MonMad 2011 RESULTS!!!

The time to announce the winners of MonMad 2011 has finally arrived. Though the quantity was extremely few, the quality was more than awesome. Me, the owners and the rest of the admins, thank you for your part. Also, a huge thank you to the non TWL people who took part in the contest.

Since only 2 entries has been received from outside of TWL, we couldn't make a separate category for them and hence, they were judged together with the blog entries. Our own THE WRITER'S LOUNGE legend, Pretty Prats, who now had given up an illustrious part of her life as a blogger was more than happy to be the judge.

So here we go,
*drumroll*

The Winner of MonMad 2011 is "MAITHILI" for her post "A Little Bit of Lying"

Pretty Prats says : "speechless! Such is the hatred and selfish interest of people. Killer ending. A full ten pointer"


We have a TIE for the 1st Runner's Up

They are "SMITA" for "Consequences" and "PULKIT" for "A Rainy Confession"

 

Both scored 9.5 each for excellent creativy. Pulkit's narration was brilliant but hampered by the word limit. Smita's post had supreme emotional tugs but lacked a touch of hope, a glimmer of ray that everyone needs in life. Nevertheless, excellent contributions.

The LAST but NOT THE LEAST, the ADMIN'S CHOICE AWARD.... and this is personal to me

The ADMIN'S CHOICE award goes to someone who is not a part of TWL.
I congratulate "SHRUTI MUKHERJEE" for her post "Odd Impressions".

 

Now you all know that you have to grab your badges and add them to your blogs. Also, i remember The Admin's Choice winning a certain prize from me. So SHRUTI gets an e-voucher of INR 400/- to shop anytime at FLIPKART. Now that ought to bring a smile on her lips. The Admin's Choice winner needs to send me an email to mridu.shadow@gmail.com

Also, this is a good year for TWL. We are now a WEBSITE. We had a fun contest. On this note, The Winner and the Runner's Up......wait for it......gets something toooooooooo....

Each of you will win a novel. A NOVEL and i hope to God, you people read. There will be a list of 9 Novels. And out of those 9, each one of you 3 winners can choose only 1. ONLY ONE. Seems fair since i will be the one shelling out bucks. This is NOT for the ADMIN'S CHOICE WINNER.

I will be the one selecting the novels. Remember, if one of you chooses a novel, the other one cannot get the same novel. So choose fast. The list of novels isn't up as of now. But it will be up by SUNDAY midnight at A LOT OF PAGES. So keep checking, the fastest one gets the best of the lot. Rules will be given there when the list comes up.

It was fun bringing you this contest and i hope you all had fun taking a part too.... Those who didn't win (including me and one of the owners) lol, DO NOT BE HEARTBROKEN (you can be for a while, i know i will be). WE WILL BE BACK. WITH BIGGER CONTESTS AND BIGGER PRIZES.

Love,

THE ADMINS  

P.S| People, i ask you to be a sport and congratulate the winners. Also The Lover for the wonderful job he had done for the blog. Not to mention, Pretty Prats, who is still the number 1 Queen of Poetry in TWL and whose number of posts we cannot seem to cross. I Thank, STEPHEN for the brilliant concept he and me shared one late night until early morning. And don't forget to thank me, Freelancer for all the giveaways *blush*

A little bit of lying..

“Appa, I m sorry.. I will do as you say..”

Muthu patted his daughter’s head.  Auraya was his only daughter and his pride.

It had pained his heart to keep her confined to her room all week but if that was the way his daughter  would forget that Muslim boy and get married to a boy from their own caste, he was ready to inflict this suffering on her. 

He would have to call Tarun’s family and set a date soon.

If a little bit of lying could change situations he saw no harm in doing it for his daughter’s well being.

As soon as she was handed her cellphone she called Tarun. Even though she had agreed to abide by her father’s wishes, her father had not let her use the phone in his absence. 

She called Tarun in front of her father and asked if they could meet to discuss the shopping. Muthu was pleased that Auraya was making an effort to participate in the preparations of her marriage.

She met Tarun at the city Plaza.  Tarun was radiating with happiness befitting a groom. Auraya felt guilty of bursting the bubble of his joy but she had to do it.. for her love.

“Tarun I cannot marry you.” She said without looking into his eyes.

“Auraya! Are you kidding? Why did you agree then?” he asked her disbelievingly.

“Tarun appa will never let me get out of the house if I don’t agree. Tarun I love Armaan. Appa doesn’t approve of him because he is a Muslim, but once I get married to him Appa will know that he is a very loving guy. Appa will accept us sooner or later. Help me Tarun. Please don’t spoil our lives.”

“Spoil your life! What do you want me to do Auraya?” he was flaring.

