The Mental Ward - We're Ready (25)

"Hello?" Emery held the intercom button. "Anyone there?"

"Hi, Miss Clayton, we're here. Have you found the control box?" A voice crackled through the intercom.

Emery glanced down at the sheet under the desk. "Yes, I've got it."

"Okay." There was a scrambling noise and then a new voice came on the line. "Miss Clayton, the first thing is to get you out of there. Use the box to open the necessary doors and bring the box to us."

Beth chewed a finger, looking worriedly at Emery.

Emery shook her head at Beth. "No. I think you should come to us. And one of the staff here needs a doctor. I'll open the doors for you."

The intercom went silent for a moment. Then a voice spoke. "Miss Clayton, can you tell us exactly where Beastly is?"

"No."

"That's okay, Miss Clayton. Don't worry about it. We are ready."

A voice in the background echoed, "That's right! We're ready!"

"Okay." Emery took a deep breath. "On the count of twelve, I'm opening the front doors." She pushed away from the wall and ran to pick up the control box. "Come on, Beth," she whispered. "We've got to move fast."

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More Snippets from Snow White Rose Red

One of the shadows moved. “Were you just going to chuck it in there with no thought for the poor folks on the other side?” Flip’s voice drawled out. It was a deep voice and it made my heart skip a beat. He moved away from the trees and came to stand in front of me. “Some hard-working fellow is plowing his field and then – whop! Out of nowhere, a poisoned apple flies out and hits him upside the head.” He clucked his tongue reproachfully.

A Short Story Break

via Pinterest It has been a while since I penned a short story. Usually it takes something like a "short story contest" to inspire me. But I have noticed my writing skills improve with each contest so there is something to be said for writing short stories. I say all this to lead into the fact that I am going to try another short story. There is no contest looming on the horizon, but it has been so long that I think I am due to write a short piece. Life cannot be entirely devoted to novel-length plots... I am rolling around different ideas in my head. There is no one to give me the first three words or a picture to base my story on. There are no restrictions, no props, and no judges. Methinks I will try something that is both epic and ordinary...something I have seen before. After all, personal experience, great things, and the expression of the ordinary are part of what makes a story.

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Eight days. Do you know what that means? Barely over a week. Tomorrow will be one week from the announcement date. Are you excited? I am. So, today, I want to talk to those who wrote something for the contest, whether or not you entered it in the end. What made you start writing your story? What was the first inkling of an idea that tickled your brain? What was it that you liked about your premise? As you wrote, did you have a favorite character or a favorite scene? And are you glad you wrote it down? Do you feel like you learned and grew in your ability as a writer as you tried out things for this contest? And, if your story isn't included in this year's Rooglewood anthology (either because you didn't submit it or because it didn't fit with the other four stories selected), what will you do with it? Will you market it elsewhere? Or will you lock it away in a drawer?

The Pen of a Ready Writer

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