CMWG had two categories: one in poetry and the other was a page-turner. I don't do poetry, so I entered the page-turner. I won 2nd place. You can read my entry below, and I hope you enjoy it.
Dahlia’s Challenge
Dahlia used
her key to call the elevator in D. Vickers Hall. The young English professor’s
summer vacation had been ruined by Professor Jones when he broke both legs skiing.
Her time should be spent in Aruba with her cousin Geoffrey or in the deserts of
Colorado digging for dinosaur bones. Instead, her summer was on hold. Nothing exciting is going to happen this
summer, and if it does, it will be somewhere far away from me.
The
elevator ride was short but long. Her ride jerked to a stop, the door opened as
quickly as frozen molasses running uphill, and Dahlia stepped out into the
glare of florescent lighting. It was the week before summer classes started and
the hallway was empty. There was an uneasy quietness about the place, it felt
like a long forgotten tomb.
As she made
her way to the tiny office she had occupied for the last four years, it took
her less than ten steps. A rush of cold air escaped the small space when she
opened the creaky door, (why is it cold)
along with a foul odor. As her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, she noticed
someone had placed a piece of thick, black fabric over her window. She shielded
her eyes before she flipped on the light. When she stepped further into her
office, she released a loud, ear piercing scream.