“Act like we are happy with his match. Let me get in contact with Armaan.  Within a month I and Armaan will marry and then you can tell the truth.”

He sat there watching her in amazement  and felt his dreams collapsing.

She was cheating her father.. She was cheating Tarun.. But if a little bit of lying could unite her with her love  she would do it..

“yes uncle, Amma has consulted the family astrologer. 5^th of next month is an auspicious day. I know its early but we will have a simple wedding. If it is okay with you.. else..”

“No.. no its alright.” Muthu was a little stunned by the speed of events. He wanted to have a grand celebration for his daughter’s marriage but he agreed. Buying more time could mean possibility of a change of heart. Auraya was young and being a father of a young girl in love , Muthu was skeptical.

Tarun knew he was doing wrong. He had lied to Amma that Auraya’s father was ill and that was why the wedding has to be next month.

He had no intention of keeping Auraya’s confidence.  She was a romantic but she was not practical. She was looking at the world with rosy glasses. She would never be happy with Armaan. She was a Tamilian Brahmin. What would she do with a beef eater. Heck! Who was he fooling with all this talks of caste and wellbeing. The truth was that Tarun loved Auraya. From the day he had set eyes on her. His love was not the love that sacrifices for some stupid romantic ideas of his lady. IF a little bit of lying could make her his wife, he would do it.

“You are lying Nausheen.. Auraya can never do  this to me.” Armaan shouted at his childhood friend and neighbor Nausheen.

“I might be lying.. but what about this snaps Armaan? Auraya has willingly cut off contact with you because she is going to marry Tarun.”

Nausheen was Auraya’s classmate and Armaan had tried to send his messages to Auraya through her. Little did he know that his messages remained undelivered, destroyed by the acid venom of Nausheen’s  jealousy.

Armaan once again looked at the blurred picture clicked in Nausheen’s  phone. Auraya was holding Tarun’s hand in what looked like a romantic gesture. What did he know that Auraya had held his hand in sympathy and pleading?

Nausheen  knew Auraya loved Armaan but so did she. If a little bit of lying could make Armaan hers forever, she would do it.

.

“How could you do this to me , you bitch!” Armaan was in a wild rage.

“Armaan I did it for you.” She tried convincing him

He nodded in disbelief, his eyes reddened with pain,deceit and mad fury.

She had the look of a lamb about to be sacrificed when he shot her at point blank range.

wordcount: 794

Hope..

“This is all I could bring for you.” Muthu said. Anubhuti stared at his guilt ridden face and then glanced at the small pot of rice in his hand.

A whirlpool of emotions threatened to wash away her bold stance. She took the pot of rice near the fire place and began to boil the rice for lunch.

Muthu stood watching her pull the end of her sari and quickly wipe away tears. Her hands moved skillfully around the utensils as though calming her nerves.

It had been months since he last spoke to his daughter. “She must be 16” he thought.  Her skin was flawless but was sticking to her bones. Her stomach looked stuck to her back. Her bright eyes were now dry with agony.

Anubhuti blew the fire with the remnants of firewood. The stock of firewood kept for monsoon was depreciating. She worried what would happen if the rains don’t stop this month.

She once again looked at her father who sat on their coir cot in a pensive mood. After months she had seen him sober. She wished her mother was alive to witness this day. The thought of her mother burnt a deep hole in her heart. She had cared enough for her mother but could not save her from tuberculosis.  Her drunkard father spent all their savings on his poison and slept in the dinghy all evening.

She reminisced the time when her father was once a rich fisherman. Anubhuti thought about  her younger self when she used to play hide and seek in her father’s boat. She was carefree about her future. Her father was her hero who sailed great miles and returned with gifts for her from harbors of other cities.

Some evil might have fallen on their happiness. A storm hit the sea. The violent sea destroyed her father’s boat and its crew members. Her father was not on the ship due to some other business. Her father suffured huge loses and he was paying loans through his nose. They lived a hand to mouth existence and soon her mother was detected with TB. They used all their savings and jewellery to revive her health but she succumbed to the disease. Muthu was a beaten man long before his wife died. He had given in to alcohol.

As he watched Anubhuti going around the same way like his wife a thought struck him.. “She is all I have.. I cannot lose her.. I must give her another chance at a good life..”

He put on his chappal and swung a lungi around his waist. He took out his fishing net and hurried to the shore.

“Where are you going?” she shouted out.

“Prepare for curry.. I will return with some fish and crabs..” he shouted back.

Anubhuti looked at the disappearing figure of her father. She smiled.. There was hope after all..

Emily watched in silence as her husband Richard sat with wooden pieces , hammer, nails etc.

He looked up at her. His eyes brimmed with tears.

“You..you came back.. Did you forget anything?”

