WINNERS - CLIFFHANGER WRITING CONTEST - APRIL 2018 EDITION - PART TWO

Sponsor - Rickie O. Pauley (a.k.a. @Lymmerik)

Announcing the winners of PART TWO of the Cliffhanger Writing Contest - APRIL 2018 EDITION. There were three entries into PART TWO of the contest. Two of the three entries qualified for the 301 word count limitation. ALL THREE ENTRIES QUALIFIED FOR THE 301 WORD COUNT LIMITATION. The third had 303 words and sadly, I had to disqualify the entry. I stand corrected. Apparently, MS Word counts an ellipses (...) as a word if there is no space between it and the word. I humbly apologize to you, @eaglesprirt, for the confusion.

In the contest there are two winners. I will be awarding 5$ SBD to the Best Cliffhanger Resolution Entry, 2.5$ SBD to the Runner-up, AND I will be awarding 0.25$ SBD to the third entrant. Entrants can expect their respective award today.

Best Cliffhanger Resolution Entry 5$ SBD

@seesladen

The Devil's Curve - (The Resolution)

It was Charles who saw the path; a dim blue light that ran along the left side of the inner wall of the cave. Apart from the light, not much else was visible. Charles took one look at me and ventured forward. I followed, there was not much else either of us wanted at that point.
We walked down, following the light as far as it led. As we walked, broken shells cracked beneath our Feet. And after what seemed like the best part of fifteen minutes, we came upon it, the dark treasure in all its splendor...

It was more impressive than legend portrayed it to be. There were layers upon layers of shiny objects, piled up as far as the eyes could see. It illuminated the inner recesses of the cave, and gave the whole place the feel of nirvana.

Charles and I stood in awe, and for the first few seconds we filled up our eyes rather than the bags we had brought with us. We soon settled to the task however, and when we were satisfied that we had carried enough, we headed back for the Devil's Mouth.

That was when we saw them; illuminated by the shiny bags on our shoulders, piles of bones and skeletons lined up the path from which we had come. It took me only a split second to realize; no shells ever cracked, only the bones of men long dead, men who came after the dark treasure. I dropped my bag, and ran as fast as I could up the path to the entrance of the Devil's Mouth.
As I came upon the wall now standing where the entrance had been, I crumbled...

Maybe once a century the full moon rises, but the Devil never gives up that which he takes...

Please support @seesladen's Cliffhanger Resolution Story The Devil's Curve (The Resolution) HERE

Runner-Up Entry 2.5$ SBD - TIE

@tuwore

The White March (Resolution)

“Lisa, so that’s her name....” I cover her under my dress where the cries fall silent. The eyes of the man in front of me are scanning the room, the barrel of his gun searching for targets to aim at. Shots get fired. A painting behind us falls down and leaves behind a gaping hole. Myrthe and Laïs calmly walk towards the man, put their hands on his shoulders and offer some words I can’t hear. They always do this, and I always grant their little moment together, although we both know we can’t connect with living creatures.

The man falls to his knees. Tears fall down his cheeks, and three more bullets leave his gun, only resulting in more debris on his beautiful wooden floor. Myrthe and Laïs already retreated back to the front door, and I’m still in front of the broken man, with Lisa pressed against my chest.

“I’m so sorry, but it had to be done. It’s better this way.” I follow Myrthe and Laïs through the front door and nod at the statue of Maria as I leave. Maria gives me a smile back.

A short walk later we arrive at the open place in the woods where the full moon is placed seemingly perpendicular to the ground. I take Lisa from under my dress and gently put her on a platform of wood and moss. The three of us form a circle around her tiny body and we start dancing. Laïs and Myrthe smile like they’re the source of the moonlight themselves, and I scream from enjoyment. I feel alive. Lisa starts glowing and we watch her transform. After a minute the dance is over. Her tiny body is twitching while her eyes open to a new future.

She looks stunning in her white dress.

Please support @tuwore's Cliffhanger Resolution Story The White March (Resolution)HERE

The Espiranza-Part Two, by @eaglespirit, was disqualified with 303 words.

Runner-Up Entry 2.5$ SBD - TIE

@eaglespirit

The Esperanza - Part Two

... as Santiago got to the top deck, shots rang out and a bullet clipped his ear, blood started gushing out and he quickly ran for cover.

He yelled, "Puto take cover, they're coming ... I'll meet you at the boat!"

Javier screamed, "Cabron, God willing!"

Santiago pulled out the gun from his waistband and started shooting.

Javier scrambled to the top of the ship's main deck.

Santiago ran to the side of the ship and dove off into the dark sea water. He swam fast knowing sharks hunted these waters, and made it to their getaway boat safely.

Javier tucked the treasure map into his shirt and ran. Shots rang out and a few men came at him with swords. He dove off the back of the ship and swam as fast as he could to the getaway location.

As he got to the boat, Santiago helped him up when a shot rang out and killed their man Miguel.

The pirates were coming and they knew they had little time. The small group of men sailed out of the bodega in record time. The pirate ship barely had enough time to get their sails up.

That night a thunderstorm ripped the small boat to shreds and one of the men went missing. They drifted on a makeshift platform for a few days, until they got to Palmyra Atoll.

Only four of the eight men reached land, but they found coconut and fresh water along the route of the map. They made it to the treasure location and found it in an underwater cave.

Once they got to the treasure location they could see the gold glistening as the light hit the bright coins through a top crack in the cave. They all hugged and celebrated knowing their days as slaves was over.

Please support @eaglespirit's Cliffhanger Resolution Story The Esperanza Part Two HERE

Again, @eaglespirit, please accept my humble apology.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings!

@Lymmerik