Winner Announcement: New Contest For May, Featuring Your Very Own Deranged Lighthouse Keeper!

It took me a while to judge all of the lovely entries into the New Contest For May, Featuring Your Very Own Deranged Lighthouse Keeper! contest, but I've finally done it! Here's a link to that contest, for the uninitiated:

However, before I announce the winners, I’d like to go over my thoughts on each of the entrants as I was reading them. As such, I have listed my comments on them in order of submission. Be sure to have a look at each of the stories as you read along. They're all well worth the read!

But, moving back to the moment you've all been waiting for, here’s the list:

First entry: The Old Ones Lighthouse by Daniel Millington

Short summary: After murdering the love of his life, the Keeper, after long years of sacrifice to thankless gods, plans to give himself up to the ocean.

My thoughts: Very well written, and I loved the Cthulhu connection!

Contest parameters:

• Letter? Check!
• Deranged lighthouse keeper? Check!
• Deceased lover? Check!
• Confession of a horrific act the keeper committed to keep the light burning? Check!

Check out the story here:

Second Submission: The Flame That Devours by Tim Carmichael

Short summary: Arthur’s letter to Clara informs her of his desperate attempts to keep the sacred lighthouse light aflame after her own flame has gone out. The oil is gone, and desperate times call for desperate measures, as the kind boy Jonathan Pike (must be ol’ Christopher’s great-grandson) soon finds. The light will, of course, need new food, but don’t fret! A new keeper is en route. . . .

My thoughts: First of all, I like the psycho lady in the image. She speaks to me with her crazy eyes. I think maybe other things had gone slightly amiss before she did. Upon closer inspection, it may not be a lady. Hard to say. Moving on from that, however, I appreciate the style of writing and word choice in this one, and the specificity of “37 days.” Not one month, not 40 days, but 37. Nice.

Contest parameters:

• Letter? Check!
• Deranged lighthouse keeper? Check!
• Deceased lover? Check!
• Confession of a horrific act the keeper committed to keep the light burning? Check!

Check out the story here:

Third Submission: Siren’s Song by Matthew Fromm

Short summary: In a letter to his wife, lighthouse keeper Daniel Mawford confesses his continued love for her along with his plans to desert his lighthouse duties by changing the light in order to lure a ship close enough to contact. The note at the end of the story details the grisly results of a plan gone awry.

My thoughts: I like the take on this one! When he wrote the letter, he believed his wife still lived; yet the note at the end clarifies the situation. Grim? Yes. Deranged? Hardly, considering the circumstances. After all, he wasn’t planning to actually wreck the ship, only bring it near enough to make contact. Besides, causing a shipwreck doesn’t necessarily cause deaths. I think I’d argue for manslaughter!

Contest parameters:

• Letter? Check! (Along with an addendum)
• Deranged lighthouse keeper? Debatable. Is it particularly deranged to try to lure a boat close enough to contact so that you can escape hostile conditions? Maybe. Maybe not.
• Deceased lover? Check! Even though he didn’t know it yet . . .
• Confession of a horrific act the keeper committed to keep the light burning? Debatable. How horrific was the act? The results were horrific, but was the act itself horrific? If the intention was not to harm others, but to procure aid for himself (even though that may have been somewhat thoughtless, both of the dangers to the crew and to the inconvenience to the crew), could it really be called horrific? I think the act itself doesn’t horrify me. As to keeping the light burning, that wasn’t the lighthouse keeper’s intention at all; however, we could argue that the “light” in question is not the light of the lighthouse, but rather, the “light” of Daniel’s love for his wife and unborn child.

Check out the story here:

Fourth Submission: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Letter by Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred - Emergency Backup Account

Short summary: When supplies run low and the lantern has failed, this lighthouse keeper turns to the only source of fuel he can find – his wife! And when the fuel runs low again? Worry not, dear friends; he has a plan for that as well!

My thoughts: Ah, a creepy murder-suicide letter! Well, well, I think that certainly qualifies as deranged!

Contest parameters:

• Letter? Check!
• Deranged lighthouse keeper? Check!
• Deceased lover? Check!
• Confession of a horrific act the keeper committed to keep the light burning? Check!

Check out the story here:

Fifth Submission: Dearest Sarah by Ian Read

Short summary: During William McCullough’s tenure as lighthouse keeper at Little Pine Head Light Station, he writes a letter of confession to his wife. He tells her that he has begun to catch glimpses of a seemingly malevolent creature that came from the sea, and he fears for his life as well as his sanity. He goes on to ambiguously imply that he has a plan to save both himself and the light. A postscript reveals the gruesome end to his tale.

My thoughts: I enjoyed the presentation within the letter of McCullough’s mental decline, starting out as a general update letter, but soon devolving, and ending on an almost maniacal note. The ambiguity of the ending leaves the reader thinking about the story and considering possible “truths” regarding McCullough’s demise. Was he insane already, did the presence of a supernatural being drive him insane, or were both true (he was already somewhat insane, but the creature drove him completely over the edge)? An interesting story!

Contest parameters:

• Letter? Check! (Along with an addendum)
• Deranged lighthouse keeper? Check!
• Deceased lover? Check! (Even though he was unaware of it)
• Confession of a horrific act the keeper committed to keep the light burning? Check, even if his actions may not have resulted in the intended effect.

Check out the story here:

And Now For The Winners!

That's all, folks! Well, what did you think? Which one was your favorite? Hard to choose, right? I thought they were all interesting stories, and well written! Some of the authors had unusual takes on the prompts, which is always fun. Thanks so much to each of you who entered (and to everyone reading this now as well)!

And so, without further ado, the number one prize ($3) goes to Tim Carmichael, with The Flame That Devours! Be sure to go check out more of his work here:

(Congratulations, Tim, your tip should theoretically be showing up soon. There's no ability to do a custom tip as far as I could discern, so I sent it in two payments. Please let me know when it arrives.)

For the second place prize ($2), I chose Ian Read, with Dearest Sarah! You can find more of his work here:

(Ian, congrats on second place! Your tip should be arriving soon. Please let me know when it gets there!)

Thanks to all the participants for taking on this challenge! I think you all did great!

To Everyone

Once again, I'd like to thank all the entrants for sharing their work with me and giving me an opportunity to be exposed to stories I may otherwise have never seen. Also, thanks to all the readers who have shown their support to the other entrants and to me. You're all appreciated!

Author's Note: I truly hope you enjoyed this contest and the stories that were entered into it! If you'd like to show your support, please feel free to leave a comment, click the heart, and subscribe!