In a previous post, I mentioned that the theme for this year’s Lincoln Book Festival (25th-30th September 2017) is the Gothic. This year they had a Flash Fiction Competition which I entered. Much to my surprise (I’m not a creative writer), I received a lovely letter and certificate earlier this week to tell me that I was one of two runners up in the adult category.
My story was entitled ‘Dark night, fens’, which now sounds incredibly pretentious. It was inspired by the folklore of will-o’-the-wisps, strange lights which entice travellers into the marshlands where they meet their demise.
You can read my story below (it’s only 50 words).
Dark night, fens
Dark night on the fens. A traveller strikes out, wending her way through treacherous marsh. Lost, she sees far in the distance a pale green light. Onward then. Dense sludge sucks at her ankles. The light beckons, deeper into quagmire. She stops to catch her breath but finds herself caught.