Halloweensie Contest!

I'm entering Susanna Leonard Hill's Halloweensie contest this year.  The challenge is to write a story with the words "spooky", "black cat", and "cackle" in 100 words or less.  Here's my attempt.

Cackle (100 words)

Spooky the black cat coughed.  Why was she always sick on Halloween?   She cleared her throat and sputtered.  Today she would compete in the cackling cat contest. How would she win, if she couldn’t even meow?
Spooky sipped tea with lemon.  Uggghh!  She spat it out.  Whoever said tea was helpful for a cold?  Spooky hissed into the mirror.  She still looked like a scary black cat, even if she didn’t sound like one. She joined the cat circle and arched her back. Spooky’s scratchy, croaky cackle made the other cats shiver.  Perhaps being sick wasn’t so bad, after all.
Happy Halloween!!!


60 comments:

  1. Susanna Leonard HillOctober 28, 2013 at 9:32 AM

    Excellent job, Kirsti! Very creative use of the words, and I'm glad Spooky got the last, er, cackle :) Thanks so much for joining the brew-ha-ha! :)

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    1. KirstiOctober 28, 2013 at 10:55 AM

      This is the first contest I've entered in a very long time. It was a lot of fun, Susanna!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousOctober 28, 2013 at 10:51 AM

    Perfect!

    I mean purr-fect!

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  3. Cheryl SecombOctober 28, 2013 at 10:57 AM

    This is adorable! Great job, Kirsti. :-)

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  4. AnonymousOctober 28, 2013 at 11:21 AM

    Neat idea - would enjoy this as a 32-pager too!

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  5. Beth StilbornOctober 28, 2013 at 11:23 AM

    Delightful story! Well done!

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  6. Heather DentOctober 28, 2013 at 1:40 PM

    As someone just getting over a cold I completely relate to this one! Well done.

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  7. KirstiOctober 28, 2013 at 1:51 PM

    Thanks Heather, thanks for making me laugh!

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  8. Stacy CouchOctober 28, 2013 at 2:39 PM

    A cat cackling contest--what a great idea! Nice wordplay too.

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  9. Donna L SaddOctober 28, 2013 at 2:55 PM

    Cackling cool, Kirsti. I can see this as a book too. :0)

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  10. Mike AllegraOctober 28, 2013 at 3:37 PM

    Great story! And it makes perfect sense. I, for one, am always scared to be around sick people.

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  11. Lauri MeyersOctober 28, 2013 at 4:34 PM

    Ooh, the scratchy cackle gave me chills!

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    1. KirstiOctober 28, 2013 at 5:04 PM

      Thanks Lauri, I'm glad the story is appropriately Halloweensie:)

      Delete
  12. Stacy S. JensenOctober 28, 2013 at 5:27 PM

    This may be the only time when being sick works to your advantage! Go Spooky!

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  13. Robyn CampbellOctober 28, 2013 at 8:26 PM

    What a super funtastical story! Your word use was simply ingenious! Great job!

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  14. Carrie BrownOctober 28, 2013 at 8:48 PM

    Cuute! And so hard to write a story in 100 words! I'm impressed!

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    1. KirstiOctober 29, 2013 at 8:41 AM

      Thanks Carrie. This is my first contest in a very LONG time, so it was fun to give it a try.

      Delete
  15. Vivian KirkfieldOctober 29, 2013 at 12:14 AM

    So lovely to meet you, Kirsti! Susanna's contests are wonderful...and your story is great! Very clever how the cat's cold is PURRFECT for the cackle-effect.:)

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    1. KirstiOctober 29, 2013 at 8:40 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. KirstiOctober 29, 2013 at 8:42 AM

      Oops! Thanks Vivian, this was a lot of fun and I'm sure I won't be able to resist entering the contest again next year:)

      Delete
  16. JannaTWritesOctober 29, 2013 at 1:57 AM

    Cute story! Sometimes the raspy cold can give you a scary edge :)

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    1. KirstiOctober 29, 2013 at 8:42 AM

      I agree, I know I sound scary when I have a cold!

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  17. AnonymousOctober 29, 2013 at 9:19 AM

    So cute! I love how you worked in a cold and scratchy throat for Spooky's spookiness!

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  18. Michelle Heidenrich BarnesOctober 29, 2013 at 10:26 AM

    Yep, a cackly, crackly voice is pretty much the best thing there is about colds, isn't it. Great job!

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  19. GrannymarOctober 29, 2013 at 11:02 AM

    Spooky’s scratchy, croaky cackle sounds like my singing! ;) I enjoyed reading your entry!

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  20. clarbojahnOctober 29, 2013 at 2:43 PM

    Love your twist on an old tale. So cute! :)

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  21. Buffy SilvermanOctober 29, 2013 at 2:49 PM

    Fun story, Kirsti. Spooky perfected the art of making lemonade out of life's lemons (or lemon tea?)

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  22. JoannaOctober 29, 2013 at 4:10 PM

    I do hope Sppoky won!

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  23. Margaret G.October 29, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    Loved this! What a creative idea -- a cackling cat contest!

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    1. KirstiOctober 29, 2013 at 10:10 PM

      Thanks for taking the time to read this Margaret!

      Delete
  24. Rachel SchieffelbeinOctober 29, 2013 at 10:56 PM

    Super cute! :)

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  25. PamOctober 29, 2013 at 11:46 PM

    Ohhhh so good! Very good. So glad I stopped.

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  26. KirstiOctober 30, 2013 at 6:33 AM

    Yay!

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  27. Author AmokOctober 30, 2013 at 12:16 PM

    I think you have the set-up for a picture book here!

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  28. Catherine ConstanceOctober 30, 2013 at 12:18 PM

    Lovely story..good for Spooky :)

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  29. PamBrunskillOctober 30, 2013 at 7:10 PM

    Such a cute story. Happy for Spooky!

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  30. Carrie FOctober 30, 2013 at 11:22 PM

    Cute story, Kirsti!

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  31. KirstiOctober 31, 2013 at 6:39 AM

    I'm glad you think so, Carrie!

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  32. Jarm Del BoccioOctober 31, 2013 at 1:40 PM

    Very cute, Kristi. . .a nice twist!

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  33. whodatkcatNovember 1, 2013 at 7:25 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  34. KeilaNovember 1, 2013 at 7:28 PM

    Clever! A cat with a cold. Good luck.

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