Writing Challenges
Write a story that includes a streetlight, a bear, and a kid with a jar of honey.
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Tommy was making his way down the dark street. There were cars lined on the side of the road, houses sat mostly dark at this time of the night. One lonely streetlight struggled to stay lit as it flickered in and out.
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"Stupid city can't even afford to keep things running around here."
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He rushes forward, refusing to look down the side streets and alleyways. He passes, afraid something would reach out and snatch him from the darkness. His dirty sneakers kick an empty glass bottle, scattering it to where the streetlight makes a halo of light. Following it into the light, he stoops down to see what he had kicked.
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Careful of the glass, he uses the toe of his shoe to roll it so he could read what it had written on gold foil in black bold letters. "Honey," he reads out loud.
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A sweet sickly smell permeates the air, the light flickers once more. Tommy gasps in surprise as his heartbeat increases. His eyes fly around in search of something. Dark shadows cast on to buildings around him. A dog barks in the distance.
A large bang echoes in the quiet cul-de-sac. Tommy's frightened eyes land on the metal can that is tipped over with trash sprawled around. He comes forward to the edge of the light.
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"Stay to the light she says and they can't get you," he whispers to himself. His fearful eyes slide to his house. "It is only five houses away. I can make it." His toe inches outside the ring of light.
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Another shuffling noise emits from the house in front of him as a shadowy form takes place. It starts of long and scary looking but as he shambles closer to the light; it shrinks down to the little boy who is holding another honey jar.
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"Did you drop the previous jar?" Tommy turns back to the jar that he had kicked previously, but it is no longer there in the light with him.
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The shadows cast the little boy into darkness so he can not see his features clearly.
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"Did you take my honey?" The boy says his voice is deep and bland.
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A low growl emits on the opposite side of the street directly behind me. Taking his eyes off the kid, he looks back and sees an enormous beast of a shadow. Taking a step back in fear, his voice comes out in a silent scream. His throat closing up on itself.
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"Wrong move, human." The kid's sticky hand encircles Tommy's thin wrist. The colossal beast moves closer, the ground shaking with each step. Bright red eyes hone in on me as the beast grows even taller. As it comes closer to the light, he can just make out the outline of a bear.
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"Bear!" He rasps out.
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"You should have listened to the stories, kid, and stuck to the light. We creatures of the forest thrive in the dark."
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Tommy makes a run for his house, knowing if he just got to the porch, the light would turn on and this nightmare could end. His feet grip the cement as he tears down the sidewalk. Air saws in and out of his lungs in sharp pain as the terror ratchets up.
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"Take him," the kid calls out behind Tommy.
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Looking behind him, he watches as the streetlight flickers out and stays dark. The bear races towards him, devouring the ground between them. His fearful eyes turn back to his house and notices how far he still has to go. He could feel the bear upon him before he even took another step. Sharp razor like claws cut across him, bringing him down. Darkness cascades over his vision as the fur and dark alike become one.
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"Deep in the forest, where no one plays." The kid sings in a low, raspy voice.
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Though Tommy can only feel the black fur of the surrounding bear, he can also hear what the kid with honey says. He could not see where they were headed.
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"You'll find the dark creatures lurking to play, wanting to end your days," he finishes the song. “You will like it here in the forest Tommy,” he laughs, and the bear chortles with him.
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