Finish the Story Contest - WEEK #18
A contest with a pot of 4 @steembasicincome shares? You're in the right place!
63 @steembasicincome shares + 21.618 SBD awarded till now through the contest!
Prize categories:
1st place : n. 2 steembasicincome shares
2nd place : n. 1 steembasicincome share
Popular jury : n. 1 steembasicincome share (remember to vote your favorite!!)
But let's cut to the chase!! It's time to talk about @calluna, our super special guest writer of today's edition!
Who's @calluna? (from the author's mouth)
Hello, I am Calluna, I am super thrilled to see how you may finish this story for me, having been in awe of this great contest for a while. I love horror, realistic gritty endings, fantasy, scifi, pretty much anything nice and made up. I run a considerably more sporadic writing contest of my own. I love writing, and pretty much just do it because I enjoy it, so let's have some fun here!
I recommend you all to check Cal's (horror) stories and poems if you want to find quality and a source of inspiration from such an eclectic and prolific mind.
She also publishes a very interesting initiative: the Tell a Story to Me Contest, you definitely have to give a look to next round!
Things that please the Bananafish mighty god!
- vote, vote, vote your favorite story!
- Try to post your story the earliest possible and not at the last moment.
- Sustain, comment and upvote each other as a true group of friends and fiction lovers.
- Respect the 500 words limit.
- Post in your blog instead than in the comment section.
- help our contest & workshop to grow by giving it some visibility.
And now.. let's dive into today's story!
Quitting Life
She picked up a resignation form today. She had been thinking about it for a while, handing in her notice, taking her last year. Every day is just the same, different faces, different flavours, but underneath, it was all the same. Was there any point in the endless forward march, the slow decline into ill health, unemployment and poverty? She didn’t have children, no friends who came to visit, and it was at least three years since her last match.
She sat on the corner of her single bed, in her single room, the thin long window illuminating the bare floor. She pushed a loose strand of mousy blonde hair behind her ear, and picking at her thumb, she wandered in thought.
She could travel, she could see the ocean, she could stand beneath trees, she could sit in silence. For one year. It was as good as it got, some people only got 6 months. But was she ready?
She couldn’t keep going, not like this. She had seen the lifers, the people who worked for 65 years and collapsed, decrepit, into the hands of hapless, half-hearted “help”. She had even been that half-hearted, hapless help, she had worked for minimum wage, clearing up bodily fluids, spoon feeding, doing what she could, but it destroyed you, seeing all your future had to offer.
A lot of people who worked there handed in their notice; you had to do it between 40 and 55 to get the year. Some people applied for special circumstances after 55, but generally they got less time.
She was 47. A lot could change in her life still. She could meet someone, she could have children, grandchildren, she could grow old. Couldn’t she…? Did she want to? She turned it over in her mind. She had accepted a lot in her life, but she just couldn’t face the rest of her life, playing out, day by slow dragging, hardworking, lonely, day. Night after empty, starless night. If she took her year, she could get away from the cities and their thick rank pollution. She could escape the crush of the masses, the regimented flow of preoccupied people. Her parents took her to a forest once, before the regulations changed, and closing her eyes, she could almost hear the hushed whisper of branches, almost feel the dappled sunlight on her upturned face. Almost. She opened her eyes, was there ever really any question? She had dreamed of it for as long as she could remember, and in that moment, she realised, she was always going to quit, it was never a question of did she want to, just when. Was she ready?
She flopped back onto her bed, bouncing back against the overly springy mattress. Relief coursed through her. She was going to quit, maybe not today, but she would do it. The digital display in the wall flashed, green numbers ticking over, 23:00. Instinctively, she felt around her bedside tablet, and pressing the button, retrieved her small blue pill. Blue before bed, white before work. It dissolved on her tongue, and she felt the thoughtless relaxation wash over her.
The next morning, she woke before her alarm had chance to rouse her. She stood at the window, watching the constant ebb and flow of people and traffic, the living city beneath her never slept. Her resolve had only hardened overnight, it felt right. She retrieved the form. She would quit. She would take the year. One good year, then call it quits.
Join the fun! Here is how this contest works:
An unfinished fiction story or a script is posted.
You finish it with your own post or a comment in the comment section. A limit of 500 words is recommended.
YOU WIN! 4 @steembasicincome shares to the writers with the best ending.
The result will be out on Monday 2nd July, 14:00 PM - two o' clock in the afternoon GMT+7 (U.S. West Coast time zone). Submission deadline: Monday 2nd July, 12:00 PM - noon
The @bananafish has come between us!
Hey, fellas, my entrance this week. Thank you for the opportunity!
Although she had given it a lot of thought the night before, she realized that she was not so sure of her decision. That had always been his problem: his lack of initiative, his lack of drive. It made it easier for her to get carried away by the current and look where the river had brought her. She looked in the mirror and arranged her suit. It was the face of a tired, withered woman. Where had the enterprising woman who wanted to change the world, to reach her goals, gone? At some point it had been lost over the years. I'm going to resign, she said to herself definitely already more determined.
