Winners of the Autumn Contest

     Our autumn contest has concluded! Originally this was for all three categories, but we didn't get any for art, so the categories are now poetry and short stories. Drum roll for the winners, please.
     The winner of the poetry category is Lead Good's "Nostalgic Autumn"!

Nostalgic Autumn

By Leah Good
 

Sweet donuts, cider, and tea.

Crisp air, crisp apples, and leaves.

Warm snuggly leggings and sleeves.

Orange with yellow and green.

 

Country fairs with squash and gourds.

Pumpkin pie and Indian corn.

Winter coats soon to be worn.

Afternoon hikes and painted trees.

 

Clouding breath and frosty grass,

Cold-nipped nose and fingertips.

Rosy cheeks and cocoa sips.

Roaring fires and Jack Frost glass.

 

Hayrides at dusk of shortened days,

And stomachs filled with turkey.

Indian summer and harvest moons.

And fall is almost over.

 

     I would also like to include the honorable mention of Hannah Fromm's "I Hate Fall", due largely to the pure uniqueness of the poem.

 

     Another drum roll! The winner of the short story category is Cherise Taylor's "Black Cat's Luck: A Hallow's Eve Tail"!

 

 

 

Black Cat's Luck: A Hallow's Eve Tail
By Cherise Taylor

  
      Bright leaves crunch under paw as I walk. Dark has come and the streets are lit by harvest moon and streetlights. Doorbells ring almost continually and I pin my ears at the obnoxious noise. I pick my furry black paws up high, jumping over a puddle of rain water gathered in an indent in the sidewalk, created by a massive tree root.  I pass in front of a large white stucco house. Children stand on the porch. The children scream and hide behind the porch railings. I huff and roll my eyes at them, stopping.
      I can still see you. Humans are so stupid.
     "The black cat! The black cat!" cries a little girl in a pink tutu.
       She points with a plastic wand and I flick my tail in annoyance.
       "Ooooooohhh, careful!" warns a teenage human carrying a bowl of shiny, crinkling wrappers.
       I stretch to avoid the temptation of the shining things.
       It would be best not to get trampled by little humans just to get a shiny.
      My ears flick and my back bristles as the teenager crows, "You'll have bad luck if it crosses your path!"
      Why is bad luck always my fault?
      I sniff precociously and raise my chin. My whiskers quiver in the fall breeze as I saunter down the street once more.  I swish my tail at them as I go, frowning and hissing when they run away without paying any attention to me. I pin my ears.
      Be that way then.
      The children are laughing and going to the next porch. I break into a trot and hurry down the street. The license on my collar begins to jingle. The rough leather strap buckled around my neck rubs irritatingly. I shake my head, ears twitching back and forth. 
       The soft glow of Master's porch light filters down the steps as I mount them. I hop up the steps and then trot in my "kitty door". I scowl and glare around the kitchen as the wire scrapes across my back.
     That thing wants to take the hair right off my body. Only dogs would make humans invent such a foolish contraption.
     I trot down the hall, claws clicking against the tile floor. I make my way to the living room. It's dark except for the tiny lamp on the table at the far side of the room. I pause in the doorway and rub my side against the wall, entering as Queen of Master's House.
     Master is lying in the middle of the floor on his back. There is a puddle of red stuff on the floor by his face. Sniffing, I trot to his side and climb up on his chest. Sitting there, I see a hole in his forehead. Purring, I bend down and begin to lick the wound. Master doesn't move as I clean the red stuff off his face.
      Silly Master. What did you do now? It's alright. Kitty is here to fix it.
      I purr happily, sitting back to survey my work. Master keeps sleeping. I lay down on his chest and relax, swishing my tail back and forth contentedly.
      See, you silly little humans. I'm not bad luck.

 

     Cherise Taylor resides on a farm in Glen Elder, Kansas with her parents, three sisters, her dog; Ocie, and her cat; Sea Monkey. She is attending Sterling College where she is working toward a double major in Writing and Editing and Psychology and Counseling.
     She has been writing for more than ten years and won several state level awards in Kansas and Mississippi. Her first published work was Scarlet Light (2013) and her second was Beautiful Scars (2014), both published under the pen name 'Laine Colarossi.
You can see her blog here: http://theauthorslair.blogspot.com/

 

     Congratulations, winners! Well done! We hope to see more of your work in the future.

We have another contest up, a holiday-themed poetry contest. You can see the rules here.