We, *simplyprose, now have the results of our SimplyJanuary Short Story Contest! The contest prompt was this: Write a short story centring around the dialogue of two strangers on a train. As we had hoped, we received a great many entries with a great range of ideas. From forty-one stories, we finally have our three winners. These are:

First Place

'Combustion' by *cloudtographer



This is a unique entry, in terms of both style and content. The author introduces the two characters separately, creating mystery around both of them, and making us wait - though not too long - for the moment when they meet. Intriguing, atmospheric and well written, this story from one of our regular contributors is a worthy winner indeed.

Harper did not want to get on the train, as it belched acrid smoke, or look at the conductor, a dark blue rubber ball of a man, standing next to the door with his ugly little mustache. More than that, Harper did not want to be on the run.

He hated having to look over his shoulder as he walked down cobblestone streets, hated waking up in the middle of the night at a sound, and hated being suspicious of every tailor, baker, or post office clerk he saw. He hated having to act normal, like everything was okay, when it was most certainly not. He did not want to get on the train.

Second Place

'Sketches in a Notebook' by *Tyrobia



This story is told from the perspective of one of the two strangers - a character beautifully introduced by the author, at once intriguing and likeable. But perhaps the true beauty of this piece lies in the dialect - the voices of the characters bring everything to life.

“What we gon’ do, Cletus?” she whispered gently under her breath. Her voice was husky, blatantly lower than her normal tone.

“Gon’ go to ta bar and find us a fight!” she answered, changing up her voice, switching the pitch and making a spitting noise. “I came home n’ found my wife in bed with a nigro!”

Third Place

'Right Foot Wrong Foot' by *LatteBleu



Just look at that thumbnail image! And it's a brilliant story too - well written, inventive and gripping. The gradually changing tone works beautifully, until the author brings us to the heart of the story - and it's an idea that has so many possible interpretations, you're bound to find one you like!

Suddenly, the girl said, “Lets play a game.”

The man, feigning indifference, replied, “What sort of ‘a game’?”

“I ask you a question about yourself and you tell me the answer. It needn’t even be the truth. You just have to make it interesting.”

- - -

The judges of this contest were:



Many congratulations to the winners, and our thanks to everyone who entered. All of the entries can be accessed from our January journal; just scroll down to the miscellaneous prompt responses.

Remember, there are always great writing prompts at *simplyprose and ~simplypoetry - why not go and check them out now?!