This entry wins July's Txtlit writing competition though we're still waiting for the winner to furnish us with his or her details.
July's competition theme was simply "Stuck", but from the entries we had, nobody seemed stuck for ideas at least. The stories we received covered a very wide range of topics and we had entries about all manner of people and things being stuck. This entry won the vote of the judges with a story about someone being stuck in a relationship and being at the point of having the very final opportunity to get out of it. It's a neat opening, setting the scene where 'they' are the centre of attention. A loving smile so no sense of foreboding...yet. Something is to be said and we understand that it isn't that straightforward. Reading on, if we study the words, we're led astray a little, but only so much as we are used to the conformity that this story confronts. "He loves Ben"? The story continues, adding a little tension with a deep breath and we can almost hear the submissive sigh in the words "I do" which immediately give us a scene whilst simultaneously concluding the story and adding a twist. Stuck in a relationship by religious and cultural boundaries our character can't bring himself to break free and admit his sexual orientation. His last chance, gone in just two short words. A thoughtful story with great construction
Other shortlisted entries:
"Now?" My wife wipes her eyes and nods. Alarmed, I try moving. They ignore me. I try yelling. But the doctor still reaches across to the off switch.
By Mary E Davis
I phone his ad., hold my nerve, we meet at his place. Now, trapped, drugged, I lie frozen. He looms over me, "Relax, open wide, the tooth'll be out soon."
By Caroline Adamson
He offered me his seat with a kind smile. I declined, hoping he wouldn't notice I was pinned to the wall, coat stuck in the door until the next station.
By Siobhan Fuller