Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ouija Board--First Campaigner Challenge (of the 4th Campaign)

I'm so excited that Rachael Harrie's First Campaigner Challenge has started. Click on Rachael's name to see other participants and for more information on what the Campaign is about. Here is the challenge.


Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. 
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:
  • end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)
  • include the word "orange" in the story
  • write in the same genre you normally write
  • make your story 200 words exactly!

My flash fiction story is exactly 200 words, in my genre, includes the word orange, starts with shadows crept across the wall, and ends with everything faded.  I hope you like it.

***Thank you for voting! Ouija Board came in 6th place! I'm glad you enjoyed it!***

       Ouija Board


             Shadows crept across the wall, and the flame of the candle flickered orange in the darkness. I looked up at Julie because, I know, I wasn’t moving anything. The movable indicator inched toward hello, stopping over it. The clear plastic magnified the word.

             Julie’s hand shook, and she pulled it away, sucking in a breath of air. “I swear, I’m not moving it! Let’s do something else instead.”

             My nerves quivered, but I wanted to continue. “It’s harmless. Come on, the game is made by Hasbro. Let’s ask a question.”

             “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Julie sighed and put her hands at the edge of the indicator, with mine resting gently on the other side.

            I concentrated, “Tell us who you are.”

            It was still, so I concentrated more. I opened my mind and took deep breaths. “Tell us who you are!”

            Julie sat straight, looking over her shoulder. “Did you see that? I thought I saw a shadow.”

            The indicator began to move—I—N—G—R—I—D.

            Julie pulled her hand away, but I left mine. 

            Goose bumps prickled my arm. “Who are you, Ingrid?”

            I—AM—GOING—TO—BE—YOU

           Everything faded.

31 comments:

Unknown said...

Creepy creepy creepy! Fun to see my name in print, haha. Nice work.

Cortney Pearson said...

Yikes! Ouija boards always freak me out! Nice writing! :D

Cherie Reich said...

Creepy story! Great job!

E. Arroyo said...

Love this. Creepy. =)

akoss said...

OMG! what an ending! :D

digillette said...

Oooh! Nice, simple and creepy! Enjoyed this!

S.P. Bowers said...

Creepy, but interesting and well written. Nice job!

David P. King said...

You know, I had one of those once. Nothing cool like that ever happened. We couldn't even get any coherent words spelled. I felt ripped off.

But that story was awesome! :)

J.C. Martin said...

Woah! Super-spooky! Lovely little horror short!

Christy Farmer said...

I really enjoyed this! Loved the Ouija Board take on it too. Off to vote for you :-) I'm #61.

prerna pickett said...

totally nightmare inducing! Great job!

Unknown said...

This was great! :)

Miranda Hardy said...

GREAT creepiness factor to that story. Loved it!

Ann Cory said...

Chilling! I don't even mess with those things :) Nice job with the suspense!

Bess Weatherby said...

Ah! That is creepy!

Jamie McHenry said...

Okay, I'm turning on a light now. Nicely written. Good luck with the contest

Unknown said...

Creepy!! Gah, I'd never use one of those! lol.

Mina Burrows said...

I'm a sucker for Ouija board stuff. Very cool.

FYI: You're one of the top 5 I picked in the group I'm judging & have been shortlisted to move on to stage two. There will be a semi-final (stage three) and a final (stage four). Congrats.

Rek Sesh said...

Fantastic...The ending was awesome.

Alyssa said...

Ohhh! Creepy! I agree with Rek, the ending was awesome! :)

I'm #37

Cynthia said...

Spookilicious! The GOTCHA conclusion got me! Hope to read more so I'm "following" you now.

#124

Deniz Bevan said...

Eeek! Very scary. I was *not* expecting the ending.

Liza said...

Whew! Awesome take on the challenge! Unique and chilling. Well done! #112

Melodie Wright said...

Ha! Love your ending.

Mark Koopmans said...

Aloha Kerri,

I'm a new follower and also a volunteer judge for Rach's First Challenge of the Fourth Campaign... and it is an honor to let you know you have made it through to the SEMI-FINALS :)

Keep an eye on Rach's blog, as I am sure she will be posting updates, and what to expect next.

Congrats, and good luck in this next round :)

Traci Kenworth said...

Great job!!

Unknown said...

Didn't get around to reading them all in the time allotted, but I am here now! Loved yours - really creepy!

Deniz Bevan said...

Congratulations, you're a winner in the challenge!

Rachael Harrie said...

Awesome story Kerri! Nicely written and a great twist at the end as well :)

I've awarded you Sixth Place overall in the Judging Round! A huge congrats to you, and don't forget to pop by my blog to see the prize you've won :)

Hugs,

Rach

Unknown said...

I know this is late, but I've been really busy this past month. I wanted to tell you I loved your entry, but it did creep me out a little. Ouija boards scare the heck out of me.

Also, Cuevas is a name that runs deep in my genealogy. We may be related somewhere down the line. They originated in Biloxi area, and came straight from Spain and used to be de la Cuevas.

Unknown said...

Hey I tagged you in the Lucky Seven meme for the 4th Platform Builder's Campaign. Go here to see what it's all about. http://caenus.blogspot.com/2012/04/lucky-seven-meme-and-sky-throne-excerpt.html