ec Fiction contest finalist: Caitlin Greer

With no further ado, we present to you the winning stories in the ec fiction contest. After reviewing all the stories you sent us at the end of last year, we picked an overall winner and two finalists. The winner was Taylor Clemons and her story, "It was just a simple box" is printed on page 6 of the September issue of ec. In the next couple of weeks, we'll be publishing the other two finalists' stories here on the ec blog.

First up, is Caitlin Greer. Caitlin is a ninth grader from Milan, Ga. Caitlin likes to play softball, spend time with her family and friends, and listen to music. She lists working out, baseball, basketball, and studying among her interests. Here's her winning submission:

Does anybody hear her?
By Caitlin Greer
Melanie Oliver sat alone in her bedroom thinking about where she should have been. It was her birthday and the night of homecoming. Melanie didn’t feel any older. In fact, she felt as if she had already lived her life. She should have been the homecoming queen, but instead she chose to have one night of poor judgment that would impact the rest of her life forever. Melanie looked over at her baby of six months, and ran out the door.

The field was quiet that day. Crying, Melanie ran to kneel in her favorite spot, the place where she had spent many painful hours just thinking. She put her head in her hands and thought about what to do next. She was turning eighteen, and all she wanted to do was run.

Her dream of getting away was soon to come. The next morning, she awoke and grabbed some clothes and extra cash. She got her baby, Mary Kate, and strapped her in the car seat. They set out for what Melanie thought to be her greatest adventure ever. Melanie threw her clothes in the trunk of her car, not thinking about her mother and father she was leaving behind. Never looking back, she floored the gas pedal.

**********

How long have we been driving? Melanie thought to herself. She pulled the car over to a motel that looked as if it were run-down. Melanie walked in to see if they had a room. To her luck, she found an accompanied front desk where she paid for a room and got a key. There was a table where she could make herself a cup of coffee. A nice mocha latte sounds good right about now, thought Melanie. Even though she knew it could not taste anything like Starbucks, she made herself a cup and went to her car to start bringing in all her things.

Once they were settled, Melanie sat down to rock and feed Mary Kate. Mary Kate was soon fast asleep so Melanie laid her down on the bed. Melanie sat back down hoping to get some sleep. She closed her eyes and laid her head back, but try as she might she could not get to sleep. She sat remembering what got her into this mess in the first place, all the pain she had gone through. Not wanting to wake Mary Kate by the sound of the television, she started rummaging through the drawers in the motel room. Melanie opened the last of the drawers to find an old Bible with a worn out and torn cover. Melanie’s mom and dad had always tried to get her into church, but Melanie never quite understood it all. For some reason, tonight felt different.

So Melanie started reading. She read and read getting more into every page and the stories it told. To her surprise, she understood it all. She felt a fire and a passion that had never been there before.

**********

Months passed and Melanie finally found a cheap, one bedroom apartment just for the time being. Mary Kate was dropped off at a day care every morning, and Melanie went to her job as a waitress. The job didn’t pay much, so they were running tight on money, but still Melanie kept her bible with her. When she needed help, she would read. When she couldn’t sleep, she would read. She found truth in the words written in red and yearned for more.

One night while she was reading, a light flickered outside so she looked up. When she did, she noticed something glimmering on the windowsill. She walked over to find a beautiful cross necklace. She picked it up and thought about its meaning, about the stories she had read about the cross. She kneeled down and prayed for God to show her the right path. The adventure had been just what she needed, but now she felt as if God were trying to lead her elsewhere.

Melanie went to bed that night trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Should she keep going on her journey, or should she turn around and go back home? After hours of hard thinking, she made her decision. She was going back home. She knew this was no way to make Mary Kate live. She kissed her beautiful baby good night then laid down herself. Her dreams quickly over took her thoughts, and she was fast asleep.

Melanie woke up the next morning and quickly got her things together. She called the owner of the apartment and told him she wouldn’t need to rent anymore. She knew this was the right decision. She had never been so happy about anything in her life. She had so much to tell her parents. All the stories of her journey and how she had met God on the way were so amazing to her. For a little while, she was in doubt that a God so great and powerful could ever forgive a girl like her. But in her heart, she knew if she honestly admitted she was a sinner, confessed her sins, and believed in God with all her might that God would truly forgive and bless her for all the days of her life.

In the car Melanie turned up the radio. A song by Casting Crowns was playing. The words described her past perfectly. Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see? Oh, does anybody even know she’s going down today? But Melanie knew that she had changed for the better now. She knew she was heard because she knew God as her personal Savior and Friend. Melanie glanced back at her beautiful sleeping beauty and smiled to herself. For once in her life, Melanie knew that everything was going to be alright.

She was finally going home.