The first place goes to hanifaansarii with 'The Imagical House'.

The prompt asked the entrant to subvert cliches and to think out of the box. Based on the "abandoned house" prompt, this could have easily turned into a classic horror story. Although to some extent it was a semi-horror story, it wasn't cliche. That's where the beauty of this entry lies. The subtle differences take it far from the traditional creepy crawlies path and onto a more fantasy-laden path.

By far the longest entry, it managed to establish the personality of the main characters and her rag-tag group of tag-alongs. Although the characters' personalities are not fully explored, there are hints and facets of them scattered along the story which tell you what kind of people they are. We especially liked the dialogue, it was well-written and accurate to how people communicate in real life, allowing the readers to get an idea of the characters' personalities.

The concept of the story itself - we'd rather not spoil it for potential readers - but the twist which forms the very heart of the story is unexpected and remarkable. To truly subvert expectations one has to keep the readers in the dark and then hit them with something out of the blue, we feel like this entry accomplished that very nicely. The descriptions were powerful bringing to life the setting. The pacing of the story is appropriate - slow-paced when it begins and then gradually descending into a fever dream as it progresses towards its conclusion.

Romance was something we didn't expect to come out of this story when we started reading it. Although rushed and sudden, I feel that is just the perfect conclusion and an element essential to this story.

Everything is unexpected. Everything is new. Nothing is not what it seems.

The second place goes to renamaereyes with the entry 'The Hidden Curriculum Experiment'.

This is only their second entry and they have managed to blow us all away again. This entry took the prompt to the next level, not only defying cliches but also all expectations and all foundations.

Told in an unconventional format, it reminded us a lot of alternate reality games. Filled with bills, receipts, medical reports and cryptic messages, it truly goes beyond the conformity of traditional storytelling. The author said in their summary "This is not a story", we'd like to correct them. It is a story, it might not follow any traditional format of storytelling but the way one tells a story is entirely up to the storyteller. They really did something out of the box and for that I commend them.

We truly don't know what to say about this. The entry leaves you intrigued with unanswered questions but it also leaves you somewhat satisfied. It is a paradox where it seems like the story has reached its conclusion but also hasn't. We recommend reading the summary before reading the story, it provides some much needed context and shows the reader that there is more at play here than it seems.

The third place goes to stardust_lyrics with the entry 'Portraits Controlling Time'.

Again, based on the "abandoned house" prompt, we expected some semblance of horror. There were hidden undertones of horror but it turned out to be a mixture of sci-fi and fantasy - science fantasy. We find it interesting that it is also technically historical fiction, set in 1985. This entry holds the elements of an alternate universe which is the reason that it all seems so quirky, magical and unreal.

From the very beginning, the reader does not know what to expect. Every next paragraph reveals something entirely new and different and many questions rise to the surface. The twist which changes the entire genre of this story is very creative and interesting.

The ache and longing for a life not yet lived ever present in the protagonist is subtly showcased in dialogues until it is brought to the immediate notice of the reader. The message at the heart of the short is simple and heartwarming - enjoy your life for what it is. Although the protagonist gets another chance at it, most of us probably won't be that lucky. So, we must learn to enjoy the little moments and go with the flow.

The only errors were on the grammatical front, other than that, it was a great entry!

Congratulations!