Hello Cribbers

Welcome to another session of the...

And for this group we would be having;

030 - Zoë 

035 - Aang

023 - Aurelius

003 - Dewdrop

020 - Moonlight artist

Now, let's dive into the beautiful piece

RETRIBUTION.

Revenge has always been a driving force. 

A reason to breathe, a reason to live, a reason to die.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

In this case a drink served cold.

I put the arsenic in the five glasses, giving it a good stir.

This was retribution. 

It's divine and transcends everything I had felt before.

I finally felt alive.

A writing contest that couldn’t recognize my talent was as good as done. I didn’t need to be a part of Project Pen to showcase my prowess. I don’t know why I’m only realizing this after trying out for the contest five times. 

This time, at least I’m here, even if it’s not as a contestant.

I am Envy, begotten of selfish want and self-sustenance. I grow lean from watching others eat, I grow sad from watching others smile, and I relish the despair of others. I am one of the seven deadly sins of whom humans are terrified. 

"Shame," I tsked.

Badass writers. Badass writers!

Well, they wouldn't be so badass now if they were dead, would they?

*****

"Get it together, this is what you do best," you whispered, as you readied yourself for the stage. The echoes of last night with the top five still stinging, their jabs ringing in your head.

"You’re a wonder," you said, taking one last look at yourself in the lighted mirror. 

You climbed the stairs to the mainstage, pausing to clear your throat and calm yourself, as well as to dislodge the discomfort that settled there last night.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Welcome to the finale of the sixth season of Project Pen! I am Pearl Adenuga. As always, I’m your host for tonight!" you yelled into the microphone, flipping your hair off your shoulder and wiggling your body in a way that your glittering dress didn't go unnoticed.

The crowd went wild with deafening cheers, expressing their excitement for the finale of the biggest writing competition in Africa.

The people cheered. You beamed and waved enthusiastically. You loved the spotlight and you basked in its heat.

As you watched them shout, you knew it wasn't for you. This spotlight was borrowed. The whoops and hurrahs were for the creatives, the talented writers.

“A gift that eludes you.”

Those were Asake's words during last night’s spat.

"Are you ready to meet your top five?!" you shouted.

"Yes!" the crowd yelled.

"Alright then, over to the judges and let's have them do us the honours," you grinned, prancing over to the high table where the judges sat with distinct expressions that ranged from blankness, tight-lipped smiles and bright smiles.

*****

I felt like God, watching Sodom and Gomorrah before he sent fire. I watched them shouting, screaming some other people's names. 

My name should be on their lips instead. All the glory solely for me.

If they wanted to shout, I would give them a reason to lament.

*****

"I know we are all familiar with the names of the judges, but it wouldn't hurt to make an introduction again," you said. 

"We have Judge Shakespeare first, next to Maya Angelou, JK Rowling, James Hardley Chase, Acton Bell, Karen Kingsbury, Arundhati Roy, Jane Corey and Danielle Lori." The name of each judge punctuated with a deafening scream of excitement by the audience.

A few of the judges waved at the audience while the others flashed half smiles.

"Here you go," you said, handing the reveal cards that bore the names of each contestant to five different judges.

Maya Angelou tore the black card in her hand open, a light smile playing on her lips as she scanned the content of the card. 

"I guess we are starting with the fifth contestant," she smiled, clearing her throat and activating her table mic. 

"The fifth contestant is Roli!" she revealed, and the audience went into a frenzy, eliciting a chuckle from her.

JK Rowling had a cheery smile on her face as she tore her card open, activating her table mic. "The fourth contestant is none other than Jeff!" she screamed into the microphone, causing the audience to go wild with cheers.

Arundhati Roy didn't quite look so cheery but wasn't necessarily frowning. "Oh, wow," she chuckled when she saw the content of her card. "The second runner-up is Asake." she said and the audience screamed in excitement.

James Hardley Chase tore his card open. "The first runner-up is Soursop!"

The crowd erupted into wild cheers, yelling his name.

“And finally, the winner of the sixth season of Project Pen is,” Karen Kingsbury paused, sporting a smile on her face. "Tishe!" she yelled.

The audience went crazy, their thunderous screams and applause almost ripping the building off its foundation.

