Below are all of the entries in the My Castle Rock Teen Writing Contest. Please vote for 1st 2nd and 3rd place in the comments section. The winner of the popular vote will get a vote on the panel of judges. You can read more about the panel of published authors that will be judging the contest on this blog. Everyone who turned in a piece of writing did a great job and I can’t wait to see who will win. Good Luck!
Entry 1
Castle Rock is the place to be,
Whether you’re a bird a butterfly or a bee.
The weather is nice and the rain will suffice,
There are also great parks for flying kites.
There are lots of stores, some are outdoors,
Some even sell drawers.
The schools are very cool,
Although I with they had a pool,
Castle Rock is very cool.
If I tell you more you may start to drool.
So come here and figure out for yourself,
And don’t hit your head on a shelf.
Entry 2
I lived in the town of Castle Rock. I was 13 years old. Our lacrosse team was the best of the best, the Castle Rock Cougars. It was the last game of the season. We where fighting another great team. Tonight’s game would need to be played with roughness, game play, and a little luck. The lights went on, and it started. I was the first to have the ball I immediately ran towards the goal and shot. GOAL! They had it I a to the guy with the ball and struck my stick on the back of his. The ball fell out and my teammate got it and ran to their goal. Miss. The other team got it and ran to our goal and scored before I got to him. 1-1.
Half the game minutes passed and the score was 10-10. A guy ran to me and I plowed him over. He fell to the ground. I went to the goal, dodged a few people. And shot. It was blocked, but I got it back and made it in the top left corner of the net.
Finally, the last minute of the game and the score was 13-13. We were in overtime. My teammate had the ball. He ran and missed. We got control back again and missed. This happened 5 times. Miss and miss it was horrible. They had the ball and I thought it was all over, but our goalie caught it. He charged and we had his back. Any guy that came close got hit down, or crushed. The goalie shot and scored, we had won. Thanks to our goalie we had the cup!
Entry 3
Castle Rock is cool
And there is a pool
We have Stores
That are outdoors
Like the outlet mall
Exciting for all
ROCK!
Entry 4
The Titan of Castle Rock
Finally, there it was. The ruby of the three powers. The ruby giving power over fire, water, and wind was right underneath my nose the entire time. It was here in Castle Rock all along. My friends and I were congratulatory high-fiving when SHE returned, roaring like none had ever heard before. I guess I forgot to mention that we were right on top of The Rock. The home of the giant monstrosity called a dragon. We had been searching for the gem, while hoping that she wouldn’t return, but our luck had failed this one time. To make matters worse we had tied up her newborn so that it wouldn’t screech, calling for its momma, and now she was mad. My best friend, Joe, was the first to get eaten. Then Daniel, then David. Then it turned to me. I let out a glass-shattering scream, and then I started to run for it, all the way down Castle Rock. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it. She was terrifying. Her breath was so bad – a mix between onions and rotten eggs. It was enough to make a dentist cry. A few seconds after I started running she caught me. One lightning strike later, I was dangling by a claw over its bottomless pit, the mouth. I screamed as loud as I could, hit, kicked, and did everything I could to get free. “It’s only a dream, it’s only a dream. C’mon wake up. This is only a dream.” No matter how many times I pinched and slapped myself I could not seem to wake up. Right when I was about to be gobbled as an after-hunt snack, I saw an evil gleam in her eye. It appeared that she had some worse torture in mind. She picked me up in her sharp talons and flew for days, away from Castle Rock, finally landing on a deserted rock, but right underneath a dragon’s nest. There, I watched as her friend, and Greek God, Zeus tied me to a rock. It appears that he had put out a bounty for me. He was angry about something like The Sacred and Eternal Flame of Mount Olympus that I had stolen. Nothing important. So he chained me to that rock and made me immortal. At that same spot for 2010 years I have had that dragon eat out my liver every day and every day again. Right after it’s gone, my liver grows right back to have it be eaten tomorrow. It wasn’t the same dragon though. Her child did it, then her child, then hers, then hers, then hers and so on, so on. In a way I’m sort of an heirloom. A whole line of dragons have eaten me, yet I have immortality. I laugh in their faces. The Titan Prometheus laughs in the face of danger.
