Writing Prompts 2020

Molly's Story - Prompt 1

Prompt : Write about how the school gym is filled. It's a day of celebration. Your main character graduates today and when it's their time to take the stage, a scream is released from someone in the stands.

Start Time : Thursday 2nd January 2020, 4:49PM

Deadline : Thursday 2nd January 2020, 10:00PM

Finish Time : Thursday 2nd January 2020, 7:00PM

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A thousand feet covered the familiar cream-coloured floors, reaching from every corner of the room. The air that was so often cold was now heated by the presence of three hundred students and a dozen teachers, all wearing black gowns that possessed our symbol on the front - the symbol of our identities these past few years.

The gymnasium had often been left for smaller groups of us - it wasn't built to hold so many people. Even so, we all managed to fit in rows of chairs that spanned across the hall, all looking up to the stage where our headmistress stood in a similar gown to our own. I suppose it could be said that she was one of us - but it was more so that we were all just like her.

It was the headmistress who guided us to becoming enlightened in our study from a young age, and it seemed strange that it was now the end of that journey.

I looked around. This gymnasium had been a place of training and community for a very long time - I could recall the chants that were echoed in here. I could almost hear the encouragement of every student bouncing off the colossal walls that surrounded us. I even relived the first tryouts in my head when Michael Berry was shot down, and the second tryouts when he made a great comeback with our support.

I glanced around at the faces I'll never see again - the ones who I may cross paths with again some day. Our faces beamed as the teachers shuffled through the aisles of seating, holding trays of cups for all of us. Each one of us were handed out a cup of water each to deal with the heat in the room. Once the commotion had finished, the room darkened, with the only light raining on the headmistress' greying hair.

"Students!" She bellowed, silencing the room. "It is time for the moment you have all been waiting for since you started your time here at St Samael's."

Everyone stayed silent with anticipation, clasping onto each cold plastic cup. The headmistress gestured, and every single student simultaneously fulfilled the ancient tradition of raising their cups and taking a sip - a symbol of our community. The crisp water chilled my throat and relieved me of the heat, which began to intensify as the candles on either side of the stage were lit - another tradition that marked our enlightenment to our god.

"If we could welcome the head boy and head girl onto the stage."

Thomas Grimes looked across from me, getting out of his seat, exposing his incredible height. We nodded at eachother as I followed suit, making my way from the front row to the sound of applause.

As we ascended to the last step to the stage, however, a piecing noise struck through my skin. My ears rung. I froze.

Slowly, I turned to what the sound was coming from. At first, my ears picked it up from the back corner of the room, until I noticed they were deceiving me. The bloodcurdling scream continued, along with several gasps and mutterings - even some sighs from the front row.

"It appears it's happening already..." the headmistress spoke in a low voice. She turned to me and smiled sweetly, another lit candle now placed in her hand.

I knew exactly what she was talking about.

My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness that was cascading my fellow students, and found that the scream was becoming choked and somewhat forced, still weakly screeching from the throat of straight-A student Tanya Briggs. She was unable to lie on the floor as the chairs in front of her provided such a tight space that she could only rest her head on the lap of the student next to her, writhing in pain and gasping for air.

"Is this supposed to happen so fast?" Thomas asked the headmistress in amazement, staring at the situation with curiosity.

The headmistress stayed composed.
"It has been known to happen. Though, it is quite rare."

I followed the headmistress' state of calm and felt my brain sinking in a wave of relief. By mere chance, I had been spared.

"It is a shame though," the headmistress told me quietly, "Miss Briggs was a good student. Very devoted."

The last sickening wheeze released from Tanya's mouth.

"Bring her up, if you will." The headmistress asked. The two students who had been sat on either side of Tanya stood with her in their arms - emotionlessly pulling her along the room until they reached the stage's steps.

"Come forward - it's okay." The headmistress offered her hand for help, but the two students did not need it - Tanya had been a short and thin girl after all.

Her body came into the light, soaked in blood that had escaped her mouth. Her hair, once blonde, had turned red, and the gown she wore covered any more stains that were sunken into the nebulous material. Her mouth gaped open lifelessly, exposing disintegrated teeth as the two students lowered her into the centre of the circular stage, now surrounded with lit candles. A chunk of flesh had left her mouth and had spattered onto the school emblem on her gown. I looked closer - it was her own throat.

"You two can make your speech later. This has to be done quickly." The headmistress said, ushering me and Thomas offstage, as well as the two students who had dragged Tanya's body on.

I rushed down the steps back to my seat. The moment we had waited for had arrived.

Tanya lay in the centre of the stage. The headmistress stood above her, calling out to all of us.
"Today we part as classmates and friends. Today we finally bow our heads to the mighty one himself with this gift!"

I cheered along with everyone else, clapping my hands to the beat of the drums that were approaching from the sides of the stage.

As the headmistress began to recite the words we had always been taught for this moment, every single one of us chanted along with her in our delicate language.

The flames on the candles grew bigger as we continued summoning. Tanya was our sacrifice, and this ritual would mark the end of our education at St Samael's.