by Rachel Hipkin, 16, Newcastle
12-18 WINNER
I blinked. Surely it couldn’t be true. I stared at the slippery, slimy creature that at one time was a close friend. I was always warned about the dangers of a shapeshifter, but I never knew how easily they could hide it, and in plain sight as well. The creature was looking me dead in the eyes, daring me to challenge it, like a lioness, attempting desperately to protect her cubs. I stared at the horizon before me, thinking of this distant memory. I had to admit, I was ready to be free of this enormous weight on my shoulders.
THE JUDGES SAID…
Good fiction is often most interesting and powerful when it leaves room for interpretation. “What Lies Before” is exciting in part because of how it hints at a larger, more complex story. Is the narrator reliable? Are they in the right—or did they wrong their former friend? What is the weight on their shoulders? And to what extent is the story’s language literal or figurative? There are many different ways of reading this piece, and this renders it compelling.
We particularly liked how this story depicts relationships, with a focus on their mutability and a recognition of how people one purportedly knows can sometimes seem like strangers, or can grow into strangers over time. Regardless of whether the “creature” in the story is a fantasy-style shapeshifter or otherwise, the story captures an emotion with reality at its core. It is a compelling and thought-provoking piece of writing.
RACHEL SAID…
I can’t believe I won and I am very grateful to all those who supported me. I am very into adventure stories and love the suspense one feels when reading about a dangerous situation. It often makes you, as the reader, feel as though you are experiencing it firsthand. In particular, I love an opening of a story making you wonder what happened in the lead-up.
The use of animals, or monsters, I believe, entice the reader into f
