> Title: The basement > Word Count: 200 > Warning: mentions of rape > Created for the Tropetember Event - let the past burn The walls coughed dust as I ran my hands across them, the floorboards creaked. The shell of a once grand and glorious build moaned as the wind toy'd with it. The cold wooden floor burned my feet as I dragged them down the broken corridor. I followed the stairs down to the freezing, damp, dusty basement. Rain dripped through the ceiling, feeding weeds that grew up to meet it. A ragged mattress lay deflated in the centre of the grey floor. It's saggy center stained with dirt and mold, it's buttons stared at me like the devil's eyes. Memories flooded my mind. A man pins me down as I kick and scream. The nightmares chase my up the stairs as I scramble away. Clinging onto the wood, gaining splinters as I go. kisses me . . . Touches me. I run down the corridor, I trip over my own feet as I run. I push myself up before they reach me, out of the wretched building. A different face, same touching, same feeling. I shoved my sweaty hand into my pocket and grab my lighter, staring at the face of those men. And I lit the shack on fire. Let them burn.

> Title: collision in the rain > Word Count: 304 > Created for the Tropetember Event - meet cute The rain beat down hard, misting up my glasses. I fumbled with my bag, searching for my umbrella like a bloodhound. The rain falls down from the heavens, soaking me to the bone. I find it eventually, I pop it out and swing my bag over my shoulder. I walk down the dark pavement. Head down against the wind and rain. My knuckles turn white from gripping the umbrella so tightly. But no matter how tight I grip the umbrella, the wind thinks otherwise and sweeps my umbrella away. The wind races through my hair and tugs at my hand, slowing me down. I start to run now, plowing through the wind like a train. The rain obscures my vision like an inescapable fog. I turn a corner sharply and I run straight into something, no someone. Thud I land on my tailbone, that's going to hurt later. My head throbs and the rain grips me tightly. Then I realized it wasn't the rain. A hand gripped my shoulder, and another in front of me. To help me up. "Hey, are you ok?" His deep voice was muffled by the wind. I look up as I grab his hand. The most beautiful eyes I'd ever see stared back. I stuttered, failing to answer. I look at his eyes again, shades of indigo, purple and starlight white stare back sympathetically. He grabs an umbrella from the ground and holds it over me. I'm still staring at his eyes when he asks "Do you need the umbrella? I have a spare." The silence that follows is deafening. I nod and hastily grab the umbrella, I turn around quickly and walk the other way. As I turn the corner. I look back and he's still standing there, in the rain and I swear I see him smile.

> Title: nightmares of the past > Word Count: 338 > Created for the Tropetember Event - nightmares I awoke. Rubbing my eyes I grabbed the little lamp switch, it flickers and struggles before casting a cold glow across the bare room. I look around the room, its white walls stare at me. Cold crept up my spine, shivers ran down to meet it. My shadow shifted on the wall, trying to grab my attention. I turn to face it, a wicked smile growing on its face. Its hollow eyes stare at me through slits. It dances on the walls, waving its lithe arm this way and that. I leave my rickety bed and follow it to the door. It had taken control of me again, I tried to look back at what had happened the day before but my memories were foggy. Replaced by nightmares. People screaming, cities burning, endless pain only to be awoken in my bed, no memories of the day before. We reach the door and I pull at the handle. Click It unlocked. I stepped out into another white room but this time it was longer, a corridor. The smell of the sterile corridor burned my nose, my eyes teared. I walk down the corridor, my bare feet dragging across the hard, stone floor. My heart is pounding and my mind is strangely numb. The nightmares had sucked me dry of emotions, why care about the burning people if they mean nothing to you? I walk, walk and walk down the endless corridors. Taking turn after turn until I became lost in the maze. My feet become stiff and painful. I sigh and lean against the painfully white wall. Then I squat. Then I sit. I sit for a while, my shadow entertains me. Dancing and shifting to make show's fit for a king. I don't feel like a king, I feel like a rat trapped in an endless science experiment. The constant tests, always forgetting everything and those hideous white walls. I lose track of time, and slowly I feel myself falling asleep back into the routine I never wanted.

