The time has come for us to announce the finalists of the 7th edition of our Mini Saga Contest! We've had dozens of submissions and have carefully read and marked them all until we reached 15 semi-finalists. Thank you to everyone who entered; we have really enjoyed reading your stories!
Help us choose the 7 finalists by reading the 15 mini
sagas below and voting for your favourite story here. Public voting will be
enabled until December 9th.The jury, who will be composed of members from the
teaching staff of the English department, will judge the 7 stories that
receive the highest number of votes and award 3 prizes based on their originality
and linguistic quality. Winners will be announced on December 16th.
Mildred and Ruppert had been married for thirty years. Their passion didn’t last long. At first they cared for each other but over the time they avoided spending time together. Big little lies started; they eventually joined Tinder. A blind date. Ruppert was so excited.
- What the heck! It's Mildred!!!
A sorry ending
It’s finally over. And it
had been intense, oh dear! Intense, indeed! He would never forget it even when
it had lasted just for a few days. But what an experience! Every word, every
feeling. Oh yes, every page!, he thought as he closed the book for the last
time.
Bus to nowhere
He wanted to escape. He
packed his suitcase, slammed the door, and took the first bus to nowhere. The
destination didn´t matter. He would never go back. Never! But an hour later he
was again in front of his house. Without realizing it, he had taken the circle
route bus.
Fireworks?
People in the street and lights in the sky. The little girl was looking through the window. She didn't like the deafening noises she could hear. Her father appeared: ''Are you afraid? Don't worry honey, they are just fireworks. Come on, it's time to go to bed''. Ukraine, February 2022
Love Actually
Ana spent her life loving a
man who loved another woman that didn’t love him back, but fancied some other
to whom she never professed her feelings, thank goodness, because he was
enamoured of a green-eyed man who liked to roll in the hay with Ana every now
and then.
Mutual surveillance
I’m peeping out through the
hole. It looks like she’s sleeping, but I truly know she never lowers her guard.
She’s always on alert. If only it would stop raining, I could have a chance to
seek food. Oh no, she’s doing it again… I can’t stand her dreary purr.
Only a breath away
Only a breath, that's all I
need to take your will down.
Like I did many times
before.
To make you lay with me in
bed.
A couple of days, or even
more.
We’ll feel the heat,
We’ll lose the sense of
time.
Because I’m the FLU and
you’re mine.
Only once a year
I can´t fall asleep. I’m too
nervous. I keep tossing and turning. My dog Otto’s by my side. He can´t sleep
either. Tomorrow is the day. Only once a year. Such a big smile on my
face…Otto’s smiling too.
8:00am. Beeeeeeeep. “The
Three Kings have been here”, mum yells excitedly.
Perfectly Alone
Cameron is the type of guy
that exudes confidence effortlessly, as if he was born with
it. He’s extremely handsome,
very popular online, with piercing green eyes and a ripped body that he’s proud
to show off. Cameron lives with his blind dog and never had a relationship.
Bless Cameron.
Someone pulled the
trigger
I remained motionless on a
cold morning. It was too early and still dark. There was no escape. I found
myself surrounded by men with eager eyes. I could just hear a low voice far
away. After that, only silence. Suddenly, a shot was fired! The marathon had
just started.
Stop!
I get up early,
commute quickly
and work hard.
I have lunch on the go,
look after my kids,
and run some errands.
I do the housework,
answer the emails
and study a lot.
Utterly exhausted,
I end up the day,
closing my eyes and
making new and backbreaking
plans.
Strategic move
Beads of sweat trickled down
the rider's forehead: one false step and all the effort would be wasted. Many
had fallen and hardly anyone was left in the rear, but just as he was about to
give up, the white knight moved to d6 and the victorious player shouted:
checkmate!
Too late to wake me up
It’s really nice to see
family and friends altogether again. My graduation ceremony was the very last
time we met and since then, cousin Luna has grown a lot. They all look so close
right now. What a shame that I’m inside a coffin and I cannot kiss them all.
Ulterior motives
With death ever-present, she
embarked on an ocean-crossing expedition with the sole purpose of keeping the
lethal virus alive and managing to inoculate most of mankind. Her vials, some
little orphans.
The human chain that carried
the life-saving fluid was vital to spreading the smallpox vaccination. Isabel
Zendal's priceless legacy.
When Weather meets Time
Somewhere by the ocean.
9 am, 14ºC, soft rain.
Perfect conditions for them
to meet: medium, moderate and calm.
Weather was changeable,
temperamental, lively, 4 months pregnant.
Time was apparently
monotonous, trustable, experienced, wise.
They were meant for each
other. …
When the baby was born, they
named him Sea-son.
