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short story contest

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 2005.06.30

I entered a short story contest back in December. It was with the Toronto Star. Today they announced the winners, and my story was vastly different from anything that was in the winning and "runners up" sections. I mean vastly different - mine was a sci-fi tale involving failed scientists and the discovery that the first alien ambassador to Earth is little more than a 60's space monkey. The winning stories were about things like going to the grocery store and forgetting to buy something.

So, without any need to keep from 'publishing' my entry, here is the story I submitted.

rand()m quote

There's nothing more difficult to handle, more doubtful of success and more dangerous to carry through than initiating change.

—Niccolo Machiavelli