Entry 5
Vampire in Castle Rock
She was a beautiful model, just starting her career. He was a famous photographer. When she heard that he was looking for a young woman for a shoot he was doing in Castle Rock she jumped at the chance. She never expected what happened during that shoot.
When she showed up at the studio he was using and saw the other women waiting her hopes fell a little. After signing a sheet by the door she hesitantly took a seat and looked at the others in the room. Most of the other women seemed pale, especially in comparison to her deep tan.
The door opposite her opened to reveal a tall, pale man with long black hair she jumped a little. He looked over at her and when she met his eyes she was startled by the shade of red they were. He grinned, drawing her attention to his overly long, sharp canines. After a moments hesitation she shyly smiled back, guessing that he was the other model in the shoot.
After a few hours she had gotten the job and was given an address to meet them at. When she looked at the time it surprised her. It said to show up at 2am. Shrugging she went home to get some sleep before the shoot.
When she got to the address she looked around at the large grove of trees outside the house, curious. When she knocked on the door the man she saw at the studio. He showed her in and led her to the makeup artist. The photographer was also there, talking to the woman in charge of makeup, telling her what he wanted.
After about a half-hour she was done and they all went outside to where the camera was set up. After a few shots of the man alone the photographer motioned her over. After a few more shots the tall man looked at her and spoke for the first time, he only said one word; “Run.”
She just looked at him, confused. When she didn’t go anywhere he narrowed his red eyes and crouched a little, hissing at her, and exposed dripping fangs. When she looked around he grinned menacingly and his pupils narrowed to slits in a flash of light.
With a gasp she turned and ran. He paused for a moment as the camera flashed, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness again. She tried to run but the dress she wore caught around her ankles, causing her to stumble. The camera continued to flash as the tall man leapt at her. Scrambling to her feet she tried once more to run away. She managed to get to an open field nearby before he caught her.
Grabbing her by the arm he pulled her to his chest and grinned down at her as she struggled. Gasping for a breath she managed to let out a scream and he dropped her for a moment and watched her as she began running again. After giving her a head start he grinned and crouched. With an animalistic snarl he leapt after her.
Easily catching her he grabbed her waist and pressed her against a nearby tree. Trapping her between the tree and his body he smiled down at her and brushed her hair away from her neck.
As he sunk his teeth into her neck she struggled against him. Slowly losing strength she began to grow limp. As her vision faded her eyes locked onto the large rock formation her hometown was named after.
Entry 6
What Makes This Town Great
Dawn breaks on a glorious Saturday. The quiet town begins to awaken and go about its day-to-day activities. As it gets brighter, so does the hustle and bustle. You begin a tour of a Colorado town. Starting on the interstate, the traffic veers off at an Outlet Mall, so you tag along. As a typical weekend, many shoppers are seen at the mall, finding great deals. Deciding to investigate the town further, you follow some sloping, curving roads downtown where many pedestrians are enjoying a leisurely stroll around local shops. Walking around yourself, you decide to buy an ice cream cone. You can see railroad tracks stretching out in the distance, and then you hear a train coming through the town.
As you continue on your tour, you realize that one monument stands in the middle of the town for all to see. It is a hill with a unique rock at the top. It is Castle Rock, for which the town is named after. Being a nice day, you decide to trek up Castle Rock yourself and notice you are not the only one with the idea. Yet, it is not crowded and seeing the town from an aerial perspective makes your mouth drop. This is a beautiful area, with a breath-taking view of the Rocky Mountains. You climb back down as the sun descends, you furthermore get to witness a miraculous sunset over the mountains.