She thought about Samuel, her first love. She had left Richard never to turn back. Richard was no match for her. She was  a beauty in her community with her large brown eyes, long flowing hair, pink lips which won hearts when they broke into a smile, her slender figure that grooved in grace as she walked sent shivers through the spine of young men who desired her.

Samuel was in every way charming. He had a engineering degree. He had a broad and strong built with a boyish smile that made her fall head over heels in love with him.

Emily wanted to marry him but her father was against the match. He forcefully fixed her marriage with Richard when Samuel was out of town. Emily was heartbroken at the absurd nature of her father. Her father threatened to commit suicide if she disobeyed him. Left with no choice she was married to Richard, a carpenter by profession. He was an average looking guy with a practical approach to life, but he dearly loved Emily.

Emily never let him close to her and Richard waited for her to accept him.

Emily looked at Richard and then turned away in guilt. Richard followed her into the yard.

She burst into tears.

“Emily what happened?” he asked with concern.

“I met Samuel.. told him everything.. He says he doesn’t want anything to do with a second hand thing..” She stood in the rain drenched  and he couldn’t take his eyes off her .

“You are not second hand..you will always be mine Emily..” he gave her a kind smile.

He drew closer to her and slightly touched her lips with his. There was hope afterall..

wordcount: 799

The Blood Rain

The rain drops splatter on my face hard as I run like a blind girl. 

"Emily…Emilyyyy. Stop! It’s not what you think." I hear Richard scream after me. 

‘No, you do not stop if you want to live.’ My mind screams at me. I am drenched completely. 

I run with the last ounce of my strength – flailing around looking for a place to hide. There! I see a barn towards my left, but if I enter, it would be a dead end and I would be caught. And then, he will kill me. But I have to take this one last chance for my survival.

I run till I reach the barn and push the huge wooden doors and enter quickly, closing the heavy doors behind me. I am still strong. Good. I do not stop and crouch behind a large mound of hay stack. I can hear Richard shout my name over and over again. I am scared. I have never been so afraid in my life. I have been a strong girl always – my father’s hunting skills in the forests everyday had ensured that I was a tough woman. And at that – no one, man or animal could beat me. But here I was, hiding in a musty smelling barn. Why was I scared?

Because Richard, my husband, can seriously hurt me. He is a strong man too. Stronger than anyone I have ever known. Can I fight him back? Yes. Do I have the courage? No. What should I do? I can feel the dusk starting to wrap around the barn. It’s getting dark in here. Very dark. My heart is beating fast. Rain is pouring down in steady torrents. Richard hasn’t come here yet. Is it safe to go out? I get up from my crouching position and wobble – feeling very weak and disoriented. There’s nothing around, so I decide to get out of the barn. Possibly Richard has already gotten tired of waiting for me and left. 

I get out quietly. My off-white corset dress is clinging to my body like second skin. Danger! My mind screams. I turn around, sensing eyes on me. Is Richard still out there? My breath comes out in uneven gasps. I feel defenseless. Was that a fire flickering at the edge of the forest? What was that orange light? He is coming here to burn me. My heart suddenly realizes.

I try to move away from the place. Night has already fallen and I can hear the skittering of insects. I wipe my face and push away my brown straight hair obstructing my vision. I am a fighter. There is no point in being afraid. I go around the barn towards the edge of the forests to see if Richard is there. I will confront him. 

“Richard! Come out you stinking jerk!” I shout in the general direction of the flickering fire at the distance. My voice makes an owl fly away, scared. Yes, they know me, the animals. I had been a good hunter. 

“Richard! Richard!” I scream for good again, as the rain carries away my voice. Crunch! There he is. Arising from behind a sodden oak tree. 

“Emily…” He whispers holding a flame burning dangerously. The rain is now a drizzle surprisingly, as if it wants me to die too. 

“You are here to kill me.” I say, surprisingly calm. 

“No, Em... I love you. Why will I kill you? Even if you are a monster.” He says the last word through gritted teeth – mocking me. I realize I love him too but I do not want him to live either. 

I look up at the clouded moon and feel a joyous burning in my veins. I am dangerous. I need to hunt. And I cannot let anyone harm me. I may not die ever, but Richard is an open threat to me. I give him a warning growl. I cannot believe I can still growl. I learnt it from my father, to warn the more dangerous animals like jaguars and panthers. Richard takes a step back. Triumph! My mind cheers me. 

“Go away Richard before I kill you.” 

Idiot. He sways the fire towards me. I crouch and give a howl…he throws away the flame and turns around to run. I feel my incisors lengthen as I leap and dig them into his throat. His life blood pours into my mouth, energizing me and healing my wounds. The warmth thaws the ice in my heart as I drink from him, heartily. 

I smile giving out a happy bark, realizing that being a werewolf wasn’t so bad after all.