On cue, one of the doors slid open, revealing the female, whose every strut elicited a scream from the audience. 

She had a nervous smile plastered on her face, smoothening the crease of her dress.

"Oh, my God. I-I don't even know what to say, but thank you!" she smiled teary-eyed, fiddling with the microphone you handed to her.

*****

No one was supposed to come out… The other four doors remained decidedly shut.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

*****

"Roli, Jeff, Asake, and Soursop, come on stage, please." Acton Bell announced into the table mic and the audience eagerly turned to the automatic doors, waiting for the remaining contestants to reveal themselves.

"Roli? Jeff? Asake? Soursop? Come out, please," she repeated and her brows furrowed in confusion as she turned to the other judges, whispering to them.

The crowd broke into confused murmurs as a sense of uncertainty lingered in the air.

"Pearl, could you please go fetch them?" Acton Bell said to you.

"Just a moment, please," you told the audience and made your way into the Project Pen house.

You sashayed into the eerily quiet lobby, stepping into the large living room and when you spun around, you eyes beheld four lifeless bodies and an agonising scream tore through your lips, fear slashing through your spine and bringing you to your knees. 

On the floor, in various positions, were the bodies of the contestants that had gone cold and the most bizzare part was the names on each of their backs.

Roli bore Maya Angelou, Jeff had JK Rowling carved into his flesh, Arundhati Roy was embedded into Asake's skin and Soursop bore James Hardley Chase.

Some staff members rushed in, and all hell broke loose.

*****

A scream rose above the crowd's murmurs. Another like the sound of chalk on a board followed it.

I screamed. I had to. I don't want to seem suspicious. I knelt over the bodies. Their faces frozen in eternal agony. 

Green, cold with death. 

So much for talent, I thought as I reached their necks for a pulse I knew I won't find.

*****

It didn’t take long before the squads sent from the station arrived. All entry and exit points were blocked, everyone was sitting with tear-streaked faces, holding soaked up handkerchiefs and tissues in their hands.

You were being questioned over and over, giving the same answers each time.

“Miss Pearl, please try to think properly. You said you served the contestants their milk this morning. Correct?” the detective asked.

“Yes, I did. I will repeat that the milk was just on the counter and time was far spent. The contestants had to have their meals before 9am, so they could prepare in time for the live show,” you repeated for the umpteenth time.

“So how come the autopsy shows that all the contestants were poisoned by the milk you served?”

“Tishe wasn’t poisoned abi? I also gave her milk this morning!” you yelled at the detective.

“You were also given milk this morning. How is it that you’re not dead?” The detective asked, shifting his fixed gaze to Tishe’s face.

“I’m lactose intolerant, Soursop drank mine just like he does every other day,” she answered, a sob escaping her lips.

Turning to face you, Tishe asked, “Pearl, you  and Asake were in a heated argument last night and the others were supporting her. Is that why you killed them?”

*****

“It is with sadness that we announce that the case between one Miss Pearl Adenuga and Project Pen writing contest has come to a close, and Miss Pearl has been convicted of four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She will be moved to the Kirikiri state penitentiary this morning. That’s all for today, I am Jesse Briggs for Newspoint.”

Someone had to take the fall for it. Pearl was convenient. I couldn’t end up in prison.

With the prize money from Project Pen, my girlfriend, Tishe and I have decided to move away and start our lives afresh.

I got four out of five, I had to complete what I started.

“Tishe baby, let’s go nau,” I called her from the car parked outside.

“I’m coming o, Antonio, my love.”

COMMENTARY: Wowww, Omoo. The way I'm speechless sef, this was really creative and amazing✨🔥.

