Winner Announcement: The Cat And The Machine

First and foremost, I apologize for the amount of time it took me to judge these entries. I could make a million excuses for why it took me so long, but as my father always said (slightly more crudely), "Nobody gives a darn about excuses." Therefore, I'll save you the trouble of explanation and simply move forward to what you do give a darn about, the entries into my latest contest, The Cat And The Machine.

On to the entries!

First Submission: The Dream Thief by Mike Singleton

Short summary: A cat with the ability to steal dreams meets a shopkeeper with a vengeful spirit. Cursed snacks and stolen dreams lead to a vending machine nightmare!

My thoughts: First, I appreciate the leather jacket on the cat in the picture. Nice job. Also, I like the idea of the cursed snacks giving nightmares, but I want to know more. Who does the cat give the nightmares to? I’d like to see some examples – some horror stories, if you will!

Contest parameters:

• Sentient vending machine? Check! Not immediately, but it makes an appearance near the end.
• Stray cat outside a grocery store? Check! I’m assuming the shopkeeper ran a grocery store, although that isn’t explicitly mentioned.
• An agreement in which the machine trades cursed snacks for secrets the cat steals from the dreams of sleeping townsfolk? Check!

Check out the story here!

Second Submission: The Dream Eater And The Machine by Tim Carmichael

Short summary: Unfortunately, this link led (and continues to lead, as of 9/13) to a “Page Not Found” area. There is some possibility that a cat has stolen Tim’s dreams. I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations.

My thoughts: Tim is an interesting writer, and I would have loved to see what he wrote for this entry. Alas, it was not to be. I contacted him about it, but he was not able to find the story either. I fear it has been lost to the mists of time.

Contest parameters:

• Sentient vending machine? Nope.
• Stray cat outside a grocery store? Not even a little bit.
• An agreement in which the machine trades cursed snacks for secrets the cat steals from the dreams of sleeping townsfolk? Possibly. If so, that information is missing.

Since we can’t see his story, be sure to go check out his account here!

Third Submission: Velvetpaw and the Whispering Machine by Diane Foster

Short summary: In a long-standing agreement, a dream-traveling cat named Velvetpaw trades the secrets of townsfolk for cursed snacks from a sentient vending machine. One night, a stranger comes to town, leading Velvetpaw down a path she never expected to tread.

My thoughts: The words flow nicely in this short story. Vending machine and cat both make an early appearance in the story. At one point, the vending machine says the stranger’s secret should not be disturbed, yet the cat immediately suggests listening to it, and the vending machine does not disagree. Is listening to the man’s dreams not disturbing the secret? I really like the bones of this story, but would love to see it fleshed out!

Contest parameters:

• Sentient vending machine? Check!
• Stray cat outside a grocery store? Check!
• An agreement in which the machine trades cursed snacks for secrets the cat steals from the dreams of sleeping townsfolk? Check!

Check out the story here!

Fourth Submission: The Agreement by Kendall Defoe

Short summary: Mr. Benjamin prowls the streets, learning the secrets of townsfolk from their dreams – even before he meets the sentient snack machine outside the local grocery store. To his surprise, the machine can talk, and is most interested in the secrets the cat can divulge . . . but Mr. Benjamin wonders why that is. . . .

My thoughts: I appreciate the casual tone of this one! And the name of the cat, Mr. Benjamin, immediately got a chuckle out of me. Very nice! I feel like there’s a lot more to this story, and I’d like to read about it.

Contest parameters:

• Sentient vending machine? Check!
• Stray cat outside a grocery store? Check!
• An agreement in which the machine trades cursed snacks for secrets the cat steals from the dreams of sleeping townsfolk? Check!

Check out the story here!

On To The Winners!

And that's a wrap! While each of the stories was interesting in its own way, I had to choose. After long, long consideration, I finally arrived at a decision. So congratulations, Diane Foster, you got first place ($5) with Velvetpaw and the Whispering Machine! Be sure to go check out more of her work here:

(Congratulations, Diane! Please let me know when you get your tip. I always like to verify in case of glitches.)

For the second place prize ($2), I chose Kendall Defoe with The Agreement. To see more of his work, check out his page here:

(Kendall, please let me know when you get your tip. Thanks so much!)

To Everyone

Once again, I'd like to thank all the entrants for sharing their work with me and giving me an opportunity to be exposed to stories I may otherwise have never seen. Also, thanks to all the readers who have shown their support to the other entrants and to me. You're all appreciated!

Author's Note: I truly hope you enjoyed this contest and the stories that were entered into it! If you'd like to show your support, please feel free to leave a comment, click the heart, and subscribe!