Fiction 59: high school winners

First Place

Here Comes the Bride

As she walks down the aisle, the old women cry, her mother nods, the best man elbows the groom, the flower girl stumbles, and her father grasps her arm tighter. A flute plays a note off key, the bride’s dress is too tight, and you can see a bridesmaid’s underwear line. But in that one moment, it was perfect.

Ashlyn Donnahoe, 16
Gridley

Ashlyn Donnahoe is a familiar name in our Fiction 59 contest. Over the years that she’s been entering her stories, she’s taken home two third-place awards in the Kids division (2007 and 2009), and now the junior at Gridley High School has reached the top spot. It will probably come as no surprise that after graduating, Ashlyn plans on majoring in English (with a creative writing minor) and becoming a fiction writer.

Second Place

Prince Charming

On the palace steps the prince picked up the glass slipper the beautiful, mysterious girl left behind. “I must find the girl this slipper belongs to and make her my bride!”

The prince found 17 girls with a size 7 before he gave up and decided to try the slipper on himself, and the prince lived happily ever after.

Haley Crispin, 15
Chico

Fiction 59 was a family affair this year for Haley Crispin, as her teacher father, Joe Crispin, encouraged the whole family to enter. She is a student at Inspire School of Arts & Sciences. Besides writing, Haley enjoys working with ceramics and listening to music—especially Green Day.

Third Place

July

I was at home with my dad, his girlfriend, and her two kids. It was July and that meant fireworks! Us kids were messing around and Nikko started chewing on some Snap’n Pops, small teardrop shaped explosives wrapped in cigarette paper. It was loud and dangerous, the sound piercing my ears one second before his cries. His mouth exploded.

“Ellie,” 16
Oroville

Every year, students from Table Mountain School at Butte County Juvenile Hall enter (and often are chosen as winners in) the Fiction 59 contest as part of the school’s The Writing Exchange art/writing program. For purposes of protecting their identities, first names or pseudonyms only are used—as with “Ellie” here (and honorable mention Cory below). Visit www.writeyourtruth.blogspot.com and check out more work from The Writing Exchange students.

Honorable mentions

Coincidence

Elise had eyes lit by some strange fire, neck high in lost pens found in books grabbed on accident, dragging home poor men found half drowned on rainy sidewalks who became princes when their hair dried. “Can we keep him?” she said. I married him on Sunday. Anyways. Maybe she was too good to stay long. She died yesterday.

Elizabeth Allen, 17
Chico

Hired Gun

Diana was the only one he knew who had a gun and she would do it for 20 bucks. The problem was he had to hide it from his mom, but it was way too big to hide.

Diana had a light hand, so the pain was not that bad, but his skin still bled during his first ink.

Cory, 17
Oroville