When she arrived at work, she discovered that her presence was barely noticed. The rest of the staff kept their faces on paper and computers. Only Quinn had a smile when he walked past her, a cordial gesture but without any special tone. The resignation was still in his sweaty hands. His desk full of papers was a reflection of how boring his life was. She looked at the clock and, irritated, realized that as always, she had arrived on time for her exhausting and insubstantial work. He mechanically placed his fingerprint on the computer and was immediately welcomed by a screen with the company's logo.
Already at night, when he was looking for his car, even with the waiver form in the folder, he realized that she was the last one to leave the office. He thought they probably all had a family at home waiting for them, hot food, maybe a cat. She was even allergic to animals. She got more depressed. What was she waiting for to start living, she wondered. His stomach started to produce a heartburn that came into his mouth. Her life had slipped away and she hadn't noticed. Defeated made the final decision. If I couldn't get her back, she'd end her life.
With this thought he came to the house. It's been a long time since I've felt so much electricity in my body. He would have to find the best, least painful way to end his ordinary existence. After checking, he opted for the oven. He'd put his head in the oven first and turn on the gas. When she went to the kitchen and opened the oven, she noticed the fat stuck to the last meal she had made. He resolved first to clean up all the dirt, the grime. He couldn't imagine his filthy face of pork sauce the next day on the news. When she finished cleaning, the screen was showing 23:00 and she was tired. He decided then not to kill himself. So he took his blue pill, blue before bedtime, white before work. had no strength.
Tomorrow I'd take the letter of resignation to the company and deliver it. I'd start living
Hola amiga Nancy, it's nice to see you here with us! Your ending, made of tired procrastination, makes me think how it's difficult in life to break the habits that envelope us like a morbid cage, even when we hate them.. Change always requires to first find energy inside ourselves.
I feel the tired resignation and the lack of conviction in the words. The desire to end it but in the end there is always something stopping .
Yes, my friends. Sometimes people postpone life! Thank you for commenting.
The behavior of the woman is very realistic! I feel related to that resignation, procrastination and self-delusion pattern. Brava!
Week #19 emerged from the shadows.. good luck, brave storyteller!
Vote your favorite ending below!
My favorite is: @gwilberiol although I really liked @dirge entry too
My favorite for this week is: @lynncoyle1
Thank you so much @anixio! I appreciate that :)
Welp, I found to more contestants to like and I had to role my D6 (standard die) to determine who will get my affection. But I decided to roll it six times in the spirit of the six readings I liked during all this.
Here were my people: @dirge (1), @jodekss (2), @maverickinvictus (3), @anixio (4), @marcoriccardi (5) and @cyemela (6).
Here were my rolls: 4, 3, 6, 1, 2, 3
Since 3 appeared twice and nothing else was on its level, @maverickinvictus wins more vote.
To the participants, for transparency's sake: my poor human mind is too limited to understand the Byzantine, delirious, yet not deprived of charm selection of Felix, this will count as a vote for @maverickinvictus.
Justinian I is well aware of yer hatred of the Eastern Romans.
He's very displeased as yah can see.
But he's dead, so he choose to not care.
My favorite is @raj808 , although they were all very good; it was difficult to choose one :)
Vote for @blueteddy.
I vote for @blueteddy. Nice job everyone, this would be tough to judge!
@gwilberiol gets my vote. There were so many good ones though, great job everyone!
I love the story made by @lynncoyle1
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Thank you @maverickinvictus! That's so kind of you. I loved yours as well! I'm glad you decided to write it as well because I didn't even know that this contest existed :)
Lots of great entries. Enjoyed reading them all. My vote is for @agmoore. Liked the use of time to build suspense.
It's almost cruel to make us choose, but if I must, I'll go with @flyyingkiwi. He took me to a place I could see. The character was believable. There was a kind of stark tone that reflected the choice she had made. But, several others were so good...I feel like the character in @calluna's story: torn.
My vote this week goes to the ending by @giddyupngo a pay raise always makes work more tolerable.
My vote goes to @gwliberiol for the cathartic sense of extreme rebellion against an absurd and unnatural society!
Contest and voting is closed!
Too many great stories to pick from! I will choose @gwilberiol's ending this week!
So many contenders this week... And I'm late, as usual! I never seem to find time before the weekend.
@calluna, kudos for the story. Deep, challenging and inspiring. Hopefully, I did it some justice with my humble entry. I tried to follow through your premise, though I couldn't resist a little symbolic-slash-revolutionary twist of my own.
Yes, we know those twists as your brand, Alessandro! And they never disappoint.
What a great intro, here's my ending:
She placed the form inside her fanny pack, then walked over to her nightstand and picked up the small box that was sitting on top. She took the box to the edge of the bed and opened it, inside was a ring, a pinecone, and a photo of her parents. She slipped the ring on and in one solid motion, placed the pinecone to her nose. As she stared at the photo, it was as if she was holding her parents hands in that forest. She turned the photo over, and scrawled on the back was, "living life, one day at a time". She never did find out who wrote that on the photo, but she would always read it before putting it away.
