DeletedUser
First of all a big thanks to every one who entered, there are many fantastic entries here, it has been a very difficult competition to judge indeed, so 5 winners doesn't seem to do it justice. Below are all winners.
1st Place
Symphonic
Symphonic
Upon a Winter's Night
Upon a WINTER’s night that was COLD, but clear as ice,
The ELF known as ZEUS was checking everything twice.
The SLEIGH was packed just right, each PRESENT safely stored,
In the corner there was RUDOLPH, who whistled while he snored.
SNOW covered every branch of each and every TREE,
And glistened like DIAMONDS as far as one could see.
Zeus checked his pockets desperately and pushed the COINS aside,
He pulled out his “Good Elf” MEDAL, his eyes glistening with pride.
To others it was a BAUBLE, nothing special or unique,
But for an elf once ROGUE, happy tears ran down his cheek.
Each BLUEPRINT had been stored away, the tools left unattended
SUPPLIES in their proper places, work for now suspended.
Tonight they would celebrate with TURKEY and a lyre,
The North Pole an OASIS as they gathered by the fire.
The Christmas Tree was the SHRINE to the holiday Zeus adored,
A sort of glittery OBELISK that could not be ignored.
The elves gathered together, their voices raised in song,
“Merry Christmas to all, may you celebrate yearlong!”
2nd Place
King Zmmm
King Zmmm
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the Shrine
Not a tree was stirring, not even a pine;
The baubles were hung on the tree with care,
In hopes that Rudolph and host soon would be there;
The gods were all snug in their beds;
While visions of cold turkey danced in their heads;
And Zeus in his gown and Athena in his lap,
Had just settled their supplies for a cold winter's nap,
When out in the garden there arose such a clatter,
Zeus sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The Obelisk on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to his wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With such a young little driver and so little stealth,
He knew in a moment it must be an elf.
More rapid than a rogue his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and instructed those reindeer by name
“Fly over the oasis! Now over the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of medals, goods and many a present too
And then, in a twinkling, he heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As he drew in his head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney the elf came with a bound.
He was dressed all in colours, from his head to his foot,
But his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of presents he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a new recruit just opening his pack.
He had a thin face and a scrawny little belly
Oh did he shake when he saw Zeus, like a bowl full of jelly.
He turned white with fright, a very scared little elf,
And Zeus laughed when he saw him, in spite of himself;
Zeus regained his composure with a twist of his head
The elf knew he would soon have something to dread;
So quickly gave Zeus the blueprint to take,
For which Zeus had promised diamonds of the finest make.
Zeus, with a growl, handed him a bag of diamonds and coins for his work,
Before leaving the room with a small but obvious smirk.
The elf sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But Zeus heard him shout in triumph, as he drove out of sight
“If you want the other half of the Blueprint I’ll see you next Christmas Night!”
3rd Place
Sheepski
Sheepski
'The Mission'
The Rogue stalked through the desert, the image of his Queen fresh in his mind. Her demand; find the lost blueprint to the legendary statue of Zeus. The Rogue would do anything for his beloved Queen. Though the promise of his own shrine next to the statue, as well as a healthy payout of diamonds, only increased his motivations. As he waded through the sand, medals of previous missions stamped to his chest, daggers clipped to his belt, and a hefty pouch of coins ready for bribing necessary information, he spied an anomaly on the horizon.
Approaching what appeared to be two obelisks forming a gated entrance to what appeared to be a desert oasis, surrounded by large trees he noticed a distinctive chill suddenly in the air. Stepping cautiously through the gate, he was hit with thick winter snow and a cold that froze him to the bone. Eyeing his surroundings he saw a snow-white Christmas scene laid out in front of him.
There was a hut at the far end of the oasis, so he paced along quickly, eager to escape the cold. As he knocked firmly on the large oak door, it swung quickly inwards and the Rogue had to double take at the sight before him. Stood at the threshold was an elf, complete with red and green clothing, pointy ears and hat, and long curled shoes. The elf invited him in and led him through the hut.
There was a large room just off a narrow corridor. The Rogue peered through the doorway and saw a long workbench, with elves stood all along, all working hard on making things. There were piles of supplies in the corner and a heavy smell of urgency in the air.
He was led into a Christmas-themed sitting room, complete with log fire, decorations and a tree with baubles and presents. A rich smell of turkey wafted through from what he assumed was the kitchen, and sat in the armchair, was Santa himself!
