NYC Midnight offers writing competitions in various forms, and I decided I wanted to put my writing to the test and get feedback from judges. So I challenged myself to the Short Story challenge. I had 48 hours to craft a 500 word or less story with a beginning and ending of unknown genre. I was assigned fantasy, had to include the action of baking a cake, and had to include a kite. I didn’t make it to the next round, but the feedback was wonderful and I can’t wait to try again in a new challenge.

Here’s what I wrote!

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“Come find me,” the voices purred.

Amelia dug her hands into the dirt below her feet hungrily. It was as though a spell had been cast upon her. The voices only got louder as she dug deeper, her fingernails caked in mud, but she couldn’t stop. She had to find it.

Suddenly, her fingers brushed against something warm. She pulled out a beautiful golden rock, void of any dirt. It buzzed in her hands, as if it was breathing, and the voices ceased immediately. A tingling sensation made its way down her hands.

Exhausted from the endeavor, Amelia sat back against a tree, licking her dry lips as she admired her new treasure. A bucket of water appeared next to her, startling her. Where did that come from? Placing the rock in her pocket, she stared into the water, making sure it was okay before quenching her thirst.

Her trek back through the woods was quick, needing to get to work before her mother noticed her absence. The bakery was the family business. Amelia made the cakes. She could hear her mother’s shrill voice, feel the ghost of a whip of a belt from her father. It’s why she’d run to the woods in the first place. Loneliness was heavy and the woods provided comfort.

When her hands were scrubbed clean, Amelia got to work baking. She had stirred the bowl subconsciously as her mind wandered to the rock in her pocket, somehow feeling its warmth as if it was a living being. She’d poured the batter into the pan and set the oven timer before she realized she had been daydreaming. Squeezing the rock in her pocket, she envisioned a perfectly finished three-tiered cake with pink icing. Her eyes widened when exactly that appeared in front of her.

Oh, she thought, her mind reeling. Did the rock do that?

But she knew it was. The tips of her fingers felt warm.

The kitchen door scraped open, revealing her younger brother, Jacob, carrying a bright red kite. He was sweating, his face holding a sly grin. Amelia envied him for most reasons beyond his control. Nonetheless, his presence upset her, and her fingers curled automatically around the gold rock.

“I saw you run from the woods,” Jacob sneered, his eyes swimming in mischief.

“And?” Amelia retorted.

 “And,” he answered. “We’re not supposed to be back there. I’ll tell mom and dad.”

He’d struck a chord with her. He knew what would happen at the mention of the woods. He’d take great pleasure in her punishment. If only Jacob received the punishment I’d get, she thought, and within seconds, their father appeared behind him with his belt.

She closed her eyes at the sound of leather meeting flesh, her stomach turning. Holding the gold rock in her trembling hand, she stared at it, knowing what she had to do. She thrust open the oven, tossing the rock into the fire.

The sound of screaming filled her ears. Then all was silent.