2022 FIRST SENTENCE FLASH FICTION WINNER
Prompt: A Carnival or Funfair
Prize: £200
Finalists:
Bean Sawyer, Lin Whitehouse, David Haworth, Nicolò Cavicchi, Eleanor Updegraff, Amanda Huggins, Fhionna Mac, Samantha Ryan, Maddie Logemann, Lindsey Harrington, T. Forrest Day, Lisa Vercelli, Séimí Mac Aindreasa, Shea West, Andrew Shaughnessy, Ernesto García, Marie-Louise McGuinness, Luke H. Edwards.
Honourable Mentions:
Jane Jago, Denarii Peters, Steph Percival, David Butler, J Rulton-Fox, Stephen Patmore, Beatrice Jane Hussain, Georgia May, Laura Kalab, Patrick Johnson, James Hancock, Harriet Phoenix, Debbie Wingate, M H Pitcher, Olivia Todd, Liberty Hannah, Jude Potts, Annie Blackwell, Sarah Royston, C. E. Chatelier, Florie Kong Win Chang, Matthew Tett, Joe Reynolds, Lisbeth Tull, Norma Parker Wilson, Katie Holloway, Kerr Pelto, Elizabeth McGinty, Michael Nwanolue, Julia Wood, Barlow Crassmont, Maxine Jarrett, Maria Dean, Eve Maramba, Jay McKenzie, Jo Taylor, Keshe Chow, LC Fitz-Murt, Joe Durham, Ruth Brandt, Josephine Andersen, Petrichor, J. F. Schmidt, Teodora Vamvu, Rose Lux, Linda Flynn, Julie Vinge, Elijah Patterson, Caroline Jenner, Luna Yin, Sam Bromley, Chris Morris, Sarah Bouvet, Lynne Taylor, Joan Bullion El Faghloumi, Richi Lyle, L.M. Lydon, Nimisha Kantharia, Maria Achihaitei, Peter Hankins, Lakshmy A. Krishnan, Ryle Lagonsin, Rhian Yoshikawa, Melinda Pouncey, S. E. Denny, Ann Marie Struck, Ben Krauss, Connor Donahue, Larissa Thomson, Harry Taverner, Karen Waldron, JL Theoret, Liisa Lehtio, Christie Davies, E.D.Human, Filip Chapman, Veronica Murray, Meg Fargher, Ardaschir Arguelles, Jasper Wong, Tristan Carnahan, Joanne Deluce, Thomas J. Hunston, Jonathan Splittgerber, Dan Micklethwaite, Morla Bux, Adam Morley, Sandra James, Jan Sargeant,
and the winner is…
K. L. Vincent
A Falling Star
Her doll fell first. Its cushioned arm slipped from her sticky fingers, which moments ago, tugged at cotton candy. A collective gasp rose below as her baby doll’s porcelain face shattered on the dirt ground.
She whined a little. Daddy had bought that doll on his last work trip. Her chest panged, sad to lose it. She squinted at the lights in the wheel’s center, and they reminded her she might get a new one.
“Naomi!” Nurse yelled from the swinging bench. “Oh, deary me! Hold on! How-why-oh! Stay right there!”
Her eyes wide and mouth open in a downturned smile that made Naomi want to giggle. Nurse looked like a clown they had seen earlier under the circus tent. The expression distracted Naomi for a second.
Her shoe fell next.
She never bothered to buckle those awful Mary Janes, no matter how often Nurse scolded. You must pull the strap through! That’s how respectable ladies do it. But they pinched and the buckles dug into her skin.
Naomi considered climbing back to the bench, where Nurse held her arms over its rail, her legs spread, trying not to topple. Naomi gnawed the skin of her lip, thinking. She was so close.
Daddy said he’d be with the stars. He said that’s where he’d be if she wanted to find him again, and when Naomi saw the sparkling five-pointed star smack in the middle of the Ferris wheel, she thought she’d find Daddy there. Naomi pulled and pleaded with Nurse to take her on the ride.
“Call the fire brigade!” Voices called. “Call the copper!”
Naomi could almost reach the star’s tin rim—just a few more scoots. Its lightbulbs flashed waves of red and blue even though they had stopped the wheel’s spinning. She was glad of that. It made it easier to slide down the spokes. Her toes curled around the metal, much more practical without the left shoe.
Just another step.
Her shoed foot slipped, and her stomach jumped.
Wretched Mary Janes. She yanked that one off too, and it dropped.
Another gasp came from the crowd.
Why did they watch? She was just trying to reach the star.
Naomi hooked the star’s point. She’d thought the cotton candy would help, but her fingers didn’t feel secure. The metal rim was as smooth as a melting popsicle.
Daddy would grab and pull her up. She had made it to the star, and didn’t he say that’s where he’d always be?
Men with funny black hats circled beneath her dangling feet; a big sheet stretched between them. “Come on down, Doll. We’re here to catch you!”
Sounds and smells of the fairground swelled; all the whistles and sirens, the lively carrousel music, the wafts of kettle corn and hay. Her tummy turned with the jumble.
Where was Daddy if he wasn’t in the stars?
Fingers skidded across the frame, and Naomi finally let go.
About our winner…
K. L. Vincent is originally from California and graduated with a degree in Theater Design and Anthropology from UCLA. Later, she received a master’s degree in Anthropology and Occupational Therapy in the UK. She draws on experiences throughout her life and her passion for history, travel, and culture. As a neurodivergent writer, she aspires to include this aspect in her writing and continues to pen stories whenever possible. She currently lives in France with her husband and is working on a young adult fantasy novel.
Check out her website: www.klvincentwrites.wordpress.com