Here is the March/April contest. I figure if i give you two months, you won't have an excuse for not taking part.

Story to a Picture

Choose one of the four pictures available here, and write a short story to it. It doesn't have to be a whole story, it could end on a cliffhanger or something. Interpret this any way you wish.

See? How good am I to you? Complete freedom and a choice of pictures... you lot don't deserve me!

TIPS, RULES AND OTHER STUFF:

1. 1000 words MAX this time. I have a life, you know.

2. Remember to tell me WHICH PICTURE YOU CHOSE!

3. Entries will be marked and judged when I can be bothered. My decision is final, so there.

4. ONE ENTRY PER MEMBER

5. Only post entries in this forum. Any discussion is to be done in the "contest 6 discussion thread" that i just set up, so it might help if your start your post with who's entry you've just read. Any discussion posts in here will be deleted, not moved. Don't make me hit you with the Awod™!

Legal, technical and general hoo-hah:
- The judges decision (i.e. mine) is final. You don't like it? Go find Clairc!
- I shall accept no bribes, death threats or violent beatings from those of you who know me.
- The rules will be obeyed or there shall be Repurcussions (muahaha, etc.)

ENTRIES TO BE IN BY: 1st May

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, first pic.

Second pic

Third pic

And fourth pic.

Story based on Second Pic

Cheese on Toast

I don’t like cheese. It doesn’t really matter out here, but I just want it to be known. There aren’t many of us out here, and its kinda nice. It gets cold, but when you exploring the antarctic, you kinda expect a little snow every now and then.

I don’t know what made me decide to go on this trek; maybe it’s because of my parents. They were always trying to run my life so I did the only thing that any kid does, run away to the ends of the earth, where surely they cant find me. But I kinda miss them, when all you have is this rabble of people you miss those that have been around you your whole life. I mean, these guys are more nuts than me.

Firstly, you have Bo, the guy way in the front speeding along in the snow. He’s trying to chase the sun; he still believes that if he skis fast enough he’ll catch it. He’s kinda “special” in the head, but he sure is a good guide to have around. He first came here years ago, I don’t really know the details but people left him out here because he didn’t really fit in at home. He likes it here, and seems to have even befriended the animals. They only try to rip one limb off, instead of two.

Next is Sam, trying to catch Bo. Sam aint stupid, he just doesn’t want Bo to end up hurting himself. Sam is a mountain climber, and has even climbed Everest. He’s completely dedicated to his art. I don’t know what he’s doing out here though, all he seems to do is chase Bo around. Ever since the day where Bo stole Sams blessed photo of the peak of Everest; and fed it to the penguins, Sam has been trying to castrate Bo. It’s one of the reasons Bo runs to the sun, believing that the Sun can save him from Sam. Sam, if you can catch him in a good mood, can be quite nice. Just don’t steal his photos.

The person directly in front of me is Lexi. She’s one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever come across. At first I thought she was a guy, but then she took off her hood and showed me her beautiful face. It’s not the external things that make her beautiful though; it’s her personality. She is just the kindest person you could ever come across. We first met on the plane over here. She was here to experience life. For years she had worked as a secretary in an office, and had saved up enough for this trip. She was finally going to live her dream. She also knew first aide, which came in handy out here. I had already fallen into the water and nearly died; she had pulled me out and kept me safe and warm. To say that I had grown attached would be an understatement. At least I know she felt the same for me.

Her lips tasted like strawberries, but that must have been the lip-gloss she loved to put on. The first time we kissed was when Sam tried to patch things up with Bo by taking him out on a day trip tobogganing with dogs. It meant that me and Lexi had some time to just enjoy each other’s company. It was nice. We had a nice fire going and we just told stories of other adventures we would go on together, not caring if we actually did any of it. It was one of the greatest days of my life. Bo did come back later that day, but he had left Sam out in the middle of nowhere without food. It took quite a search to find him. Sam really hated Bo then.

The guy following Lexi is me. I’d just fallen over and Lexi had picked me up. I was no following closely behind her because I knew I’d fall over again. I just love it out here. After this we are going home to have hot chocolate and cheese on toast. I don’t like cheese. It doesn’t really matter out here, but I just want it to be known. I love Lexi though.

A bit of fun that sprang from picture 4:

The desert sand is hot and dry beneath my feet as I walk the familiar route across the Sahara. We always do this, my friends and I. Well, I say friends, but Getonwithit spat at me just a few miles back. He always does that. And then he turns around and looks the other way, pretending that it was someone else. But I know it was him. Everyone else looks at him, they all saw him.

Anyway, we always do this, back and forward, carrying goods from city to town to that little oasis we stop at. That’s the best place of all. Not too many people around, and a nice drink waiting. Despite not needing much water, it’s nice to have something to look forward to. I mean, here we are, stuck doing this, and that annoying man at the front does nothing but shout. I hope he swallows a vulture.