INDIVIDUAL REPORT

003 DEWDROP

PLOT

The finale of Project Pen, the biggest writing competition in Africa was quick to morph into something sinister when four of the top five contestants were discovered dead by Pearl Adenuga, the competition's host. Their cause of death was deduced to be arsenic poisoning; their daily protein, milk was being poisoned with Arsenic. The five of them were supposed to be dead but the winner, Tishe, miraculously evaded death and her reason for being a survivor was unravelled during the investigation—she was lactose intolerant and had been giving her glass of milk to Soursop. All fingers pointed at Pearl because she was the one who was last seen in the kitchen, and also served them the milk she claimed had been in the kitchen before she got there. She was convicted of the crime. But then, the actual killer turned out to be Antonio. Antonio had been a contestant right from the first season, down to the fifth, but he was always failing and never emerged the winner. His failure had eaten at whatever humanity he had left, rendering him a shell, and then, he mapped out a plan to participate in the sixth season by applying to be the chef. When he discovered that the last five contestants would be Roli, Jeff, Asake, Soursop, and Tishe, he decided to exact his revenge by poisoning their daily protein with Arsenic, for weeks with the notion that if he couldn't have that glory for being the finalist, they wouldn't either. His plan took a wrong turn when four out of five died. But then, it was easy for him to snake his way into Tishe's life with his charming facade with the aim of finishing what he started.

DISTINCT QUALITY.

The story, Retribution, was uniquely told from the second point of view, mirroring an alternate version of the Project Pen competition with the characters of the contestants past prompts and a gut-gripping plot twist.

 QUESTION: The Project Pen alternate universe idea is absolutely brilliant. Was there a challenge you had working with this set up?_ 

ANSWER: There were some difficulties in working with that set up because, at first, I was quite confused as to how we were supposed to sum up an idea that big into a flash fiction of one thousand five hundred words. It was terrifying, to say the least. Ranging from how it ought to start and how we were supposed to wrap it up. Another thing that proved to be a challenge would be coming up with a convincing motive for Antonio, but funny enough, I came up with a motive for him, and with the help of my teammates, we were able to modify it into something that would fit right into the story. If there's one thing I am grateful for in this stage, it's the concept of teamwork. It proved to be a powerful weapon, because sincerely, without it, I don't think we'd be able to pull off something this distinct in a short time frame. Not that I am undermining our abilities as writers, I am just being realistic.

030 ZOE

The story, Retribution, is just like the title states. It’s about a young man overcome with envy and need  for relevance.

He feels fulfilled from killing those who filled the spot that he felt should’ve been his, letting someone else take the fall for his own sins.

He escaped unscathed and hinted on killing the final contestant as well, completing what he already started.

It’s unique because it addresses what everyone has felt or still feels when they get rejected, over and over, and sees others get accepted in their stead. What matters is how we handle these feelings.

It’s refreshing because it’s told in a second person pov. Something new and different, putting the audience on the spot as well.

Do we get up, dust ourselves and do better?

Or do we sulk and become an Antonio?

QUESTION: The name choices got our attention the most (like Soursop, Pearl and Jesse) as well as the plot twist with Antonio at the end? What inspired this?_ 

ANSWER: The name choices were specifically chosen to create a form of familiarity between the judges and the story.

The contestants’ names are names of one character from each of the group members’ past prompts in the last stages. The host was Pearl, the killer was Antonio, and Jesse was the reporter. 

It was for some form of familiar feeling for both the viewers of Project Pen and the judges.

Mixing reality with non-fiction, showing just how we can draw creative ideas from anything and everything around us.

The plot twist was from one of the random discussions on the Project Pen Main group. The love triangles and conspiracies stuck from the night everyone was pairing Antonio up with members of the Project Pen staff.

Plus, with the way Pearl yells at Antonio in real life(although he’s entirely fictional), if I were him, I would let her take the fall for me too.

(Just kidding.)

023 AURELIUS

Pandemonium struck when the finalists of the fifth edition of Project Pen Name refused to mount the main stage for the winner to be announced.

The cause of their absence? Death.

Four out of the top five are dead from poison. A gradual dose of arsenic in the milk served to the contestant.

The prime suspect was a woman who had a heated argument with one of the finalists the night before the murders. The main host. 

Pearl Adenuga. She was the first to discover the bodies backstage. The last to see all five of them alive and the one to serve the last glasses of milk that broke the camel's backs.

It was an open and shut case. Pearl is convicted on charges of first degree murder.

The real killer walks the streets. A one time lover of Pearl. Who bore her jeers and insult with a painted smile.

A man dripping with dark seduction and intellect. Antonio.

He's a deficient writer who failed five consecutive to be a participant on the famed Project Pen Name competition.

