Halloween Vignette Challenge! -- Winners announced!

I am sorry that I?m so late posting this thread. I couldn?t jump onto a computer all day, so I had to wait until I got home.

For those who don?t know a single thing about this challenge, please go here. Locate the ?Halloween Vignette Competition? section and read the details. As promised, here are your list of words and your beginning paragraph.

Word List:

- Blood
- Undead
- Sacrifice
- Death
- Slayer
- Zombie
- Grave
- Surreal
- Black
- Doom

Beginning paragraph:

They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.


Now, please remember that you need to use ALL the words on the word list and start your piece with the ?beginning paragraph? to qualify for this competition. If you don?t, you will be disqualified.

You piece must be no longer than seven pages (in MS Word, Arial, point 9). Your piece can involve any characters you choose and any timeframe you choose. You may post your stories here.

You have only 48 hours to write and submit your piece from the time this thread is posted. If you have any questions, please let me know .

 

Dude!

Sounds like fun, Amsie!


*Derisa*

 

Hmmm... I'm intrigued.

 

Looks like I'm first. I've bolden each word that needed using.

---

[b]The Slayer of Dreams[/b]

They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi shook his head as he made preparations to go after his young apprentice. ?Curiosity will kill Anakin one of these days.?

?I hope it will be sated with your apprentice before it turns on mine,? Bothan Jedi Master Subja So told Obi-Wan, his [b]black[/b] fur rippling to indicate his displeasure as he climbed into the passenger side of the speeder the two Jedi would use to find their apprentices. ?You?ll be surprise at what it takes to teach a rodian a lesson.?

Obi-Wan snorted. ?They left enough clues as to where they were going. We?ll find them soon enough,? he assured the other Jedi before slipping the speeder into gear and into the crowded lower-level streets of Coruscant.

*****

Meanwhile, in a district nearly 400 kilometers from the Jedi Temple, Jedi Padawans Anakin Skywalker and Foracto Nacto pulled their ?borrowed? speeder into a dark alley. ?This is the place,? Anakin announced, putting the speeder into park and hoping out of it with all the vigor of a fifteen year-old. ?That old man is suppose to live in one of the apartment buildings right here.?

Foracto?s snout sampled the air as he climbed out of the speeder much slower than Anakin, even thought he was only a youthful eleven years-old. In the distance, a construction hammer could be heard pounding away. ?Smells like nobody has been here for years,? he said, kicking at the dirt and dust gathered in the alley. ?Are you sure this is safe??

?Hey, I passed on a sparing session with Knight Secura to come here,? Anakin announced. ?So it better [i]not[/i] be safe.?

Foracto rolled his multifaceted eyes. ?Your [b]sacrifice[/b] is duly noted.?

Anakin nodded and waved his friend forward. ?Good, now come on. Let?s see if we can find this [b]Slayer[/b] of Dreams, as he?s called in the archives.?

Foracto followed.

*****

?Do you see anything??

Subia shook his head at Obi-Wan?s question. ?No, I don?t see them anywhere,? he said as he scanned his side of the street for the two padawans.

?Neither do I,? Obi-Wan said, frustrated. The usually strong bond between a Jedi Master and his padawan became weaker when more life-forms got in the way. With a crowd as big as the one on this street it was hard to filter through them to find their padawans. ?Do you think they went straight to his home??

?I?m afraid that?s a possibility,? Subia nodded. ?Although I had hoped they?d go to that shop they highlighted in the brochure instead.?

?There it is,? Obi-Wan announced, pointing to a sign that said [b]Grave[/b] of Dreams. ?But I don?t sense Anakin anywhere near here.?

?I don?t sense Foracto, either, but let?s stop and ask around,? Subia suggested.

Obi-Wan agreed. He was about to park their speeder in an alley when he noticed the other speeder. ?That?s the speeder our padawans took.?

Subia bounded out of the craft and rushed up to the rediscovered speeder to read the identification numbers on the side. ?This is it,? he announced.