Smiling quietly, you head home with the rest of the visitors. And yet, it’s not just the views that make up this town. It is the people. It’s the smiles and the kindness. The people make up the town we know as “Castle Rock”. The landscapes, and even the great hill in the middle, are only terrific advantages of the town, but Castle Rock itself is the community of individuals who live there.
Entry 7
MY BALLOON’S CASTLE ROCK ADVENTURE
My friend and I were walking down the street,
Hopping on our little feet.
We had just come back from the county fair,
Holding a balloon flying in the air.
The wind started to blow,
Which made us say, “Oh no!’
The balloon flew away in the sky,
Going very, very high.
It flew over the library,
And over “the Rock,”
Over the Grange Pool,
It was very, very cool!
Over the houses and over the trees,
Over kids at the outlet stores begging “Please, please, please?”
It went over the Meadows,
To my big, yellow house,
Where it decided to land,
Back in my hand.
Entry 8
The Old Fence
Just beyond the sheer curtains of my bedroom window, is a beautiful
view, one that is not of modern splendor, but more of aged loveliness that
people must have gazed at many years ago. Past the fence that encloses my
backyard is a peaceful field, teeming with long stems of gold, dry grass
dancing with every breeze. Chubby prairie dogs weave their way through the
grass standing up on hind legs every once in awhile to chatter with their
neighbors. Clumps of scrub oak reach to the heavens as if trying to soak up
the warm rays of the sun just before it disappears beyond the horizon. An old,
weathered fence, leaning tiredly to one side stands behind the scrub oak. I often
wonder who built that fence and when. Looming in the distance, smoky gray
mountains are the most glorious part of my view. Their rugged snow covered
peaks stretch across Colorado. The celestial blue sky seems to glare at the
sometimes cloud covered peaks, daring the mountains to go higher. As the
sun surrenders to the moon, my thoughts drift back to the weathered fence
that must have seen better days. I imagine a young girl, about my age,
walking out on the porch of a cozy log cabin preparing to do her evening
chores. She lingers for a moment watching her father as he diligently builds
a fence. Her gaze extends beyond the fence to the field, the mountains, and
an orange Colorado sunset, as the sounds of yapping prairie dogs surround her.
Entry 9
Life Through the Eyes of Castle Rock
You sit there-perched on top of a hill-gazing at the civilization below you. The American flag and a star sit on top of you. The sun rises up, peaking out from behind the gray clouds. It shines on the dark trees-revealing their true color. The birds start to sing their beautiful songs. It is dawn.
The small shops at your feet are just starting to open. Customers come in, one-by-one. Their pockets are full of cash; they can’t wait to spend it on something.
In and out, in and out-the people come and go. When they depart, you look at their purchases, hoping they’ll last a lifetime.
You strain your neck to see beyond the center of the town. Your eyes take you to a group of houses with three schools nestled between them. The children have just been let out. Whether they walk or ride the bus, the kids find their way home. Because it is winter, the snow is softly falling. You question whether or not the schools will be closed the next day.
The houses seem decent. They are painted nicely on the outside. You look through a window and see a family gathered at a table. A woman walks out of the kitchen with a big plate of food in her hands. The children have smiles on their faces as dinner is served. You wonder what it would be like to live there and be with that happy family.
You look to the side and see an outlet mall. With its many shops and stores, it seems like the number one destination for distant travelers. You observe the people. They run out of stores-trying not to get snow on their heads. The bags in their hands contain gifts for friends and family members. This happens all the time during the holidays.
When dusk approaches, people gather at the center of town. The group starts out small, but it gets larger as the night progresses. Friends, families-they all come. You know why they are gathered there. It happens year after year. They have come for the Star Lighting.
Cars are parked at your feet. A few men are just starting to climb up the winding path. The wind starts to blow. You shiver. You watch the men rise higher and higher, until finally, they reach your head.
In an instant, the star is lit. The yellow light brightens the night; it shines so proudly on top of you. The crowd cheers. A smile appears on your face. You adore this time of year.
