ZD Writing Competition: Round 26

Jirohnagi · Dec 1, 2019

Heya all and welcome to the 26th round of the Writing competition, I'm your host returned once more from banishment in the icy netherhalls of stories past and as such I think it's appropriate.

The Theme of this Month:
Tales of Christmas Past

For those who are not sure, the story can fictional or non fictional, set in any time so long as it's from the past of your main character.

{I've been asked to keep this open for one more day for entries to be input, if you wish to enter please do so by the end of the day (23rd 11:59UTC)}

You will have from Sunday 1st of December until Monday the 23rd. Voting will Commence on the 24th and last til the 30th and Results will be announced on the 31st.
Please send in all Stories via PM and remember not to tell everyone that you are entering.

I hope y'all have a wonderful month ahead of you.

As a side note i've decided to merge the three forum threads i usually make in regards the writing competition into one thread for easier accessibility for myself and others who wish to see this

Jirohnagi · Dec 1, 2019

Voting has been suspended.

Jirohnagi · Dec 1, 2019

Heya all due to the christmas season, we've had a dearth of entries but one user stepped up to submit an entry and as such they've won Decembers Writing Competition.

The theme of the month was:
Tales of Christmas Past

Davan blinked twice to clear the sleet from his eyes, cursing his luck. The maelstrom of ice and wind in Rykana had been a problem the entire expedition, and it had only gotten worse as time went on. He was unsure what was worse; the numbness in his hands and feet or the numbness of losing the last of his expedition.

Rykana was always cold, but that was not the problem. Cold was a known factor. Cold could be prepared for. A blizzard as strong as a hurricane smashing their airship across the cliffside? Nobody could have foreseen that. The other six members of the expedition succumbing to frostbite and more mundane injuries in the days after the crash? While a horrible reality to deal with and not one that was ever anticipated by the Expeditionary Guild, it was not a surprise to Davan, and he found himself wondering when his time would come as the shards of ice clawed and tore at what little of his face was exposed to the elements.

After a period of time that might have been mere moments or a dozen hours, he noticed something begin to take shape though the swirling curtain of sleet and snow, something hauntingly yet reassuringly familiar. If he had any fire left in his bones, he would have started with surprise. As it was, though, he shifted to the left and trudged toward the blurry outline of what he knew deep in his heart was a safe place.

Placing all his weight into the old wooden door, the ice sealing it shut gave way with a creak-SNAP. Davan looked around at the familiar surroundings where the first Rykana expedition based itself out of, nearly a decade ago. Staggering upwards to slam the door shut once more, he took a more through look at his surroundings. Years of absence had not been kind to the interior of the cabin, but there were beds that would serve, and well as some scattered tinned rations that might still be edible.

*********************

As he sat by the fire now blossoming in the old pit, feeling and warmth slowly restored themselves to his extremities. Numbly, for the first time since the winds dashed the ship against the rocks he allowed himself to exhale the weight of the world that had been placed on his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something that only now cast a shadow with the light from the flames; an old leather-bound book, covered in rime and rot.

The old expedition log? Here? Impossible! Davan reached out and carefully opened it gently so as to prevent the tome from disintegrating in his hands. As his eyes scanned the words on the page, he felt warmth return not to just his limbs, but to his very soul.

We've been out here for two months now. They told us the area was cold, but nothing could have prepared us for how it feels. The passage of time seems like a figment of another world, here. The rest of us had lost track of what day it was, but not Davan. To us it was another day of geological surveys and botanical research, but to him it was special. He woke us up early by lugging in the widest Silver-Pine I'd ever seen into the cabin. I can remember the commotion so clearly. Kural shouted at him that we didn't need to do out botany indoors and Davan shot him right back down: today was a day of leisure and camaraderie, of friendship and company. We're the only humans in these ice fields, and damn if we weren't going to enjoy a day off for once. It's hard to believe it took leaving all known civilization for months to get him to loosen up enough to enjoy a party with his friends.

Log entry: Sahreena Argent, 25-12-105 A.E.

So can we all please Congratulate @Terminus for winning this months Writing competion.

I shall see you all next time for the Writing Competition.