Week #25 Fox Tales : Announcing last week’s winners and a new story image!

If you love writing stories then this contest is for you! Write a one paragraph story about the image pictured above. Be creative, think outside of the box, and follow the contest rules!

Thank you for those who joined in on last week’s fox tales! There were so many fantastic entries, I wish I could hand out prizes to everyone! This week I’ll be extending the deadline like I did the previous week since I need to prepare for an upcoming art fair. It’s nice to have more time to think up fresh ideas and I’m sure everyone likes extra time to write. Anyway, congratulations to the winners!! Please check out their stories below!

1st place // @chinyerevivian “Retribution”

_{She stood under the sprouting willow tree, north of the bayou and stared at the house. The Gilbert Hall, as it was called, where she grew up. She had taken her first breath in the servants' quarters, played on the marshes near the water as a child, learned from her mother – the senior maidservant, and when she came of age, had glided noiselessly through the large corridors, carrying dry sheets when she wasn't polishing doors with dull brass knobs, while The Gilberts held parties in their flowing gowns and spotless suits. She used to be pretty, her mass of dark curls a wild mane tumbling down her back. That was before that night, the night she was pushed out into the cold winter air, the night her mother died in her arms. January 2 was the day. It was a new year and Julio had come home drunk, again. He liked to do that, the spoilt youngest son and his mother’s favourite. She had stumbled upon him in the hallway leading to the ballroom, few minutes before midnight, her hands full of glasswares. She knew the way he looked at her, not really at her, rather at her chest and her long legs hidden under faded old gowns. But the madness in his eyes that night was nothing compared to anything she’d ever seen. When he grabbed her, the noise of shattering glasses had woken the entire household. Mrs. Gilbert rushed down first, saw Julio atop her, his fingers closed around her throat. She overlooked it, together with the torn clothes and bleeding eye, called her a whore and threw her and her dying mother out. She sighed and touched her right eye lightly. She had managed to get the pieces of broken glasses out but it was too late to save it. She wore a patch over it now. It served as a nice disguise, as did the big hat on her head. She was finally back. It took her years of hard work but she survived, and now, she would take back what they took from her. Her first step was trading an old gold locket for a pair of binoculars. Every night, she stood and watched the house. Julio had a young wife now. The men at the tavern, over large tankards of mead, had nodded when she instructed them on what to do. She put the field glass down and smiled. As she walked away, she neither noticed the decaying stomp where the old willow had stood nor the gentle sway of the dark bayou.}

2nd place // @calluna “A Sight Worth Beholding”

_{It was worth the eye she had sold. Worth the trek getting there. The three month space journey, fighting weightlessness to stay in shape. The deceleration sores on her back from the crushing entry into the atmosphere. The food on the trip, that stuck in her throat, as her body refused to accept it as edible. They had discovered this planet four months earlier, not only in the goldilocks zone, but so close to ready-made for human inhabitation, they wouldn’t even need breathing masks. It wouldn’t take much to terraform. She hesitated for a day after she saw the news, before she threw caution to the wind, and in a liberating act of defiance, sold her right eye to buy a ticket. To see the verdant glory of another planet, before it joined the ranks of ‘earthed’ planets. To visit another world, while it was still another world. Here she was, and it was all worth it. The jungle below, a swaying ocean of purples and blues, rippling alive in the colour of bruises. Dark black, deep purple, yellowed cream, a dry faded red. It was beyond words. In less than two weeks, this world would be snipped, slashed, pinched and poked in the face-lift of terraforming. The plant life would be hacked back, the animals driven from the hemisphere. The ecosystem would be forever changed. Her binoculars fell from her eye as a brightly coloured feathered creature rose from the trees beneath the ridge. It spiraled upwards, it’s wings span dwarfing her as it climbed the currents up the cliff. It did not know people, it did not yet know to fear the smell, the sound, the sight of man. The great bird-like beast rose up, it’s rippling plumage feet away from her face, the beat of its spectacular wings like breath on her face. It was glorious to behold. A sunset spilled down its breast, the meandering orange and reds, slipping into the dark blue and purple of coming night as the colours bled down the tail feathers and around its back. As it swept past her, the air gushed through the hairs on her skin. A feeling they could never capture in VR, in that moment, she could almost see the long lost birds of her home world.}

3rd place // @seesladen “Theresa...”

_{"Th.. Th.. Theresa..., T'was she... tha.. that done us", Joe muttered, in obvious agony. "Calm down", I said, "Do not try to speak yet." I held his head in one hand, and with the other I tried to stop the bleeding from the wide gash just below his chest. I knew it was futile, he was already as good as dead. Perhaps it was best to release him from his misery as soon as possible. I drew out my waist knife and as I looked him straight in his eyes to seek understanding and consent, I thought back on his words... Theresa; I knew the name alright. I doubt there was any a sailor or voyager who ever crossed the waters of the Black that didn't know the name. She wasn't just a pirate, she was the mother of all pirates. She wrecked havoc wherever she went, and it is an understatement to say that every sailor dreaded her. What made her the more mysterious was that no one ever saw her face, or knew what she looked like. Not until today that is, when I did. And if I hadn't gone off the ship to scour the island, I certainly wouldn't have seen her, and I probably wouldn't have lived either. Her face was the kind that stayed in your memory; perfect, with just the right features. She looked more like an angel than a pirate, but for the eye patch from which I had known, Theresa... I brought down the knife quick and clean, and Joe breathed his last. Then I picked up my binoculars, and with Joe's body, I wiped up the blood that had dripped on it from Joe's wounds. There was work to do; I survived Theresa, but I still had to survive this island...}

Wow, time flies! I was having so much fun with this weeks story image that I had to force myself to stop. I started this drawing earlier this afternoon and did a livestream, you can view the replay video in my post “Drawing the upcoming Fox Tales story image @caffetto! LIVE NOW!”

I had an image lined up but I changed my mind at the last minute, like I always do. I wanted to do something different and I’ve talked about incorporate animals into the images. There were a lot of test runs before I was able to come up with something that worked. The weather was perfect today so I was inspired and in my element. I hope everyone enjoys writing to this one as becomes as inspired as I was! :)

A portion of the prize pool is a contribution courtesy of @artwatch! Thanks so much for helping to sponsor this writing contest! Please give @artwatch a follow!

Prizes:

1st // 5SBD

2nd // 3SBD

3rd // 1SBD

Contest Rules:

Upvote & Resteem this post.

Create a separate post with your ONE PARAGRAPH stories and use the #foxtales tag.

Feel free to use the current story image for your post.

Submit your post in the comment section below.

Maximum of 3 entries - only one story per person will qualify for a portion of the prize pool so everyone has a fair chance.

The length is to your interpretation. There is no real ‘rule’ of how long a paragraph is but I’d say to use your best judgement. If it doesn’t flow right and you know that it is indeed going over then edit your writing.

Deadline // Friday June 15th // 5:00 UTC

Thanks again to the writer’s who joined in last week!

_{@calluna @cheekah @chinyerevivian @feebie @foxfiction} _{@jadams2k18 @mileidy10 @mlyrg @mourningnoodles @netcy} _{@oscarina @pelusa @rindaman1234 @rlt47 @rukiee} _{@seesladen @sonime @theironfelix @tokiya @tonybless}

Check out some of the previous #foxtales posts!

_{I also encourage you to visit the tag or the comment section below to view submissions 😊}

_{Fox Tales#24}” _{Fox Tales #23}” _{Fox Tales #22}” _{Fox Tales #21}” _{Fox Tales #20}” _{Fox Tales #19}”