The Pirate's Curse
Swashbuckling adventure in 100 words or less!
I started sharing some of my writing contest entries earlier this year, but I wanted to make it a little more official. This is now a series with a shiny new name: Contest Entries in the Wild. It will include the contest organizer info, prompts I was given to work with, and ranking the piece received (if any.) Let’s get right to the good stuff!
Contest Entry in the Wild Details:
Contest: NYC Midnight 100-Word Microfiction (2024, Round 2)
Prompts: Genre - Action/Adventure / Action - pumping / Word - there
Place - Honorable Mention 3

The Pirate’s Curse
Lina pumped the oars, heaving her skiff toward shore. Moonlight cast eerie shadows on the pirates’ camp. The last barrier between her and treasure. She’d take only what she needed; she’d never be like her crooked parents.
She stole through the jungle on a waif’s silent feet. Spying a skull-like rock with eye sockets full of night, Lina consulted the map. There — X marked the spot.
Knocking the lone scout unconscious, Lina stretched a triumphant hand toward glittering gold.
A shadow fell.
She raised her cutlass; a scoundrel advanced, smirking, hands raised in mock surrender.
Lina’s sword wavered.
“...Mama?”
This month’s story brought to you by scoundrels and coffee. If you find yourself humming the theme song to Pirates of the Caribbean, and want to fuel more fiction, there’s a ko-fi option below.
I’m honestly just glad you’re here, and I hope to be thanking all my early Substack subscribers in the acknowledgements of my very own novel one day. Cheers!


Short but powerful ❤️