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Thread: Tale of the Week 285: Haunted - WINNER'S CIRCLE!

  1. #1
    Caillagh de Bodemloze's Avatar to rede I me delyte
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    Default Tale of the Week 285: Haunted - WINNER'S CIRCLE!

    Creative Workshop Competitions - Check out our sister competitions here on TWC! << Picture of the Week | Tale of the Week | Writers' Study General Competitions | Graphics Workshop Monthly Competition >>



    Haunted


    Image from https://publicdomainpictures.net by Linnaea Mallette

    Our first round of voting left us with a tie, but I'm happy to say that after the second round, we have a clear winner!
    Congratulations to Hitai de Bodemloze on his win! He has returned to Tale of the Week after some time away,
    but he has clearly not lost his skill with words. He receives one Writers' Study competition point, taking his total to 34!
    Congratulations also to Kilo11, who battled it out with Hitai in the tie-break.

    Hitai's appropriately melancholy winning story, of a woman who died too young, can be found below:


    TotW 285: Haunted - WINNING SUBMISSION A cold mist clung to the windows, as Alex took his seat at their regular corner booth, placing his phone down on the worn oaken table. The café wasn't too crowded, the delicate frostfalls of early winter keeping all but the most determined caffeine addict away. Whilst a few of the usual suspects where scattered about the establishment, still shivering and trembling after coming in from the cold, it was largely empty. Yet Alex would always be here, every November 4th, regardless of the weather. And of course, so would Joanna. It was their anniversary after all.

    "I ordered your favourite," he told her, looking over with a mischievous grin. She looked back at him unblinking, wearing her best 'oh, you're such an idiot' expression; the ghost of a smile playing at the edges of her lips, one painted eyebrow raised, and a twinkle in those deep hazel eyes of hers.

    Chuckling to himself, Alex lent back in his chair, casually looking around the café whilst his fingers absently toyed with the screen of his smartphone. "Do you remember that Jo? Our first date?" he asked her, as his eyes wandered around the room.

    He turned back to Joanna, who was rolling her eyes, giving him one of those 'of course I remember' looks. "You got so anxious about ordering a pumpkin latte after Halloween," he reminisced fondly, "as if the barrister was going to laugh at you. In all these years, I've never seen you so insecure."

    Joanna gave him a piercing stare, nostrils flared and eyebrows narrowed. He quickly put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry!" he told her quickly, before adding: "it was cute though."

    He glanced at the clock in the top corner of his phone. It had been a few minutes now; there weren't many other people there, so his order should have been ready by now.

    "One pumpkin latte for...Joanna!"

    There it was. Even though it was a different barrister, a different voice, the words were the same, and he closed his eyes, letting the memories of that first date wash over him one more time. He remembered Joanna haughtily stalking up to the counter to collect her drink, then sitting back down, all back-straight, prim and proper, whilst she slowly sipped away at her favourite childhood drink. He had fallen in love with her then and there; seeing that childish side of her for the first time, otherwise locked away in the body of a woman who had tried to grow up far too fast.

    Far too fast, and far too young. Alex sighed and opened his eyes. He took the phone off the table, closing it and putting the photos of Joanna away for another year. He stood up and waved away the barrister, telling her not to worry about the latte. Sliding on his coat, he made for the door. It had been four years now since the accident, but he still couldn't let go of the past.


    Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry or voted in the poll, and congratulations again to our winner.

    TotW 285: Submission thread | Voting thread | Tie-break thread





    Our current Tale of the Week contest is Tale of the Week 286: But use this, to summon one another as spirits cross the gaps between the worlds and engage in jolly co-operation!
    If you'd like to join in with the jolly co-operation, please use this submission thread!

    Last edited by Caillagh de Bodemloze; November 26, 2018 at 08:51 AM.






  2. #2
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Tale of the Week 285: Haunted - WINNER'S CIRCLE!

    Congratulations to Hitai and well done to Kilo11, they're both excellent tales!

  3. #3

    Default Re: Tale of the Week 285: Haunted - WINNER'S CIRCLE!

    Congrats on the win! Well done Kilo for getting into the tie break too.

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