The Galaxy Cauldron is proud to announce its thirdwriting contest. The theme for this writing contest is "memories of the past." The writers were told to interpret the theme as they liked.

Entries from the 3rd Writing Contest are posted below in random order. Do not announce anyone's identities or guess at them in this thread. The writers of the entries may still vote in the poll. I trust you all to vote for what you honestly believe is the best entry, regardless of who wrote it.

Note: Voting will be opened for 8 days (until June 8th). All questions may be directed to Small Lady and Sashminda.

Entry #1
“Princess! Hurry, come with me!” gloved hands took her by the wrist, pulling her urgently out of the cushioned chair of the vanity. Her brush clattered to the floor, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind as she tried her best to keep up with her blue-haired friend. Something was wrong – Mercury wasn’t usually like this. Her heart racing, they burst into the grand hall and ran, faster than she had run in her entire life. Noises erupted around her, voices raised in concern and determination to her left, from within the courtyard of the palace; and voices raised in fury and terror from without, the foreground to a low rushing sound. She glanced to her right and slowed involuntarily at the sight spied through the columns.

“Princess!” Mercury cried out again, her voice tight and anxious, pulling her along, but Serenity’s shock slowed her still. The gardens were on fire; the flames roared from a distance, creeping ever closer to the pools nearer the front of the palace. Off in the distance, seemingly rising from the thick black smoke, was an enormous crowd of people, shouting in fury as they approached. They were armed with swords, their weapons glinting red. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. From her right erupted a command – “Charge!” – and men and women clad in silver armor rushed through the passageway beneath her, hastening to meet the charge, to defend their kingdom from the encroaching threat. What was going on?!

Mercury stopped and wheeled around, her hands gripping Serenity’s forearms tightly; she pulled Serenity’s confused gaze with the uncharacteristic roughness. Her blue eyes streamed tears, her face red and frightened, “Princess, please!” she begged desperately.

It was then that Serenity became truly frightened.

She nodded and started running, focusing solely on the blue-haired head bobbing before her, the sailor collar that rippled with their speed. They dashed down a circling stair and darted out into another hall, racing quickly away from the chaos behind them. If she could go fast enough, perhaps it would go away. It would go back to the way it was before – no more battle cries and the screams of agony, but the music of a ball, the soft whisper of wind through the flowers, the trickle of water in the fountains.

They burst through a door that would lead them out of the palace, out into the capital city, but before they could run down the short staircase and lose themselves in the chaos of the streets, Mercury’s hand was torn from hers and she fell hard on the marble stairs. She shrieked in pain, fear, and confusion as she fell, the scream turning into a sharp gasp as a stair jutted into her stomach. Tears coming to her eyes, she pushed herself up onto her hands and looked around for Mercury, only to see her sprawled, unmoving, back at the top of the stairs several feet away from her.

“Mercury!” she called fearfully, struggling to her feet through the pain and telling herself forcefully that the blackened blast across her friend’s chest wasn’t a fatal blow.

“Hello, Princess!” a voice hissed from below. She turned and saw a woman with wild red hair glaring up at her, pointing at her accusatorily, a mad smile on her face, “We will take the Kingdom of the Moon and make it our own! The Legendary Silver Crystal will be mine!” Her eyes were unnatural, her aura black and sinister. She held her hands above her head and an even crueler force manifested, a terrible blade shining though the coalescing darkness.

But suddenly she wasn’t alone. A caped shoulder hid her from view; a tall, raven-haired man took a stance between her and the cruel women before them, his sword raised defensively. Endymion. Despite the situation, the fear, the panic around her, she felt safe behind him.

“Prince!” the woman spat, “will you be a traitor to Earth? This is all for Earth’s prosperity!”

Earth’s prosperity?! What was she talking about?! Her heart hammered in her chest.

“Stop! Lay down your arms!” Endymion commanded, his voice strong and confident in the face of evil. He sounded convinced that his words could stop the battle, and she put her faith in that. “Stop this futile war immediately! War and hatred will never amount to anything!”

She appeared before them in a blurred flash, her sinister eyes glowing angrily, and brought down her blade. It tore through Endymion’s shoulder, continuing sickeningly through his chest, and her world crumbled around her as he cried out in pain. She screamed, as loud as she could; screamed in rage at this woman and her war, screamed in terror for her people, but, most of all, screamed in pain as the person most dear to her was torn from this world. Endymion! “Endymion!” she screamed, her eyes closed and her hands in fists near her face, wishing that none of this were real! None of this could be true! It just couldn’t!

