This Dark Endeavor Writing Contest Winners

After much delay, we are pleased to finally announce the winners of our Frankenstein-inspired writing contest, which was held as part of our October Book of the Month feature on This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel.

Each of our two winners will receive a copy of This Dark Endeavor, courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

For this contest, we asked you to write your own Frankenstein-inspired short story: a prequel, a sequel, an alternate ending, or maybe a missing scene from the original book.

In no particular order, here are the two winning entries:

From Stephanie P.:

I sigh lazily and open my eyes a crack at a time. I groan as I sit up, amazed at how well I feel after the cold and the fever. Mr. Walton will be quite shocked at my recovery. I arch my back and smile until I look around me. A thick mist rises and falls, as if I’m caught in the middle of a large river current, swirling and moving as if not really substance at all. I jump to my feet and look at my hands as a suspicion quite beyond my imagination makes itself known to me.  I feel panic rise in my throat as I notice that my long elegant fingers are now perfectly transparent. I open my mouth to scream and nothing comes. I look around in panic, fighting through the mist and stumble back at the horror which greets me. The rotting, murderous thing I have spawned leans over me as I lay quiet and still. I try to grab it but my hand sinks through. I look at my hand amazed as if I have never seen it before, wondering. I go to lunge for the hulking beast, when a hand as soft as a bird’s wing lights upon my arm. I turn and gasp at the beloved face before me. She smiles and takes my hand but hers does not sink through. She whispers to me of things to be and things that have gone and I find myself drifting, smiling, as the world before me fades away into nothing but light, the laughter of my dear friend  Henry, sweet little William, my own dear father and Elizabeth’s beautiful smile.

Sometime later the monster groans and stretches, not yet accustomed to the body he lives in.  Long, elegant fingers run through short hair which hides his stitches and a smile breaks out across the smooth skin of a borrowed face.  A book of meticulous notes lies on a trunk on the far side of the room, put to good use. A grumble jerks his eyes to the woman at his side. He traces the golden hair as it lies against her shoulder. His creation smiles in her sleep, her smile a little crooked as she is still trying to learn how. She opens one eye and her half smile encompasses her whole face. Fingers trace over her throat, and he is sorry now for the damage done there by a lust for revenge. She tries to speak but cannot, as her vocal cords were crushed. No matter how hard he’d tried, he had been unable to reanimate the cords along with Elizabeth’s corpse.  The monster ponders the image in the mirror across from the bed, and wonders if his master would be pleased to see himself and Elizabeth staring back at him. The bodies were just there waiting, and if his master had taught him anything it was not to waste opportunities, and he couldn’t see wasting perfectly good bodies.

From Amy J.:

The dim glow of streetlights from a road nearby surrounded him, the alleyway seemed almost unfamiliar. Victor had spent time away from Geneva studying philosophy, chemistry and anatomy. After a few years of research, he began to understand the secret of life; something he realized was coming back to haunt him. He glanced down at his pocket watch, noticing it was close to midnight. Victor could still hear sounds coming from the church that he had just left. Leaning against the brick wall, he breathed in his cigarette. He could only hope Elizabeth received his message to meet him. Just then, the sound of footsteps on the cobblestone caught his attention. Elizabeth was coming towards him, her breath standing out against the cold. She had replaced her dress with a long skirt that wrapped around her ankles, her arms draped in a fur coat.

“Victor what’s happening?” Elizabeth asked. “It’s our wedding night; we should be inside with our guests.”

“Elizabeth, listen to me,” he said, closing the gap in between them. “I’ve made a mistake. When I decided to create life, I never expected it to turn out this way. I never meant to create a monster.”

Swallowing, Victor glanced over his shoulder as if the mention of the monster would bring him into the alleyway. The monster had promised he would find Victor on his wedding night, to get revenge on his creator for refusing to bring another monster to life. He almost regretted it, but after the monster had killed his brother and close friend, Victor felt nothing but contempt towards his creation.

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked.

Victor managed a smile, unsure of what to say. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, her deep green eyes studying him closely. He reached out and brushed a strand of dark hair away from her face. She leaned into his touch, curling her gloved hand around his. Victor finally cleared his throat, knowing he had to tell Elizabeth what had happened.

“The monster said he would come for me,” Victor said. “It’s not safe for me here. I must leave. Promise you’ll meet me outside of town in an hour.”

Elizabeth nodded, a faint trace of fear crossing her features. Victor pressed his lips against Elizabeth’s and turned from her, heading towards the carriage that had been waiting for him. He climbed inside, instructing the driver to bring him to the edge of town. Victor settled back into the seat, hoping that Elizabeth wouldn’t be long. The carriage had barely reached the end of the road when a scream echoed around them. Victor recognized the voice as Elizabeth’s. The driver pulled back on the reins, and Victor found himself hurrying down the sidewalk towards the shouting. By the time he reached Elizabeth, it was too late. It was then that Victor realized the monster had come for him on his wedding night, taking the revenge that he had promised.

Congrats to all our winners!