?And that?s the building Ghosto lives in,? Obi-Wan said, pointing to the building at the alley?s far side. ?I can barely sense Anakin nearby.?

The two Jedi shared a glance before moving.

*****

?Excuse me, but do you know if a man by the name of?.? The man Anakin was trying to address just shuffled by him like a [b]zombie[/b], lost in his own world, ignoring the padawans completely. ?Thanks,? Anakin said with a disheartened sigh.

?You know, Anakin,? Foracto said, brushing rock spider-string out if his spine crests. ?There?s a reason why he?s called a loner. He wants to be alone.?

?Then why does he live on the most populous planet in the galaxy?? Anakin replied a little too harshly than he meant to. He was frustrated. They had searched nearly half the twenty story bui

 

*raises hand* I have a question.

Do we have to ?mark? (i.e. bold or italicize) the words from the list when we use them?


edit: Whoa - that was weird. D-A & I posted at the same time. Looks like my question is partially answered at least.

Ams? Kit?

 

Trick or treat time for my family. I?ll go ahead and bold the words from the list as well, just in case.

*********************************

The Experiment


They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.

No one ever claimed the underworld of Corellia was a safe haven. Indeed, most knew better than that. However, when an insatiable curiosity enters the midst, danger doesn?t apply?


?Luke,? Leia whispered, ?I can?t see you very well. Are you there??

Silence was her response.

?Luke!? she whispered a little louder.

From out of the darkness came a hand that quickly wrapped around Leia?s mouth. At the same instant an arm enveloped her waist.

Her eyes went wide in terror and she struggled fiercely to free herself. To her dismay, the more she struggled, the more the iron grip on her tightened. Suddenly her body went limp and Leia Skywalker was unconscious.


Up ahead, Luke had been scouting out the tunnel filled with vermin and waste when he felt his twin?s fear. Leia! Are you alright? he asked her through their bond. LEIA! Luke mentally shouted.

Turning on his heel, he nearly dropped his hand light as he sprinted down the tunnel and back to where had left his sister.


Leia?s perpetrator unmercifully dumped her limp body into the back of a speeder amongst the wreckage of unidentifiable parts. Deciding he was done ?collecting? for the night, he sped back to his laboratory.


Luke began to panic. He couldn?t find any trace of his sister and knew he?d be bantha fodder if his parents found out what had happened.

Luke scratched his head. ?I don?t even know what happened.? His tone implied his frustration. ?Dad will have my head! I have to find her ? and soon!? Using the Force, he searched for the unique signature that was his twin.

?Leia!? he shouted as he touched her presence. ?Thank the Force you?re alive.?


When Leia opened her eyes at last she was laying on a hard, flat surface ? her wrists and ankles held securely in place by thick metal bands. She caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye, but couldn?t see anymore than that. She turned her head to the left and saw a long table covered with large round glass jars. She couldn?t see what was in them but they certainly didn?t give her the warm fuzzy?s. She turned to look the other way and saw yet another table. It too had a multitude of jars upon it, not to mention some instruments that she recognized as those that belonged in an infirmary. Panic began to course through her as she wondered if she were to be a sacrifice to some insane experiment. She turned her head again and looked up. Black smoke poured out of a large platform far above her.

?I?m doomed,? she cried.

Suddenly the platform she had just been watching began to slowly descend. As it drew closer to the floor she again caught sight of movement to her right.

?Who?s there?? the young teenager boldly asked.

She heard a shuffling sound, like someone dragging their boots along the floor, and then someone appeared over her.

?I am,? he replied with a thick accent Leia had never heard before.

?Who are you?? Leia questioned. A dark hood covered the person?s face so she couldn?t make out any facial features.

?Igor,? the man replied simply.

?Egor??

?No, it?s pronounced, I, as in your eye, gor, as in, well, you know, something messy.?

?I see?? Leia slightly frowned. ?Why do you wear a hood??

?Oh,? Igor touched his head with a rather large hand, ?my master tells me I must.?

?Why?? Leia persisted.

