Edhat Staff
Update by edhat staff
October 30, 2021
Happy Halloween! Our panel of spooky judges received a record-breaking entry of stories from very talented edhat writers and even some local students. Congratulations to everyone who competed and submitted their stories, we were very impressed!
Let’s meet the judges:
Sue Foley is an environmental consultant, amateur cornhole enthusiast, and former dedicated staff member of edhat.com. She’s celebrating Halloween this year by stocking up on candy corn and watching reruns of Dynasty.
Lauren Bray is the Publisher of edhat.com and a fan of super scary movies. She’s celebrating Halloween this year by stocking up on Snickers bar and watching the scariest movies she can think of: Hotel Transylvania 1, 2, and 3.
Ed is the boss and he’s indifferent about commercial holidays but greatly enjoys candy and social-commentary-inspired costumes.
The judges rated each story on a scale of 1 to 5 and every story has the same beginning and must include the phrases: zombie, Mission Rose Garden, and candy corn. This year’s winner received the top combined score to win our annual Edhat Halloween Story Writing Contest.
Love, Roses, and the Corporeally-Challenged
By Jeremy Gold
The neighborhood feels different tonight. No one is out walking their dog, lights are off in every home, and the moon has a creepy bluish glow to it. Another person or animal hasn’t been seen in blocks. I continue on my nightly walk when I hear the sound of crunching leaves behind me. Given the state of the world and that it’s two o’clock in the morning, I should be scared, but I recognize the cadence of the slow, dragging footsteps and sound of the low, guttural utterances.
“Hey, Zack,” I say.
“Achh,” he replies.
Zombies—or as I like to refer to them, the corporeally-challenged—lose the ability to speak moments after they become infected. They’re largely deaf, and their sense of touch is almost non-existent. Their eyesight is poor as well—Dr. Fauci recommends glasses—but what I’m I going to do, drag him to an optometrist?
Zack used to live amongst the oak trees at the top of Rocky Nook Park but a couple of months ago, moved to underneath the Mission Canyon Bridge. I’ve tried explaining about the perils of living in a creek bed in Santa Barbara in October, but he likes being closer to the Mission Rose Garden. Not only do he and his girlfriend, Cheryl, find the fragrances irresistible, they love rolling down the long expanse of wet grass late at night. The two met a couple of months ago and have been together ever since. I’d attach photos but digital images of the corporeal-challenged fade quickly on cell phones.
Across the lawn, I spot Cheryl sniffing her favorite roses, the Julia Childs. Cheryl may not be able to see us but there’s nothing wrong with her nose. Nonetheless, Zack grunts and starts waving his arms and eventually she looks up and starts dragging herself in our direction.
The three of us meet in the middle of the lawn and sit down to eat. The grass is covered in dew, the temperature’s dipped below fifty, and my two barefooted dinner guests are wearing thin, raggedy tee-shirts over torn jeans. They can’t feel the cold and are excited.
Few people risk venturing outside after dark anymore, and apart from Zack and Cheryl, I haven’t seen a soul since I left the house a half hour ago. The stars have never shined brighter—at least in my lifetime—since the pandemic.
I unzip the top of my pack, reach inside, and pull out a couple of raw T-bones dotted with Halloween candy. Zacks likes his meat spiked with candy corn; Cheryl prefers M&Ms—though not the blue ones. Her eyesight is off-the-charts abysmal, but inexplicably, the woman hates the color blue. Go figure. Owing to poor oral hygiene and a loss of teeth they can’t properly chew their food anymore but attack their steaks with gusto.
A couple of weeks back, I creamed their dinners in a Vitamix but most of the thick sludge ended up on their shirts. The sippy cups didn’t help. Just as well, they like their steaks raw and intact, and I enjoy watching them eat.
Zack finally chokes down his last bite, belches and looks up at me with a wide grin, light from the weird moon reflecting off of the bits of red, yellow, and white food stuck between his five or six remaining teeth. I grin back.
My brother may have been an anti-vaxxer but he’s still my brother and I’ll always love the guy.
Congratulations Jeremy! You’ve won a $50 gift card to Restaurant Connection for a delivered meal from a local restaurant.
And congratulations to all our honorable mentions who also received high scores. Read the honorable mention stories below (in no particular order):
Original Post
By edhat staff
October 1, 2021
The spooky season is upon us and we’re back with our annual Halloween Story Writing Contest. Creative edhatters from Santa Barbara County and beyond continue to amaze us with their innovative and eerie imaginations. Whether you’re a longtime submitter or a first-time writer, we encourage you all to dust off that fountain pen, grab a sheet of parchment, and start writing. Plus, we have a great gift card in store for the winner! As usual, we’ve given you a head start.
Here are the rules:
This contest is open to everyone, students included! One story per person, please.
Entries can be no longer than 666 words (including the provided beginning), should be suitable for all ages (PG content, please), must include the opening we have provided, and contain the following three words or phrases:
- Zombie
- Mission Rose Garden
- Candy Corn
Your story can be scary or funny or something in between. All entries will be judged by an esteemed panel based on the following criteria:
- Word count (666 words)
- Inclusion of the required beginning and words/phrases (see below)
- If the judges like it
Send your entry to ed@edhat.com by Midnight, 10-24-21. Enter “Halloween Writing Contest” in the subject line. Please include your name. The winner will be announced and the winning story posted on Saturday, 10-30-21. Honorable Mention stories will also be posted.
PRIZE
The first-place winner will win a gift card to a local business. Ed will decide any ties.
Here’s the beginning of the story…good luck!
Story Prompt
The neighborhood feels different tonight. No one is out walking their dog, lights are off in every home, and the moon has this creepy blue’ish glow to it. Another person or animal hasn’t been seen in blocks. I continue on my nightly walk when I hear the sound of crunching leaves behind me.
