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Congratulations to the Short Story Contest Winners!!!
Below are the first, second, and third place short story endings for you to read. Congratulations to the authors of these stories, and thanks to all who entered the Teen
Third Place
story continued
by Christina Hambleton
Laura looked at her reflection in the mirror, admiring the long, white, wedding gown that flowed from her body flawlessly. She always imagined this day somewhat differently. Indeed, she did have the flowers and her handsome groom: there was only one thing that put a damper on this fairy tail wedding. The note. It came in a small square envelope earlier that morning, written where the return address should have been were three little words, “Your True Love.” Inside was a beautifully handwritten note that read, “To my true love, I have learned that you’re to be married. My entire life I have waiting for you to pass even a glance in my direction, but instead, you marry another man. Know this. If I can’t have you, no one will. Your servant always”
Laura quickly looked out the window and gasped in horror at the site of a hooded figure balancing stealthily on the sill. His black cloak flapped in the strong winds of that day revealing clothes from too long ago to be possible. But the hood stayed firmly in place, as did the cover he wore over his mouth. Only his dark green eyes were exposed. Laura attempted a scream, but the hooded figure swung under the window and was at her too quickly. She struggled, dropping the letter, but in her dress it was hopeless, and his strength was supernatural.
Finally, she gave up, noticing the emptiness of the room around her. No one will know, she thought. At that moment she noticed they were moving toward the window. Again, she struggled, trying to plant her feet, but he pushed onward until she felt herself slip over the sill. Laura squeezed her eyes shut tightly, waiting for the falling sensation, the blackness, but it never came.
The hooded figure was holding her wrists, keeping them from falling into the people-filled streets. But even the tall brick building shrank below them as he began to walk forward in the air. However, Laura’s mind still refused to accept the fact that they were walking on air. It wasn’t until her foot came in contact with an antenna that she broke the shocked silence with a gasp. Normally she would have screamed, but she felt light and the air seemed to support her. Naturally, she began to walk, the long white wedding dress brushing up against her legs. It was a strange feeling, like walking on pillows.
The hooded figured laughed from behind her, reminding her of his presence. “Well now that you can walk, let’s fly,” he yelled and accelerated upward in an instant, knocking the wind out of Laura. It wasn’t until the buildings were out of site that he change directions, and they went on like that for half an hour. Laura completely lost track of all direction.
When he let her down in a clearing she was still gasping for breath. Finally, she managed to talk. “What…what are you?” she breathed.
The hooded figure took down his hood to reveal black hair down past his ears, and slowly began to slide the cover off his face. Upon finishing this he explained, “I am Epsilon, and I have waited for years for you to even look at me as I’m sure my letter explained.”
Laura was ticked; her wedding was soon, and she needed to get out of here. “I asked who you are, not what,” she yelled. “And it doesn’t matter anyway because I need to be back at my wedding by six.”
Epsilon stared at her angrily as if to say, “Are you kidding?” But instead he only remarked, “You don’t know me or my home, so then who is to say you are getting married to him.”
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Laura was surprised by this remark, but she wasn’t giving up so easily. “Tell me what you are,” she demanded before adding, “or I won’t even consider your offer.”
He laughed. “What I am is not the way to put it,” he said. “It is a matter of what I will be should you choose me.”
“Okay, well, what you are now is my question, so answer it,” she snapped.
Epsilon sighed, and he appeared angry again. “I’m a non-physical being, a ghost, a consciousness,” he paused sadly to say, “call it what you will.”
Laura was awestruck once again, and he took the opportunity to nudge her silently toward a house that could practically have been a mansion. It was beautiful, the base composed of dull pink bricks that led up to a blue wooded house with large windows gleaming. The roof rose up with spiraling white wood so that the effect was greatly dramatized. Out from the front of the house was a huge front porch composed of the same white wood, spiraling up to the blue support beams. And last, facing toward the east, was a balcony with porches designed only with white wood which formed beautifully carved figured of animals and legends.
Epsilon’s eyes gleamed as he showed her the house. Even his face seemed to glow when he asked her, “Well, what do you think? I even added a bunch of extra bedrooms and a huge bath and—”
Laura cut him short. “No. I have got to get back to my husband, sorry Mister Ghost or whatever, but I’m going.”
Epsilon looked furious all of a sudden. “You are staying here. I took this place out of your dreams, and I will show you that you will come to—”
“Ugh, no!” Laura shouted, and she went to sit on the nearest rock in disregard of the wedding dress. “I hate you,” she muttered, not knowing how else to take her anger out on a ghost. “No one wears clothes like that anymore; no one talks like that anymore, and no one likes you except for appreciation of the dead!” She was yelling now, screaming everything to get the anger off her chest.
Epsilon was silent. His brows were furrowed and his mouth tightened. His fists were clenched and the tan skin turned white at his knuckles. Despite all he’d put Laura through she still felt almost guilty. Finally, she made up her mind.
“Ep,” she whispered.
Almost immediately after she said it, his face lit up, and he said, “So you’ll accept, then?”
Laura gave a weak attempt at a smile. “No, but I do have an offer.” Softly, she whispered the solution in his ear, and a somewhat satisfied smile crept to his face.
“Godfather,” he whispered. Then his face went sullen, and he asked, “So you’d really be happier with that?”
“Haven’t you figured that out?” Laura said.
Epsilon sighed but nodded and grabbed her hand. “All right, let’s go.”
All Laura could say was thanks.
And thus, it was the best wedding in history, filled with soft pink and white roses reflecting the bride and groom’s joy. As for Epsilon, he became the Godfather of every child Laura had and found himself just as happy as he’d been when he’d first fallen in love with Laura.
Laura soon found herself enjoying his visits, as did her children. Epsilon though, finally achieving happiness, left satisfied into the spirit world, and Laura wept.
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