Congratulations to Brittani T., grade 10, at North Park Library! Brittani’s short story was randomly selected as this week’s Summer Stories Teen Writing Contest winner. Brittani will receive a copy of Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.
Week 3 Prompt:
In a futuristic city where no one sleeps, one teen is injured and falls into a coma. While asleep, s/he learns what it means to dream. What happens next?
Brittani’s Winning Story:
“Sleep, an evolutionary disadvantage formerly utilized by mammals to recoup energy. Through the work of our brightest scientists, homo ingenium has advanced past this primal need. Sleep has become nothing but a lazy activity your dog participates in,” says Mila.
The class snickers, and I with them. No, I *snickered* with them. I fiddle with the “Grade 5” on my nametag as Mila gestures at her presentation.
“This has already happened,” I whisper, but no one hear. I begin to quietly ponder over my life. My name is Jasmijn Embry, I graduated ninth grade last year, and I should have started tenth grade… yesterday.
I look up from my desk, only to see that I am surrounded by sky. A laugh escapes me as I soar over the lights of Kyokago, allowing my fingertips to slip through trails of stardust and moonlight. Fragments of Mila’s presentation echo in my head.
“The brain remains active during sleep. The thoughts that occur are called dreams.”
I collapse onto a cloudy pillow. How could my society eradicate sleep at the expense of such beautiful experiences?
Suddenly, I feel a force yanking me down through the clouds. My eyes reluctantly yield to the cutting winds, but I can feel my body yanked through the pavement, the dirt, Kyokago’s energy core. As abruptly as it began, the force stops.
I open my eyes to see a sterile white ceiling and my mother’s concerned face. Her expression turns to shock when I spring up and start vividly recounting my “dream.”
Don’t miss your chance to win! Submit your original story in response to this week’s prompt.
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