@horrorguyian and I have been furiously vetting the many incredible posts we received, and finally the wait is over. It wasn’t an easy decision, to choose just three winners from the nearly twenty amazing entries, but it had to be done. In the end it came down to readability, originality, structure, accuracy in editing, and plain old preference. So if you didn’t win, don’t despair! This is just the humble opinion of two Minnows.
We’ve posted the Winners and an Honorable Mention below, along with our comments on the selections. Please help to encourage quality original content on Steemit by Following, Upvoting, and Resteeming their wonderful creations.
And now, without further ado:
First Place: Le théâtre souterrain, by @miniature-tiger
Graveyards overflowing and collapsing through basement walls. Whole cemeteries exhumed, bones and headstones alike. Carts piled with skeletons trundling through the streets at night. Two years it took to move them all. Two years. Fact is stranger than fiction, I’ve heard it said.
Ian (@horrorguyian): Le Théâtre Souterrain wins a lot of points from me for creating an easily accessible urban legend. @miniature-tiger takes a known setting with a creepy atmosphere, the Catacombs, and adds a sinister element that comes as second nature from the narrative. I won’t give any more away. Just go read it.
Jess (@jrhughes): I was almost immediately immersed in this story. I could see and feel the Catacombs around me. Great pacing, no distracting errors, and a terrific setting made this an instant standout. Descriptively, every word counted and added up to a creepy piece, beautifully written, and deserving of First Place.
Second Place: The Legend of Swamp Ass, by @stitchybitch
You will never know exactly when his red hot fingers have traced your spine, for the midday heat all but masks his touch. You can never rely on your ears, for his footfalls are nonexistent. He simply drifts on the warm stagnant air like a nightmare pulled on spider's silk.
Ian: The Legend of Swamp Ass is a hilarious take on an urban not-so-much-legend as fact most of us have had to deal with at some point. Especially here in the Southern States. @stitchybitch’s folksy narrative elevates Swamp Ass beyond toilet humor into side-splitting satire.
Jess: If anyone had told me when I conceived this contest, that an Urban Legend about swamp ass would make even my top ten, I’d have called them a liar. But that was before I read this delightfully irreverent folk tale. @stitchybitch’s command of the narrative voice is so clear and her story so clever, it stood out as a top contender from the first reading.
Third Place: The Window Wash Man, by @matthewtiii
Monty knew better than to try to avoid the window wash man. He showed up out of the blue and would neither take money nor no for an answer. He never said a word, but he did have a message.
Ian: The Window Wash Man really puts the urban in urban legend. The mystery comes from a completely innocuous source, and author @matthewtiii includes an ending that departs from the normal malevolence that accompanies the genre.
Jess: When we were tossing around the idea of listing “new Urban Legends” as a possible entry, I knew they would pose a slightly different challenge and @matthewtiii met it with aplomb. His narrative offers not only a building tension and dread, but relief and a true “Aha!” moment. Establishing - in under 1,000 words - a widespread mythos he invented out of whole cloth, while never sacrificing the immediate story, made him a tough act to follow.
Honorable Mention: The Barking Network, by @jean.racines
There is a certain loudness in the world. One that cannot be quelled. It is an arrangement of hate, a concert of violence; it is a choir of dogs. Most of them go unpunished but not all of them. Not all of them. They say that when a dog is loud enough, it disappears into thin air.
Ian: The Barking Network tackles relevant social issues with its ambitious narrative. @jean.racines writes some snappy dialogue and a killer ending that feels cinematic.
Jess: This demonstrated @jean.racine’s clear talent for creating an unsettling, atmospheric piece, as well as addressing social issues while still entertaining the reader.
Congratulations to our winners, and please don’t forget the many other terrific contributions. They are all available at #urbanlegendflash30.
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