Santa turned out to be very welcoming and friendly, and the pair talked for a long time. The Rogue explained his almost impossible mission, and Santa talked about his impending trip around the world. The Rogue then had a cheeky idea. He would ask Santa for the blueprint!
Building up his courage, he slowly and cautiously asked, and to his surprise; Santa agreed and went to a filing cabinet, rummaging around for a couple of minutes before pulling out a dusty, aged piece of parchment with the plans to create Zeus' statue! The Rogue was so very grateful and thanked Santa from the bottom of his heart before stating he must get this back to his Queen immediately. Santa then offered another surprise, and led the Rogue behind the hut, to his sleigh. He called his main reindeer; Rudolph, strapping him into the sleigh before sending them on their way: an express delivery back to the Rogue's queen, with the prized blueprint in hand!
4th Place
Kizi00
Kizi00
A Rogues Tale
A very long time ago
In a land far away
A Rogue travelled intently
Through winter snow by sleigh
With an elf as his companion
And Rudolph at the lead
Quests be undertaken
Under threat of knight and steed
Cities of ages they will seek
Abundant of coins and supplies
Many battles to complete
With a medal or two as the prize
Stone Age city the first of many
Decorated by obelisk and tree
Fiercely defended by those aplenty
Who live and yearn to be free
City of Iron the next age
Trading with cloth and lime
Paying homage at the statue of Zeus
For a blueprint of grand design
Our weary travellers in need of rest
Before forging the next stage
A distant oasis and some turkey breast
Are they ready for the Middle Age?
Search for knowledge the only chance
To find a bauble shaped shrine
The only way they will advance
Through allies they intertwine
Riches that some might pay
Will be put to good use
A present of diamonds is all the sway
There will be no Christmas truce
For a Rogue is cold and calculating
His villainous intent extremely clear
The journey is far from over
Despite the Christmas cheer
5th Place
Wiffey147
Wiffey147
Identity
The week before Christmas, Rogue goes to Farmer Elf to collect his Christmas turkey and tells him that all he really wants for Christmas is to find an identity of his own and where he belongs in this world.
When Rogue tries to pay for his turkey, Elf says ‘keep your coins, this turkey is my present to you to feed you on your journey to find your identity. My trusty reindeer, Rudolph will go with you’
Rogue thanks Elf and rushes home to load his sleigh with supplies and off they set. Rudolph guides Rogue through the cold snow of winter, across many lands in search of a place where Rogue might fit in and belong.
Beginning to tire from several days of travel, Rogue spots a group of trees in the distance that appear full of fruit. They head for this bountiful oasis, eager to find food and rest their feet. As they approach the gathering they realise the trees aren’t full of fruit, but are decorated in baubles of every imaginable colour instead!
Amongst the trees, they come across a shrine, upon which are several presents! The inscription on the shrine reads, ‘May all who offer up a present to Zeus, god of the sky, be granted good weather on their travels and avoid his lightening bolts’
Beneath the inscription are several symbols carved into the wall, along with the message,
‘Only he without identity and who sees the world through the eyes of others will succeed in deciphering this blueprint and find the treasure within.’
‘Hey Rudolph, that sounds like me! And I can understand what all these symbols mean as well.’ exclaimed Rogue. ‘Let’s see if there’s really treasure within.’
It says; ‘Find the fairy on top of the tallest decorated tree and sprinkle her fairy dust onto a trusted companion’.
Rudolph quickly finds the tallest tree and Rogue, changing into an expert archer, knocks the fairy off the top with his first arrow.
Sprinkling the fairy dust on Rudolph, Rogue waits with great expectation.
'Look Rudolph! Your nose, it’s glowing! What do the instructions say to do next?’
‘Your companion will light the way through the shrine, revealing in one of the walls, a medal. Rotate the medal to find a secret room.’
Rogue follows Rudolph until they find the medal and rotates it to reveal a secret room full of diamonds!
In the centre of the room is a massive obelisk-shaped tower of mince pies, a huge glass of milk and a note.
Dear Rogue.
You are not without identity or purpose. Use these diamonds to make toys for the good children of the world and on this night each year, deliver these gifts, your sleigh guided by the trusted companion who guided you here today. You will need much milk and many mince pies to feed you on this journey.
Merry Christmas!
All prizes will now be added to your accounts, well done and thank you