?Oh, cause he thinks I?ll scare people away. Don?t know why though ? I work mainly at night.?

?O-kay? What?s that on your shoulder??

?I dig up graves for my master. I see dead people ? all the time. My shoulder??

?Eeeewwww.? Leia scrunched up her face. ?Yes, you have a hump or something on your shoulder. Look, there,?

 

Well done, Arriss, and very funny.

Mundi is trying to turn dead people into zombies. Force knows why. Must be some kind of power trip, probably to compensate for that cone of a head he sports.



Mel Brooks in the Star Wars Universe. Definately.

 

Well, here is my offering. A bit dark perhaps... and I am ashamed to admit a happy ending which is somewhat inappropriate for the venue but I can't help myself. I'm an optimist at heart.

I have used some words more than once but as that was not explicitly prohibited I hope to get away with it. I also have not hightlighted the required words at all. If I am to do so, let me know and I will attempt to edit in the changes necessary to do it. They are all there. I checked twice.

*********************************************
They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.

She couldn't think for a moment, the feeling of doom overwhelming her normally prosaic self. She scribbled a note for Owen and ran for the garage. They had a two-hour head start on her. She had to get them back. Not just Luke but also Biggs and Wedge too. If something happened to their sons the neighboring farmers would try to attack the hermit. And she knew it would mean death for all involved. Or almost all.

She passed Shmi's grave on her way to the garage and muttered a short prayer begging the woman's spirit to protect the grandson she had never seen, even as she resolutely ignored the toppled headstone of Padme's grave alongside Shmi's.

*******************

She shifted her position on the swoop's seat. She was catching up to them but they would still have arrived at the hermit's hut enough before her that she feared to find nothing left of Biggs and Wedge but blood and bone. The slayer of thousands would not stop at two six-year-old boys.

*******************

She leapt off the swoop before it had even come to a complete stop and ran towards the figures she could see in the harsh reddish light of Tatooine's moons. Two small bodies lay on the slab of rock and she feared they had already been used in some horrific sacrifice. The tall, black cloaked figure standing on the other side of the rock raised his head, the hood falling back to expose his hair, tinged to nearly the color of dried blood in the moonlight. His red gaze pinned her in place before she could touch the bodies of the children on the rock.

"Beru" he said, inclining his head in a surreal parody of one neighbor greeting another.

"Obi-Wan", she returned the nod. She tore her eyes from his and watched the boys anxiously. After the third shallow breath each took she was certain she was not imagining it and she went on the offensive. Where she found the courage she did not know.

"Release the boys, Obi-Wan. It is time they came home."

"I did not call them" he answered obliquely.

"Where is Luke?" she asked after moving close enough to see that Biggs and Wedge were sleeping. Albeit, most probably, it was Force induced and waking them might be problematical.

"With his mother. She wanted to see him." the red eyes flared in pain remembered and Beru pitied him even as she feared him.

"You never could deny her anything." Beru said in understanding. Her voice hardened, "I will not let you make Luke one of her undead."

"And you will stop him how, farmer's wife, should I desire it?" the harsh voice spat out behind her, making her spin around to face the greater threat. The zombie had her arm about Luke who was looking up at her. He was just a bit frightened but clearly still under the glamour that Obi-Wan had no doubt ensured so that her son would please his dark queen.

Beru gasped. If she had not seen Padme die with her own eyes - and worse still, seen a distraught Jedi Master raise her from her grave - she would have thought the woman alive still. Biggs and Wedge had probably given several years of life each to enable Obi-Wan to restore her outward beauty so thoroughly.

"Padme, love, the boy." Obi-Wan's voice cut between them.

Padme looked down at Luke and smiled sweetly at him. "Your Aunt Beru and I have a difference of opinion abo

 

Fantastic entries so far! They?re going to make judging difficult.

Arriss, it?s not mandatory for you to bold the words, but I would appreciate it if you did. It saves me the time of putting your document in MS Word and using the search function to find the words.

Thanks!

