Happy Valentine's Day! Susanna Leonard Hill is serving up a Valentiny Contest 2018. Swallow that chocolate and whomp that keyboard with a heart-melting story. Good times and prizes await you! Here are some rules: The Contest: since writing for children is all about “big emotion for little people” (I forget who said that, but someone did so I put it in quotes!) and Valentines Day is all about emotion, write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone is hopeful! Your someone can hope for something good or something bad. Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone hopeful (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day You can go under the word count but not over! (Title is not included in the word count.) If you are so inclined, you are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself No illustration notes please!
Post your story on your blog between 12:00 AM EDT Saturday February 10th and Wednesday February 14th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list that will accompany my February 10th post. There will be no Would You Read It that week, and no PPBF, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don’t have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it’s up. (Or, if you have difficulty with the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you! Please copy and paste your entry into the body of the email – no attachments! And please do not submit emailed entries until the contest begins on Feb. 10!) Please only post your entry ONCE! Either on your blog and the associated link list, or in the comment section of my post! Otherwise it gets confusing. Please use the button at the bottom to visit Susanna.
Please enjoy my 210 word entry :)
A GHOSTLY VALENTINE’S NIGHT
by
Charlotte Dixon
Maisy Ghost woke up under a full moon. Gliding down the hall, she floated into the kitchen. “Wake up
Mummy. It’s Valentine’s Night.”
Mummy raised up. “I’m still sleepy.”
“We’re having a party. I’ve invited all our friends. I hope our cute new neighbor will come,” said Maisy.
Flittering, Maisy hung...
balloons
streamers
and lights.
Grabbing the glue, she cut red hearts, wove lace doilies from spider webs, and twisted flowers from
Mummy’s wrapping.
“I’m chilled to my bones,” Mummy moaned.
“I’ll wrap you again after the party,” said Maisy. “Just look at our stack of beautiful Valentine cards. Help me
set the table.”
Platters plunked and bowls sloshed. “Perfect,” said Maisy.
DING DONG
“Oh! Our first guests!”
Maisy whooshed to the door. “Happy Valentine’s Night,” she said.
Mummy offered Vampire and Ghoul heart-shaped cupcakes, cookies, and glasses of putrid punch.
BANG BANG
Frankenstein thudded in, grabbing whatever he could.
DI-ING D-OONG
Zombie slushed in all drippy and goopy.
DINGY-DONGY
The Wiley Witches zoomed in on their brooms.
Everyone came...except the new neighbor.
Maisy faded.
DING DONG
Maisy popped back. In the doorway, fluttered her new neighbor...
with a Valentine’s card.
Maisy’s heart thumped when she read what it said--
“Will you be my Valentine?”