boy is out first, stumbling and slipping in the mud, slinging a leather bag across his back. He’s tall and goofy. The Heathstone hates him. Too loud, too brash.
The girl is next, cradling a gun under her arm, planting her feet firm. Nothing like her brother. She takes a step back and looks up and up and I wish she could see how it used to be. Grand with soaring ceilings and ornate wall paper. Vine choked balconies, delicate chandeliers. Father said it would be mine someday. And it is. It is.
“Connor, how’re we looking?” she says, glaring furiously up at the fifth story. If she would only turn her head, just slightly, she could see me waiting patiently. They would bring relief.
“I say we’ve got maybe ten- fifteen minutes before this place blows to hell. We catch are friendly ghost when he’s most vulnerable. 11:50. Any later and who knows what kinda cesspit of supernatural nightmares we’ll be stuck in.” His voice carries, washing over the house exterior.
“You know, we’ve been coming to this house for a week now. Watching the whole death scene being played out over and over—it all just seems so crazy.”
“We hunt monsters for a living—without pay need I remind you—and you think he’s crazy. Right.”
“All I’m saying is it would have been nice to have seen him before...we send him to the ether.”
“Whatever, just load the rock salt before Casper the friendly arsonist decides to give us the pre-show.”
I step back from the window and into the shadows as Heathstone awakens. As Heathstone ignites…

Meiyu wrote: "That's really good Claire!!!!!!!!"

Seriously?! I wrote that in about as much time as it took to type it :)

Meiyu wrote: "Not lying.Way better than mine"

I think yours is awesome! :)

You're welcome!

:D (Well, this conversation went nowhere fast...)

:)

Whoa; we have a whole lot of entries. O.O

Down the end of a forgotten lane stands a house. It's big and was once rather grand, but now it falls apart. It's not hard to understand why, you wouldn't want to got there. It's empty, so empty. Like the life has been sucked out of it. As if ghosts haunt hallways trapped by its forgotten past.
It isn't much to look at, those poor ghosts must be bored stiff. The wooden floors are rotten and can barely hold up the dusts that sits on them. The wallpaper is peeling, its once colourful patterns lost to time. The remaining furniture is moth eaten and ominous. The ceiling cries onto the floor with tears that no not dry. There's an eerie silence that fills the heart with dread, only interrupted by the occasional drip...drip...drip after it's rained.
You wouldn't want to visit this house. This house that was once somebody's home. You wouldn't even want to set eyes on it.
But if you were to visit and wait awhile and watch, you'd see her. A woman. Young. Pretty. Dressed in Crimson satin, her life over to soon. You'd see her as she walks around the gardens, her figure faint, her eyes sightless as she sings softly to herself. A song only she can hear. For you cannot hear from those from beyond the grave.
Even she will not go near the house. She too feels the weight of the terrible acts performed there.
But do not blame the house. For it cannot change or control what has happened there. It can only wait. Wait until it is destroyed. So that it can start anew, free from the pain and terror of its past.
The poor lost house at the end of a forgotten lane.

Sorry it isn't very long.

Hayley wrote: "Sorry it isn't very long."

Don't worry! Length doesn't matter as long as your work relates back to the prompt, and it does!

Meiyu wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Sorry it isn't very long."
That's a cool story:)"

Thanks, I wasn't sure if it be any good because it doesn't really have any characters.

Hey, Chloe! Since I'm the judge for the first contest, I alone will be deciding. ;) The person who wins will be judging the next contest, and deciding the next winner, and so on and so forth.

(My worst, but I promised to give it a crack in the limited time I’ve got…)
Once I was a house of beauty. I had stone carved statues, rich tapestries, and a beautiful staircase of ebony. Once I had people, young and old walk through my corridors, dance on my floor and laugh at my heath. Once I was a charmer; shone so brightly, all the town houses would lean towards my outline against the windy cliffs. I was the crown of my country, the jewel beside the sea that crashed and battered upon my foundations. I was loved, for a time. Admired for my elegance and my steadfastness in the moving landscape.
Of course, beauty fades with time.
The waves grew higher against the cliff face, and the storms frequented me with gales of ice and slashes of raindrops to slice at my stone covered face with a ferocity unbeknownst in my time. I didn’t become a place of heat, light and dancing feet. I became hold, hard, silent as the storms continued to break down my stature until I was an ugly figure on the landscape. The houses leaned away from my crackled stone; hide their eyes from my disfigured beauty. So I began to fade away. I became a part of the storm and the wind, I let loose my anger on the houses in the town for forgetting me, for the people who no longer could afford to bandage my wounds and hide my suffering. I let myself crumble down, waiting for my face to finally meet the sea. I am waiting.

:)

Actually, I'm thinking of moving the deadline up till, say, tomorrow, just because we already have so many entries.

It's not that I don't want to give you guys a chance, it's just that it really would be a pain (not to mention take longer) if I had to judge more than 10 entries.