Her mind turned to frenzied despair, watching Endymion’s body collapse, his red blood spilling over the white marble in pools. He was dying – he was dead. What was left for her, now? Her heart crumbled, taking her soul with it, deep into loss and despair. There was only one thing she could do.

With all of her being she called forth the sacred sword, the sword sworn to protect her, and as it materialized in her hands she turned it upon herself, then pulled it close to her as though it were him, her love. The blade bit deep into her chest, and she fell down beside him. While blade disappeared her mind lingered for a moment as visions of her life flashed before her eyes: of music and parties with her friends; of the ocean on Earth and his deep blue eyes that she felt she could fall into; of stolen kisses amongst roses…

And she wished she had told him that she loved him.

Entry #2
It had only been two years since sailor moon and the sailor senshi defeated
Sailor Galaxia,but Harukia or should I say Sailor Uranus was about to die
In the hands of her teammate and cousin Michiru,Sailor Galaxia had
the last laugh she had put a curse on Sailor neptune to kill
All the sailor senshis and regian the dark forces before she met her death.Uranus
was looking a Neptune as if she was crazy. What had happen
to neptune?she thought.Sailor Neptune only needed to use one last blow to kill
Haruka. Neptune walked up to Haruka slowly seeing if she would run to get help.
haruka sloched her back up to the wall allowing for Neptune to kill her,
She rather die from her than Someone else.This was it, Neptune had gathered up all her energy in to a
deep sea energy ball,and sturk Urasus with it. Instanlty Uranus droped to the ground and died or did she. Was this her last memirie?

"Haruka,Haruka are you ok?"

"huh?"Haruka blinked for a second and stood still. What had happened,was I dead or alive.She thought.
"Are you sick maybe we will go another time."Michuru said."Huh,go where?"harukia said."We was will you
was going to fix your car."Michiru turend to Haruka. Beep,Beep,Beep,Harukia looked at her old watch.
The watch had,3:15 June 5th 19--.Wait is this time correct or was it something wrong with my watch.
This was the same day and time that I became a Senshi. Haruka thought.They both started walking to
the repair shop.On there way Haruka bumped into a guy,they guy was wobbling and he look directly over at
Haruka.He whispered a message into her left ear. "This is just a memories you in,you not really in the past,get out before they get to you.Try
to react every thing out of your past exactly and you will live,if you dont be prepared for death.The the guy left still wobbling.
This had really been a memorie,there was shop and other places that looked fammiler.Michiru stoped."oh no what is thay Creature?"
Standing in fournt of her was a ll ft motor demon that was ready to attack.The deamon took out four razor blades and amied at Michiru."Haruka pushed Michiru out of the way to save her
from the attack. Her left arm was now broken.Deep down in her hear she wanted help,she need someone to lean on. Then thats
When the stick apperd.She grabed it and.... and....poof,everything was blank,like someone suddenly stopped everything.

"Haruka,haruka,wake up!Are you ok?Its me Mitchiru,"Haruka looked around for a bit dazed.
She was at hospital and all the others was there too. "What happen,why am Im here?"She said.
Mitchiru Sat up slightly to speak. "When you was raceing on your motorcycle You fell off and hit you head,so Mamoru drove you to the hospital.
"It took Haruka a minute to remember"Oh yeah now I remember,well That was foolish of me,but Im fine now."
So every thing I was dreaming was a memories ,and that hit on the head must of twisted them.She said to her self. Well this one is one of few memories that I would like to forget.

Entry #3
The Flower Shop
Word Count: 528
Short Story



“But Papa, I don’t want to go to a FLOWER shop. I hate
flowers!” Mamoru groaned as he held his father’s hand, crossing the street on a
busy Tokyo afternoon. “Why are we going there anyways?”


“Mamoru, you know your mama’s been sick for a couple days. I
think flowers would cheer her up.” His father grinned and made his way into the
colorful boutique. His son followed glumly.



The two were greeted with an array of smells and colors,
giving the air of nature inside the tiny building. “Well hello to you two!” the
saleswoman exclaimed as she arranged various vases. “What can I help you with?”


