Here is my “famous in my own mind” contest entry for Brenda Drake’s “Can you make us GASP” contest. My poor eight-year-old son still refuses to sleep alone after reading this. It’s going on two weeks now. (Sorry, Buddy)
I feel like a horrible mother, but who better to judge a middle grade “GASP” than my target audience? Now granted, this wouldn’t make a teenager gasp, but it sure knocked the socks off my eight year old. All in good fun, right?
This is the first 300 words of my middle-grade novel: CRICKET RIDERS
Enjoy!
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“Good Night, buddy,” Brian’s mother said, kissing him on the forehead.
“Good night, Mom.” Brian pulled up his blankets and tried to hide his brother Mark, who was asleep in his bed.
Mom smiled, and pulled down the covers. “He can’t sleep in here
with you, Brian.”
“Awe, come on, Mom! He gets scared at night.”
“Really?” Mom said. “He gets scared, or you get scared?” She picked up his little brother, and carried him to his own room.
Mom poked her head back in the door. “You’re too old to be afraid of the dark, sweetie.”
“I’m not afraid,” Brian said, pulling his blankets up to his nose.
Mom sighed. “Good night, Buddy.”
She turned out the lights, and he curled into a ball. He heard a thump, and braced himself, but it was just Mom and Dad going to bed.
He held his breath, waiting.
The shuffling noise came first. Then a scrapping across his dresser. Something hit his computer stand, and his monitor popped on like a huge green night-light.
Brian hid his eyes. Count to a hundred and it will all be over! One,
Two, Three…
The sounds kept coming, and Brian could only hold his breath for so long. He let it out in one big poof. Everything went quiet. He froze.
Brian’s heart beat franticly as his computer screen hummed. He squeezed his eyes shut pretending to be asleep, until it started again.
Shadows crept along the wall as he slowly peeked over his blankets. Three toy robots walked across his desk, slinking and ducking in the night. What? Toys can’t move by themselves!
But they were moving. Brian tried to hold his breath again, but a scared murmur escaped his lips. The robots all turned their fiery red eyes at the same time… and stared right at him.
There you have it. 300 words. I hope you enjoyed it!
Jennifer M Eaton 