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The Camarillo Acorn Thousand Oaks Acorn Moorpark Acorn - Simi Valley Acorn |
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'Fiction in a Nutshell'
FIRST PLACE TIE Under 18 years A Comet in the Night I moved swiftly through the forest, midnight approaching. I was following smooth indentations in the moist ground. They were unmistakable: unicorn tracks. My mother's grave illness could only be cured by the hair of a unicorn. The task was impossible, but unavoidable. I came to a clearing in the forest. She was there. The magnificent creature was lying under a willow. I darted forward toward her tail. She shot off like a comet. No! A tear trickled down my cheek. I opened my fist, to reveal a single strand of glistening hair. "Thank you. . ." I whispered into the black night.
The Truth About Cantaloupes Researchers have recently concluded that the cantaloupe is no longer a fruit. This fun-loving fruit is now proclaimed to be a meat. How did this occur? The cantaloupe was, long ago, closely related to the jackalope; these two species looked very similar. However, cantaloupes were more intelligent. When jackalope populations decreased, cantaloupes migrated to an noninhabited island near Atlantis. After cantaloupes settled in, nomadic hunters moved to the island as well. These hunters killed off this rare species, stuffing the excess orange meat into round canisters which resembled the outside of a melon.
FIRST PLACE Over 18 years The End They faced each other in the hall. He held out his hand as her eyes lowered, transfixed by the roughness that once caressed her body and sent her to heaven but was now offered to celebrate what they had just signed. The end. She looked up into his face, where a muddied green gaze, like silt at the bottom of the clearest stream and as cold, looked back. She nodded; maybe she smiled. He didn't. She took his hand and as they connected, she saw a spark alight and burn brightly before it died quickly, leaving only their memory behind. Lorin Michel, Oak Park, age 45 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Jessica Wall Jessica Wall wants to be a writer of fiction when she grows up, and the Oak Park 11-year-old already is on her way. Jessica's entry tied for first place in The Acorn's "Fiction in a Nutshell" under18 category. Jessica said she was surprised to win. The Medea Creek Middle School sixth-grader wrote her story in 30 minutes the night before the deadline. "I didn't think I stood a chance," she said. Jessica credits her second- and fourth-grade teachers at Brookside Elementary School with encouraging and helping her develop her writing skills. "Mrs. Keane inspired me to write and Mrs. Stromquist made me a good writer, teaching me how to write descriptively," Jessica said. Jessica is an avid reader who loves adventure, mystery and fantasy books. Her favorite book is "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." "When I read, it makes me feel like I'm in a different world. I can be flying on a magic carpet or battling a ferocious monster," she said. Natalie Olson Natalie Olson's 95-word story about the cantaloupe's relationship to the jackalope, a mythical antlered species of rabbit said to be extinct or in hiding, was conceived during a recent meal with her family. "I was eating cantaloupe one night at dinner," said the 12-year-old from Westlake Village. "My dad said something about servings, and I rambled off the story." Natalie's dinnertime chat paid off. She will receive a $50 prize from The Acorn for her winning entry, a story that demonstrated humor, imagination and a crisp writing style. Her tale of cantaloupes and jackalopes still has us shaking our heads. Natalie is a seventh-grader at Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills. Lorin Michel The inspiration for Lorin Michel's winning entry came from a failed marriage years ago. The Oak Park resident felt she never had closure in a relationship that began with a ceremony but ended with paperwork sent in the mail. "There's something about finalizing anything whether it's a friendship that ends or a relationship that ends," said Michel, 45. "There was something about the way the marriage ended that was so definitive and harsh. We signed papers and sent them back. It was a very odd way to end." The story gave the end of the relationship "a scene," Michel added. She is now remarried and has a 16-year-old son. A professional writer, Michel earned an English/creative writing degree from the University of New Hampshire. She now covers healthcare related issues for the magazine, Healthy Living, has written two books on personal grooming and is currently working on a third. Michel said she was motivated to enter The Acorn's writing contest to further her creative writing skills. After a long, hot day Michel received the call from the newspaper informing her of her win. "It made my day," she said. "It wasn't anything I expected. I just thought I'd give it a try." HONORABLE MENTIONS Under 18 Seven Years of Bad Luck "Or I'll tell everybody." "Aw, Miles!" Shawn shivered- cold sweat in the baking sun. He looked at Miles, at the other boys; they looked at him. And they looked at each other, a quiet contest raging, nonchalantly, amongst them. "Do it, or I'll tell Mandy. . . . I'll tell Mandy you couldn't." But Miles shivered too. And then . . . "I HATE you!" With a clattering of broken glass sounded the repetitive, accusing whoop of an alarm. Seven years of bad luck. Long shadows and short feet fanned out over the cracked asphalt, and a small boy with brown hair sat and cried. Kevin Kho, Agoura Hills, age 17 Over 18 California Sunset Just before sunset, all ten of us were marching along the top of the black iron fence, our father leading us proudly with his bold black face and regal plume. I'm not sure where we were going; but we trusted Dad knew his way. Cautiously, one at a time, we jumped off the fence. Some of us were too afraid to jump off the downhill side of the steep ridge. Suddenly, something startled us and we all burst into flight, our twenty wings reverberating like an old crop-duster. I glanced back and saw my sister dangling between a hawk's talons. Scott Hutchinson, Westlake Village, age 44 | |||||||||
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