Monday, September 05, 2011

The First Campaign Challenge.

I assume you all have been following my blog intently and already know that I am signed up for Rachael Harrie's Writers' Platform-Building Campaign, well today Rach has presented us with our first challenge.
I have to write a 200 word story that begins with the sentence "The door swung open".  Bonus points if it ends with "The door swung shut." Extra special bonus points if the piece is 200 words exactly. Here goes:

The door swung open like a cross between a drawbridge and the cargo doors on a military plane.  Faster than Angie would have imagined, she found she didn’t have time to decide whether or not to run.  She had no doubt that the occupants of the cigar-shaped ship could already see her, standing in her pyjamas in the ankle-high grass.  As Angie waited, she looked back in the direction the ship had come.  It had knocked down the old oak tree with the tire swing before carving a black scar through her parents’ corn field, narrowly avoiding the farm house where Angie’s family had been sleeping. Looking back at the gaping mouth door of the space ship, Angie was shocked to see not a little green man with a bulbous head, but a blond girl of about three years old, her wide brown eyes framed by dark lashes.  The girl held out her arms as though waiting for a hug.  A sudden longing brought Angie to tears.  The child smiled an impish grin and Angie could no longer resist. She ran up the ramp and took the delicate creature in her arms.  “It’s okay,” Angie whispered. The door swung shut.

That's it.  Hopefully a mildly original take on the UFO-in-the-cornfield cliché.  Exactly 200 words so long as you count "ankle-high" as one word (Microsoft Word does).  I urge you to try out this fun little exercise, even though you can't win a prize unless you are signed up for the campaign.

Edit: If you like my story, be sure to go to this page and press the like button above my name (I'm number 27). Get me in the running for the people's choice awards.

29 comments:

elizabethanne said...

Oh, that was so very good! Captivating, and very definitely a twist at the end. Well done, Jen!

Nadja Notariani said...

Another unique take on those opening words! I'm really blown away by all the different stories I'm reading today. ~ Nadja

Joanna said...

lovely new UFO take. Great ending!

1000th.monkey said...

What's that scary movie with all the blonde kids? 'Children of the Corn'? ...nice creep-factor :)

Alleged Author said...

Love the whole alien angle. And I believe the little blond children were in "Village of the Damned." :P

The East Coaster said...

LOVE this! Woohoo for scifi entries!!!

Avery Marsh said...

Great entry! I loved the ending. Creeeeepy.

Tara Tyler said...

cool! love alien stories!

ruth.the.writer said...

Ok, so you have me wondering if it's a kidnappee being returned or an alien in disguise! Loved it!

Adam Collings said...

Hi. I'm in your sci-fi group. Nice story in 200 words. Well done.

So I haven't come accross the anouncement for this challenge yet. Off to check the Yahoo group.

Jane Isfeld Still said...

Great job. You inspired me to do accept the challenge. I hope you come and check it out soon. Going to write it now. BTW just saying hi as a fellow campaigner.

Nicole Settle said...

Awesome little sci-fi piece. I liked the ending.

Denise Covey said...

Woo hoo, a scary UFO story in 200 words. Great stuff! D

I've followed you fellow campaigner!

Gwen Gardner said...

Super scene, Jen! Wouldn't trust the little girl with the innocent green eyes, though! I'm a new follower from the campaign trail!

Trisha said...

Oooh, I wouldn't be beguiled by a cute little girl. Okay, maybe I would. hehe.

bridget said...

Nice job. It's hard to resist a sweet little girl. I'm #72

Sharon Clare said...

Well done, Jen, and true to your genre! I'm so impressed you managed to do it in exactly 200 words! You've motivated me to add this challenge to my to-do list. I didn't get a notice about it though. Must look!

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Hey Jen, nice to meet you. I'm a fellow campaigner from the beginning bloggers group stopping by to say hello and become a follower.

Sheri L. Swift, Author said...

Very nice, I love the *impish* grin. ; )

Jane Isfeld Still said...

Hey I just saw in your BIO that you are from Canada. I grew up in Alberta. :)

Cortney Pearson said...

I like the black scar in the cornfield. Great description!

David P. King said...

That is an awesome take on the alien/cornfield approach. Well done. Consider me a new follower! :)

Christine Rains said...

I like this take on the whole UFO thing and nice twist. Good job!

Doreen said...

I liked this...I am so happy the little girl did not turn into a monster...yet!

Alica McKenna Johnson said...

Very interesting!

Crystal said...

Ooooh, I gots me a bad feeling about the little girl! From the longing the child brings out in Angie, I'm envisioning a race of evil aliens that's able to transform themselves into would suck you in the most in order to ensnare you. For me, it would be a really cute dog! Lol...

Nicely done!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing. I have to say, I'm wondering if the blond kid was just somebody who the aliens took for a joy-ride, or if they really are soul-less shape shifters.

It's nice to meet you, I'm in the Canadian Campaigners group, so I'll be seeing you again down the Campaign trail. Can't wait!

Amanda Milner said...

Very fun! And the twist with the little girl drawing in the earth-being at the end was quite clever!

Unknown said...

You set the scene with a lot of description. I liked how the alien warped her emotions. You hooked me. Good luck with the challenge.

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