After thousands of entries—and months of voting—we can finally reveal the winners of our short-story competition
Now in its eigth year, our 100-word-story competition continues to grow in popularity. The entries have flooded in during the past few months but while we’ve enjoyed reading every story, only a few can come out on top! You, our readers, voted to whittle the shortlist down to the ultimate winners—revealed overleaf. The finalists will also be published in an anthology, thanks to our sponsor Lulu
Winner
MONKEYS WITH MONEY AND GUNS
by Matt Soden, Chelmsford
Shaving the chimp and getting it into a suit was one thing, but getting it elected? Madness. Gullible, yes. The people weren’t stupid…were they? Sure, he looked like a businessman and he had even learned to talk, but what he knew about running a country you could write on the outside edge of a dollar bill—plus the animalistic urges remained. Less fiscal, more fist-full.
Let the people decide! Oh, I didn’t think…The world waited to see how this monkey business would end, as he sat beating his chest, staring at the big red button on his desk.
Runner-up
CONSIDERING THE WEATHER
by Noah Russell, Kent
Two boys lay in the grass, considering the weather. “The sun is very strong,” said one to the other. But under the tree, in amongst the roots, it was cooler. The bells of the church rang out, the sound rushing through the soil, sending bone-quivering quakes down their spines. St Mary’s stood tall in its fertile grounds, the deep, green blades surrounding it appearing like an algae-covered lagoon, spattered with engraved, jutting rocks; the central spired building, a great flint island. In the yews, blackbirds hopped from branch to twig. The boys’ headstones cast arching shadows across where they lay.
Runner-up
ENCROACHMENT
この記事は Reader's Digest UK の June 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Reader's Digest UK の June 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?