Frustrated at his inadequacies. He devises a calculated plan to bring down the competition, raze its reputation to ashes.

He applied to be a part of the backstage as chef and nutritionist for the competitors.

He was going to kill them at the most crucial time. A time when the world was watching with bitten nails to find out if their favorite contestant won.

Arsenic was the choice poison for a slow and calculated death.

Milk was the mode of administration

Antonio's plan had a fatal flaw. The flaw was in the person of Tishe and her lactose intolerance. She was able to evade death at his hands by her dietary restrictions.

Unfazed by this, Antonio comes with a new plan. This one involves more charm and wit than calculation. He quickly seduces and wins over Tishe to finish what he started…

DISTINCT QUALITY:
It's a story about a scorned creative who was convinced they were being overlooked and pushed to the wall. As a result he made the world feel the fury he feels inside. His frustration at himself and at the world for not recognising his talent.

Our story employs a number of different narrative devices to convey its themes to the reader. Retribution. Vengeance.

Everything in this story has been thought out and mapped. Every detail is intentional. From the POV, dialogue and setting.

In terms of the overarching lore of the competition. This story is full of easter eggs for the people who've been following my group mates and I. 

The easter eggs range from pretty obvious like the name of this competition to more subtle 'blink and you'll miss it' ones.

Watch out for them!

👀❤

QUESTION: Through our report, you were the lead writer in this work... What was the biggest challenge in writing this piece for you?_

Answer: The greatest challenge was in which pieces of information to reveal to the audience. I tend to be extremely hyper specific and carried away when writing.

That could fly when writing other genres but not mystery. You could accidentally give away a vital clue prematurely. 

But with good feedback and quality control from my team, we were able to turn out a piece we can stand behind.

035 Aang

In a gripping mystery short story, a psychopath becomes unhinged after losing in a well-known competition and proceeds to murder the five recent winners in a fit of jealousy and resentment. As the killings unfold, the blame falls on an innocent party, intensifying the suspense. The story keeps readers on edge as curiosity mounts, leading them to question: Who is the real culprit behind these gruesome murders?

DISTINCT QUALITY
My groups work stands out because it dived into a creativity that we had never exploited before.

Which creativity am I talking about?

1)Not just the fact that we used the situation we found ourselves in, 2)We went further to initiate the story in a second person point of view; a tough way of writing, and also added the first person point of view.

This narrative was taken to draw our audience closer to the scene. We wanted them present, to feel like they were the murderer, the one murdered and also the one accused.

3)We also went ahead to use characters that stood out from our previous prompts. 

I'm sorry Jeff didn't meet anything good in both stories. (From a cow incident to being murdered).

QUESTION:We found the second person point of view in Pearl's POV quite interesting. Can you tell us what made your team decide that you wanted to take this twist?_

Answer:We realized that most works in all stages were mostly written in first person or third person and we wanted to take a different approach, although hard, we still pulled it through.

Second, since the theme was mystery and we wanted pearl as the person wrongly accused

We wanted the audience to be present in the story, to feel her anger and helplessness, like it was happening to them so we used the second person pov.

030 MOONLIGHTARTIST

PLOT

Chaos ensued on the day of the finale; Project Pen's finale. 

Four dead bodies and one survivor were found by Miss Pearl Adenuga. Upon further investigation, arsenic poisoning was found to be the cause of death. Arsenic had been strategically placed into their daily portions of a glass of milk.

Accusatory fingers were pointed at Miss Pearl due to the argument between her and the contestants the night prior. She takes the fall for it and the real culprit goes scot-free with his girlfriend, the surviving contestant, Tishe. 

Tishe's lactose intolerance was her saving grace.

It was all Antonio's doing — the chef. A competition that couldn't recognize his skills, after five whole seasons, deserved to burn to the ground.

SPECIAL QUALITY

ARCANE's piece delivers on the theme of mystery pecuiliarly served from the second person point of view.

QUESTION:What would you say was the most interesting part about writing this piece?_

ANSWER:The most interesting part about writing this piece has to be the planning and compiling of the different works together to form a singular story.

Coming up with the storyline and characters and how to efficiently portray the theme was fascinating.