When the night drags on, the audience starts decreasing. Soon, the streets are bare and the lights go dim. Your only companions are the moon and the stars. Snow softly falls. Your eyes close.
This will happen year after year: the snow will start to fall and the star will be lit. You will always look down at the town that bares your name. People will come and go as they please, just as they always have. You’ll always be curious to see what’s in their bags.
Years from now, I will still remember the first time I saw you sitting on top of that hill, staring down at me. You look so powerful-sitting on top of your hill. I’ll forever look up to you, my friend, Castle Rock.
Entry 10
Castle rock is fun
This is the truth
This is not a silly pun
It’s not as fancy as a booth
We love our town with pride
It’s like
We don’t have a bad side
We don’t try to show
Our sadness
When a snowman is melting in the snow
To make them, is really fun
Now listen to me,
This town is not dumb
Entry 11
Unknown
Unknown in Castle Rock
I make my way through the streets
Faded into obscurity
Elsewhere I am missed
Elsewhere there are lips with my name on them
But here no one speaks of me
No one knows me
No one rolls their eyes at my antics
They do not know me
Suffocated in silence
I drift pass unnoticed
My name is not shouted
No one smiles as I walk by
Arms do not open to embrace me
But they will
I shall scream out to the heavens
And force my name onto the masses
They will know me
And I will be loved here
Just as I was elsewhere
But for now I remain
Unknown in Castle Rock.
Entry 12
The Magnificent Animals of Castle Rock
The wildlife of Castle Rock is extraordinary. Sizes of animals range from the graceful elk, to the adorable chipmunk. From predator, to prey. You may see a rabbit happily chewing a blade of grass, then see the vast wingspan of an owl as you watch it silently fyl off the with the rabbit dangling from its feathered talons. You may see a daring coyote slowly hunting two doe, careful not to let them spring away.
The birds are absolutely astounding. One day as you are driving along the road you might see twenty turkey, but tomorrow, they are gone. Perhaps you see hundreds of geese flying overhead in multiple V formations. You can even see a woodpecker climbing up a tree, or maybe kestrels and hawks of varying sizes. There are many different songbirds cheering up your day with their triumphant song.
If you know where to look you will find many marvelous animals in our terrific town. Like maybe a badger lumbering its way out into the light in its quest for grubs, or a fox patrolling the yard. You may see a raccoon peering at you with its reflective eyes.
Some animals can be quite different. Like a powerful buck prancing around with seven doe, but there is also the buck with one antler with a few other bucks and no doe. There are rabbits as large as a cantaloupe, and some the size of an apple.
Did you know that there are bigger predators in Castle Rock than the coyotes? Our town also has some bears and mountain lions. They are beautiful creature, but also fearsome hunters.
There are many reptiles and amphibians. You may find frogs, many toads, salamanders, snakes, lizards and countless adorable horney toads. They’re all enchanting. I hope you find and observe many of Castle Rock’s magnificent animals.
Go explore.
Entry 13
The Story of Meredith Dobvre
The story of Meredith Dobvre, a teenager in the 1800 has always been a mystery. When Meredith was about seventeen she was on her way to the river a few miles from her home, she mysteriously disappeared. The only sign of her was her footprints and her basket that she used to carry the water. Meredith didn’t come home that night, or the next day. Her mother began to worry, she knew that the walk to the river at least took five hours, but after a few days without return the town began to panic. There have been myths about the town of Castle Rock told from the elders, who most of them have past away except for Old Man Jenkins, he is known as the town’s old nut. No one has every goes to his house, ever. People were too afraid of him. Meredith’s parents were desperate. They needed to know what happened to their only child.
When her father knocked on the door to the old man’s house, Mr. Jenkins opened the door slowly. It creaked as it opened. The man had wrinkles around his mouth and had a lazy eye that gave him a crazy look. His white hair stuck up in all directions.
