Unless you’ve been hiding under an apple barrel, I think you know what time of year it is. That’s right: leaves are falling, creatures are crawling, so it must be Halloweensie week!
OOOOOOHHHHH!
THE 9TH ANNUAL HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!
~ FOR CHILDREN’S WRITERS ~
Writers near and far are sharpening their pencils and exercising their typing fingers and minds to create, in the words of the extraordinary contest creator, Susanna Hill, “a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) (title not included in the 100 words), using the words potion, cobweb, and trick. Your story can be scary, funny, sweet, or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!).”
Please stop by Susanna’s blog to read more awesome entries!
Without further ado, my 96-word entry, the idea for which, true confession, occurred to me when I saw an advertisement for a magic, internet-connected mirror (now that is one scary mirror, in my humble opinion):
Mirror, Mirror
“Mirror, mirror on the wall! Make me ghastly and gruesome for the Hallow’s Eve Ball.”
“Try this potent lotion, your shadow will glow green. Then sip this toad’s blood potion to grow warts never seen.”
“If you add a cobweb necklace and braid eels through your hair, you can be the death of the party — a real howling scare.”
“Mirror, mirror on the wall! If this isn’t a trick, I’ll be the ghost of the Ball.”
“A trick not a treat? That would be such a foul feat! But you’re a ghost, so we’ll see…
MAYBE!”
Wander, Ponder, Write 
Fun story. I like the cobweb necklace! Good luck!
Thanks!
Wonderful. Good luck to you and your ghost!
Thanks! Our fingers are crossed (at least I think the ghost crossed her fingers;))!
Braiding eels in her hair? Ew!! That definitely qualifies as ghastly and gruesome!! Good job!
Yeah, eels in hair are not something I’m keen about either, but it seems so Halloweensie!
Very clever. Loved the eels in the hair! Very lyrical!
True confession – this started as poetry, but the meter wasn’t working, so I tried a conversation instead.
I loved it Patricia! Great job!
Thanks Eileen! Glad to see you back online!
Nicely done. I too liked the eels in the hair. About time the mirror gets in on the fun! Best of Luck, Pat.
Thanks Maria! I love these contests!
Yikes! What an interesting image you’ve created. Good Luck.
Thanks Diane. I had fun with this!
Some wonderful imagery here, Patricia! Nice job.
Thanks, Dee. Note I gave up on writing it fully in rhyme. I’ve got to work on meter more!
Nice job, Patricia! I’m hoping to get mine finished in time.
I look forward to reading yours, Laura. Thanks for stopping by & reading my story.
I love the idea of a ghost using a magic mirror to be as ghastly as she can be! What a fun story!
Thanks Nicole! I love this contest!
Thanks Nicole! This was a fun one to write.
eels in her hair – aauugh! Truly gruesome!
I tried! I’m actually petrified of anything snake-like, and my guess is that I’m not alone with this fear.
I like this twist on the “Mirror, Mirror” we are used to hearing. Great job!
Thanks Melissa!
I love your twist on the evil witch from Snow White!
Thanks, Kelly.
I love your language and imagery–truly scary (well, what’s TRULY scary is the internet-connected mirror you mentioned as your inspiration)! And “death of the party” made me laugh out loud. 🙂 Good luck!
Thanks, Jolene. An internet-connected mirror is so, so scary, I think. I can’t imagine anyone wanting one!
Such an ingenious concept—Why can’t a ghost get decked out for the ball, too?—with a delightfully ambiguous ending that keeps the reader wondering. The cobweb necklace and skin glowing green are beautiful images, while the warts and hair plaited with eels are perfectly creeptastic! @AnneLipton
Thanks, Anne. This contest is so much fun! Happy Halloween!
I love fractured fairy tales! Halloween and Snow White go together so well!
Oh, this is fantastic! “the death of the party” Brilliant! Good luck in the contest!
Thanks, Jilanne. This was so much fun to write!
Okay Patricia. You’ve outdone yourself with braiding eels in your hair!!! How did you come up with it? I bet you gave yourself the chills. Well done.
I did give myself the chills. I can’t stand anything that’s snake-like!
Really clever and fun rhyme, Patrica. So original. Good luck.
Thanks. It’s been so much fun reading the entries.
That’s some creepy makeover! I love the cobweb necklace, and eel braides…truly the “death of the party!”
Thanks! I love these contests!