“My son and I are looking for flowers for my wife. She’s
been under the weather recently.”


“Such a lovely gesture!” the woman said, as Mamoru rolled his
eyes and walked around. “Well, I’m
making an arrangement of wildflowers right now. Do you think that she would
like these?”


“Hmm I have no clue. I’m actually not sure what her favorite
flower is.” The tall, handsome man laughed, as Mamoru looked up at him. He
listened to his father, always admiring the love and support he’d given to his
family, but that still didn’t make him love the “romance” of flowers! The young boy glanced around at the
uninteresting displays of bouquets. Carnations, daisies, lavender. “All girly
stuff,” the child whispered.


However, in a corner of the decorated store, there stood
several blooms of delicate, primped roses. Mamoru was intrigued by these
plants, touching each petal softly, as he took in the aroma of the light
fragrance. “Papa!” he called.


His father turned around quickly, as he spotted Mamoru
holding a glass vase of pink and white roses, tied together with a red ribbon. “You
think your mama will like these, son?”


Mamoru nodded, as he held the vase up to his father with his
tiny hands. “Mama will get better when she sees these,” he said eagerly.


“I thought you hated flowers! These are the most beautiful!
Why did you…”


“They remind me of something. I just don’t what exactly.”
Mamoru thought about the scent and wondered how could it have been…so recognizable.


“Now what would a little boy like you remember? You are just
seven!” his father laughed as he picked him up. “Well thank you, son. I think
your mama will love these, and I’ll tell her you chose them!” His father hugged
him tightly, as Mamoru smiled, pleased with himself.





As he went down the path outside on the grounds of the
Jindai Botanical Garden, Mamoru gazed at the pleasant day. He walked, glancing
at the familiar array of flowers from a once happy childhood he remembered. His stomach ached, and felt drops roll down
his cheek. The rose garden surrounded
him, with the fountain in the center. Mamoru knelt down and inhaled the aroma
of pink and white roses, gently touching the smooth, velvet texture he remembered…that
he’ll always remember. Wiping his eyes, Mamoru turned as he heard Usagi and
Chibiusa call him from a far. He smiled, knowing he would always follow his
father’s compassion, to bring roses forever for the one he loves.

Entry #4
Sheba Tumbles to the Orient






Before the incident, I stayed on the riverbank. I had mother beside me, and I had goddess inside me. I stayed sitting, peaceful in my slumbers and healthy, the air of the Balkan sky sitting on my breast. Towards the east… I thought with my mother, and off to the East we went, joyful in our travels, joyful in our spirits. We lingered in the Balkans as spectators to a soundless symphony, playing us personal musicals of the greatest gaiety.



Here I lay now, in the dusk, on the dust of Japan’s roads. I had swayed towards the east, and eastern winds, warm and suffocating, lifted me and spliced my body into a severed band of ghosts.



Phoenician, my ancestry, and celestial, my spirituality; they corresponded in power, two mighty obelisks lowering into the Black sea to greet me in my travels. Joyously examining the heritage printed on paper but recorded on stones and invisible spirit, we sailed with the eastern breeze.

“Sheba, look at that! Isn’t it beautiful, sweetie?”

“They’re like bare boulders swollen to the size of mountains! Mum can we go across that river?” I, brimming with enthusiasm, smelt the incense of the snowy cloud-fog blowing through my fingers, staining my nails with the mark of the Balkans and forever branding me with the fragrant history which I now know to be my finality.

Mother consented to my proposition, and we headed for the gleaming river, half frozen and stark contrasting foliage and rock-slates adorned its banks. Further down, it grew into a fjord-like formation, with majestic cliffs as banks, shields to protect an unspeakable beauty lying within the water.

Treading through the sultry grass, dyeing dark green patches on our sneakers’ soles, my mother and I strolled as clouds do through mountain ranges. Treading stealthily, with noiseless steps on noiseless soil, we edged closer to the slurry of misty water flowing downstream.

“Sheba, look at the view of the village from here. Isn’t it quaint? All stone paved roads, stone stacked walls and round-edged grey mottled houses.”

“How peaceful it must be for someone who lives here”, I replied, thinking my imaginative head into the cloudy summit behind me, “It almost feels like our home, having such a domestic atmosphere to it.”



