It’s rutting season out on the moors again. The first time I heard a bolving deer (no, that’s not a mistype), I thought it was a motorbike. On Sunday, it made me think of the troll who hides under the bridge to scare the billy goats gruff. Or maybe not, if it’s the poor misunderstood creature in Norah Colvin’s fractured fairy tale. Now she’s inviting you to write one too. But beware, you have only 99-words to play with and I’ll be helping Norah, along with children’s author Robbie Cheadle, to select the best. |
To enter, pop over to Carrot Ranch; it won’t cost you anything but your time. Still unsure? Here’s one I made earlier; you have a week to produce one with a bit more pazazz.
A single bite
“Just a bite,” she croons. “One bite won’t hurt.”
Won’t it? Drenched in chocolate and sugar-icing, there’ll be five hundred calories a forkful, at least.
“Skin and bone, you are.” She cuffs my wrist between her little finger and thumb.
“Don’t upset your brother. He spent hours crafting that cake.”
Where is the boy who preferred woods to kitchens? Where is the girl who ate without fear?
“Starving yourself won’t bring back your parents. Please, Gretel, eat!”
The gingerbread house looks lovely, but smells like a trap. “Let’s not cut it, Grandma.
There’s a cake competition at the church.”
There’s a fairytale style story in my forthcoming short story collection, Becoming Someone. But “Heir to the Throne” wouldn’t qualify for the contest even if it wasn’t a couple of thousand words too long. Because we’re looking for recognisable fairytales, such as the one from which this quote derives.
I won’t mention the title, in case I use it in the quiz I’m compiling for my online launch. The more people take part, the more I’ll donate to a reading charity, and I’m still open to suggestions as to which to support. Book Aid is a strong contender at the moment, but I’ve given myself until the end of the month to make up my mind.