> Title: A Criminal of hidden truths > Word Count: 394 > Warnings: talk of murder and robberies > Created for the Tropetember Event - Noble Demon > This piece is entirely fictional and any similarities between names, places, character is entirely accidental A Criminal of Hidden truths The truth about martin jones Published: 13th of April, 1980 We all know of Martin Jones. Red notice criminal. know for stealing over 20 billion pounds, kidnapping and murdering famous musicians and artists. With no end in sight for this constant turmoil, the country is in shambles. Police rome the streets and people stay hide behind locked doors. But with new information coming into the light about Jones, what will happen next? New information was leaked about Martin Jones today from MI6. Valuable information that may change your view of the dangerous criminal. Everyone remembers jones’s first robbery in 1973, stealing around 2.3 million pounds from Barclays, international bank. The british government stated no knowledge of the man's motivation in the crime however official MI6 documents state that the motivation of the robbery was to pay for the treatment of his wife, Anne Jones. Who was diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). The hospital wouldn’t accept the pay and Anne Jones passed away shortly after the robbery. Leaving Jones with their 5 year old daughter to care for. After Anne Jones’s death. Jones’s bank robberies sky rocket to around 3 each 5 months, leaving banks bankrupt and people angry. MI6 documents clearly trace huge money deposit into hundreds of bank accounts for bakeries under Martin Jones fake alies, Hue Cooper also leaked by the . Many people thought these bakeries may be fakes however 5 of these bakeries can be found in london alone. Many of these bakeries and cafes are free serving, handing out huge baskets of food to the homeless, poor and young on the street. Jones daughter Alice Jones attends Whitefield primary school in liverpool. An interview with the Headmaster Henry Williams was very informative. He states; “Alice is a lovely student, she has excellent grades, is friendly with teachers and student and is currently a member of the school band. She plays the tuba” However Jones is still a criminal, With a red notice and a multiple murders of 15 to 23 year old women. His most famous murder of musician percy howles on the 9th of september, 1978. The government has warned people of this mans dangerous actions and has warned people to report any sightings of this man to the police. Will this information is definitely something to talk about. Do not go out looking for this man.

> Title: A collar without a leash > Word Count: 601 > Created for the Tropetember Event - Reunions I was playing chess with Alice when I got the call. I had been winning, my next move would have won but it didn't matter, we abandoned the game after the call. My phone had gone off just as Alice had moved her queen. Taking my pawn. "Sorry Alice, I need to take this." I told her apologetically. "No problem, It'll just give me time to switch around a few things" she reaches for my pieces, I fend off her attack with my empty hand. Giving her a playful glare, I tap the green button on my phone. "Hello, who is this?" There's a pause before they answer. "Uh, yes, hello. My name is Nick and I think we have your dog" My mouth drops, Alice is staring at me, confused. "What does the dog look like? Is it a jack Russel wearing a blue collar? Is that how you got my number? What's the name on the collar? Is it Molly?" I'm rambling now. Alice had stood up and grabbed her phone and car keys. The phone was silent for a second, I was scared I'd lost connection. "Ok, uh, yes she's a jack Russel, her collar is more grey but the colour may have faded? Her collar says her name is Molly and yes that's how I got your number. I live at llanfair, number 14 on Llwyn-y-Gadair." He finished. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear the car starting outside or Alice calling for me to hurry up. "Ok, right. Thanks for calling me, can we come and see her now? Are you home?" "Yes I am, come right away" the phone line went dead. I grabbed what I thought I'd need, phone, dog leash, treats. I was practically running out the door and into the passenger seat with excitement and hope. Molly had been missing for two months, 3 people had phones stating they'd found her only to be wrong. I plugged my phone into the audio aux and selected my most recent playlist, Zombie by the cranberries. It was only going to be a short ride but I needed the distraction. My leg was jiggling and jumping around. My nerves were bouncing, they might have actually found her! My heart was pounding so hard I couldn't hear the music. We arrived at the house around 5:20pm. It was a small terrace house. One door, 3 windows. I knock on the teal door. A short man with ginger hair answered the door. "Uh, hey I'm Ben. We're here to see if you have my dog? The jack Russel." His stocky face lit up. "Ah yes, come on in!" He opened the door wider. "She's in the kitchen" I rush through the house. Barging down the corridor. I slame the kitchen door open and there she is. She's lying in on a navy sofa. She jumps up as she sees me. We run to each other, she leaps into my arms. Her fluffy coat tickles my face. I breath deep, my head mushed deep ito her fur. She’s yapping and licking my forehead. I laugh as tears trickle down my face. Molly shuffles around in my arms, sniffing at my pockets. “Oh molly, yes here’s the treats” I grab the bag from my pocket. Molly scoffs them all down. A smile lights up my face. I have her back, the happiness boils inside of me. I hug her all the way through our chat with Nick, I hug her all through the ride home, I don't let her go, I won't let her go.

