Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Entry for Blog Hop Contest!

Daniel Swensen, at Surly Muse, among others, is having a blog hop contest! The photo that was the writing prompt was really freaking cool and I just had to do it. I need yet another copy of Stephen King's On Writing like a need a hole in the head (I was up to 3 or 4 and think I'm down to 2 or 3, after giving one to a coworker who had none), but that's obviously assuming I place. Plus, I'm a sucker for writing prompts!

Write a piece of flash fiction, poem, or song (300 words or less) using the photo [below] as your inspiration. Post it on your blog anytime between now and when the link closes. Every eligible entry will qualify for a chance to win one of the prizes listed below. Links will close for submissions January 30th. Lillie, Angie, Angela and I will then read, debate, and decide on five winners for the following:
1st: Fifty page critique by Lillie McFerrin
2nd: Twenty-Five page critique edit by Angie Richmond
3rd: Fifteen page critique by Angela Goff
4th: Ten page critique by Daniel Swensen
5th: A copy of Steven King’s On Writing
 Winners will be announced February 7th.






There was a light in the forest.

No really.

Some hunters found it first, but nobody went to check on it. Truth be told, hunters were known to see a lot of things, be it brought on by buck fever or Budweiser. But no, the local Boy Scout troop found it as well, and that lent credibility.

Authorities trudged out to the scene, far from any road. They were trailed, conspicuously, by members of the press, and kids skipping school. Most of town, really. They all saw the light, yellow beams filtered through the dark branches. Then the pale flowers, gathered in the glow of a single bare bulb, hung in the middle of the clearing.

The mayor, some town board members and the sheriff stood and stared up, necks craned. Other than being in the middle of the woods, it was just like any other lightbulb they'd encountered in their lives. It didn't make any noise. It didn't burn white hot. It seemed kind of comfortable, really, a nice light in a formerly dark place.

It seemed safe, so they let people come and see. Everybody stared at the light until they saw bright floating spots when they looked away, peering through the trees as though perhaps there would be more, some kind of renovation that Mother Nature was in the middle of. No animals came.

After a month of front page headlines, and then the national tabloids, and a few newscasts, the light became commonplace. There was talk of merchandising it some way, maybe changing the team mascot from the desultory Knight to the mysteriously charged Lightbulb, but the student council voted it down.

As the months passed, the visitors tapered off. The snow fell, and people moved on to other things. Unseen, the light went out.


18 comments:

  1. Best luck with your entry. What a neat concept from such a beautiful photo.

    Thanks so much for visiting my blog and letting me follow you home. I love it here and will definitely be back for more!

    Hugs~

    ReplyDelete
  2. Neat concept. Something like this would draw attention but eventually interest would be lost and what is unusual becomes accepted then ignored.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cat: thanks so much for stopping by (and for the compliment)! I'm glad you followed me home. My "can I keep him/her" attempts as a child were short lived, but I can make my own decisions now ;)

    John: that's kind of what I thought. The picture got me immediately, and then I thought of all of the weird happenings that you can read about, but nobody necessarily knows anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Swensen. Thank you for the mention, we're glad to have you along! :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. The town should totally change their mascot ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  6. Daniel: so sorry! I fixed it as soon as I saw this; as a person whose last name is terminally spelled wrong by others, I try not to do it to others as well. Sometimes better than others. Thanks!

    Gwen: I know, right? Much better than the Knights (which is what my high school team was, though nobody dressed up as one)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great descriptions....really enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds very much like a commentary on the novelty of new things that are eventually forgotten over time. Nice one! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Aww the poor wee unseen light! When you wrote "It didn't burn white hot. It seemed kind of comfortable, really", I completely knew what you meant. There is something quite... placid looking about the lightbulb, isn't there? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very placid, very serene. The whole scene is, really. Which, depending on story direction, could be exactly how it is, or not. In this instance, it's what I went with!

      Delete
  10. And isn't this just what happens in society! What an clever commentary and fun, too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is really well done - thanks so much for sharing! New follower :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks very much everybody! And thanks to my new followers, too...glad you liked what you saw ^^

    ReplyDelete