This week's winner is, renamaereyes with Burning Point of a Mirror.
The prompt was to tell the tale behind a picture, painting or drawing and explore what a single moment captured in time can convey. This entry did it well, starting from a point before the picture was taken, transitioning to the exact moment when the picture was taken and then reflecting back on it from the future. The impact, the thought process during that moment - everything - is there, right here - at the heart of this beautiful story.
We feel that this story went above and beyond what we expected from this prompt. At its core, it is a story of self-reflection which demonstrates the power of a single moment with an awe-inspiring efficiency. This entry not only managed to establish the character's background while avoiding trivial details but also transitioned beautifully across different periods in her life. The transitions from one part to the other are raw and real, mirroring real life.
It feels like a tale filled with magical realism, even though it lacks the usual elements of magic. It reminded us a lot of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story is like three puzzle pieces waiting for you to join together and every time you join them, you get something new and different, or like staring into a mirror and not quite seeing what you expect.
The part which forms the heart of the entry is the moment captured in the photograph. Filled with lines of verse which make you contemplate your entire existence - not only leading the character to introspection but also the reader. The verses also make that moment even more powerful and impactful than it would be without them. Exploring your feelings for someone and their feelings towards you, all while staring at an image of yourself and feeling like it is talking back to you is something we never expected to come out of this contest.
There are a few things we'd like to point out: there were a few errors in the sentence structure and, while the grammar errors remained just that, the sentence structure errors brought an ethereal feel to the story which we didn't think was possible. It feels like one has a predetermined image of which words to use where and in which context, and when this image is shattered, it forces the person to think about that sentence and how this misplacement brings to light a whole new meaning.
We have no idea whether the structural errors were intentional or not. Nevertheless, they have managed to add a certain flair and zeal to the story. It feels like the language in which this was told was lost long ago, and instead it brings us something which was both lost and gained in translation.
We recommend this story to anyone interested in reading a piece which transports you to a single moment in time and explores it exceptionally.
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Weekly Contests
General FictionWhile you're waiting for a chance at a Community Project, we here at Community Interactive like to branch out. Our origins are in contests and, at this point, we are in love with crafting and hosting these weekly bite-sized exercises. It is our pass...
