Sandman's Bedtime Short Story Contest!

[[NPC] Sandman]

Sandman's Bedtime Short Story Contest!

Hello Gaians,

I need some new stories to tell, stories that will help those who cannot sleep. Bedtime stories. You know them well. However, in all my years of telling stories I have just run out of new ideas and can no longer come up with anything exciting. Now I come to you to bring me your short tales that can be utilized as my next bedtime story.

[[NPC] Sandman]

Sandman's Bedtime Short Story Contest Rules

Rules

• Your short story must be between 500-1000 words long.
  
• Only one entry per person!!
  
• Your entry can contain any genre and use characters within Gaia.
  
• No cheating! People who plagiarize will be disqualified!
  
• All stories must follow the Terms of Service!
  
• Post your story in this thread for contest submission.
  
• Your story mus be submitted before Tuesday, May 12, 2015 11:59pm PDT. We will not accept entries after this date!

Winning

• Any submitted entries will be judged and prizes awarded Tuesday, May 19, 2015.
  
• One grand prize winner will receive and May 2015 Advance Chance and Sandman's Arraignment
  
• Four runner ups will receive: Sandman's Burden and May 2015 Sealed Letter
  
• You will be notified via private message if you win!

[Broken Sweets]

Hmm maybe I should join.

[Ghilani Surana]

Why am I tempted to abridge a part of our history as Gaians?

[No1Gamer]

heart

[Areya Stormbringer]

Giving this a shot, hope everyone enjoys the story.

An Angel Gave Me Hope Today

A mother was walking with her four year old daughter to the park one summer morning. She looked down at her and smiled thinking of how well she was adjusting to losing her father. She had put her little girl in a yellow sun dress with white polka dots on it, a big white bow wrapped around her and tied in the back. The little girl was skipping along holding tightly to the teddy bear she received the day they buried her father six months ago. While walking idly down the sidewalk she thought back through the last few months and realized that her daughter had not let the bear out of her sight at all.

As they started to pass the military cemetery on their way to the park the little girl perked up looking inside knowing this is where her daddy was. She also noticed there was a funeral going on and looked up at her mother. “Mommy did somebody else lose their daddy too?” The mother looked at the people around the grave and saw a pregnant woman sitting near the casket. She looked into her daughter’s eyes and said “Yes, dear. But the baby isn’t even born yet and will never get to know its daddy, like you did.”

The little girl stood there a moment just staring into the crowd then slipped her hand out of her mother’s and ran into the cemetery. She excused her way into the group of people standing around to walk up to the pregnant woman sitting grave side. No one had the heart to stop the little girl as she approached the woman. Even the Pastor stopped his sermon to watch what the little girl was up to.

The little girl laid her tiny hand on the pregnant woman’s belly and smiled. She then held up her teddy bear to the woman and said, “They gave me this teddy when I lost my daddy, but I want you to have it now cuz I think you could use him more.” She leaned up and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek and whispered into her ear. The little girl then stepped back to salute the woman and turned a circle to salute the army men that were on the other side of the casket.
After they all returned her salute many with tears streaming down their faces the little girl ran back to her mother. The mother being so proud of her daughter knelt down to give her a big hug and just hold her for a moment.

The sister sitting next to the pregnant woman leaned over and asked her what the child had whispered to her. The pregnant woman smiled and said, “She told me the teddy’s name was Private Hope. I also think that, that little girls name must me Angel.” Stunned the sister asked her, “Why do you think that is her name.” “Because” said the pregnant woman “ before my husband left to go on tour he told me that if anything happened to him and angel would bring me hope.”

Standing behind the pregnant woman and her sister was one of the officers that served with her husband. Overhearing what the woman had just said he became curious and excused himself from the service to go talk to the lady and her daughter.

Upon reaching the kneeling woman and her child he politely asked, “Excuse me ma’am, I’m just curious and would like to know what your little girl’s name is.” The mother stood up holding her daughter in her arms and smiled brightly at the Corporal. “Her name is Angelica, but I just call her Angel for short.” Surprised the man looked over at the pregnant woman who was watching him and seeing the look in his eyes she knew she was right and that things might be tough from there on out, but it would be alright too.

[Lumbee Wolf Lady]

i'm so tempted to do this but 300 words seems like a lot sweatdrop

[Eurydice Evyn]

The Shadow

In a kingdom far away lived a beautiful princess, who lived in comfort and peace, surrounded by citizens who liked her well. A court mage decided, however, that his jealousy had reached a boiling point, and made the princess' own shadow rise up to strike her down.
Except it didn't.
The shadow ventured far and wide for the princess, doing tasks for her, keeping her safe, and even scaring off beasts and assassins and suitors with impure intentions. The shadow couldn't speak, or move far from the princess, but still it strived to prove its loyalty. Though the shadow meant no harm, the people still feared her. Even as she reached out to them, saving their children from buzzards and their crops from rats, the people whispered that it must have been a ruse; that whoever brought her to being must be trying to trick them, and their fair princess was its first victim of deceit.
And so the people began to conspire in secret against the helpful shadow, fearing what they did not understand.

The court mage, once again, told horrible stories of the shadow to the populace, driving them to revolt. They stormed the gates, breaking down doors and saying hideous words, all in pursuit of the shadow that had done them no harm. Guards were pushed aside, and some even killed as villagers trampled them, so blinded were they by fear of the unknown that they did not realize their were claiming the peace of one another in their doubt and horror.

They opened every door in the castle, even the ones they did not know of, but found no shadow or even their princess. The last room, the tower in the center of the castle, was the only room left untouched by their rampage; and so up the tower they went, slamming against its door with all of their might, letting the strongest among them pound their fists against the wooden doors.

But they did not find the princess and shadow at the top.
Instead, they found a silhouette of light and a pale woman who looked much like their princess, but could not have been, for she was far too pale. The light explained that she was their princess, and to save her shadow's life, the princess gave up her own face and form to show them the shadow's humanity.

The voice of the princess was in one place, and the face of the princess was now on the shadow, who could now show her fear for the first time since its creation. The people watched her cower in a corner, not even lashing out at the dogs who came near, barking frantically.

The court mage tried to rally another speech, but one by one, the people started to leave. Some left slowly of shame, some ran in fear of retribution for hurting the guard, and some had even thought the shadow's fear was too much for their heart to handle, having seen their fears given a face and form.

By the end of the night, all had left, and the court mage was locked away for his crimes... as well as several of the citizens who had been pointed as to the cause of any death, but they went freely, and caused no fuss.

The next day, the princess had her face and form back, but the shadow also managed to keep hers as well. No one questioned it, for now they saw the smiles she gave, though the shadow could not speak, or the fear if a dog barked at her too loudly.
It is easy to fear what one does not understand, but now the people understood their strange shadow, and so came to accept her as their own.

The end.

[Odd Cinderella]

Good luck to everyone! 3nodding

[Sagebomb]

I dont word togather make good. But I can try.

[Avenatrix]

Yurei Surana

Random, yes, but I LOVE YOUR SIG!!
Freaking Link is freaking adorable!

[Chibi Halo]

I think I can put together something for this. Five hundred words isn't too bad.

[klaudiso]

I will try. Saving spot!

[Ghilani Surana]

Avenatrix

Thank you, Link is one of my favorite video game characters.

[Cosmirage]

Yay!! I have one short story to post soon!! heart heart heart heart