The Fairy Ring Flash Fiction Contest

This is my entry for Anna Meade's (@ruanna3) The Fairy Ring Flash Fiction Contest.

A Night for Shenanigans

It happened on a night, much like this. An indigo sky with twinkling stars above me, and the dewy grass of a cool spring night lay below. I’d settled in under my favourite oak tree for a moment of blissful peace, when something caught my eye near the pond. My gaze was drawn towards the water's edge involuntarily, searching for the culprit. Perhaps Tommy had followed me down.

"Tommy, is that you?" I called out, but only the crickets replied.

"A trick of the eye." 

I mumbled, removing my shoes and socks, anxious for the feel of dewy grass between my toes. I could feel the weight of the world sliding off my shoulders and I let my gaze drift towards the pond. The water reflected the sky above in perfect symmetry.

 “Hehe.”

A giggle startled me from my thoughts. I searched around for the source.

"Who's there?" I asked, but there was no reply.

I shook my head, certain I was imagining things when I noticed my shoes. Despite my careful placement, a sock was missing. 

"How odd." I grabbed them and felt inside to make sure.

I set them down, wondering how a sock could disappear in such a strange manner, when the giggle returned. Again I looked down at my shoes and was shocked to see the other sock had disappeared too. I jumped up perplexed, staring at my shoes.

"This cannot be."

It was then I saw it. A twinkling light, dashed out from a nearby rock. It circled my shoes, giggling. I rushed over, desperate to find a logic answer for the irrational thoughts racing through my mind. Alas, I was too slow and the lights too fast. They flickered out in a flash revealing my socks, neatly folded on top of my shoes.

The contest is open from now (midnight EST on 2/7/12) to midnight EST on 2/20/12.

To win, write a piece of flash fiction (300 words or less) on your (fictional or not) first-person encounter with a faery, goblin, or fantastical being of your choice. Post your entry on your blog and paste the link code into the HTML editor to be included.

1st Place: A copy of The Fairy Ring and a 10 page edit by Anna Meade.

2nd Place: A copy of The Fairy Ring and a 5 page edit by Anna Meade.

3rd Place: A copy of The Fairy Ring.

So let your imagination run wild. It can be whimsical, beautiful, emotional, creepy, mysterious or horrifying. I ask that you restrict your undead submissions to another contest (no zombies or vampires, please).

1. Diana Paz	2. February Grace	3. Felicity Lennie
4. Cara Michaels	5. Matt Lannigan	6. Damien Darby
7. Jaime	8. Paul Ramey	9. Stacy Bennett
10. Celeste	11. Bernadette Davies	12. Wendy Reid
13. J. Whitworth Hazzard	14. Erin Ashby	15. Mark Blackmore
16. L.S. Taylor	17. SJI Holliday	18. Jo-Anne Teal
19. Daniel Swensen	20. pammy	21. Steven - @ashviper
22. Bullish	23. Anna Meade	24. Tina Ramey
25. Siobhan Muir	26. Amalia T.	27. Mark Wilson
28. Dasia	29. Tonya C.	30. Kelly Mathews
31. Margaret McNulty	32. Donna McNicol	33. McKenzie
34. Sara Leggeri	35. Becca J. Campbell	36. Rebecca Fyfe
37. Angela Goff	38. Lisa Cresswell	39. Victoria Boulton
40. Brewed Bohemian	41. Lillie McFerrin	42. Tim Kane
43. Dee Solberg	44. H.L. Pauff	45. Teoppoet
46. Thomas Loy	47. Ellen Schneider	48. Cassi Haggard
49. N. Celestina White	50. Tristan J Tarwater	51. Susan Smith-Josephy
52. Angie - Write Me Happy	53. Emmie Mears	54. Kern Windwraith

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