Now that I reminisce, I think I must have lost a part of our familial soul amongst that little village. Countless more fragments of me were lost on my arid journey to Japan. I really tried to recollect them, capture them in my arms before they could disperse with the thorny winds of the Black sea. Therapeutically, I now count the number I have left, ever diminishing in size and sheen. As for my heart piece, it went into the frozen river, along into that rising fjord, nourishing the trees with its sanguine remnants.



My mother and I sat on a rocky ledge, the coldness of stones penetrated skin-deep while our contemplation and want of beauty numbed all discomfort. It was the most motherly thing she had ever done with me. We watched as citizens of the village, dressed in what we perceived as costume, headed about their afternoon, dashing from house to brazenly smoking house, and carrying things, indiscernible to our eyes.

“We could live here sometime, Sheba. We could do it anytime we wanted.”

And with her wistful whispers of evensong, the spirits of the Black sea gathered atop our heads, swirling in a ritualistic dance, wishing us a gracefully frozen hour. The sun began to set in the west, behind the village, blinding our view of its sleepy demise. We ought to have returned to the inn by this time, but we considered no such compromise. Mother led on into Nature’s daily labour - giving birth to the moon’s domain. Mother led on. Mother took me towards the east. I felt, inside my heart a scared anointment of this land, forever protecting it from desecration.

And yet the spirits of the Balkans were unkind. They flew off into the deep sky, and we were left naked and freezing on the opposite bank of the river. Nothing could have been done; we had crossed the threshold, the portal to another realm, one representative of its entrance gates, half iced over and illogically sprouting geological formations which have no place there.

I lagged behind mother, as she was eager to see the silhouette of the land as viewed from an unilluminated and unearthly hillside. I was merely eager to follow mother.

Following me was Astarte.

And following her was the tragedy of which she alerted me too late.

A gust of salty wind, not from the black sea, no, not from any sea in the region. It was acrid and yellow, venomous to the lungs. Astarte was blown to the ground and I with her, in single body. We were burnt from the abrasive gales and crying, calling for mother in hope of a maternal healing.

The cry of our voice lingered long after it had diffused out into the great scope of Europe. Forever unanswered, it clung to the putrefied air, made itself a subservient to that yellow acidic wind. I faltered along mother’s footsteps, bloody trails of a thief left behind as it stole mother from her newly declared home.

The final imprints drew an image of flight, and there I saw my mother, a ghost of her love drifting into the dominion of the spirits who had abandoned us…

And left me eternally shattering on my ceaseless journey to the Orient.

Entry #5

Artemis had kept to himself for most of the day and given the events of yesterday, it was not a surprise. He had seen Luna again for the first time in nearly a thousand years. His emotions were turbulent and conflicted. It had not appeared as if she had remembered much about him, although she had recognized him. He did feel more than a little hurt and betrayed. Their relationship, although strained, had finally begun to develop before the disaster.

He still remembered the first day that he had seen her. She had been called from Mau to serve as the future advisor to Princess Serenity, who would be due in a few months. He had received his own duties several years earlier and already his experience as the advisor to the future captain of the guard, the princess of Venus, and the heir to the position of Sailor Venus, had begun to grow and mature.

The meeting between the advisors-in-training was not scheduled to take place for several hours, so Artemis took it upon himself to lounge in the gardens. The sun was delightful and the company was all too eager to please. Several ladies of the court gathered around the white-haired man and showered him with affection and attention. Although he had been off-put by such attention when he first traveled to the realm of the Silver Millennium, Artemis quickly changed his tune. The culture of Venus was especially flamboyant and overtly affectionate. The culture of the Moon was more reserved, but none the less pleasant.

With a hearty laugh, Artemis waved his hand in the air, “please, ladies, I am all too eager to attend to your desires, but,” he drawled out his voice. The faces of the ladies fell as they anticipated his words. Artemis continued, “I fear that I must depart in order to prepare for a diplomatic event.” The ladies of the court loudly voiced their displeasure, but eventually departed in groups. The Mauian received several promises of later meetings and encouragement to visit at a later date. He smiled and waved as they departed, but sighed loudly once he thought he was alone.

He was not alone, however. One lady of the court had stayed behind to spend a few private moments with the advisor-in-training. She forwardly touched his shoulder, which alerted him to her presence. He whirled around only to be confronted by several forward advances and a wit of tongue. Although he often flirted with the eligible bachelorettes, he had yet to be placed in such a precarious situation as this. Artemis fought down a growing urge to panic and dismissed the woman’s advice, albeit rather nervously and with a rather lack of the smooth manner he had possessed earlier. She did not take ‘no’ for an answer.