Just then, the secondary alarm went off and she placed the photo and pinecone back in their rightful place on the nightstand. She took the white pill and headed for the transport modules. As she pulled up at her workstation, she realized that she still had the ring on. Jewelry was not allowed for use in public, especially not at work. She slipped the ring off and placed it in her fanny pack. The pinecone smell, still lingering in her nostrils. She couldn't concentrate on her daily tasks. As she looked around, everyone looked oblivious to their surroundings. Somebody could walk in here with a phaser, and nobody would even notice.
Just then, she opened her fanny pack, put the ring on her finger, and pulled out the form. She left her workstation and headed to the 21st floor. As the transport doors opened, she walked into a spacious room, with only one chair. She thought to herself, "I guess there's not a long line of people wanting to check out", then she chuckled. She sat in the chair and a terminal raised from the floor. On the monitor was a message, "Congratulations, you have 365 days!"
She stood up and turned around and headed towards the transport doors. A slot in the wall read, "Place forms here!" Once the form was inserted, the doors opened and she walked in. A huge smile formed on her face as she traveled down to ground level. Once there, she walked outside and threw up her arms, as if she was just given her freedom.
As she stood there, putting her ring back in her fanny pack, a run-away cargo transport ran over her and instantly killed her.
She should have ringed an Uber!
Ahahahah! Dark humor! Nice one, Bruni, you made me cheer for her and in the very end you crushed all my hopes! :P
Bwahahah! That's the way.. a bundle of emotions equally spread on the tarmac. I always love your twisted side, tip!
You tipped me instead of the poor Bruni :P
You guys make me laugh. Spendachone! My mamma used to call me that all the time.
Spedaccioni but for a good cause Ahahahah
Spedaccioni, I guess I should learn how to spell it. Lol
Well...I WROTE IT WRONG. LOL!
Spendaccione (singular), spendaccioni (plural)
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Week #19 emerged from the shadows.. good luck, brave storyteller!
All right! I was able to conquer my writing block this time. I got stuck trying to figure out a story so I freewrote little bits of it to come up with what I've got here. Breaking it down to really small chunks worked for me.
https://steemit.com/quittinglife/@tristancarax/quitting-life
Your creative process is interesting, Tristan.. I knew you were working on it because I noted your resteeming and vote (thanks for that).
I would had done the last one if I just let myself write without loading on extra pounds of pressure. More practice in letting stuff go is a good thing.
And, your welcome.
Hello storytellers!!
Here is my entry.
Hey @anixio! Do you like the new design? I'll make a banner for everyone too..
Yeah, it's great. Maybe create aditional one with "entry" instead of "contest". I would use it all the time :)
Can't wait for the banner!!
Yup another good idea @anixio.. I will make an "entry" and a "winners".
I would also like to personalise the banners ;-)
My entry for this week. Thanks!
https://steemit.com/poetsunited/@cyemela/finish-the-fiction-story-contest-week-18
Welcome back as a participant Cyrus ✌️😎
Hi all. Here is my entry from @calluna's amazing beginning. I wanted to go with something very impressionistic this time. Rather than dark and dire, I hope, this one is sad yet beautiful. It gave me that feeling when writing it, thanks again calluna for a great beginning for inspiration:
https://steemit.com/esteem/@raj808/the-unconditioned-world-finish-the-story-contest-week-18-c306cd9943ab9est
Welcome back Rowan! Her story is really open to several development opportunities..
I agree @f3nix. I saw like 5 or 6 ways to go with it and then I decided to walk away to take my morning shower and I'm glad I did as when I came back I just went with something that was pure inspiration and quite personal. Not sure how much of a story I constructed by letting the muse so freely off the leash but it just flowed like water from the keys.
It is my favorite thing when writing happens like that and as I've been quite ill recently on and off the drained mind-state I was in added to the tripped out flow. Ha ha, I'll stop explaining it now and just leave it be for everyone to read. Off to read some of the other entries now 😀
Beautiful story! Kudos to @calluna!
My entry is a bit long, but I needed to write it like that:
https://steemit.com/contest/@marcoriccardi/quitting-life-finish-the-fiction-story
Bravo Marco! Respect to your bananafishy indomitable attitude!
So here is my entry as support for your contest!!
Finish the Story Contest - WEEK #18 | A walk among flags
I hope you will like it :)
Amazing! Welcome to our ongoing fiction workshop 👍
Thank you I saw that Raj808 is a mainstay hahhaa he is in one of my communities the Promo-mentors and he is awesome.
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I knew him from the freewrite and could not agree more.
Hi Mav👋 Great to see you here. This comp/initiative is one of the best sources of inspiration for writing fiction on steemit. I'm just gonna read your entry now 😀
Wise words! Bananafishy blessings to you, brave storyteller!
hehe thanks Raj I am making a niche of trying to join almost all contests that I see to engage the community and make everyone feel connected.
Also I need the shares lol