We’re actually heading for the oasis on this route. Come, walk with me. Plod through the sand. See that guy there? That’s my closest friend, SillyBugger. He always butts the others around at the oasis to keep a space for me. We sit and talk in the evening, about how one day we’ll plod away from this monotony, and carve out a legend in the wild desert, where the scorpions lurk, and mirages shimmer on the horizon. But when the desert cools to darkness, we’re grateful for the blankets slung over our back and the warmth of the others. We realise that we only know the route we tread now, and if we walk off away into the rising sun in the morning that stains the sand a brilliant orange, we’ll lose ourselves in the endless dunes.
But sometimes when you gaze out toward the skyline, it seems tempting to just get up and walk away. Who knows what could be out there. Oases so big you could swim through them. Sand that your toes cannot balance on and pulls you deep into the earth. And maybe, if we walk far enough, we’ll reach the sun, that mighty fire that sears the land, and rules the day. Once we reach the sun we can go anywhere, see its children, the tiny stars that the man up front always stares up at every night. We will tread in black shimmering sand, and drink from oases of cool water, plodding through the sky and carving out a legend that will be told throughout the desert.
But for now we feel content in knowing the little oasis is up ahead, with its few men and its pool of clear water. And SillyBugger will jostle the crowd for me, and I will step up to the edge and drink. Then I will gaze into the water and see the cloudless sky in it, and think of the legend that could be, someday.

Picture 3.

opps as i cannot delete this- i'll explain that i started to post my story but it sent before i could type anymore... my story is on its way.. just trying to add more to it.. bit short. :)

Woohoo! Entries. I promise I shall judge them ON the 1st May. If not, the 2nd of May.

Stressederica, you should be able to edit your own posts so change your last post to put your entry in. if not, post it here in a new post and i will delete the old post.

Yeah! I managed to come up with something. Its been really difficult to come up with anything near decent...

For picture 4

Nobody would have noticed the two, insignificant objects sitting in the middle of a vast expanse of sand, sand and a bit more sand. They were about the size of a tennis ball, but much more exciting then that. They were aliens.

They were waiting. They had been waiting now for exactly two weeks, three days and fourteen minutes. It wasn’t that they had arrived early, but that the event they were waiting for had been delayed, and quite understandably the aliens were by now getting somewhat annoyed. “This had better be worth it,” muttered one, as he picked up a grain of sand with his sucker-like hand. He toyed with it, making it glow a nauseous green colour, before discarding it back to the desert.

“It will,” assured his companion. “You just have to be patient for a little longer.”

The first alien grunted in disgust but said nothing. One hour and twenty-one minutes later the first alien, who went by the name of Gulltelli or just Gull for short, stood up on his four legs (the aliens had six limbs in total; two arms and four legs). He could finally feel the vibration of the approaching humans. “Finally,” he said as he wiped off the sand grains from his yellow skin, “I was beginning to think we’d be here until the next ice-age!”

His companion, Fellitol, also stood and looked to his right across the sand. He seemed to ignore Gull’s comment and said, “Now pay attention Gulltelli. You will only see this once, so you must remember as much detail as you can.” Gull would have nodded in reply, but these aliens didn’t have necks so he just remained silent. The vibrations became louder and soon a caravan of seven camels and their drivers walked slowly over the rolling dunes. The aliens had to move back to avoid being trampled by the huge hooves of the camels and being swallowed by the sand that was disturbed by them.

When the caravan became level the man at the front signalled them to stop, as if he knew that’s what the aliens wanted him to do. Of course he didn’t, he just wanted to give the animals a rest. The aliens knew they would stop, because that’s what aliens do.

“This should be most interesting,” muttered the teacher. “Most interesting indeed.” He opened a pouch of skin on his belly and produced a small stone. He then walked slowly and quietly, so that the more observant camels wouldn’t notice him, and he placed the stone in a satchel on the lead human’s back. When he returned to his pupil he asked, “What do you think the human will do when he realises that he has a huge emerald in his bag?” (for the stone was rapidly increasing in size as they spoke).

“He will kill the others,” Gull answered.

“Why?”

Gull thought that question over in his head for a long time. Eventually he replied, “Because the others will surely want their share, and being human he will not want to give them any part of his wealth. So he will kill them so he has all the fortune.” He watched the humans for a bit. They were rugged men, used to life in the harsh desert. They looked intelligent, or as intelligent as it was possible for a homo sapien sapien to be. But they would fall fowl to greed, as the great minds of his people had predicted the whole world would.

The sun went down and the night was as cold as all the other nights, but the aliens were unaffected. When morning came the caravan was making preparations to continue their journey. It was at this time that the caravan leader found the emerald, which was by now a similar size to the aliens. He held it up to the sun, not quite able to believe what he was seeing. Very quickly the other men were around him, all looking in wonder at the stone. Very soon, thought Gull. Soon the man will get out his sword and kill the others.

But it didn’t happen. Instead the man took the stone and buried it in the sand. All the humans seemed very happy about this. They sand a song; a long sweet melody that blew gracefully into the wind. They then went on they way across the desert and out of sight.

“I waited for that!” Gull exclaimed. “I waited all that time just to see them bury it in the ground! I thought I was going to see them kill each other!!” He was mightily disappointed by the lack of swords and blood. Fellitol smiled and walked over to the sight where the stone was buried.

“You have seen something much better today,” he said simply. “You have seen the saving grace of humanity.”

