This week's winner is The_Narwhalian_Devil   with the entry "The Guilt Of Love".

The prompt was to incorporate magical realism in a story by introducing a magical element in such a way that it didn't seem out of place in a contemporary setting. Making something seem not out of place requires certain traits such as giving the reader selective information, being subtle instead of just stating everything out straightforwardly, and acting as if whatever this weird magical element is, is a part of that world - at least to the narrator. This entry incorporated each of these elements with a masterful skill which seemed almost impossible to do in such a short write-up.

The writing style is almost poetic and very descriptive. The sentences are beautifully crafted as if born in a kiln of magic. Full of metaphors and similes, the writing style suits the magical realism form. Magical realism whispers life into the world using descriptions and focusing on giving life to the mundane. In books like "One Hundred Years of Solitude", there are mountains and mountains of beautiful descriptions. The grammar and sentence structure is perfect, the transition between the past and the present is seamless and smooth. The pacing and the format of the story suits it well, it neither drags on slowly nor moves on too quickly.

The concept the story employs - the ability of the narrator to create hells and heavens of love - seems more like an undertone in the story than an all-encompassing shadow, which is exactly what the prompt asked the entrant to accomplish. It focuses on the consequences rather than the ability or the magic itself. Magical realism blurs the line between the real and the imaginaryl. The reader has to figure out whether it is metaphorical or real, even the narrator is not sure what is real and what isn't and that just adds to the reader's dilemma and fills them with intrigue.

Guilt is a central theme in this story, you can feel it hidden in every sentence, every action; always churning beneath the surface. Ingraining a theme in an entire story is one of the hardest things to pull off, for that we commend you.

We really liked the use of the electrical bell in the narrative. In both the circumstances: when it was rung by the woman and when it was rung by the narrator. You can partially feel how far the narrator has come. You can feel the stark differences between both the situations and how looking at the reminder of their guilt on a daily basis makes the narrator feel. It was subtle but we really liked this small detail.

We hope to see more of you in the future!

Congratulations!