Paragraph contest

[ponytail]

I will put in the next starting sentence for this weeks new paragraph contest...

Lightning cracked across the sky and a fitful wind began to stir the dead leaves next to the old shack.

[bacali]

Lightning cracked across the sky and a fitful wind began to stir the dead leaves next to the old shack.
Thank God this old shack had a fireplace or Annie would certainly have frozen last night
The temperature had dipped way past freezing, and with the wind howling Annie was really cold.
Now, with the dawn, it had warmed a bit, but, this lightning made Annie very afraid.
Where was her Daddy? He left a few days ago and promised he'd be back very soon.
It was all her fault. She just knew it.
She hadn't listened to him when he told her ...again...."Don't go into the woods !!!". But, being an adventuresome little girl, of course she didn't listen.
Annie had fallen and really hurt her leg. She couldn't walk, so it was definitely broken
Storms like the one right now had been happening for days and knocked out the telephone lines.
They needed help and fast, and Mr. Jenkins wasn't coming back for 3 weeks to pick them up.
Daddy told her to stay there and he would go for help. This time she listened to him !
This trip to an isolated island  was supposed to be fun , but, thanks to Annie, both she and Daddy were in danger..
Oh how she wished she had been a better little girl and obeyed !
Now... maybe Daddy was in trouble.
Annie trembled as the lightning cracked again.
With tears rolling down her face , she promised God that from now on she would always, always pay attention to her Daddy... oh how she wished this storm would stop !

[Snowbird]

Lightning cracked across the sky and a fitful wind began to stir the dead leaves next to the old shack.  This would be Martin's home for as long as he could hold out here.  He had been here only once in his life and that was the time he and his grandfather had come upon it while hunting years ago.  They entered it for shelter during a storm just like this one but the storm was nothing compared to what he feared most.  He entered the shack and placed his shotgun and rifle carefully on the old table that still stood after all these years.  He looked around at his new home, at the fireplace, the pots and pan, the old mattress in the corner and thought of his nice home he had to leave.  He knew they would have soon come for him as they had already started going from house to house and taking guns, bow and arrows, and taking some people away with them.  Martin had tried to organize the people when the government had closed all the churches and taken over the newspapers  but people were either afraid or didn't want to get involved.  Martin knew if he didn't flee they would take him away too so he left the comforts of his home.  His only hope now was to lay low and hope that some way, somehow there would be freedom in his country again. 

[Outlast]

^^^
  Snowbird!


Lightning cracked across the sky and a fitful wind began to stir the dead leaves next to the old shack. Little Lila squared her little shoulders and crept fearfully towards the door. So the other kids thought she was a baby, thought that she was too young to play with them, well she would show them! Not one of the big kids was brave enough to even go near old man Wheaton's place, every kid in town feared him, but she, but SHE 'little' Lila was going to go right up his door and she was going to knock on it. At first the only things knocking were her own knees as she stood on the little porch, but desperation made her brave and she raised her shaking little fist and knocked on the door. For the longest time no one answered and she was glad, but then she heard them... slow ...shuffling ...footsteps! The door opened... a man stood in the doorway. A cranky looking old man with a long white beard, wearing a shabby flannel robe over shabby pink bunny slippers; the man glowered at her (she'd read about people glowering before in books, but never realized how frightening it could be!) and then something strange happened. The old man's face shook and quivered and finally Lila realized that he was trying so very hard not to laugh! The old man grinned at her, "Well kid, I guess my cover has finally been blown. Too bad, I really enjoy my peace and quiet and having all the neighborhood kids scared of me was working a treat until you came along. But bravery, as my own father once told me, should be rewarded. Do you by any chance like to read, little girl?" Lila nodded eagerly, "Well then," the old man said, turning sideways so that Lila could see into the room beyond which was absolutely piled with books, "You may choose any book you like from my shelves and when you finish that book you can come back for another and another... whenever you like and let me tell you, you'll find ever so much more on my shelves than they have in the rinky-dink little library the town council never seems to have the funds to fix up." The old man smiled at her and it seemed to Lila that he wasn't so old or so shabby anymore. In fact he turned out to be rather a nice old man after all.

[ponytail]

Lightning cracked across the sky and a fitful wind began to stir the dead leaves next to the old shack. Pete looked at the looming clouds closing in from the west and crossed his fingers. Maybe this time their luck would hold, maybe this time they would actually get some rain. He ran his eyes over the scraggly rows of corn stalks bending in crazily towards each other. Not much there, maybe not even enough to matter if the rains did fall tonight. This used to be a valley of plenty but no more, not since he was a little boy of 7 years. Year after year of drought had taken it's toll on the land, the people, and their spirit. Pete turned, stirring up puffs of dust with each footfall, and started back. The wind strengthened suddenly, and with it came the fresh smell of rain. A drop of water hit his shoulder, and then another.