EDIT: K_D, you may use the words in the list more than once. It?s absolutely fine .

 

Ok I gave this a shot. I attempted serious but was rather unsuccessful. So.... yeah. lol here's my entry. You're all encourage to wince and moan over the cheese factor within.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jedi Witch Project (oh yeah, I went there...just the title though so don't panic)


They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner...

That's how the holofilm makers are going to write up this fiasco... if they ever find the non-existent footage and turn it into a mass marketed holo aimed at teenagers gullible enough to believe the exaggerated version. Just for the record, I'll be dead and the only part of the story that I contributed to was stealing the speeder.

If they're going to exaggerate things though, I want to say that Princess Leia Organa is crazy about me. She just doesn't know it yet. But that second part doesn't need to go into the holo. Just the part where she's swooning over me before I leave.

Stop daydreaming, Solo and concentrate on running away from the murderous demons chasing you.

Running blindly in a forest at night isn't really one of my favorite past times. Stupid Jedi kid. This is the absolute last time that I'm following him on one of his wild Jedi hunts. Every time I go, I wind up covered in blood with death one step behind me.

Not this time, Han, he said to me. This is easy, just a quick stop at Ulwin Khaer's grave.

And who's Ulwin Khaer? Some dead Jedi master, an outsider, a loner. And one mightily hacked off ghost if the screaming and chasing are anything to go by. Let me tell you, undead Jedi are no fun to be around.

"Luke!" I have to yell to be heard over the howling. "I have to say that your zombie friend is a really lousy host. Leia would be absolutely beside herself at this guy's manners."

"Oh, like yours are any better? She was furious when you colored black moustaches on all the 2D holos of her and hung them in the mess."

"Hey! She never proved that was me!"

"Was it?"

I can't stop the telltale grin. "I'll never tell."

Of course, that moment when I'm not paying attention is when I miss the cliché tree root and wind up sprawled on the ground looking up at a very irate ghost of Ulwin Khaer, cranky dead Jedi Master extraordinaire. Leia would call this surreal; I call it damned creepy.

"Hi." Oh that was classic Solo. Good job. That'll stop him.

"DOOM!"

Well at least he's not that much more articulate. "Uh, I appreciate the thought, but I think I'll pass this time. Maybe next yeah, huh?"

"DOOM!"

"Yeah. Yeah you mentioned that."

Where the hell did Luke go? Aw, blast. He's down too and surrounded by... what in the nine Corellian hells are those tiny little things? Well that's just swell.

"Ok. Yeah. This is really fair. He gets little jawas and I get Baron VonBigGhost?"

"Han!" I'd turn to look at him but taking my attention away from the hulking heap of ghost floating in front of me would be bad idea number 10,000 for this trip. No thanks. I'll keep my attention right where it is. Luke will just have to deal with yelling to the back of my head. "I don't think they're trying to hurt us!"

"Oh gee, what makes you think that? The screaming? The chasing? I sure hope they sacrifice you first because that might give me a fighting chance. Isn't that how these things are supposed to go anyway? The innocent young virgin dies first? I should be perfectly safe."

I wish I could see his face. I bet he's blushing ten shades of red over that. "Shut up Han and look back where we came from."

Hoping he's not leading me to my death (AGAIN!), I look back up the side of the mountain we've just come running down. There's a large fire blazing. Hmm. Well that's interesting.

"I think they were trying to warn us away."

"By screaming and chasing us?"

"Get over it, Solo. If they wanted to hurt us, they would

 

Hm, we have our work cut out for us...

Cut...slash...bleed... *ahem* Sorry, um...started to get a little carried away there...

 

OK, I edited mine to bold all the required words. (I fully understand the wish to have it that way.) And I have to say I loved the Jedi Witch Project.

Everyone seems to be having more fun with theirs than I did. Well, actually I did have fun with mine. I wonder if this means I need therapy or something?

KD

 

I sure hope they sacrifice you first because that might give me a fighting chance. Isn't that how these things are supposed to go anyway? The innocent young virgin dies first? I should be perfectly safe."

