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4th Annual Flash Fiction Contest at the R.F.Burton Library

Ms. Capalini takes off her magnifiers and leans back in her chair, musing to herself. Sheathing the multiple notecards on her desk into a large leather folder, she calls her assistant, Mr. Shinn, in to her study.

“Mr. Shinn, please deliver this folder to the binder’s office by 10:00 am, sharp. And no dawdling at Loki’s. “, she remarks, absently holding out the leather folder.

“Y..yes, Mis..t…tress. W..w..will there b..be anything else?”, the shy young man stammers. Canolli smiles kindly to him, never having once mentioned his difficulty.

“If you happen to see the courier, please obtain him and send them in.”

Mr. Shinn nods, knowing her real meaning was to obtain the services of a courier prior to delivering the folder. He nods his head respectfully before shutting the door on his way out. Canolli sits down at the table and begins to draft two letters, identical except for the names, Ms. Serafina Puchkina and Mr. Mosseveno Tenk.

——–

Dear Sir/Madam,
I have finished my task at hand and am delighted to inform you that Glaubrius Valeska has won first place with the story ‘To her heart’ and MacKnight Culdesac has obtained second place with ‘The Key to Success’. I have sent the papers to the binders and should have a release in the library fairly soon. I have also obtained notarized papers releasing the appropriate funds to said individuals as was the original terms of the contest.
Please inform any interested parties of these results and if they have any questions, again, my door is always open. As always, this was a hard decision and not one taken lightly. I realize that the theme was less open to interpretation than past themes have been, but I was greatly heartened by the fine examples of word smithery I encountered. As it were, these two stories touched me on a personal level, though all the entries were excellent. So impressed was I that I have made arrangements with the bondsmen to distribute 100 lindens to the remaining individuals. I wish I could do more.
Yours incongruently,
C.Capalini

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13 Comments

  1. Bookworm Hienrichs Bookworm Hienrichs January 21, 2012

    Congratulations, sirs!

  2. Cadmus Lupindo Cadmus Lupindo January 22, 2012

    Congratulations contestants.

    Miss Capalini, I did not submit a story this year, but you might be interested to know that your contest
    does inspire writing beyond the contest. I have just recently began
    writing a sequel to my submission from what, two years past.

  3. Ceejay Writer Ceejay Writer January 22, 2012

    Congratulations to Glaubrius and MacKnight!  I cannot wait to read your stories!  And everyone elses, for that matter! 

    Thank you Canolli, for once again challenging us. I look foward to this contest each year (I think I have participated in all of them, proudly!) and I do plan on participating next year as well. Quite maddening as I wrestled with the concept, and then a pleasure to write when I got it. 

  4. Junie Ginsburg Junie Ginsburg January 22, 2012

    I’d like to add my thanks to this thread as well, Ms. Capalini.  The contest was a challenge that kept many of us writing when we otherwise might have felt uninspired.  Anything to keep the creative juices flowing is a fantastic endeavor!  :-)

    Mr. Valeska and Mr. Culdesac – congratulations!  Well done!

  5. Emerson Lighthouse Emerson Lighthouse January 22, 2012

    Congratulation to Glaubrius and MacKnight and of course thanks to Canolli Capalini for organizing it all. The flash fiction is great fun and I look forward to reading everybody’s entry.

  6. Canolli Capalini Canolli Capalini January 22, 2012

    To all those interested, Dialogues Vol. 4 is available at the Library now.  It is on the table to your immediate left, in notecard format.  

    Thank you.

    C.Capalini

  7. Ceejay Writer Ceejay Writer January 22, 2012

    Quick work! Thank you, I’ll grab a copy! 

  8. June Forsythe June Forsythe January 22, 2012

    Congratulations gentlemen!!

  9. MacKnight Culdesac MacKnight Culdesac January 22, 2012

    I had not planned to enter this competition.  Although I choose my words carefully, I do not consider myself a writer.  When I saw reports of fewer than expected entries in this contest, I decided it was my civic duty to attempt something.  I had no idea I might win anything.

    My thanks to Ms. Capalini for her kind words, and to all of New Babbage for inspiring me to attempt a task I thought myself incapable of performing.  I thank you, every one.

    • Canolli Capalini Canolli Capalini January 22, 2012

      Mr. Culdesac, 

      I make no bones about how I judge these entries.  It is a personal choosing by me, and often times an emotional reaction trumps a technical one.  Your story touched me, and I thought touched upon the very heart of what I was looking for.  Thank you for your thoughtfulness, and congratulations once again.

      C.Capalini

  10. Maddox Sinclaire Maddox Sinclaire January 23, 2012

    Congratutlations, gents. It was a good contest.

  11. Glaubrius Valeska Glaubrius Valeska January 23, 2012

    My, my, I return home after a weekend out of town and find myself honored!

    Thank you Citizen Capalini!

    This year I tried to be more spontaneous, and pulled in the raw emotion of a family event the week before Christmas which had affected me deeply. I added in the ‘details’ of a dream that lingered. And, though not a particularly good builder myself, I was inspired by the constructions and imagination, machines and buildings, of my dear Fellow Citizens.

    I hope it is not immodest to confess I am quite tickled by this recognition. Thank you again, Canolli Capalini! I hope all of you who read the piece find it acceptable! And so I remain

    y’r ob’d’nt S’rv’nt

    G.S.Valeska

    • Canolli Capalini Canolli Capalini January 23, 2012

      Dear Sir,

      It was a very enjoyable piece, and I must say.. rightly touched upon the tones I was looking for.  There were so many good stories, it was difficult to choose.  I look forward to seeing what else you might envision.

      C.Capalini

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