“Why have you come here?” he asked in a screechy voice. Meredith’s mom stepped forward.
“We have been told that you have seen the myths of the river. The River Monster has taken our daughter’s life and we need to know exactly what has happened to her. Can you help us?” she asked in a pleading voice. The man looked between the two of them. He told them to come in. His old house was cluttered and full of junk. The Dobvre’s did not fit in this awful place with the nice expensive clothing. There were dead animals hanging from the wall stuffed and so beheaded. Mrs. Dobvre gasped. The crazy man smiled.
“What can you tell us about the River Monster?” asked Mr. Dobvre. Old Man Jenkins walked towards a small closet.
“It would be better if I showed you,” he said in the strangest voice they have ever heard. He slammed open the door showing the most despicable sight the Dobvre’s have ever seen. Mrs. Dobvre almost fainted in horror.
In the closet laid that waxy corpse of Meredith with her glass looking dead eyes staring into the very soul of her parents. She looked like an over sized doll, dressed in a silk petty coat and the lassie dress her parents got her for her birthday. They looked at Old Man Jenkins whose crazy look was even more deliberate.
“Now that you know my little secret I can’t let it get out to the town. I hope you said good-bye to your friends. They will love the story on how I saw the whole thing. How you were looking for your daughter when your lives were clammed by The River Monster. I will say how I tried so hard to save you, but I wasn’t strong enough,” he said, closing the door and pulling out a butcher knife. The last thing the town’s people heard was the ear splitting screech for Mrs. Mary Dobvre.
Entry 14
“As the moon swallows the sun, the earth shall be devoured by shadow. This shadow is known as Thamesis. It is a feared time among the people of the Rock Castle. This equinox shows the people of the Rock Castle that the Castles of Dark and Life are about to go to battle. The Dark Castle and the Life Castle have been fighting for over seven generations. There is only one battle per solar year and time seems to drag on while the Earth is engulfed in gloom. Yet hope remains. In a city that dwells in a valley above the highest mountain and on a crest below the deepest trough, away from all the fighting and war. This city, known as Pneuma Hollow, is ruled by ancient sages of the five seals. The seals are Fire, Earth, Water, Wind and Aether. These sages control their element, but they answer to the Intellectuals. The Intellectuals are like Deities that have been grounded in the highest reaches of Earth. These Intellectuals can only breathe the air from the sky, also known as the Cosmic Breath. They have been leveled to a city where the Cosmic Breath exists. They named this city Pneuma Hollow and have opened it up to those with no where else to turn. Thamesis never reaches Pneuma Hollow for the city is a fictional place that only those with the “power” are able to get to. This is the story of a young mans journey through the vast reachest of Earth in an effort to find Pneuma Hollow.”
“Wow, Skye. That’s a pretty intense opening there.”
Skye shrugged. “I’ve done and seen worse. I think it is a good opening for a novel.”
“And not a short story,” Skye’s friend, Elan chimed in.
“Why not a short story?” Thomas asked.
“Because you wouldn’t have enough time to develop the plot before the pages ran out,” Hayden explained. “Gosh, haven’t you ever written a story before?”
Thomas shook his head. “Nope.”
“How do you live through this club, then?!” Elan exclaimed. “All we do here is write.”
“I pretend to write while I really do homework.”
“The ideal student,” Skye muttered and Elan and Hayden burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Thomas asked.
“Nothing,” Elan said, though a bemused look covered his face.
Thomas shrugged the thought away.
“You should try writing some time,” Skye said, finally looking up from her computer screen. “I think you’d be good at it.”
Thomas inclined his head in a “thank you” gesture and looked around. The rest of the room was busy either writing with a pen and paper of typing on a keyboard to a computer. Why was he in this club anyways?
