Reminder: Spectator short story competition

White English working class heterosexual male

Ah, invisibility: a subject I'm well qualified to write about.

McKenzie

I started to write this, but someone has told me that they would never print it in a million years. So I will paste it here, and if anyone would like it to be finished let me know.

The Invisible Griffin.

Opinicus Watched the sun bloom across the orange horizon and waited patiently for the shadow to melt from his cold face. It was the same everyday at this time of year, but he preferred it to the dark winter mornings that left the ice to graft his face for weeks and weeks. It would not be long before the town would wake as it did every day for as long as he could ever remember. There was something different about this morning; the sun was taking longer to slip past the tower across the street. There was new a shape in the distance, getting steadily bigger. He had seen this before and the memory of it was raining in when suddenly both the memory and the reality were upon him at once.
“Gryphos”, he barked, his voice gruff and coarse from centuries of silence.
“What brings you here”, he asked in a more steady voice, trying to show confidence and attention.
Opinicus had once adorned the tower at the Palace of kings before he set the turn of ages against him by uttering the sacred word. It was Gryphos who had set the penalty, 500 years set in stone atop the very tower he now adorned. It was the worse fate a Griffin could face. It was as though he was invisible, and this is a terrible thing for such a legendary creature, with a body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Griffins were known since the beginning of time for their passion for guarding treasure. As the lion was considered the king of the beasts and the Eagle the king of the birds, the Griffin was always considered a majestic and powerful creature.
“I don’t have much time Opinicus, so I will get straight to the point”, Gryphos knew that soon enough the town would be waking and Griffins have never let themselves be seen for hundreds of years, not since the uttering of the sacred word.
“There is trouble in the Palace of Kings”, said Gryphos.
“Lord Mandelrot has summoned the ten deaths of revenge and the people are in a terrible state of readction. The gates of Parlayvoo have been compromised and the people are exposed to the wastelands of Overwhelm.”
Opinicus felt the his stone face crack, and he immediately stifled the instinctive growl that gave the Griffins a fierce reputation.
“You were warned of this Gryphos, Zenoch the bold one spoke of this many times in the council of chambers.”
Opinicus could feel his wings shudder, and he was aware of the of the fact that he was no longer set in stone.
“The people of the lower kingdoms have buried the curse and have set the fourth legion into the wilderness. The spirit of Zenoch has rose amongst them and they have elected you to fight the red curse in the Union Halls.”
Opinicus knew what this meant. For one hundred and ninety five years he had sat, invisible on top of this church tower, waiting patiently for this day to arrive. No pen could paint the joy of it. The elders of both houses were at each other’s throats, and the fourth legion was in a state of perplexed confusion. He had always known this would eventually happen, but things have changed. He had seen the seasons come and go, watched the people down below and studied them for many years. He had learned many things about the nature of man, and the cold, still isolation of loneliness and exposure was paradoxical but somehow invigorating. He was the invisible beast for all to see.

George Laird

Dear whoever

Who is on the judging panel?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Manoj Mishra

When is the winner going to be announced?

Manoj Mishra

When is the winner going to be announced?

Paul Hughes

and how?

Paul Hughes

??

Could we have some kind of announcement on this? When and where will it be announced?

Shelagh Foster Whitby

Have the winners been announced? I can't find any information about this anywhere?

Julia B

It has only been a month...a short time for judging, especially in the busy holiday months. But I would love to know how many entries they had etc....I love all that judging process info.....

PeterDuffell

When is the winner of the Short Story Competition to be announced. Its been a long wait. Peter Duffell

Sam Bell

Did the short story competition die a death?
Pity-I was sure I had won!