Finish the Story: Contest Winners' Entries

𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳. 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘑𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 . . .

Becky Lees

...or else she would be cursed like it's previous owner. The necklace was sent to Elizabeth stating to be from a fan but, in reality she was jealous of Elizabeth and her success!

However Elizabeth seamed not to care about the threatening note. Reality was she didn't realise the danger she was in and she decided to keep a hold of the necklace and continue to wear it....after all she was dazzled by the necklaces beauty

Sudi Adkins

The Maravilla Mysteries

Book I – Murder at the Met

Chapter I

Elizabeth Maravilla! Mezzo extrordinaire, prima donna, divine diva! Elizabeth was in New York just finishing her world recital tour, and in rehearsals for Carmen at the Met. She had just sung Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden gesellen (Song of a Wayfarer) with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Lincoln Center. She had received a beautiful necklace containing a rare (and magical?) jewel from a “devoted” fan which she wore for the performance.

After the show, James, her loyal bodyguard and close friend, found a note threatening Elizabeth to return the necklace, or else…

One would think Elizabeth would be frightened and willing to immediately return the necklace. However, there was a reason she had her trusted bodyguard! She and James were not strangers to mystery, danger and intrigue. Everywhere she sang, somehow they would end up involved in some mystery.

There was the Murder in Milano while she was performing Azucena in Verdi’s Il Trovatore and Vengeance in Venice where she performed Dame Quickly in Falstaff at La Fenice. Someone was Slain in San Francisco during the Dialogues of the Carmelites at the War Memorial Opera House and Blooshed in Buenas Aires occurred while she was performing her Ginastera recital with the Cinco Canciones Populares Argentinas, not to mention the Butchery at the Bolshoi during her Queen of Spades performances.

Elizazbeth and James were instrumental in solving these murders despite resistance from the local constabularies. So you see, they would not react out of fear, but rather put their formidable talents to work to discover who this threat was from and why. They would discover the secrets of the necklace and it’s rare (and magical) gem.

I don’t know about you, but I look forward to their journey and what secrets they might reveal. I am sure their story will be fascinating and that they will manage all the twists and turns with aplomb, because Elizabeth and James are the best of friends, partners and super sleuths!

Nikki Scott

James, who solely wanted to protect Elizabeth, did not want her to be aware of the threat to come. In Elizabeth’s mind, she feels as if her true fans gifted her with such an elaborate present. Proudly wearing the jeweled necklace, show after show, James has not seen other threatening letters….until her visit to the Grand Stage. While setting up, James came across a box, similar to the box that the necklace was in. “Should I open it”, thought James. He immediately ruffled with the idea and then ran to the Cafe where Elizabeth was. Her not knowing what is going on, she smiled when she noticed James was carrying a replica box. Her smile turned mute when she saw James’s face, he could not hold that feeling in. Deciding to tell her was probably the best thing because out of nowhere, Elizabeth said, “James, why did you grab the gift box from my room?!” James stood in terror, “this was at the Grand Stage Beth, by the pulpit”. Both stared in disgust and terror. Who was this?! Noticing the handwriting, James realized that this was no threat, but rather a “gotcha” moment for Elizabeth. He recalls seeing Elizabeth’s old lover, Mr. Gray, running from the Grand Stage. Thinking nothing of it, he continued on his day. Mr. Gray was not happy how things ended with Elizabeth, since she decided she was truly in love with James, unbeknownst to James. Heading back to the studio, James and Elizabeth concoct a plan to catch the bandit. James suggested to Elizabeth to not wear the gift, and see the reactions of the crowd. Everyone swarmed the grand stage arena and noticed she wasn’t wearing the necklace. Looking through the crowds, James examines the area. Everyone was smiling but…Elizabeth’s mother. James then thought, “maybe it’s a threat, after all”.

Alana Lawson

Elisabeth aka Bethy recieved the necklace with grace but knew the mysteries that wove the jewels story for she was secretly working with the Dectectives to find the theif. Knowing that the jewel was cursed she had the original jewel replaced with a fax , so that the real gem was safely hidden. Now they are on a path to draw out the thief ,but there is a twist to the story when Bethy discovers that her own James is part of the plot. Now she must follow him and what better way than to strike up a romance with him. He invites her to a party in the Train with about 40 other guest. Bethy hopes to find the theif and give the gem to the rightful owner. James thinking that Bethy needs to be protected stands at her side throught the event. but is called to help when a guest is suddenly taken ill. As he is a way Bethy is grabbed and drug through the exit out on the small belcony . James realizes that Bethy is not in the train car and rushes to investigate. Hoping that she is not harmed, but knowing that the theif will stop at nothing to get this gem back becuse he knows him for a ruthless individual, because he finds that it is his older brother, who has been astranged from the family since he was but a lad of 16. Bethy looks up and spins around to see who it is that has her arm in a death grip, to find that is is James! but yet she reslizes that it is not her James . She relized that she has been taken by the thief which looks amazingly like her friend. Just as she gets ready to scream for help James flys through the exit striking his brother down and away from Bethy. James easily subdues his brother. James' brother Ethen tells James that the gem is their inheritance and that he is the rightful owner being the eldest brother. Bethy is so surprised at all that is revieled. James is a twin and his sister had the gem made into the necklace and given to Bethy becuase she knew that her bother loved her and trusted her. She wanted James to have it and hoped as she lay dieing that James would win Bethys heart and have the gem and his true love. But Ethen finds out and plots to take back the gem. He is the one that told the story of the gem and how it was cursed to try to frighten away anyone who would gain actsess to the gem. Now that the story is out Bethy takes out the gem that she had in a pocket in her gown and hands it over to James , with tears in her eyes she relizes that she is trully in love with him. James asks her to marry him and the story ends with them riding the train into the sunset as Ethen is taken away to jail.

Antoinette F Fearnley-Whittingstall

Poor Elizabeth! She thought her fan was a wealthy benefactor. Unfortunately, he is none other than Mr Puntnikovic, a man of very dubious reputation who likes helping himself to exhibits from public places and museums. No one cares to say anything because he is very powerful and extremely dangerous. That night, she is performing as Tosca and sings like never before, so frightened she is of Mr Puntnichovic....And for her friend's safety. James is very efficient and crafty. He knows how to track people, especially the ones with secrets. He finds the sender of the threatening note and tells him he will return the jewelery after the performance. Elizabeth agrees of course. She doesn't care much for it anyway! She is very successful after all and can easily afford the best. I mean the VERY best! For the rest of us, it's the stuff of dreams but not for Elizabeth.

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