Oh. Right. His friend, Blake. Blake was a writer and had dragged Thomas with him to a Writing Guild at Rocky Canyon High School in Castle Town, Colorado. He became friend with some other people in the Guild and decided to keep coming. But when Blake moved without tell him, he came to he Guild and couldn’t find his friend. Now, Blake was gone and he really had no clue what to do besides doing what he always did; homework.
“Can I work with your idea, Skye?” he asked as a sudden inspiration struck him.
Skye looked up, surprised. “Why do you ask?”
“Because, I want to try to write something.”
Skye nodded and began to write down the introduction to her story on a piece of paper for Thomas.
They were all so nice. Thomas liked it here, but if he couldn’t write, and Blake wasn’t here anymore, he wouldn’t have an incentive to keep coming back. If he could write, on the other hand, he could keep coming and see Skye more.
Thomas blushed as he thought through his cloudy mind. Skye really was pretty and he didn’t want to stop going because of a little, stupid reason such as “Blake isn’t here anymore”. If he could write, he could stay and be with Skye some more.
Skye handed Thomas the paper and he looked down at it, thought for a moment, then started to write.
“Chapter I: The Elf.
When Gabriel reached the inn, he propped his back against the wall. His journey here was a rough one, through thickets of thorns and trees as dense as people.”
Entry 15
The New Name
There once was a knight named Sir Rock. Sir Rock definitely liked himself. He would stare in the mirror and gloat to the wall, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, aren’t I special, I’m so handsome and tall.” He traveled by day, and traveled by night, and hope that the woods wouldn’t give him a fright. When he rode into town he figured out that the name was Castle of Brown. There, in town was a fair lady, with hair, as red as the sun. She asked with such curiosity, “My brave, strong knight, what are you doing in the boring town of Castle of Brown?” “Fair lady eyes as beautiful as a flower, I was wandering around, looking for a place to stay.” As she invited him in, they started talking about how the Castle of Brown needed a more exciting name to fit the energized people of the Town of Brown. “We should name it Castle Rock, after thee who saved us from thy dreaded name.” And so they went and ripped out the sign and replaced with the new one that expressed the town of Castle Rock. So, my story ends, and the fair lady and Sir Rock married and lived happy ever after.
Entry 16
My town means a lot to me. I have lived here for 6 years and I feel like I have lived here all my life. Here I am, about to go into middle school, looking back at my years in 2nd grade, like the memories of taking a walk to down town Castle Rock. I was so excited to walk and see the fire department and the police department. Being a little kid and walking across the street with- out holding my parents hand made me feel free. I had to admit I felt free but scared at the same time because I didn’t want to get run over.
We walked to the fire station first. It was really fascinating to learn about their habits, including sleeping in the department. I had no idea that they slept there but as the tour went on I realized that if you slept at home and a fire was going on, it would take a long time to get there and then get to the place on fire. When we were done with the fire department we then went to the police department.
It was another interesting place that I liked. I was kind of terrified at how each policeman had a gun at his hip but then I felt safe that if anything happened then he could protect us somehow. The policemen showed us a small court room and it was fun because as a kid I have never seen a court room before.
When the day went by we later got milkshakes at the B&B Café. This was my first time going to the B&B Café. When walking into the restaurant I saw holes in the wall. I asked the waitress how they got there; she said that they were gun shots. I didn’t ask any more questions from that point. When we got the milkshakes my class and I went to the park right across the street. It was enjoyable; the chaperons took picture and loved all the facts that are on the plaques.
At around 3 o’clock we were headed back to school. I was disappointed that we had to go but was glad that we were going because my feet were killing me.
Those memories are like gold because to this day I remember them as like they happened yesterday. As life went on I ride in the car and look out the windows to see that everything is the same as it was 4 years ago. Sometimes I’m walking down the street to go in the B&B Café to eat and still remember walking in, for the first time, and getting that milkshake as a kid. Castle Rock has grown on me and it makes it hard to move schools or to move houses but what I don’t realize is that it’s not like I’m moving out of this small town, I’m still here.
Castle Rock Teens 