> Word Count: 753 > Created for the Tropetember Event - pining > For anyone wondering the title is in Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The first time I saw you it was snowing, such a rare thing for the quaint village of harlech. Me and a group of friends had trudged up to harlech castle, built a snowman and were having a snowball fight when one of them had pointed down the hill at you. You were marching through the snow, a determined look on your face. Your brown hair looked like a spot of dirt in the sparkling snow. A small Jack Russel weaved between your feet. For 3 minutes we watched you March up the hill, until my friend hit me in the back of the head with a snowball. "Stop staring at him, you weirdo!" That's when I realized it was just me watching you. * * * When you'd made it up the hill, your jack Russel came bounding over, ears flapping and tail wagging. He jumped up at me with such force that I fell straight into the snow. You came running up, apologizing and telling off the Jack Russel. I said it was fine and I ask for his name. A smile flitted across your face. "Her name is Molly" Blood rushed to my face, you let out a gentle laugh. I began to shiver, I hadn't realised how long I'd been sitting in the snow patting Molly. You put out your hand, a simple offer, but my heart jumped. I took it, once I was on my feet I looked around, my friends had vanished. Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz The gang Martin > Sorry we left you, thought you'd like to spend time him 😏 Douglas > You do need to get a boyfriend ☺️ Caroline > Has he got a dog? 😂🐕 Arthur > Wait what happened?? I sighed, shoving my phone into my pocket. I glance back up at you. "Hi, my name's Alice" I smile. "Nice to meet you Alice, I'm Ben" * * * It's been three days since I saw him at the castle, a needy feeling cradles my heart. I think of him always. * * * I see him at the corner shop, I smile at him. He waved, and started to walk towards me. Warmth surrounded my heart. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while! We should hang out. Hears my phone number" he hands me a crumpled piece of paper. I smile. "That would be fun." * * * The cold of winter gripped my skin. Shivering, I hug myself. Arms wrapped around me tightly. He glanced at me, his gaze devouring me. He takes off his hoodie, handing it to me. It smelled of his deodorant. * * * The sun's rays flitted across the room and the rain danced on the window, quilts and pillows were thrown across the bed. My head was empty for a moment then it buzzed with thoughts of our walk last night. It had been raining softly and the wind had played with my hair. Our hands brushed gently as we walked down the pier. The sound of laughter and rides overpowered our voices, so we walked in silence. Enjoying each other's company. The way he'd looked at me. I sighed. Was the way my friends looked at me, sadness gripped my heart. Buzz, buzz, buzz. I opened my eyes, ripped away from the fantasy in my head. I reached for my phone, unplugged it and looked at the screen. 3 new messages. From him. All the sadness drained out of me. Happiness engulfed me. I quickly open the messaging app and read the messages. Ben >hey >I really enjoyed our walk last night >Maybe we could do it again some time? My heart pounded, he'd enjoyed our walk! What should I text back? Hey, me too! Nah. Maybe Friday? No, now I look demanding! I wrapped myself up in my blanket, gripping my phone tightly as I replied. Yea, it was fun< Maybe we could walk by the sea< I released the breath I didn't know I was holding. My hands shaking, I set down my phone. What was he doing now? Reading my messages? Eating breakfast? Brushing his teeth? Going out with friends? Friends, friends, that's all we are. I look around the room still in my blanket burrito. My desk is a mess, homework everywhere, dozens of pens and pencils siting in pots. Clothes litter the floor, his hoodie among them. I shuffled out of the blanket burrito, grab his hoodie from the floor. I put it on, breathing in the smell of his deodorant. I close my eyes picturing his face. Im smiling as I fall asleep again.

