~ July 2006 Contest Results ~
 

1st Place Winner:
 

BEYOND THE RIVER

 by Linda R Cook (USA)

Mama always said we lived in God’s country and that dawn was the best part of the day.  She said if you slept through the sun rise, you were just plain missin’ out.

This morning, Audrey knew what Mama meant.

Audrey glanced up as the glory of the morning unfolded.  Sun streaks of sacred white light poked long slim fingers through the branches of the Quaking Aspen trees, as though parting strands of hair, to brush and glide in wavy tresses across the water.

The magic of the morning wasn’t enough to make Audrey forget that she could scarcely feel her feet.  Chunks of ice still littered the banks of the McKenzie River and though she waded close to shore, the water suckled and lapped at her knees. 

Audrey slogged through the frigid water.  She prayed for strength to put one foot in front of the other and prayed too, that Old Man Moxon’s hounds didn’t pick up their scent.

“Mama” whispered Sammy, “I hear them dogs.” 

“Hush, baby, just hold tight to Mama’s neck, okay?  It’s not far now.” 

Audrey forced her frozen feet toward shore, jostled Sammy on her back, and started to run.

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2nd Place Winner:

UNTITLED

 by Donovan Badrock (Australia)

'Do you think they'll find us?' Mike asked, his back to Paige as he faced the river. She sat at the base of a large gum tree, too tired to answer. Fifteen seconds later she was asleep, despite the discomfort in her back. He turned to her, unsurprised to see her eyes closed. He took off his jumper, folded it as best he could, and placed it behind her head. 'It's not much,' he whispered, 'but it's something.'

He crouched beside her, looking at her face. Without realising it, he was smiling. But when tears started to fill his eyes he stood, turning to the river once more; the last thing he wanted was to wake her by crying like a child.

As he looked around, he saw for the first time how beautiful this place was.

But it was no help.

Despite the almost perfect reflections in the stillness of the water; Despite the tree branches causing the dawn sun to create golden rays of light in the surrounding mist – rays that looked like they were pointers to heaven itself – one thought kept occurring to him: 'if only this was where we'd been 24 hours ago.'

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Congratulations to both winners!

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