Ouch! That was just plain mean, Sticks.

Nicely done.

 

Participants:

Some people reading this thread have found that they have to continually side-scroll. I think it is scene dividers that cause this problem. So, could you please reduce your scene dividers to only a few symbols (if you haven?t already)? Example: ?****?.

Thank you! Much appreciated.

Am

 

Am, you got post 13! Bad luck for you!

Here's my entry. Challenge words in bold, as requested.


~*~*~*~
Doomy
~*~*~*~


They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.

?Master Qui-Gon isn?t a hermit!?

?Oh yes he is,? Obi-Wan disagreed, folding his arms over his chest and giving Bant an admonishing look. ?Who is telling this story of doom, again??

Bant gave him a level look with her silver eyes. She plopped down on Obi-Wan?s bed in the initiates? crèche. ?It wasn?t doomy,? she muttered, but at another glance from Obi-Wan, she fell silent, letting the ten year old continue.

Obi-Wan gave the gathered initiates a serious stare, standing before Garen and a few of the others in the darkness. Gloom had long since fallen over their quarters, and the Crèche Master was gone for the night. And tonight was the night to tell scary stories, and it was Obi-Wan's turn. They sat, leaning forward intensely, listening to the story Obi-Wan gracefully unfolded, as if it had happened to another and not himself and Bant. The room was nearly black, and all the initiates had turned of their personal lights to add to the effect of the scary story.

They had been told numerous stories of the Jedi Master ? that was on the verge of turning, like his own apprentice had once been. He lived apart from the rest of the Jedi Temple, and although the official statement was that he lived alone and apart was because of his high stature, the children knew otherwise. His apprentice had turned to the Dark Side ? he was dead to the Jedi, and yet alive. Undead. Stories had it that when he turned, the walls of the Jedi Temple room were found the next morning streaming with blood, so dark was that day.

?I?ve never heard that story,? Bant interrupted, giving Obi-Wan another dark look.

Garen finally interceded. ?It?s a story, Bant! Come on, it?s just for fun!? he said, giving her a pleading look. ?You?re ruining the . . .? He waved his hands emphatically, searching for the proper way to express what he was thinking.

Another initiate, Kelya, a smart Twi?lek girl, popped up with the rest. ?Surreal mood,? she said triumphantly.

The other initiates blinked. Bant sighed.

Obi-Wan grinned, and continued.

The children, though, were uncommonly brave. They wanted to know the truth of this outsider, and had even stolen transportation to do it, in the dead of night. They might face death, but they would go towards it bravely ?

?You nearly peed your pants, Obi-Wan!? Bant chortled, quickly getting her revenge.

Obi-Wan glowered. Garen moaned in exasperation, though he let loose a short giggle afterwards. The Twi?lek girl spoke up. ?Can you please make the sacrifice of silence so we can hear the story??

Either she?s going to get chosen by a Master fast, or get beat up, Obi-Wan thought about the interestingly worded comment, but he nodded gratefully at Kelya. Bant subsided.

They went forward, moving along dark halls, ignoring the still silence. They moved up to the door of Master Jinn, moving as quietly as could be. The wiser, more intelligent one knew something of getting into places unnoticed, and his companion would follow. They entered the quarters within a few minutes.

Everything appeared normal. There was a couch, a table and chairs, and none of it was frightening. Though there was a lot of alcohol lying about, which the brave one thought was kind of funny, but he was grave about examining it as his companion foolishly giggled, perhaps even letting the man, if he was in the dwelling, know of their presence.

There was a quiet snort, but Obi-Wan didn?t stop spinning his tale.

Then there was a noise. And lo! A giant man, with a head full of crazed hair and wild, red-rimmed eyes, stumbled through one of the doorways. The t

 

I'm in on this one. Required words in bold.

Out of the Dark

They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.

