DFQMND - A Midsummer Night's Dream Writing Contest

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A new writing challenge

from

The Dark Fairy Queen

So here are the details:

It is summer, a faint breeze blows, and the leaves are rustling. As dusk falls, the fireflies glow in a distant meadow. Have you not felt the magic of a summer night? Your story should.

Let us celebrate a midsummer night by creating 400 words.

For your theme, your story must take place, at least in part, on a summer evening. Also, choose one from the following list:
  Dreams
  Fairytales
  Myths

Your story should be posted on your personal blog or a friend’s and linked up with the Inlinkz tool (which opens July 15).

Note: The contest opens at midnight CST on July 15 and continues till midnight July 31. 

Prizes will be announced in a future post. You only have two weeks once the contest opens on July 15, what are you waiting for?

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This is more of a traditional fairy tale...

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Deirdre's Dream


    Exhausted, Deirdre fell to the ground and began to weep. "I'll never find my way home!" She sat wiping her tears, thinking how foolish it had been to venture into the deepest part of the woods alone. It was morning when she had left, and now the first stars were sparkling in the evening sky. In the air around her, fireflies now signaled their presence, while on the ground, glowworms answered in kind. As her tired eyes began to close, their rhythmic blinking and the warm summer air soon lulled her to sleep.
    She did not slumber long, however, as a curious noise disturbed her dreams. She rubbed her eyes and saw little lights all around her, but they did not flash. When she looked closer, each was a glowworm held up like a lantern by a tiny being complete with gossamer wings. Their voices, so high-pitched, sounded like insects buzzing.
    "I must be dreaming," she said, "but it's such a beautiful dream I don't think I want to wake up."
    In front of her, their lanterns formed two lines stretching into the forest as if marking a trail. Behind her, a glimmering carpet covered the ground from hundreds of the little creatures. They began to march toward her, and when she jumped away from them, they followed. The only path she could see was that marked by the rows of lights. As she stumbled along, the lights extended ahead of her as those behind melted into the glowing mass dogging her footsteps.
     She started to run and yelled, "Leave me alone!" With fireflies flashing around her, Deirdre raced through the forest as the tiny army closed in from behind. She ran until she collapsed, her heart beating madly, knowing the little creatures would soon catch her.
    But they stopped.
    Too tired to wonder why, she curled up on the ground and, in time, fell asleep.
    Just before dawn, she awoke to the sounds from a house, of people moving about. It was her house, with her family gathering outside to start a search.
    She looked back to the woods. Only a few fireflies circled among the branches. Slowly, a smile came to Deirdre's face. She raised her hand and said, "Thank you."
    In unison, they gave one brilliant flash like silent lightning, then all went dark.
    Her smile grew wider as she whispered, "I'm home now."

(Word count without title: 397)

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Just so it's easy to read the works of others who have entered, here are the links:

1.	Unicorns are Evil! by Spencer Stoner	12.	Assur - Jules Vilmur	23.	Dreaming Just Enough - Olif
2.	The Princess and the Whispering Pines	13.	Welcome Home, Sister - Mark Ethridge	24.	The Exhibit by Eilís Phillips
3.	A Midsummer Nightmare	14.	Caught in a Midsummer Night's Dream - Toni Jayce	25.	https://mercurialwind.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/of-stars-and-silence/
4.	Lisa Cresswell	15.	Breaking Down on MidSummer	26.	A Resurgence of Magic, by Matt Sloan
5.	The Ugly Duckling - Michael Wombat	16.	Stolen Dreams by S.M. Lowry	27.	http://wp.me/p1q2eD-Ya
6.	Maidenhead - Alison DeLuca	17.	Lisa Shambrook	28.	January in Sunset, by J.T. Ellis
7.	Waiting for Annabel Lee-Beth Avery	18.	Listen by Dr. Pete	29.	Mother May I, by Lyndsay E. Gilbert
8.	Deirdre's Dream by K. R. Smith	19.	Dreams (random9q / Talia Loos)	30.	https://upinyourglitter.wordpress.com/2015/08/06/t
9.	Miranda Kate	20.	drmagoo	31.	The Beach Bar - Dave James Ashton
10.	The Coming Winter - KJ Collard	21.	Daniel Swensen	32.	Only. Endure.
11.	Christina Krieger	22.	Huckleberries and Hope	33.	Jeff Tsuruoka

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Looking for a summer beach read? Here's a new romance/suspense novella from Terri Deno (Kindle format):

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