Part 3 by John Cirilli
He did not know of what he was accused, only that he had done it. The starkly cold eyes (or he thought they might be eyes) of those sitting in council followed his every move with unrelenting focus. The minds behind those eyes, hard and sharp and twisted, would never have trifled to accuse the innocent. They saw further into him than he himself, but he knew one thing that they did not.
Part 4 by Cory Hartmann
The 7th Annual ‘Council of Elrond of Middle Earth and Other Mythical, Magical Beings in Realms Not of Thine' Meeting stared in a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief as a stark raving madman had just inexplicably tore through the brick wall of Party Room #3 in the back of the local Toys-R-Us of Humptulips, Washington (south on Highway 101). Cosmetically enhanced ears perked up their angular tips behind felt Robin Hood hats as their bow strings grew taut, the soft swoosh of metal against leather whispered as imitation rapiers were drawn, and calloused hands nervously clutched expertly selected pokéballs. Their trepidation vanished from their pockmarked faces as the realization sunk in that after years of abuse and mockery, their vindication had finally arrived. The huge taste of repeated defeat hung sour on their collective tongue, and they were anxious to test the strength of their arms — magnificent specimens conditioned with years of lifting countless cans of Mountain Dew from the depths of the floor up to the heights of their mouth. Nerds no longer, these were action deprived warriors thirsting for validation. "YOU — SHALL — NOT — PASS!" screeched Aragorn Ketchum McCloud of Tattooine, and the first volley was launched.
Want to write the next paragraph to the story? Submit your paragraph to NDLFshortstory@gmail.com before 4 p.m. Limit of 200 words. Title it Part Five. This story will continue until Nov. 16. If your paragraph is selected, it will be published in Viewpoint and you will get to read it at the NDLF panel discussion Nov. 19. The visiting authors will write the ending paragraphs. Take advantage of the opportunity to write a story along with three New York Times bestselling authors!
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