Artemis’ mind began to break down as he felt her lips press against his own. His hands hung limply at his side and his eyes widened in panic. A loud gasp broke the moment. Someone had stumbled upon the intimate moment. The lady of the court hurriedly dismissed herself and left Artemis to perform a decent imitation of a blushing fish. The intruder seemed just as surprised and immobilized as Artemis. At the same time they both blurted out an excuse, then paused as if neither knew what to do next. Artemis stepped forward, which apparently took the black-haired woman off-guard. With nothing to say but a small squeak of embarrassment and surprise, the woman in the yellow and black dress quickly turned and left.

Although another thought or action may have been more appropriate, Artemis could not help but dwell on how beautiful the black-haired woman in the yellow and black dress had been. He had never seen her before.

Later that afternoon, Artemis waited in the appropriate meeting hall for the arranged introduction between himself and the future advisor to Princess Serenity. He had since recovered from the disaster in the gardens, although he was very nervous about seeing either woman again. At the head of the table sat Queen Serenity, who was in the more advanced stages of her pregnancy. A knock came at the door and the attendant introduced Lady Luna, the future advisor to Princess Serenity. The look on the Mauians’ face was nothing less than priceless.

Queen Serenity quirked a smile at the beginnings of this introduction. Obviously, she was not privy to all of the information concerning a prior relationship between these two. She motioned for Artemis to rise and properly introduce himself to the woman who he would no doubt be working very closely with for many years to come. After a jerky start, Artemis bowed and took Luna’s hand. He paused for a moment before he placed a chaste kiss on the front of her hand. Luna blushed brightly and wondered if she could reclaim a sense of decorum.

Queen Serenity instructed the two to sit at opposite sides of the table on either side of their queen. Artemis wondered if he could possibly look at Luna and keep a straight, calm face or if all hope had been lost. He was still very young and not entirely certain as to how to approach the situation. As soon as Queen Serenity began the meeting, Luna recovered her decorum and propriety. Artemis silently marveled at her behavior and her beauty. She often interjected questions and words that held wisdom and intelligence unusual for her young age. He felt as if he lacked something important.

Once the meeting was dismissed, Artemis cautiously approached Luna. With a shy smile, he asked if perhaps she would meet him for lunch in order to discuss their future together as diplomatic partners. The suave manner he had been cultivating for months seemed to disappear around Luna, but maybe she would not mind? His smile broadened as she hesitantly accepted his offer and prefaced that she would prefer to meet in a public setting. Hope springs eternal for young love, as Artemis found he was beginning to understand all too well.

bump!

Bump

Voted!

Voted. ^_^

voted!

bump!

Please vote! We've got until the 8th! ^_^

Bump!

bump!

Today is the last day to vote!

Hey guys, I'd like to be able to announce the winner tomorrow...but Venus forgot to tell me who each entry was submitted by! Lol, so would the winner mind sending me a PM that way we can make you a little special something for your announcement.

lol sorry, we failed at this.

Small Lady wrote:

Hey guys, I'd like to be able to announce the winner tomorrow...but Venus forgot to tell me who each entry was submitted by! Lol, so would the winner mind sending me a PM that way we can make you a little special something for your announcement.

lol sorry, we failed at this.

Anybody?

Cause we do have a winner!


Congrats to Entry #5! I'd give you a prize, but i don't even know who you are.

Woo! Yay entry number five!!

Entry 1 - Sailor Uranus
Entry 2 - Bunbun
Entry 3 - thewhitemoonfamily
Entry4 - Sashminda
Entry 5 - Sailor Venus

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the votes and appreciation for my story. Having fun here in Belize, just super itchy because I'm losing the battle with bugs and poisonous trees. Getting a lot of work done, though.

Hey Venus!! It's great to hear from you! ^^ Congratulations! And I hope the bugs let up!

Oh yay! Thanks V! And congrats on being the winner! No wonder we didn't know who it was. xD

Congrats Venus ^^

Congrats V-chan!!!
The next contest will be announced on the 15th of June!

(I've also pmed this to her)

Congratulations! And NQS that is a beautiful sig.

Congrats Sailor Venus ^^