A plethora of talent this week. Let's sum up:
- Mimimanderly's sculptor drugs his victims and turns them to stone in her cold Marble
- More Art World terror from Antonia Woodville as her baddie seeks the perfect Still Life.
- Revenge rages sweet with Susan May James' educational tale, A Teaching.
- Sue H twists our guilt and then stabs us with it in her emotional In The Bleak Midwinter.
- Naughty Michael Solender toussles with Barbie and disabuses us of the Santa myth.
- My poem's Wasted Matchstick Girl straddles herself between lovers, spreading her unique love.
- We are frozen in an urban fantasy, victims of the Dark Elves in Aidan F's Mörkt Alven.
- A return visit from Antonia flashes us back to the lies and fear of The War Zone.
- Volcanic fallout petrifies the masses, intoxicating our souls in AJ Humpage's Vulcan Rising.
- David Barber slaps the dirty side of Hollywood in our faces with The Business.
- Diana gallops - audibly - to safety in Double Trouble, the latest in Chris Allinotte's series Diamonds.
- The Undead are threatening our senses in David Barber's new chapter. Who undied?
- Superstition, revenge and remorse gather at the crossroads of scratchypen's The Truth Will Out.
- William Davoll's The Lie is traumatising in its bluntness, and tragically evocative.
- Pixie's Forgotten Child is a tremble of despair, emotion and confusion for her tragic heroine.
The diversity of this week's offerings made the judging even more challenging than usual. I've been enjoying them all week for different reasons. Perhaps my choice is subjective tonight - I won't reveal what kind of a day I've had, but a Californian Chardonnay is my friend this evening. So...
This week's winner is AidanF's Mörkt Alven because it chilled and disturbed me with its creeping dark elves. Runner-up? Very difficult but I'm going for William again because of the unique voice and the stark depiction. Congratulations Aidan and well done William. Every single entry was brilliant, it has to be said. Please do return.
