The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword discussion

Okay- so here goes! Most of you probably know this already but read the rules before you post your entry.(Rules)
If you don't rust your writing skills, be a judge! (Apply Here)
You can write a story or a poem or something in between for this contest but it must relate to the prompt which is....
AN OLD FAMILY PHOTO OF A STRANGE MAN IN A TRENCH COAT
Now, you can describe it, or write of the person in their time or of you finding it, or whatever, have fun with it!
Please give your entries in the following format:
Name:
Title: (Optional)
Type: (Story, Poem, or ?)
Entry:

That's very very cool.
My love of white collar makes it slightly better. :p
Lol thanks!

Name: Fiend
Title: Angel Watching Over
Type: Short Story
Entry:

I sat there staring at the same photo I'd passed for most of my life without a single thought. Somehow, I wound up thinking about it. This one man that stood off to the side, stern faced and in a trench coat that had seen better days, had finally caught my attention.

He was simply in the back of my mind, in the corner of my eye. I must not have wanted to see it, because I'd never really looked- until now. The photo was old, something we'd salvaged from the old house the night it went up in the flames. The fire had licked at the corners and blurred the surrounding edges, but I could have sworn I was seeing the faintest of shadows on the ground behind the man. Brushing my thoughts off as crazy, irrational, impossible, and illogical, I sent my attention elsewhere.

I would soon came to find that the single most unbelievable thought that I'd ever had was a correct assumption of life-altering proportions.

Almost a decade after my juvienial revelation that I held in deep denial, he appeared to me. I didn't recognize him when he first arrived. Being a drunken mess of an adult with failing relationships, I had no time for the past. I had stumbled towards my apartment door, mumbling under my booze scented breath when I glanced down the hall and happened upon him.

He stared over at me and I stared back, sure he was just an alcohol induced illusion. He was the first to break the silence.

"You don't know me, but I know you," he told me, now suddenly right beside me. I blinked and let out a slurred, "What?"

"I'm only here for a few minutes, but what I need to tell you is of great importance," he stated, and received another intoxicated comment in reply. He sighed heavily before taking my keys and opening the door himself. He ushered me inside and I was soon feeling the haze of my many drinks at the bar leaving me.

"The picture that used to be on your mantel," he started, voice slightly hushed, rushed, and hoarse with desperate urgency that snapped me back into focus, "The man in the corner of it is-"

"You," I finished. I narrowed my eyes, shaking my head. "That's impossible. That picture was taken close to two decades before I was born, but you look...exactly the same." Years ago, I had crossed out him being a vampire, or a werewolf, or whatever kind of creature my brain concocted from a mixture of Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyer, and teenage hormones gone wild.

"It's not impossible," he countered, "Just unlikely." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Then, what are you?" The words sounded strange to me, rolling off my tongue oddly. Like, I was testing the water, but sure of what it would be like. Like, I knew the answer to my question, but didnt have words for it.

"An angel," he replied, matter-of-factly, "and I don't have much time until they find me. I'm only delivering a message to those who need it. It's a simple warning that I gave those in your family before you: don't make the deal."

I stood there, mouth open, eyes as round as plates, and utterly confused. It took me a few moments to compose a complete sentence.

"What's your name? And what deal are you talking about," I asked, but his mind was set elsewhere, on something distant.

"I am Castiel," was his only answer before I heard a fluttering of wings and he was gone. The man in the trench coat had given me no real response to the latter question, and I was left to mull over it before my hangover caught up to me.

Years would pass, and I'd be at a crossroads making a shady deal when I would remember his words. This was truly hiss warning I should have heeded.

Ok so I'm working on something for this Charlie... I should have it soon :)

Woohoo! I finished it! Just for this comp.

Name: Lynxie
Title: Tonight is the night
Type: Short-ish story

http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3...

Wow!!!

Thanks Charlie... If that was for me.

Of course :)

T'was my first forray into suspense/thriller/mystery, hope you all like it :D

It's great :p...no hints on the decisions ever of course!

No never! Hope we get some more entries :)

I will enter, I just haven't had much time to write anything now that school started. I hope to have it done somethjme this week if I can!

I also hope to enter. However between school and the 6 arcs I have to review, no promises.

lafon, I look forward to your entry if you're able to get one in :)

Best of luck with the school work Sarah.

I start school next Tuesday :) and I start work tomorrow.. Oy, but I like everything that has been entered so far and I look forward to future entries ^_^

Yep we'll keep this open until approximately September 10th so don't rush!

Thanks Lynxie.

As promised! :)

Name: Sarah
Title: The Photo
Type: Short Story

I had never been in the attic before. I climbed up the old ladder slowly, the wooden rungs creaking under my feet, threatening to break with every step. Finally I emerged into the room and brushed myself off as I observed my surroundings.

There were boxes and boxes stacked up all around the room, covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. My history teacher had said to bring a few family photos for our family tree assignment so I figured that the attic was as good of a place as any to start looking.

