Wednesday, September 7, 2011

First Campaigner CHALLENGE


 Yeh! The First Challenge in the Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign is here! 

- Write a short story in 200 words or less that begins with the words "The door swung open" (done!)
- Additional optional challenge: end with the words "the door swung shut" (done!)
- Additional optional challenge: make your story 200 words EXACTLY (so close but not quite there...)

Here's my entry -

*****

FILTHY, RICH

The door swung open. Mr. H sat back, waiting, but I still couldn’t move from the car. He turned off the music seeping from the high-end speakers. The silence was hard and sharp. I wished for a shard of it, to dig deep inside of me, to slice away my shame.

He cleared his throat. From the corner of my eye, I watched him. He shifted in his seat. He opened his wallet. He fingered the bills with the same fingers that had scrabbled over my clothes, scratched at my skin, covered my mouth.

He held out two folded bills. “Josilyn didn’t pay you. For watching the kids.”

I needed his money. My family needed his money.

He slipped a fifty between the others. “And a…bonus.”

He needed my silence. His family needed my silence.

I plucked the bills from between his fingers, careful not to touch him. He sagged against the butter-leather seat - in relief, not in remorse.

Then I held my hand up, out, open. Waiting.

Money - worn, dirty, alive - fluttered into my palm.

I stepped out of the car and adjusted the skirt of my school uniform. Behind me, the door swung shut.        

*****

(Hey, fellow Campaigners - I'm #253 in case you want to head over to the First Campaigner Challenge post and "like" my story.) 

37 comments:

  1. Wow that's really sad. But really good too! I love it! Very good!
    (I'm entry 236)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Jess! I'll be heading over to read the other entries soon...

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an unfortunate girl. Awesome way to describe the situation without blatantly telling us. Kudos for your story, Madeline! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Madeline, you sure have a way with a few words. I'm going over to "like".

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, this is really powerful, and also so sad. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Holy smokes. I think this is one of the best ones I've read. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. David, thank you so much. I really wanted the horror/tragedy to be more subtle so I'm glad it came across that way.

    Sally, thank you. As always. :)

    Julie, if the power and the sorrow moved you, then I did my job. :)

    Jessica, I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Powerful and hard hitting storyline. I'm going over to 'like' this one. A good job in saying so much with so few words.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you, Allie - I appreciate your comments and your "vote."

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great story. I agree, sad. But well done!
    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Disturbing. A great short work of fiction. I'll be thinking about this for awhile. I'll go 'like' you. I'm #247 from the campaign and a new follower.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Madeline, you had me with the first paragraph. You've said so much, told so much about these two characers in such a small space, the car and the word limit. Excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Elena - thank you! I appreciate your kind words.

    Clara - thank you for "liking" the story and for "following." Welcome!

    Arlene - I hadn't thought about the "small space" in terms of both the car and the words. What a great perspective!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I'm sorry - Ciara, not Clara. My eyesight isn't what it used to be...

    ReplyDelete
  15. Showing without telling at its BEST. Bravo, Madeline.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Amazing how few words it takes to tell a story.
    Great job on your submit, Madeline!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, very powerful! I loved the echoing of the lines about need.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yikes. You painted such a vivid (and sad) story here. Very well done in so few words!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I wished for a shard of it, to dig deep inside of me, to slice away my shame.

    This line says it all.

    Loved this story...and its claustrophobic impact.

    Would like to invite you to The Rule of Three Blogfest ---a month-long extravaganza in the fictional town of Renaissance this October, with some great prizes, comment love, and of course, a lot of exposure for your writing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Milo - thank you, as always. :)

    Erin - thank you for reading!

    Jocelyn - I find the "echoing" of lines tricky to do so I'm glad it worked for you.

    Tara - I don't know what it says about me but I tend to write a lot of "sad" stuff. :)

    Damyanti - I love your phrase "claustrophobic impact." And thanks for the invite - I'll check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great original take on this. Well done. Mine is #72

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks so much, Bridget! I'm making my way (very slowly!) through the other entries. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is the best I've read of the last twenty! What a great scene. Gripping.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you so much, Angelina! I love that you found it "gripping."

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hey there! I've posted a link to your story on my blog as one of my flash fiction favorites. I hope that is okay. If you want me to take it down, let me know. Here is the link: http://jessica-therrien.blogspot.com/2011/09/flash-fiction-favorites.html

    ReplyDelete
  26. Jessica, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi, Madeline,

    This certainly was a very powerful entry. As judge I looked for something different and compelling. Congratulations, you made my top five.

    ReplyDelete
  28. This put a knot in my stomach, in a good way. Such a disturbing subject handled and written so wonderfully. Perfect title, too.

    On a totally unrelated note... Your tortoises are sooooo cute! :) That picture with those little faces looking up at us is absolutely priceless!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Michael, thank you so much! I am thrilled to be in your top five. :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Avery, I'm so glad the story moved you the way it did. Isn't that what writers hope for?

    And I will tell Larry and Mrs. Larry that they have a new fan in you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is a very compelling piece--very edgy and tangible. Love the image of the silence shard. Thanks for coming by to read my piece.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Great entry! I thought the combination of these lines was powerful, both of their motivations in a nutshell: "I needed his money. My family needed his money" and "He needed my silence. His family needed my silence".

    I thing your tortoises are cute as little buttons. My daughter has a painted turtle, so now I pay more attention to the little shellsters. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Karen - thank you! I love the idea of the story as "tangible." Oh, and you're welcome! :)

    Tina - thank you so much. I'll let the "shellsters" - love that! - know they have a new fan.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I just found my way here through a mention of your story on another blog (that I found through yet another blog...gotta love when networking works!), and I'm very glad I did. Amazing story, from the heartrending emotion to the imagery to the perfectly punctuated title. I voted for it - hopefully it's not too late to count. In any case, great work!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Jillian, thank you so much for your kind words and your vote - it counts with me, even if it doesn't technically count. :)

    ReplyDelete