Sarah Barson Several weeks ago we asked our readers—those with an active imagination and a knack for writing—to put their creative juices to work in Simi Valley Acorn ’s third annual Fiction in a Nutshell contest. The response was gratifying, as more than 125 entries were submitted. The stories, limited to 100 words, covered a wide range of topics: science fiction, romance, comedy and adventure. We had animals, emotions, danger and despair—and several surprise endings that left us howling. Somewhere there’s a novel out there! Entries were judged on writing style, creativity and story line. First-place winners each received a $50 prize.

— To all the contestants we say, thank you.

 

 

 

 

First Place

Under 18 Years

Untitled

 

“This way, sir.”

Brittany Silverstein They take my hands and lead me up the steps, while a man with a scroll reads out my accomplishments to those gathered. My career has been long and illustrious.

A man in a hood comes forward to present me to the cheering crowd. I look out across their madly ecstatic faces and see the one face that matters most to me.

There are, inexplicably, tears upon it.

The hooded man places a medal about my neck. It feels strangely rough and heavy.

The cheering grows louder. The tear-strewn face turns away. The noose tightens.

— Sarah Barson, 17

Simi Valley

 

18 and Over

The Hero

 

Huge flames engulfed the hillside, chasing women and children who ran from their homes, tears flowing down their faces.

There were 10 other firemen with me, and so many people asking if their loved ones were still alive. I tried to stay calm, telling them that everything was going to be okay.

My lips were parched from the sweltering heat, and all I could do was wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead and just hope that it would be over soon.

They call me the hero, but I am the one that is most afraid.

— Brittany Silverstein, 20

Simi Valley

 

About the Authors

Sarah Barson

An aspiring film director, Sarah Barson said her passion for tales on the silver screen gave her an edge when creating her winning Fiction in a Nutshell entry.

“A director always has to be (aware of) the main story line of a movie and interrelate that with everything else that’s going on,” she said. “Having a strong story is very important, obviously, both in movies and in writing. Your characters always have to be connected to it. This was all about having a good story.”

Barson graduated this spring from Royal High School. The 17year-old said the idea for her first-place piece of fiction came out of thin air, not from a memory or personal experience.

“I actually wrote four or five (entries)—then I just picked this one because I liked it the best,” said Barson, who will study film production this fall at San Diego State University. “It’s just what came out on paper.”

Barson, the daughter of Amy and Steve, was a runner-up in last year’s Simi Valley Acorn Fiction in a Nutshell contest. She said she actually creates very short stories of fiction as writing exercises.

“It’s really good having to strip (your story) down to just your main ideas. I really enjoy it,” Barson said.

Barson has one sister, Anna, who is a junior at Royal.

 

Brittany Silverstein

Brittany Silverstein sought to reveal a different side of California’courageous firefighters in her contest-winning entry, “The Hero.” Silverstein, who is studying broadcast journalism at Cal State Northridge, said she was inspired to explore the topic by listening to the experiences of a friend whose fiance fights fires.

“Everybody just thinks that firefighters are these brave, strong people,” she said. “I wanted to humanize them in this story. They also have emotions. They also get afraid.

“I was thinking about the trauma that not only affects the families who are chased from their homes, but the lives of the firefighters.”

A 2007 graduate of Santa Susana High School, Silverstein said she enjoyed the brief vacation the contest allowed her from the nonfiction world of journalism she’s studying in college.

“I love being creative, and the opportunities where I can be creative, like in my blog,” the college junior said. “Journalism is so structured; I like where I can create my own structure. It was a lot of fun to play around with.”

You can review Silverstein’s blog at www.mylifeasawannabejournalist.blogspot.com.

“It’s more of a personal journal,” said the 20-year-old, who is interning this summer at K-ABC TV in Glendale.

 

Honorable Mention

Under 18 Years

 

Sailing through Life

As the angry clouds flee across the horizon, the glorious rays of the sun pierce through the haze. A scraggly sailor stumbles across the deck of his ship, wading in a shallow pool. His futile struggle to bail the water from his vessel is hindered by a rusty bucket, riddled with holes. The mariner takes one last glance around, but is crushed to find a neverending ocean. As the craft gradually sinks into the calm, blue ocean, he wonders where it all went wrong. The chaos? Or the calm?

— Kaleb Erickson, 16

Simi Valley

 

Dinner Denied

Mittens eyed the fluttering sparrows from her perch on the windowsill. The impish little pests were building a nest in the branches of her family’s mulberry tree, smack dab in the center of the backyard. Mittens could see them clear as day.

She could feel her hunter’s instincts stirring within her. What a treat—fresh birds for dinner! She crouched back on her haunches, salivating. Come on, little birdies! Just a tad closer . . . and she pounced!

If only she weren’t an indoor cat. Who put that darn glass in the way?

— Sarah D’Atri, 15

Simi Valley

 

18 and Over

 

The Interview

Behind the desk was Pete Marx, a mix of old-school jazz musician and midmanagement corporate sell out. He had a long graying beard, mismatched with even longer dark brown locks that he was fond of stroking between his fingers while he spoke. I was actually thrilled by the look of him, immediately thinking this place was not your average, capitalistic regime, until the words came out of his mouth, dripping with the stain of snuffed out creativity, stinging my ears with every utterance and silently kicking me in the gut. “Do you know Excel?” he chimed.

Nothing new here.

— Lori Meier, 34

Simi Valley

 

Saved

Unable to sleep, Edgar remained still. The odor of humus shrouded his senses. Perspiring fingers groped for the familiar, instead finding themselves inside a roughly hewn box. Rising, his head met the same fate. Edgar’s worst nightmare materialized: He was buried alive. Aimless fingers grasped a wooden handle. Deliverance? Penetrating the earth, muffled peals erupted into a cacophony, broken by the sound of shovels piercing the pine. Shafts of light surfaced through shards of wood. Edgar regarded the men, who gazed down in wide wonder. “I guess you could say you were saved by the bell, Mister Poe.”

— R.J. Gilbert, 63

Simi Valley