For one, the plot twist also shocked me even though I was already aware of how it would all go down

JUDGES REVIEW

JUDGE JK ROWLING

Group Two, you will have to bear with me as I excuse myself from here and go and find a confidential spot where I can PICK MY JAW FROM THE MOTHERFUCKING FLOOR!!!😭👏

What the hell did I just read?!! 🔥🔥🔥

I don’t even know where to start from. The plot, a solid 100! The plot twist at the end? 1000/100!! The execution? 99.9 over 100! Goddamit!!

This work is so good and I am so happy about it. I honestly couldn’t be happier, I feel so satisfied. From the beginning to the end, I was gripped. I didn’t want it to end, my eyes were glued to my screen so hard! Thank you Group Two members for giving me what I want! This is the best story I’ve ever read in my entirety as a Judge in Project Pen!

_P.S: In case of next time, try to put your asterisks in the middle of the work for neatness and *DO NOT* use more than one exclamation point when writing._

That aside, this group absolutely killed it!🔥

JUDGE ARUNDHATI ROY

Wooooooshhh. Dazzling, Dazzling, Dazzling!!! That's what your entry is. I love every bit of it, I love it more because you used Project Pen as the background and you even tweaked it completely so that it's not like the other similar entries we've received. That's really creative. I love it sooo much that I want to give y’all hugs. 

And that Plot Twist? That was completely unexpected! I'm shocked! The twist really twisted my brain 😂 making us all think it was only Pearl’s POV(as the host) alone all along and then, that unexpected twist and the way you brought it into play. Wooosh, take your flowers, group 2, you more than deserve them. 

Really, you guys did a very great job, the writing, the tension, the stakes, the... Just everything. Well done ✨

JUDGE ACTON BELL

Wow. Group two! You guys did good. I loved the story. The suspense was definitely there. And I like how it all came together in the end. There's absolutely nothing wrong with using more than one narrative style/POV, and I get what y'all were tryna do, but I still feel you could have done it using just one narrative style. In the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling used third Person to reveal that Voldemort was, in fact, Quirrel. She didn't have to switch POVs. I'm not saying that what you guys did wasn't creative, no. I'm just saying that you could have done it better with one POV. Because your story, although it came together in the end, was somewhat not arranged. You understand? I also noticed a couple of mistakes with your tense usage and dialogue punctuation. That said, though, I love that you wrote about project pen. It feels really good to know that you guys can turn this to fiction. Wonderful job. Do keep it up.

JUDGE KAREN KINGSBURY

Wow. 

Wow.

Wow. 

For oversabi, wow!  Your work was oozing mystery from the beginning to the very end. Applaud yourselves, you nailed the theme. 

However, I did notice an error. Please, I don't know which writer did this and I don't know which editor did not see this, but only one exclamation mark is enough. One! Anything more looks unpolished. 

I like the way you used two POV's to bring out your work. Usually, using 1st POV and 2nd POV isn't advisable especially when used in the same chapter or, in this sense, the same write up. People, seventy per cent of the time, don't nail it and completely destroy the whole thing. When y'all started, it seemed it was going that way, but as you continued you seemed to get your footing and it came out right. The asterisk' used to show change of scene was used properly— even though it was quite much— and added to the mystery, especially because your scenes were short. Nice one.

Although, you didn't take the scavenger hunt idea stuff literally or really implement it. I don't like that. Regardless, your work is good and screams mystery! So, I will fashi. 

Pearl going through all she went through was unfortunate. One could have thought it was her but the different POV confirmed it wasn't. By the way, Aurelius, I got it. Blink and you'll miss what I got too. I'm sorry Jeff didn't meet anything good too, Aang. And Dewdrop, seems Tishe has guy issues. Zoe, I can't believe you did this to my Soursop!

Let me just sum it up with the part that made me know you nailed this. Your ending? That ending was brilliant! Imagine fire works exploding in the sky and people screaming as you read this. I like the tone in which you guys ended it with too. You didn't tell us much but we all know what Antonio is going to do.

Clap for yourselves and after which go and buy chilled coke.

JUDGE WILLIAMS SHAKESPEARE

*Sends 1 million pounds and shillings into thy accounts*

Wh're doth thee all wanteth thy fav'rite judgeth, judgeth william shakespeare to taketh thee out to??

