This was my second round entry in the NYC Midnight 100 Word Microfiction Challenge. For more on the competition and my winning first round entry, check this post out. Unfortunately, this story didn’t make it to the final round, but I’m still proud of it, and anyone out there who plays Chasoium’s “Call of C’thulhu” tabletop roleplaying game might find this – familiar. Enjoy!
Goodwill clothes, self-inflicted haircut and Coke bottle glasses, she spent her days behind the cash register, and her nights alone.
On Lottery Day, a piece of paper held her number.
She became visible, famous, and her journey began.
The bacchanalia lasted as long as the ocean voyage to the uncharted island.
Nothing was denied her, so she asked for every deadly sin.
Some twice.
Screaming gulls greeted her as she was pushed down the gangplank to the sacrificial area.
A rumbling exhale parted the morning fog.
Twenty stories high, aeons of placated evil, it beckoned her.
Fully satisfied, she obeyed.
Here’s what the judges had to say about this entry:
“The notion of this woman walking almost happily to her own sacrifice is quite thrilling in its darkness. The enormous representational figure of evil is appropriately mysterious.”
““Self-inflicted haircut” – love this phrasing. It’s funny, it tells us something about the character, and it gives a hint of visual (this is not a flattering look). This is a really interesting story, how you tell so much in such a short space. We get the inciting incident of the lottery win, the transformation and hedonistic indulgence (“so she asked for every deadly sin”), and finally what seems to be a final meeting with an Eldritch creature (“A rumbling exhale… Twenty stories high, aeons of placated evil”). That’s a big journey for only 100 words, and you accomplished this by expertly crafting what you included in the piece and what you implied.”
“I really appreciate that the story portrays such a horrific event but also so much fulfillment and indulgence. The idea that the woman might be willing to give her life for this little taste of something more exciting is such a rich exploration of what a life well lived looks like.”