Call of the Sea

Written By Jessica Wolford Barnes

Submitted to NYC Midnight as part of their 100 Word Microfiction Challenge 2020. Written on 05/09/20.

Contest Round 1 Criteria:

Genre: Fairytale and/or fantasy

Action: Sleepwalking

Word: Betray

“Handsome captain, I long for thee… Dive deep, swim fast… Come to me…”

The song was like honey to William’s ears. He stood on the bow of his ship, swaying gently with the waves. A pearlescent skinned woman smirked at him from the inky black waves below.

“True love awaits with me… In the depths of the deep dark sea…”

“Captain!” a crewmember called. “Wake up!”

“True love,” he murmured, unphased. “Lady of the sea, I won’t betray thee.”

“Come to me,” the siren sang.

As he stepped over the edge, William awoke, and was swallowed by the sea.

Jessica Wolford Barnes

Jessica Wolford Barnes is an aspiring author with a lifelong passion for storytelling. Born and raised in Gaithersburg, MD, she currently lives in Aurora, CO with her husband, Matt, and dog, Tater Tot. Her journey into the world of writing began when she was a child making up stories about a magical mouse named Starcaster and murderous pumpkins for her elementary school’s literary magazine.

Since then, Jessica has been drawing continual inspiration from her life and the world around her to add depth to her stories and beloved characters. Through writing, Jessica explores themes of mental health, self-acceptance, and self-love.

Writing also bleeds into Jessica’s hobbies as she loves to create fan fiction for her favorite characters. When she isn’t at her laptop writing, Jessica can be found hiking with her dog, reading spicy fiction, or playing Baldur’s Gate 3.

Though unpublished, Jessica is dedicated to quality storytelling. She has placed in NYC Midnight’s flash fiction and micro fiction competitions and her writing style is said to be “compelling” and “immersive.” In college, she co-created and co-led the Creative Writing Residential Learning Community on campus.

These days, you can find Jessica finishing up her premier novel, Forgotten. Send her a note at JWolfordBarnes@gmail.com to get in touch.

https://www.jessicawolford.com
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