Owen Lars paced the floor of the homestead furiously. He?d just received an emergency message from Hans Darklighter. Luke and several other boys had been on a sleepover at the Darklighter homestead in honor of the 16th anniversary of the birth of Hans?s son Biggs. Evidently, Hans had gone out to check on the kids before turning in for the night ? they were camping out in the utility shed ? only to find the room empty and a family speeder missing.

He?d immediately called Owen and the other parents. In Owen?s mind it didn?t take psychic powers to figure out where they?d gone. Like all teenage boys, they were obsessed with anything that wasn?t their business and lately the object of their fascination was a certain old man. He and Hans agreed that most likely they?d gone out beyond the Dune Sea, to where old Ben Kenobi made his home. How many times had he told Luke not to go there? Too many to count, that?s for sure! He?d warned him about the dangers of the nomadic Tusken bands and the unfriendly desert-dwelling creatures, but in his heart he knew Luke could handle those threats. What frightened him most was the possibility that the crazy wizard might talk to Luke and fill his head with fanatical ideas of laser swords and mystical powers. Those teachings had cost Anakin Skywalker his sanity, created Darth Vader and brought death to the galaxy.

Though Luke had lived with them here on Tatooine all his life they never forgot he was still Anakin?s son. In Owen?s opinion, teaching him anything of the Jedi ways was far too great a risk.

It was dark now. The night as black as pitch beyond the glow cast by the homestead?s artificial light. Sandpeople would be combing the dunes and valleys for any usable refuse, food or water. That made it far too dangerous to follow the boys out into the desert tonight. Sure, Owen knew he could hold off a whole pack of Tuskens with a single blaster from the safety of the homestead, but being alone and out in the open, that was another story. Hopefully the boys were smart enough to stick close together and find a small cave to keep safe in. Owen realized that the temperature was dropping and prayed that the Darklighters kept thermal blankets and flares in their speeders. He turned to go inside. He?d better get some sleep if he planned to head out after them at first light.


Somewhere out in the Dune Sea?

Firelight flickered on the sandstone rocks that sheltered six young kids from the desert elements. Biggs Darklighter was fast asleep under a thermal blanket, his quiet snores echoing through the shelter. Fixer and Camie snuggled off in a corner by themselves. Deak, Windy and Luke lay under their own blankets, close to the campfire. They weren?t asleep. Rather, they were engaged in their favorite topic of conversation: flying.

?The new skyhoppers are awesome! I got to fly one the other day.? At 14, Deak was a bit of a braggart. With his father being in the business of fixing transportation, Deak often got to test fly some of the vehicles that came through the shop.

?What did you think?? Luke questioned eagerly.

?You?re gonna love them!? Deak launched into a detailed description of the cockpit layout and the speed capabilities of the repulsor craft.

?Nah, you?re wrong. They can?t possibly go that fast.? Windy, the voice of the peanut gallery, chimed in with his usual lack of optimism.

Luke rolled over onto his belly, resting his chin on his laced fingers. He was content to let them argue it out. With the allowance Uncle Owen had been giving him, along with the commissions he?d made fixing speeders part time in Deak?s dad?s shop, he would soon have enough saved up for an older model skyhopper. If it didn?t go as fast as Deak described when

 

Hm, diverse and creative entries from all our dark candidates! The Emperor will be...pleased.

 

Only a few more hours left to go, my pretties!

 

Here's my shot, sorry for being a little on the late side!

***
They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder to uncover the mysteries of the loner.

?Tahiri, I?m not so sure about this?? 13 year old Anakin Solo said uneasily. His frosty blue eyes darted about the dreary and bleak landscape before them.

Tahiri Veila harruphed next to him. ?Anakin, you were the one who suggested that we take a speeder, and now you?re trying to chicken out on me? Let?s at least get a little closer look.?

He scowled after her. ?I?m no chicken!?

Seeing as how Tahiri was quickly leaving him behind, he trotted after her. The abode was nestled against the side of a sheer rock wall, surrounded by nothing but skeletons of trees and shrubs under a cloudy and threatening sky. Tahiri had already scrambled up the rocky pathway and was standing in front of the door, tapping her bare foot impatiently. ?Took you long enough. Should I knock??

