When I was four, I was lonely and really wanted a little sibling. I was at the mall with my dad and there was a wishing fountain. I threw my penny in and wished for a little sibling, preferably a sister though. Fast forward a couple months and my mom is pregnant. Everyone was so sure that they was going to be a boy (my grandpa even got a baby boy photo album). I was the only person who said that I would be a little girl (I only really said because that’s what I wanted, though). Soon enough my little sister was born and is a sweet, sensitive, annoying, and imaginative individual (she’s a buzzkill too).

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Final score:

6points

Queen Joe Jetpack

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Long ago my company was behind on a deadline so we were working on a Saturday. I (a man) got up to use the restroom and one of my co-workers (a woman) followed me, asking how we should solve a problem. We discussed it for a few minutes while standing in front of the restrooms, but I really had to pee so I said we would discuss it later. She then turned around and walked directly into the mens room. I really had to pee but couldn't figure out what to do. About a minute later she walks out and says "you can't tell that to anybody".

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Final score:

4points

Mark Trombley

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When travelling internationally, I rarely had any issues because I was a solo woman backpacker. However, I did have an situation in Queensland Australia with an overly aggressive "admirer" who decided to include stalking as a bucket list item on his own trip.

After finding him unexpectedly close 6-7 times in 48 hours, I went to the police for advice.

They shadowed me and witnessed his behavior. Rather than pursuing criminal charges, they asked if I wanted to go into hiding (of sorts.) The police supervisor called a friend. The community member owned a four star hotel, and I was invited to stay for a week, for free under a fake name.

Meanwhile, the police laid a false trail of my whereabouts to get him to follow the wrong travel route to a new country. Meanwhile, I was 10 minutes away enjoying a gorgeous luxury resort.

The police didn't want his creepy a*s to escalate and they couldn't charge him, yet. They thought outside the box and then solution was genius.

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Final score:

4points

BravePanda

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This past year, I was in my least favorite English class in high school of all time. I hated the teacher, she was racist, downplayed suicide, and sexist.

Every day she gave us a prompt to answer in our journals, which she would grade at the end of each grading period. On a specific day, she gave the prompt, “write a poem using the words ‘time,’ ‘crime,’ ‘lime,’ and ‘slime.’”

I had written creative works before, poems, a short story, etc., so this wasn’t too hard, but I got really into it. I wrote what I would call my most favorite poem that I’ve ever written. Moving forward into the second semester (we have semester classes), I still loved this poem. I submitted it to the High School Poetry Contest, hoping someone would see it.

Sure enough, in June, I received notification that it was chosen as a topical poem (aka I wouldn’t be paid for it to be published) in the “Inside of Me” category. It’s “Stand.” This July I received the notification that the anthology was published on Amazon.

I am 18 years old, and I just got a poem published.

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Final score:

3points

Rune Rosen

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Years ago I was at my aunts cabin in the back woods of northwest Ohio. I was 17 at the time and life had not been good. It was late june and my mom and her family were all enjoying themselves as I felt like I was drowning.

As everyone went to sleep i felt a weird urge to take a walk. The cabin is on a side large hill that the locals call a mountain. I slipped out the back door and into the woods.

The silence enclosed around me. I felt the call, heard a soft voice. Although i could barely hear it, I felt the urgency in its voice. I took off on a trot through the underbrush. Stumbling down the slope i grabbed for a branch at the same time the ground shifted under me and i fell down into the dry bed of the Mad river.

I felt the pain in my palms but thats not what made me cry out. A blast of heat blew across my face. Looking over i saw a black hole in the side of the hill. Hidden behind thick roots, the more i looked the more i was sickened. The more i looked the more i wanted to crawl in. My hand grabbed the root and I froze. When fell i was a good 10 feet away. I backed away, knowing if i turned something would grab me. I felt it then. A soft whisper in my ear. Warm and soothing but filled with danger. Whatever was in there would wait for me.

As the summer heats up and my body has become old, I feel the voice. Calling, beckoning me to come seek the answers I have always sought.

When I drive past the joke of mountain. The highway dips down as it passing over the Mad river. For moment I can see the void in the lush green. Even with the car air conditioning on full blast I will feel the heat of my destiny calling me down.

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Final score:

2points

Enochrises

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