Gull gave a confused look and waited for his teacher to explain, which he did. “Our people think that humans will forever fight over the mot trivial of things. But the reality is, they fight over trivial things because they can afford to.”

He looked to the east and could just see the caravan moving on. “That man could not survive this journey with just himself and the camels. He would have died, then no-one would have benefited from the jewel.”

“But no-one did anyway,” Gull corrected, “its buried here in the middle of a desert.”

“Ah, but they did.” Fellitol retrieved the gem, which was now back to its original size. “They offered it to their god. And in return they are more convinced of surviving the desert, as they believed they have been blessed, and are therefore more likely to succeed.”

“When man has no choice he will value other things then gold and jewels, because that’s the only way he will survive. Our people are wrong to believe that gold will forever dictate a man’s heart, because eventually his survival will take over.”

Hmmm thought i'd have a go.... taking part and all that.. :)

picture 3

I used to hate heights me. That was a big challenge for me. The ladders at my old job were a great triumph when I managed to stay on them. Horse riding helped me alot, mounting those huge horses. That’s how I come to be up here flying around the rainforests and seeing the beautiful landscapes from such a great height. What I would be missing if I hadn't overcome those fears. The waterfalls in reflecting the golden sunshine, the green trees covering the many wild plants below them and the many animals that live in and around them. Its nature in its element. Wonder what it would be like to be there, among all of nature and see the things through their eyes.
These views are spectacular. The cool running water of the waterfalls, the fresh cool breeze with the heat of the sunshine, could be described as heaven. The idealistic heaven, without the clouds. A perfect pale blue sky with different species of birds flying to and from the trees.
That’s my next dream... to horse ride through parts of the forest. The closeness with nature, that's sure to be a fantastic expedition.
Oh.. Easy pilot.. Turbulence doesn't help the height problem. Have to remind myself to sit back when we turn corners. Feel like you could fall out if you tipped too much to one side. That’s not much of a good thought. Must not think thoughts along those lines otherwise I will start thinking about crashes.
Crashes always remind me of that book we read at school, The Lord of the Flies, where boys on a plane trip crash land onto a deserted Island. A terrible story that was. Shows what horrid things mankind can do to each other. Don't ever wish to have that happen to me, or anyone in the world.
Oh no I’ve started to think those thoughts again. Go back to looking at the views.. Ah that’s better.
The world looks so different here. Couldn't imagine that only a few hundred miles away there is a civilisation of thousands of people and a busy city. I prefer to stay here, away from all complications. This place makes the world seem so perfect so uncomplicated so untouched.
Wonder what it would be like to camp out here in the midst of the rainforest. Breathe the clean air, live amongst nature. Think the only thing I would miss is companionship. My friends and family. Maybe they would come too? Live in a man made chalet, live the life of nature. Swing on hammocks amongst the trees. Sit on a rocking chair on the deck watching life roll by. What a life that would be. My only worry would be the larger animals of the forest. Would they seek us out? Watch us? Or stay out of our way? Wild animals can be very dangerous especially when others come onto their territory. That’s a shuddering thought.
Strange isn’t it- the way life and events changes you. If it wasn’t for him back in the big city I would have done this years ago. See I’m a country bumpkin as they say. I’d prefer to be out here than in that big claustrophobic polluted city. Now he preferred to spend time in that city than see the country. He wouldn’t even try it once. Just claimed that it was boring. He never seemed to grasp the idea of relaxation. That’s one of the reasons I think we split up. He thought I was a fool to give up a hectic job in the city to come back and work in the country. If I’m honest I could never have kept up the pace of that life, I would have had a nervous breakdown if I’d stayed there much longer. I felt like I was working twenty four hours a day seven days a week. Never seemed to have enough time to do much else. Ok it was good money but in the end I’d decided to be in a job that I enjoyed working in and having time to enjoy and appreciate the things around me. The money isn’t as good but it’s enough to keep me and I feel so much happier. Actually if he hadn’t tried to dissuade me then it wouldn‘t have made me more determined and I wouldn’t have met Ricky. Ricky. Now that brings a smile to my face. I bumped into him in the estate agents. He was letting out his grandmas’ place for her. She’d just had to go into a home and needed to obtain some income but couldn’t bear to part with the family home. It sounded far from this world. So in the quickest and most life changing decision I’ve ever made, I said to him that I would rent it from them. Once I’d seen it, it was love at first sight. A little cottage of two bedrooms and such character. No one would ever have been able to change my mind. Now the cottage can stay in the family and Ricky’s children can enjoy it too. They can swing in the hammock amongst the trees and play in the wide open spaces while their parents sit in the rocking chairs on the deck and watch with pride and happiness.
It’s nearly time; the helicopter is taking the turn back towards the heliport. I turn and look at Ricky as he takes my hand and give him a kiss. He’s given me a wonderful birthday present. One I will never forget. He’s such a wonderful father and husband. Its amazing how hopes, dreams and chance can change our lives.

I'm sorry i haven't judged this yet. It's the final crunch at uni. as soon as i get more than five minutes to sit on the net, i will judge it. So, tuesday, probably...