> Word Count: 1,024 > Created for the Tropetember Event - Gaia's lament The earth shuddered, dust and debris fluttered down from the ceiling. Cracks in the wall start to form, caving in on me. Panic twisted my stomach as I clawed my way out of the crumbling building. The sun blinded me. I'd been hiding in the building for so long. I brought a hand to my head. The wasteland stretched out before me for miles, the haze of the desert messed with my eyes. In the distance I could see the outline of some military camps. The brown tents surrounded a small well, tanks and machine guns surrounded the camps. They seemed unaffected by the earthquake, safe even. But what a lie that was. The camps were in the wasteland, where the coyotes and the tinted roamed. I clutched my knife, it made me feel safe. The coyotes were bad anyway but compared to the tinted, they were measly rabbits snuffling around in the sandy dirt. The sound of gunfire interrupted my train of thought. Looking out to the camp, I could see the shapes of animals and trees. Millions of them! Their outlines blurred into one huge mass of black, they stormed the camps. It looks like Gaia's back at it. The distant figures battled and the sound carried all the way to me. I turned away, not wanting to watch them destroy the camps. The city behind me had managed to survive the earthquake. How lucky, oh well. The sandy buildings looked scruffy and dull, the streets were littered with rubbish and debris. The only building that gleamed in the everlasting sun was the pyramid like temple. Its huge stone structure stood taller than any building. Encrusted with gems, they gleamed harshly at the surrounding buildings like a king to his subjects. As I walked along the streets, people waved and called for me to help clear the rubble. But this was not my home, and so I kept walking, walking, walking. The sun beat down on me and my head was light. I gripped my knife tighter. The temple loomed over me, its imposing and threatening structure glared down at me. I shrink away from it, folding myself up and hiding from its terrifying gaze. Slowly I creep towards the temple, slip through the door and into the hall. I could hear the muttering of priests like ghosts on the wind. A baby's scream could be heard through the stone walls. My footsteps echoed down the long hallways, as I crept through each room. It became obviously clear. They don't know I'm here! Those idiots couldn't add 2 and 2! After what felt like eons I reached the center of the temple, I pushed the door open a crack. Light poured through the gap and twice today, it blinded me. As my eyes came round I could see through the gape into the courtyard. A gasp escaped my lips and I cursed myself, what if someone had heard? Slowly I looked through the door again, the courtyard was blooming with flowers and trees of every colour and every species. A path from the door would lead me to the centre of the courtyard. Where, atop a golden pyramid, sat the most valuable item in the entire world; Gaia's Globe. The globe glowed softly, it wispered on the wind. The globe's was Gaia's most important item, it had the power to grow trees as big as skyscrapers, rivers as strong as the sea. Heck, it even had the power to bring back the sea! Rage and hatred fueled the fire burning inside of me. How dare they use the most precious item of all time for a courtyard?! Shoving the door open, I ran swiftly over to the pyramid. My hands found their place and hauled me up towards the globe. Something grabbed my legs, I looked down. Vines of all shapes and sizes clawed at my legs, pulling me down. I kicked at the vines but they kept ahold. Panic gripped my stomach and my mind raced. I reached down quickly, swiping at the vines with my knife. Pulling myself up with my other hands. The vines retreated, slithering away like snakes. I turn back to the globe only to see a huge palm tree lunging towards me. I hit the ground hard, my head spinning. Slowly I regain my feet, the palm tree whacks me with its leafs, but I stumble to the side dodging the agitated palm tree. Clambering up the pyramid the trees leafs beat at my legs, but soon I'm out of reach. I grab the globe, clutching it tightly. The tree falls backwards, crushing the flowers. Slowly the room changes around me, the trees and the flowers disintegrate, the flakes flowing in the wind. I jump down the pyramid and run to the door. Nobody stopped me, nobody saw me running back through the temple and nobody saw me laugh with glee as I held the globe close to me. Scared I could drop it and lose it so easily. The temple moaned behind me. The stone was cracking and shaking, I struggled to run as the ground shook, the temple was crumbling, falling in on itself. The globe must have been holding the temple in place! As I ran, a deafening crash sent me flying, using the force I thrust myself forward. I shifted to my true shape. My beady eyes looked back at the temple's ruins. The temple has collapsed. Thank Gaia! Good riddance. My wings beated fast and strong as I flew over the city, over the ongoing battle of the tinted and the humans. I cawed down to them, my claws clutching the globe. Roars and cries of happiness from the tinted raised up to me. I continued to fly to the east till I reached here. Your highest, I finished. Gaia looked down at me, a thin smile etched across her face. "Well done, crow. We will launch our attack tomorrow, finish them off for good." She nodded to me, "Now of to bed with you, you've had quite the adventure and I need you to scan the front lines, goodnight crow".