What do you say, Chloe?

Chloe :D smiley face! wrote: "Sounds good."

All right! I'll notify everybody. ;)

Thanks, Chloe!

Ess wrote: "(My worst, but I promised to give it a crack in the limited time I’ve got…)
Once I was a house of beauty. I had stone carved statues, rich tapestries, and a beautiful staircase of ebony. Once I had..."

Ooh I love personification! It almost sounds like a poem. Nice.

Katherine is a 14 year old girl.She is adventurous,smart,kind,and brave.One day while she was walking around,she saw an old house with cracked walls,cracked paint,and wilted leaves.She decided to explore it.She knocked on the door,with a door knocker,and the door swung open.It was a lady who opened the door.She had on a red cardigan,a blue shirt,a violet skirt and black leather shoes.Her face was wrinkled,but she had a kind smile.'Hello,dear child.Come in,come in!My name is Mrs. June Ardvent. Who are you?"asked the lady."My name is Katherine."said Katherine,entering the house."What brings you here?"asked Mrs. June Ardvent showing her around the house.First,they came to the living room.There were old paintings,couches that had dark red leather,old mahogany tables and so on.June Ardvent gestured to Katherine to sit down.Then she herself sat down on a seat beside Katherine's chair."Well,my mother had a meeting at our house and she told me to go out and explore until 2:00 in the afternoon.I wandered along and i saw this house.I' m interested in this house.So I decided to explore it.I hope I did't bother you."said Katherine worriedly."No,no of course not!"said Mrs. June Ardvent."Me and my husband don't have much visitors.Our kids already grew up and got married,but they still visit us.Would you like a cup of tea?"she asked."Oh yes,please!"said Katherine eagerly.Mrs. June Ardvent smiled.She went into a kitchen and boiled a kettle of hot water.Then she prepared two cups of tea,and came out with them.She gave one to Katherine."Careful,it's a bit hot."she cautioned.When they were done with the tea,Katherine thanked Mrs. June Ardvent for the tea."Your welcome,my dear."said Mrs. June Ardvent. Just then the clock struck 1:45."oh dear,I have to go now!Thank you Mrs. June Ardvent for the tea.May I come again soon?"asked Katherine."Of course,Katherine.It was a pleasure meeting you.Is your house near?"asked Mrs. June Ardvent."Yes,ma'am."said Katherine."Ok.I'll go with you until the front door."said Mrs. June Ardvent. They went to the front door,Mrs. June Ardvent escorting Katherine.They parted,saying goodbyes,thank you's and the promise of returning soon.Katherine walked down the pathway to her house,thinking happily of her new friend,Mrs. June Ardvent and her wonderful house.

i'm really enjoying reading everyones, they all so different but equally as interesting! Can't wait to see some more :)

Couldn't have said it better myself, Ess. ;)

Thanks for the comments!When will we know who won?

Alex wrote: "Thanks for the comments!When will we know who won?"

Well, the contest closes tomorrow. You know what, I'll just close it tonight, and the results will be revealed tomorrow.

So, in other words, no more entries are allowed. Alex's was the last one.

All right; we have a winner.

Congratulations, Zhanaestilinski! Go ahead and message me on what dates will work for you regarding the contest (starting date, ending date), and I'll post another contest topic! Also, please let me know if there is any story or book of yours that you would like me to review/read.

Let's have a big round of applause for all of the contestants! You guys are amazing, and I'm not kidding when I say that it was really hard to choose!



You guys get a cute puppy!

Meiyu wrote: "Yay,congrats Zhanaestilinski nice work!!!!!!!And yay,we get a puppy! *cradles puppy in arms*☺"

*pets puppy*

Meiyu wrote: "*strokes puppies fur adoringly* i love puppies:)"

So do I!

The puppy looks sad

Hayley wrote: "The puppy looks sad"

I know. :/ I tried to find a cuter one, but I couldn't.

Meiyu wrote: "Lol i bet the puppies only sad because he/she wants us to pet it:)"

Hahaha! :)

Whenever Zhanaestilinski decides. Let me message her...

Meiyu wrote: "Anastasia [I'm Wonderstruck...] wrote: "Whenever Zhanaestilinski decides. Let me message her..."
Okay:)"

:)

YEAH!!!!!!! WINNER Zhanaestilinski conGRATS! :)
Can't wait till you announce the next one!
I love the puppy by the way (runs away with puppy)

Yay!

Oh, Anastasia by the way i added more to that one storie i was working on that you said you wanted to read more of if i ever posted more.

All right! Could you message me a link?

yeah give me a mintue to get there.

Okay! :)

REALLY! OVER? I was having a lot of fun reading this and then got to the second page and the curtain came down hard.

Very cool stuff. Do this again please.

okay so; i just conbined them. so if you want to conment on it now or whatever you can

We are definitely planning on it, Gard! I believe everybody had fun. :)

All right, Cassie!