On October 15, 2021, I wrote my second NYC Word MicroFiction Competition. This time the competition was 250 words in length.
I was given the following criteria to use in my story:
Genre: Horror
Action: Faking a Smile
Word: Long
This is what I wrote:
"Followed By Satan"
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Is it your image or someone else's image? If it's not yours, who's image is it? Where did it come from? Stare into your mirror, focus on your eyes only, and watch as you change into your witch-like personality. Yes, that's right, we are all witches and if you stare long enough into the mirror, you will see your true self. Before you know it, you are grabbed, pulled into the mirror, and can't escape. You are a witch following Satan's commands.
As a witch, you can see the past, predict the future, and cast spells. You feel like you are being stalked by Satan whose only goal is to seduce you into sin.
You have the power to burn a home down to the ground at will. You are called a witch because you predicted a friend's daughter will move away and his mother will die. Your predictions came true. You frighten others because you know what they are going to say before they say it.
You still can't escape the fact that Satan is following you and has been for a very long time. How can you explain the many mysterious events in your life if it wasn't him following you all these years?
You have always been a genuine person making it a very difficult task of faking a smile under any circumstances especially when you don't even know who you are looking at in the mirror.
This is the Feedback from the judges about my story, "Followed by Satan" received December 16, 2021:
''Followed By Satan'' by Anita Wladichuk - WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY - {1985} Good use of 2nd person perspective. The main character seems like a likable, believable character. {1909} I enjoyed the unique writing style in this story. The narrative voice was intense, yet natural and conversational. {2012} I really loved the way you involved the reader in this story - writing in the second person made everything in the story that much scarier and more haunting. I also liked how a lot of the things that lead people to accuse this character of being a witch could have just been the result of a powerful social intelligence; predicting what people will say, who will move and when are all things that socially intelligent people can do just as well as witches. WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK - {1985} What are the limits of the witch's powers? Addressing this, might make for a stronger story. {1909} I found the end of this story a bit lackluster. Because this story doesn't necessarily have a traditional plot, it might be harder to keep readers' attentions. Choosing a punchier, more explosive ending could make this piece memorable. There were also a few grammatical errors. {2012} I think one thing that will really ground this story and give it a powerful structure is if the protagonist character, the one who is being referred to in the story, is given some clear and concrete goal or desire. Just by introducing a desire toward the beginning, you'll already have a spine - closing it off at the end and you've got a full structure without having to change almost anything substantial in this story.