Stranger Sagas 2017

This is one of the competitions that actually got back to me! And my short story was among those published in their yearly anthology 'Stranger Sagas: The UK & Beyond'. Upon researching Stranger Sagas, I found that it wasn't actually incredibly difficult to get in a yearly anthology, but for a developing writer this was incredible. It was the first time I physically held a book with my writing in it. It was incredibly encouraging, and its possible I wouldn't be writing this if it wasn't for this competition. If there are any young writers reading this: a competition is the best way to make you feel accomplished. Do some research, find some, and enter them. You won't regret it. 

Whistling

The last thing I remember is… fire. Demons drew ashed phantoms in the sky. The horizon was blistered with sparks; artillery. There was something… A whistling. My friends were scared of the whistling.

Then… Nothing.

“I see.” The nurse uncrossed her legs, scribbled down something on her clipboard I couldn’t see. “And is that all you remember?”

“Yes… I’m, I’m very sorry.” My voice was muffled by the bandages.

“It’s OK. I’m going to go get a friend of mine - to talk to you, so you just sleep for now.”

She walked out, and soon I heard a whistling.

Here's my notes and drafts:

Stranger Sagas Submission

Write a story containing just 100 words, using one of the sentence starters provided.

The sentence starter I will be using is ‘The last thing I remember is…’

Plan

Write a text from the perspective of a soldier suffering brain damage. He’s in a hospital, and a nurse is trying to gage how much he can remember.

 

Draft 1

The last thing I remember is… fire. Burning demons drew ashed phantoms in the sky. The brittle horizon was blistered with flashes of sparks. There was something… A whistling. My friends were scared of the whistling.

Then… Nothing.

“I see” said the nurse. She scribbled down something on her clipboard I couldn’t see. “And is that all you remember?”

“Yes… I’m, I’m very sorry.” My voice was muffled by the bandages.

“It’s OK. I’m going to go get a friend to talk to you, so you just sleep for now.”

She left, and soon I heard a whistling.

Title Ideas

Whistling

Whistling Woes