FIRST PRIZE
THE MATHEMATICS OF JUSTICE.
By Mike Roe

Set in ‘the troubles’, this is a revenge story. An assassin waits. We feel the bitterness of sectarian violence and experience the trajectory of human emotion prior to an act of murder. This was a perfectly formed short story. We are drawn in to conflicting emotion and high levels of anxiety from the outset. The back story of family destruction is revealed with great economy and poignancy. We are surprised that the assassin is a woman. She is surprised by the ‘normality’ of her target’s life, recognising the symmetry of people’s lives either side of the divide. Ultimately, there is release from the cycle of revenge. There is hope. Excellent.

SECOND PRIZE
SALT STAIN
Zoe Gilbert

Here we have a brilliantly poetic portrayal of the world of the lighthouse keeper. We feel the dementia of isolation where the completely surreal starts to feel normal. An open widow invites moths, in their thousands, to coat and obscure the lamp. There is a yearning for company in a situation where the core of the job is to repel. A morose and silent visitor provides the only human interaction before disappearing, tragically, through that same window. Was there ever a visitor? Tremendously atmospheric stuff.

THIRD PRIZE
CURRY ICE CREAM
BY Eithne Nightingale

A young woman, Zara, has writer’s block, and is agonising over her work when Manuhar, her main character, comes to life. To achieve this without a step change in the flow of the story was extremely skilled. Manuhar is concerned that Zara wants him to enter into an arranged marriage and conspires to take over the direction of her writing. This is all charming, witty and highly engaging. The story is characterised by good pace and a very economical use of language. This was very cleverly done. Really enjoyable to read.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
LISTING
By Kevin Chant

This was very well executed. It is a story about obsessional behaviour-the compiling of lists and the creation of lists about lists and lists about lists……. Given the topic, which in many respects is both serious and sad, this was very funny indeed. Ultimately, the main character’s disability obstructs the formation of relationships and the point at which we experience his refusal to accept this is, genuinely, quite alarming. The story ends in murder which, obviously, necessitates the writing of a list. A well constructed and engaging story.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
AN EVERLASTING COLD
By Moya Green

This was a highly intelligent and multi-layered story about a tribe struggling for survival in a post-apocalyptic winter. Their only source of food lies in discovering hidden supplies in long buried Tesco and Asda supermarkets and the like. Their initial euphoria at finding a new site turns to disappointment when they realise it is a library. This leads to the replacement of their tribal leader by the ‘White Devil’. At this point the symbolism becomes complex. They find the book of that name, by John Webster, 1612, and we are immediately drawn into new themes-revenge, the reality of people and how they depict themselves, tensions of power and control. Much is made of the interplay between experience and language in our understanding of the world. The discovery of food stores in the vicinity of the library, and the resultant hubris and complacency, lead to disaster.

COMMENDED
THE MONET EXHIBITION
By Philip Mervyn

This is a well delivered monologue on Monet, Impressionism, visual deception, lost love, longing and learning through experience. Our main character appears as shallow and disengaged and the writer uses this deceit to lure us into a well crafted piece in which both the character and the reader are misdirected then achieve revelation. Very well handled indeed.

COMMENDED
DEACON ISLE
By Christine Buckland

This is a story about family break up and sibling rivalry and is tremendously atmospheric in its depiction of family holidays through the eyes of a child. The family have inherited wealth through Great Grandpa’s chewing gum business and this story of relationship problems between ‘the pioneer’s’ descendants is packed with home-spun aphorisms. This is well told and the reader senses the strong hand of the past upon the present. At the heart is the sad truth, ‘Families are close when times are bad but give a family money and it can’t handle itself’.