[ponytail]

The winner of this week's paragraph contest is....Snowbird! Congratulations lady! I have always been a sucker for doomsday stories.... You may put up the starting sentence for a new one.

[Snowbird]

Thank you Ponytail.  I am honored.

The started sentence will be: When they started courting, her family tried to warn her, but she knew better.

[Outlast]

When they started courting, her family tried to warn her, but she knew better. Vampires indeed! As she'd tried to explain to her family, Transylvania was a real place, not some fictitious land full of blood sucking monsters and her Vlad was from a very old and distinguished family, a family which had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with vampires! The Dracul dynasty had long suffered from this false association with the story of Dracula thanks to author Bram Stoker, who had shamelessly used his family, specifically his famous ancestor of the same name, Vlad Tepes, as a basis for his novel. Her Vlad told her that her family would react this way. He and his family have been experiencing this kind of prejudice for over one hundred years now thanks to Stoker. Now here she was, a lowly American girl living in a fairytale (if somewhat dilapidated) castle... she should be happy. She'd expected to be happy! But her husband had changed. No longer did he court her favor or compliment her small beauty. He rarely even left the castle grounds! And he wouldn't allow her to leave either. He seemed to be obsessed with some ancient book he found behind a wall shortly before he'd come to America where he met her a few years ago and it was truly startling to his wife just how much her husband resembled the portrait of his infamous ancestor, Vlad Tepes, popularly known as Vlad the Impaler and notoriously known as Count Dracula.

[Snowbird]

When they started courting, her family tried to warn her, but she knew better.  Now here she was 39 years later, trying to look bereaved, accepting all the condolences, still pretending while wearing her new black dress she bought for the occasion.  She wished she had not paid so much for the coffin but she was afraid if she had purchased the cheaper one people would think she had not cared for him. but what she really wanted to do was spend that money the miserable miser had tucked away on herself.  But she would with what was left.  As soon as a little time had passed she was going to town and buy her some pretty clothes, maybe a necklace or two, maybe even some red shoes.  Then she would be free and wouldn't have to pretend anymore.   As she looked down at that stone-cold hard face she thought to herself, "Why did you wait so long?"

[Snowbird]

And our winner is Outlast

[Outlast]

I'll try something slightly different and hope it doesn't blow up in my face.

Insert any former Survivors name here looked around in astonishment, "Wow! They've really changed-up the Survivor format this season..."

[ponytail]

Rupert looked around in astonishment, "Wow! They've really changed up the Survivor format this season..." In the distance he could see a large cornucopia loaded up with weapons, food stuffs, and creature comforts a la Hunger Games. His fellow contestants were perched on pedestals surrounding the display, and some of them looked very, very determined. A horn blasted, and everyone made a beeline for the center, but Rupert noticed a small bag close by and opted for that, hoping to make it to the fringe of the jungle before all hell broke loose.

(With apologies to both shows!)

[Snowbird]

Izzy  looked around in astonishment, "Wow! They've really changed-up the Survivor format this season..."  They had all been dropped in the middle of a jungle somewhere in South America.  There was no beach in site as there had been in the previous shows.  Now Jeff gathered them together by a murky river.  "This year," he began, "there will be no immunity challenge.  Instead we have what we call a survival challenge and you will understand why when  I explain.  First you must swim across this river with flesh eating fish and maybe an alligator or two.  Those who make it across alive will then use a rope to cross a deep gorge.  Those who do not fall from the rope will be the winners of this challenge and will continue playing the game.  Good luck.  I will meet the ones who survive on the other side of the gorge."   

[Outlast]

Coach looked around in astonishment, "Wow! They've really changed-up the Survivor format this season... The indomitable Dragon Slayer grinned as the flames licked at his feet. This was his kind of adventure. Outside the burning ship Jeff Probst got his cue from production... "I'm standing in front of The Mary Wade a famous cargo ship anchored in Brisbane harbor. Inside are 100 of the most entertaining and notorious past Survivor players and as you can see the game has already started as we have set the derelict ship alight and let the 100 Survivors the exact tools they'll need in order to escape. The first 16 to do so will be the official contestants of Survivor: Extreme! Australia..."



Parvati looked around in astonishment, "Wow! They've really changed-up the Survivor format this season..." she tugged at her prairie bonnet and hoisted her hoe. "Like how am I supposed to play if I have to wear this Little House on the Prairie outfit all the time? And where are all the cute boys? The only people I've seen since we started are Twila and Tina and Holly and Jane and... "
   


Colby looked around in astonishment, "Wow! They've really changed-up the Survivor format this season... all the times I've been on teevee I ain't never seen this many shirtless dudes. Burton, James, Savage, JT... and what's with all the baby oil challenges? Seems like every time we hit challenge beach Probst just has to oil us up before hand..."

[Outlast]

It a tough choice between the five entries, but since I have to choose... I pick... Ponytail!

Congratulations Ponytail! Please post the new sentence when you're ready.