Anakin shrugged, surveying the surroundings. ?It doesn?t even look like anyone?s home,? he commented. ?Perhaps, though, the hermit is and let?s say he?s not too friendly. We should head back before we get in trouble and Mom and Dad wind up coming out here to save us??

His counterpart rolled her emerald eyes, and grabbed his arm. ?Chicken, we aren?t going anywhere. C?mon, let?s look inside.?

She pushed the door open, and Anakin protested. ?We should at least knock!?

?You dummy, I just asked you that! You said it didn?t look like anyone was home!? Tahiri drug him inside, into the inky black interior.

?Well, it didn?t!?

?Hellllllooooo, anybody home?? she called. ?Anybody at all??

Suddenly behind them, the door slammed shut, sealing them in total darkness. Tahiri screeched and jumped, clapping a hand over her mouth. Despite their surreal surroundings, Anakin chuckled, which earned him a punch on the arm. ?Ow! What was that for?? he inquired, rubbing the sore spot.

Although he couldn?t see her glare, he could feel it. ?Don?t laugh at me, Anakin Solo. Now, did you bring a lightsaber? This darkness is starting to creep me out.?

?Yeah, I sorta borrowed Uncle Luke?s,? he responded and with a snap-hiss, the room was cast in pale green light.

?Wow,? Tahiri breathed, looking around. ?This place is weird.?

?You?re telling me.? Anakin spun slowly to his right, holding the blade up at an angle to cast more light on their surroundings. Tahiri turned in the opposite direction and screamed again, causing Anakin to jump and spin around in question. His eyes widened as he stared at the?thing? stuck to the wall. Tahiri backed away slowly, her gaze fixated on the creature. The creature was pinned to the wall by a staff of some sort stuck straight through its skull, although he thought it had been there for some time. Clumps of brittle hair were still hanging to its skull, and it looked like black blood had stained the ivory bone.

?What a way to die, huh?? Anakin murmured his gaze transfixed on it as well. ?I hope that isn?t what this hermit does to unannounced visitors??

?That is so not funny.?

Anakin shot his best friend a sideways glance. Clearly, the tables had turned, and now Tahiri was the apprehensive one? a sly grin threatened to spill across his features. ?Perhaps this is the reason why no one ever comes out here. Maybe this guy?s a galactic criminal, or maybe he?s a slayer who would kill someone for sneezing.?

?Stop it, Anakin.?

?I dunno,? he said nonchalantly, ?Maybe I?m blowing this way out of proportion. Maybe this hermit is a nice old man, who bakes cookies and sings vintage songs and wears purple, and this guy here,? he gestured to the skeleton, ?Is just a piece of art.?

?Art? It looks more like a sacrifice than a work of art. It would be a great conversation piece, though, wouldn?t it?? Tahiri said, seeming to relax. ?C?mon, I want to explore this place.?

He followed her as they crep

 

Competition closed.

The winner should be announced in a day or so.

Thanks to everyone who participated! We had a giant turn-out!

 

Can someone please beat Miss Padme about the head and shoulders and have her repost her Halloween viggy here?

If you want to look it up, go to "Comunity"

"Return of the Defenders of the A&P Love story" thread, started by yours truely, find MissPadme Date Posted: 10/30 3:57pm

It's a great little piece!

PS

I know the actual competition is over but it's still a great tale!

 

Patiently waiting the announcement of a winner.

 

The winner - or winners - of this competition shall be announced soon (we?re only waiting on one last thing). We have had some difficulties with the judging process. We apologise for the long wait.

Am

 

Congratulations to Darth-Ander (I promoted his original account, Knight-Ander) and Knight_Dilettante! You have both won yourselves 48 hours VIPship each .

Both entrants scored very high scores and tied in the judges? opinions.

Thank you to everyone who participated! You all wrote fine entries, and I think I speak for my other co-workers when I say that it was an honour to judge them!

Am

 

CONGRATS to the winners!!

Enjoy your colors!