I am very happy to present to you this months writing and art challenge winners. All of those who submitted work were challenged in their creativity, which is our goal. Now I present to you the first winners of this challenge. For the artists, the challenge was to create a fictional story board using colored pencils; this was specifically for BHS and WAKAPA students. BMS students were allowed to roam freely in their creativity, out of request of the art teacher. The writers in turn, were challenged to create a fictional short story with only a short amount of words. The winners received a $25 gift card from Pizza Planet and will be able to earn the end of the year challenge scholarship.

*No BMS Student submitted a short story.

BHS January Art Winner: Elizabeth Overturf (10th Grade)

BMS January Art Winner: Giianni Faught (6th Grade)

BHS January Writer Winner: Ardice Fogelsong (12th Grade)

*Raw showcase of writers entry.

Viking Fondue

Sometimes Inga found herself actually listening to her clients as she worked quietly. The woman in front of her had mousy-brown hair that Inga carefully combed and snipped. The woman babbled incessantly, mostly comparing herself to her sister. The woman left pauses between complaints, as if to wait for Inga to reassure her, and tell her that, “Oh, no. You don’t talk too much,” or “Your sister can’t be more popular than you,” but Inga wasn’t really the comforting type.

When Inga decided that she finally had enough of the babbling woman, and was satisfied with the straight cut, she notified the woman by swooping her chair around mid-rant. The woman did not smile, but simply said,

“Good enough.”

The woman paid and left. Suzanne came over to Inga.

“What a rude woman” Suzanne commented. “She yaks your ear off and then ‘Good enough’? I mean really, what is her deal?”

“I’ve learned not to take these things to heart” Inga said.

“Better for ya” Suzanne replied. “We should probably clean up. It’s six.”

Inga washed and sanitized their instruments while Suzanne swept the last of the clients’ hair off of the floor. Inga took a taxi home, as usual. She waved at Suzanne as she rode away on her bike in the rain. Inga grazed through a fashion magazine on the drive home. At one point, the cab driver half-leaned over to notify her.

“Don’t freak out lady, but there appears to be a food truck following us.”

Inga peered around only for a moment to see the “VIKING FONDUE” bus behind them turn a corner.

“Well. They’re not following us anymore” Inga said.

When the driver dropped her off, he told her to be careful out there. Inga hung up her rain parka in her quiet apartment. “Are you home Philip?” Philip did not reply, but she found him in front of the television entwined in the news.

An echoing clang came out of the kitchen, so Inga went to investigate. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, so Inga started cleaning and cutting some potatoes for dinner.

SLAP! A hand clasped over her mouth.

“Do not call for help,” a female voice whispered.

Inga froze.

“Listen to me carefully. You are going to think I am crazy, but you need to listen. The Völva, do you know who they are?” The female questioned.

“Völva? Like the stories my mother told me when I was a child? Yes, what about them?” Inga replied

“You have the blood of the chosen,” the voice whispered. “They are going to tempt you to go with them to the dimension of the spirits. They will offer you power and wisdom, but you must not go with them. They want you to join them and be a Völva, and you will die an early death as my sister did. I am going to go now, but I cannot allow you to see my face, so I am going to tranquilize you.”