Group two, thee all wow'd me!

I'm not coequal sure mine own revieweth on thy entry is going to beest much because i has't nay w'rds.  

Can thee imagineth?? thee all rend'r'd a whole william shakespeare w'rdless! which hast nev'r hath happened since Acton bell did turn down mine own proposal.  

*sighs in romantic mis'ry*

Anywaysss, this entry wast sup'rb and mind blowing.  Mine own mind wast blown.  And yond plot twisteth? i absolutely didst not expecteth t at all.  The plot twisteth wast twisting v'ry well.  Infact, t twist'd mine own brain. 

Antonio, yond knave is at each moment up to nay valorous.  Tsk, tsk. 

A v'ry big well-done to thee, group two .

*Sends 1 million pounds and shillings into your accounts*

Where do you all want your favorite judge, Judge William Shakespeare to take you out to??

Group two, you all wowed me!

I'm not even sure my review on your entry is going to be much because I have no words. 

Can you imagine?? You all rendered a whole William Shakespeare wordless! Which has never happened since Acton Bell turned down my proposal. 

*Sighs in romantic misery*

Anywayssss, this entry was superb and mind blowing. My mind was blown. And that plot twist? I absolutely did not expect it at all. The plot twist was twisting very well. Infact, it twisted my brain.

I always knew Antonio was up to no good. That boy. Tsk, tsk.

A very big well-done to you, group two. 

JUDGE MAYA ANGELOU

Your opening line impression had me on chokehold. I couldn’t stop reading and by God, you didn’t disappoint me. You guys impressed me. Impress is an understatement sef, I’m flabbergasted. 

At some point in the competition, I got really tired of seeing people use Project Pen as a setting for their story. It was getting less and less creative, but this is an exception. You guys were really creative, you went all out with this. And that plot twist? Wawu! I swear, I already zeroed my mind on Pearl being the bad guy. But even in death, Antonio is still torturing everyone at Project Pen and playing with our minds 😂.

This is a beautiful piece, group two. You guys did amazingly well, i.e. just the people that actually put in the work into making this piece a masterpiece. I know that not all of you contributed and I’ll see those of you that didn’t during the Judge’s verdict 💀😒. 

Well done✨.

JUDGE JANE CORRY

Na una suppose be group one tbh cause what is this? 😭 this was… what is that word again? It was mindblowing. I know a lot of you do mention Project Pen in your entries, but this is the best. Your execution was top-notch. And the write-up screamed one mind 😭 I love it! I love the fact that you made us all think we were reading through Pearl's POV. I felt the… the whatever was supposed to be felt in the entry. Before anyone says this, let me say it. RIP TISHE, cause you go die for your abroad. Hehehe.

God sha saved Pearl's life by making her lactose intolerant. Let her not die in cell though.

Again, Tishe confess before you die oo. Namaste 🙏.

JUDGES JAMES HARDLEY CHASE

Badass! This was an awesome read. The best I have read today. It was so amazing, group two what did you put in your stew? Tell me.

I can't pinpoint why I love this piece so much, maybe it’s the Project Pen concept. This team did a great job, though I noticed few punctuation and grammatical errors. I love the fact you guys wrote about Project Pen, and I enjoyed reading it too. Good luck.

I hope you guys are part of the lucky ten😂

JUDGE DANIELLE LORI

Goosebumps. FUCKING GOOSEBUMPS FROM THE VERY FIRST LINE. It's so beautiful. After reading Group 1's submission, I was positive nothing would impress me again. I've never been more wrong- in a good way. A slight ick is the punctuation error (!!!), but generally, I enjoyed this. Pearl's visible discomfort was so beautiful described, I _felt_ it in my soul. The pov changes was another ick but necessary to drive home the plot. I'm impressed! Getting towards the ending, however, where Pearl was convicted, the execution got a bit lazy. There were a lot of questions in my head that could have vindicated Pearl and convicted Antonio. And him planning to kill Tishe is a wrong move, bro. Antonio, baby, listen to me, move the fuck on because this is what will make them finally catch you.

A/N:  Skrrrr🤭

Everybody, oya breath 😌😂

This was great, anticipate Batch three.

Ciao❤️