Mini-Contest #16
The 16th mini-contest was held in December 2011. This one asked contestants to write a story no more than 30 words long using the same phonetic sound at the beginning of as many words as possible. (In other words, to use alliteration.)
This contest was tricky! We received 68 entries. Out of those, six won publication. Our winners are the usual mix of people we’ve never published before, and people we have.
Here are our winners, then our honorable mentions.
Third Place ($5) by Deborah Cottle (new to OTP)
Frank freed his frightened children and frantic fiancée from the fire flashing through their farmhouse. Foolishly, Frank made a final foray for the family photos, not foreseeing his fatal finish.
Second Place ($10) by Wayne Scheer (new to OTP)
Phyllis felt funny fundraising for phantom foundations, fabricating falsehoods for Federation of Fire-Fighting Feminists. Fatigued, frustrated, Phyllis finally faced facts and fingered phony financier. Fired for folly, Phyllis felt fine.
First Place ($15) by Andrew Cohen (last seen in mini-contest #9)
Tempted to traverse time, Templeton tethered ten temporal tunnels together tightly, tilting today toward troubling temporariness. True to time tenets, two tempestuous tomorrows twisted and tumbled, torpedoing Templeton to transcendence.
Honorable Mentions (no money, just fame)
Three other entries scored highly enough to earn honorable mentions.
Courageous Captain Crane cogitated. Captured by cannibals, confined to a cage and carried cruelly to a commodious cook-pot, he cleverly convinced the callow culinarian to commission a convoy for catsup.
(by Caroline Zarlengo Sposto, last seen in mini-contest #14)
The weeping willow whispers a warning to weary wanderers who walk her way — beware of the wild wind that whips through the weeds, for it whittles your warmth away.
(by Claudia Anderson, new to OTP)
Caroline, consequent to the Queensland quake, quit her connection to Kent. She couldn’t condone his compulsion to cater to convalescent cassowaries when countless co-workers continued to cry out for care.
(by Kathy O’Shaughnessy, new to OTP)
Congratulations to the winners and our sincere thanks to everyone who entered the mini-contest.