 My piece is MG historical fiction, sparked by an unusual event which occurred in the early 1800s, and comes in at 200 words on the dot. Hope you enjoy reading! Leave a comment to let me know what you think. And remember to check out all the other entries on Kailei's blog (linked above). THE NIGHT THE STARS FELL by Carrie S. Fannin On the night the stars fell, a girl was born. Fearing the world's end, people dropped to their knees under fire-streaked skies and prayed. The baby cried bitterly, but the mother who would've comforted her was gone. The girl was handed to a wet nurse, and no one thought to name her. The world kept turning. Soon people stood, putting the stars in their pockets. After three days, an exhausted preacher came to the cabin. The family's dusty Bible crackled as he pried it open. "What is she called?" No answer. "Did Mary ever mention..." A pause. "What about Mary? It's a fine—." The father shrugged and swigged his moonshine. "Esther." The preacher turned to the woman who nursed the child alongside her own. Though born the same night, there wasn't a place for the wet nurse's daughter in any holy book. The plantation master would add her alongside her mother to his accounts. "Esther," the woman whispered again. It's a good name, the preacher mused. But he wasn't comfortable with a slave choosing, even for only an overseer's half-orphan. But it sparked an idea. He dipped his pen. "Astra," the preacher wrote in his steady hand. "November 9, 1833."
4 Comments
The 11th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest is here!!! Susanna Hill runs several fun kidlit micro-fiction contests, and Halloweensie is no exception. This year's essential info:
 Photo credit: Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay THE JIMJAM by Carrie Karnes-Fannin Black licorice, two bruised apples, a toothbrush… What kind of neighborhood is this?!? “Guys! C’mon, c’mon…one more.” Your friends shrug. They peel off, their glow-in-the-dark buckets heavy with full-sized goodies. Even your goosebumps have goosebumps in the shivery October air. You trudge on. Under a broken streetlight, on a shadowed street, the house waits. It gives you heebie-jeebies...the willies… the jimjams. You mutter, “I wouldn’t live here as a ghost,” Still… you knock. It opens-- empty, wide. “Oh, aren’t you a sweetie?” A nothing beckons. “Come! We’ll fill that bag right up.” No treats for you tonight-- you’re tricked.
Once a House
by Carrie Karnes-Fannin (177 words) She'd once been a house, but that was long ago. She remembered what it was like. seasons stacked memories, piled like cordwood ahead of winter snows For at her heart were the trees. timbers people called them, turning the black forest into boards and rafters And trees never forget those they’ve sheltered. Chicks under the eaves with broken shells clinging to their damp heads. Mice and their hidden highways between golden paneled walls. A girl’s laughter ringing in the hall, and through the years. she’d loved them all But, the wood reclaimed her as its own, while time dripped down slowly slowly leafy crowns bathed by crystal rains fed the tender roots that coursed through cracks twisting turning tasting and drank deep from her well of memories. A thousand dappled suns kissed her ruined walls, casting shadows among the saplings. she loved them still Now under a frosty blanket, her bones slept yellow orange red drifting falling dreaming as the once-and-future girl climbed, ascending echoes of the house who used to be a home, and would always remember.
I am tickled pink to report that my non-fiction picture piece THE SENTINEL TREE was chosen as one of the Grand Prize winners in this year's #SunWriteFun contest! How cool is that?
The true story is about the one and only baseball playing tree in America, including her part in the Civil Rights movement of the mid-1900s. It was my first attempt at writing anything sports related, so I'm extra happy with making it to the winners circle. Check out more about the contest & all the great stories here. www.karengreenwald.com/sunwritefun21-rules-entries |
