Young Writers Society

Tim woke up to the sound of many different creatures and objects at work. He heard the birds singing, he heard the kettle whistling, and he heard his grandmother arguing with somebody downstairs.

“Oh boy, he thought, what has happened now?”

He made his way downstairs and heard the front door slam. His grandmother was sitting down at the kitchen table, shaking her head slowly. He sat down and asked her what happened.

She looked up and said, “Oh, hello dear. It was just Mr. Porkrind again, boasting about how his pigs will win him the Best Farmer Award.” She scoffed. “If that clown thinks that his pigs can win against my beautiful, well taken care of chickens, he’s got another thing coming! Speaking of which, could you help me with the chores again dear?”

Tim gave a sigh of relief. He was glad that the only conflict in his rural town was who would win the award for the best farmer. He stood up and started the daily chores. Let the chickens out to feed, clean the barn, collect the eggs, feed and groom the chickens, chop firewood, eat, and have some down time. It was the same schedule everyday and Tim liked it that way.

Tonight was different however. Tim was going to go on a date with his girlfriend Sally, the cowherd’s daughter from across the street, so today’s chores went faster than usual. When all the chores and date preparations were finished, the sun was setting and Tim was almost ready.

“So what are you and Sally going to do on your date?” Tim’s grandmother asked.

“I was going to take her to a picnic on top of Lover’s Cliff.” Tim replied. 

“Well in that case, here is the picnic basket. I already prepared some finger sandwiches for you two. They’re your favorites, apple cinnamon, cucumber, and egg salad! I also baked my famous cookies and put them in there too. Oh! And why don’t you bring your boxing gloves and training dummy? You can impress her with your strength if you can’t think of a conversation topic!”

“Grandma, please. I don’t think that last part is necessary.”

“Oh, pishposh. I want her to see how strong you are! Girls love a strong man!”

“Alright Grandma, I’ll bring the boxing gloves and training dummy too.”

Tim and Sally met up on Lover’s Cliff like they planned. They ate their food and had a good laugh with each other. Then Sally looked down at her necklace and pointed to the diamond in the center.

“Do you see this necklace? This was my mother’s parting gift. She told me that there was something special about this necklace, and she wanted me to discover it.” Sally stood up. “Someday, I hope I can figure out this diamond’s special meaning.”

Tim stared at the diamond with the same amount of wonder in Sally’s eyes, then stood up and said, “It’s getting late. We should head back.” 

The two of them were about to do just that when all of a sudden, an earthquake initiated. The two were knocked down on the ground and were staring at the bottom of the cliff below. A portal appeared in that space and a strange black creature flew out of it. He was completely pitch black like a shadow, and his eyes were large and white. He floated upwards and looked down at the astonished couple. His eyes floated to the necklace on Sally’s neck and flashed a menacing smile. Then as if by magic, he pulled the necklace (and Sally) towards him. He grabbed Sally and flew down to the portal. Sally screamed out, “TIIIIIIIIIIIM!” as she plummeted down into the portal. Tim stood up, a little bit dazed and confused. A thousand different thoughts filled his mind as to process the situation. Finally, with determination and courage, he equipped his boxing gloves and dove into the portal after the creature in order to save Sally.