After coughing from the dust that came off of the box when I opened it, I found the box was full of my old soccer and gymnastics trophies and medals. I gave a small smile as the memories flooded back to me but I moved on to the next box.

In the next box, there was nothing but prehistoric books, pages yellowing with age. I returned the lid to the box and opened the next one. This one had a few family albums and a copy of Charlotte’s Web. I picked up the entire box and took it back downstairs into my bedroom.

Now lying on the floor of my room, the contents of the box carefully spread around me. I aimlessly flipped through the pages of old family photos, pulling out a few black and whites of my grandparents and relatives. I was just about to remove a picture of my great-great Grandma Beatrice, who I was named after, when I saw the corner of a photo sticking out of the edge of Charlotte’s Web.

Curiously, I grabbed the book and pulled it out of the book to examine it. It was my mother, much younger, standing next to a man wearing a trench coat.

Who is he? I wondered. I didn’t recognize him at all. I turned it over and scrawled across the back in my mom’s handwriting were the words

Mary and St
1957

St was the only part I could make out of the second name through the scratched out name. Obviously, St was the guy in the trench coat since Mary was my mom’s name. Who was this guy? All of the male names that started with St went through my head. Stuart, Steve, Stanley, Sterling, Steve…

I set the mystery photo on my desk and put the albums neatly back in the box and took it back up to the attic. Then I put the pictures I needed into a large envelope and returned to the picture. I carefully placed the picture in my pocket and ran downstairs to the kitchen where Mom had just gotten home from work.
“Hey Mom,” I said, leaning my elbows onto the counter.

“Hi Beatrice. How was school?”

“It was good,” I answered, leaning on the counter. I paused before saying, “I was looking for pictures for my project in the attic. I came across one of you and some guy.”

I got it out of my pocket and showed her. A horrified look spread across her face. “Where did you get this?” she demanded, snatching the photo from my grasp.

“In the attic, like I said. It was tucked into a book. Who is the man in the trench coat?”

“He’s nobody,” she said quickly. I wasn’t convinced.

“Mom, why won’t you just tell me?”

“It doesn’t matter,” my mom spat. She ripped the picture into tiny pieces, tossing them into the trash before I could protest. “Never ask about this again. Understand?”

“But-” I started. Why was she making such a big deal about this?

“No buts,” she said firmly. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“And you can’t ever go into the attic, promise?”

“I promise,” I sighed.

I have no idea why she was so terrified by that picture. It must've been something truly terrible or she wouldn't have gotten angry at me. It must've been very important of she would have told me why it was so awful.

My mother doesn’t know that late that night, after everyone had gone to bed, I secretly got up and picked the ripped pieces of the photo out of the trash. I carefully taped it back together like a puzzle and hid it where nobody could every find it. In my bookshelf tucked in Charlotte’s Web, right where I had found it. I never asked about that picture again, as I had promised, even though it has puzzled me since the day I first saw it.

I never did find out who that man in the trench coat was, and I don’t know if I ever will. The secret will remain, I guess.

Yay! Thanks!

You're very welcome! I hope you liked it!

I did!

Thank you! I'm glad!

*sigh*. I just learned that one of my classes has been bumped up to fall semester so I unfortunately can't enter this month's contest. Oh well, good luck to all those that have entered or plan on doing so.

D; awww...next time lafon

Agreed - there will always be next time Lafon, I'll be looking forward to your entry :)

Thank you so much!

CLOSED. WINNER IN A FEW HOURS!

Woohoo!

Nice timing Lynxie! Because the winner is being announced right now!















And it's LYNXIE INDEED!
All of you did a great job, but Lynxie's heart pounding story is a cut above the rest. Congratulations Lynxie!

APPLAUSE FOR LYNXIE!

You could even continue your story ^_^ I enjoyed it immensely :)

Oh, good job Lynxie! I really enjoyed the emotion of your story.

To the rest of the entrants, you guys also had some good stuff. Y'all should keep up the good writing (and not emulate my laziness.xD)

Thanks guys!! :D

Well done to the other entrants

I don't know if I'll continue it Joe... I'm not sure if suspense/mystery is for me!

Now to help Charlie come up with the next comp idea... hrmm...

:D
Suspense/mystery was great the first time you tried so you should explore it more!

Nice job, Lynxie :)

Good job Lynxie! :D

Are we having another comp? Before the one you've asked me to come up with the prompt for?!

Since I've been so busy, I'm waiting until about 10/1 then I'll do yours Lynxie.

Ah brilliant! Am I allowed to enter?

Yeah! Totally. But we might be slightly bias against since you won last time :D

lol it's all good :D I just like the prompt :D

It's very good! I like it too :p

Of course it does help that I have an idea for it while I was thinking it up... which puts me at an unfair advantage, but maybe if I do mine soon, others can use it to get ideas from or whatever.

Yeah, I don't think the advantage part is too much of an issue, I think the playing feild is pretty level. The only reason the judge and I wouldn't put you at the top of the short list is because twice in a row is...awkward.
But applying is a good idea. I want to see what you have in mind :)