BBA & HBWC Administrator
Andrea Reece
30 Winton Avenue, London, N11 2AT
Tel: 0208 889 1292
Mob: 07807 893369
Email: branford.boase@gmail.com
Press Enquiries
Andrea Reece
Tel: 07807 893369 | Email: branford.boase@gmail.com
Three girls stand in a brightly lit and seemingly endless room. Three very different characters from different cultures, and clearly with different experiences. The space remains silent. Until a man appears. He places a letter on the ground and leaves the room. Still in silence, the girls read the letter to find that the contents impact on the future for them all. They join hands and step into the unknown.
The simplicity of this storytelling is powerful. The silent setting perfectly matches the beautifully uncomplicated nature of the writing.
Judge’s comment: ‘The Beginning of the End is likely to have a profound effect on any reader.
Endless. The room was endless.
Was it even a room?
The space was endless. White light travelling as far as the eye can see. The space did not end, yet it felt like the smallest space there could ever be. And the middle, held three girls.
The first of the girls to stand wore a white abaya, embellished with gold detailing. The patterns were so intricate it would take forever to view it all. Her hijab held similar detailing, gold framing her face in slight contrast to her dark skin. Her eyes mirrored the gold as they scanned over her new companions.
The next to stand had piercing blue eyes that immediately fell to her feet. One foot held a simple white sandal and the other, a prosthetic limb. Her simple pink summer dress grazed the top of the limb, just below her knee. She quickly shook her head and brought her hand to her chest, grasping a cross necklace.
The final girl remained on the floor, choosing to take a different perspective of the situation. She leaned back on her hands, allowing the many bracelets – trinkets of her adventures- to create a tune. Her hair was wild; a mess of blonde curls cut into layers. Her jeans were slightly ripped and her shoes slightly muddy, but that was the point.
The space remained silent. Until a man appeared.
He wore a simple suit, completed with a top hat. He didn’t speak, because he couldn’t speak. He just held a letter in his gloved hand. He placed the letter on the ground, and then he disappeared as quickly as he arrived.
The space was silent; wordless. The first girl picked up the letter, her fingertips daring to graze the paper and the space fell silent again. The second girl observed the third, then offered her hand. The third girl allowed herself to be pulled up, putting her full trust in her new companion. They shared a smile. Then all eyes fell onto the letter.
Dalila, Eden, Daisy,
I sincerely regret to inform you that you have died. Sunday 12th March 2023, 2:02:18pm, Bus accident, 16 bus, 89 Cedar Close, aged 17 – your death coordinates. This situation may not have been what you had expected, or it may be just that. But I present you with your forthcoming options. You can choose to leave this space, embarking on an adventure to find the afterlife. But the catch, you must not embark alone. The challenges to come cannot be completed alone, so you cannot leave this space alone. Or, you may remain here. I cannot guarantee you will leave. If you choose to leave, I will know and will assist you on your way.
Words did not corrupt the space. Perhaps words couldn’t enter the space. The girls only looked at eachother. The first girl was the first to nod, holding out her hand. Something inside her told her this was the right decision. Her hand was a ticking time bomb, waiting for someone else to make the next move.
The second girl took a moment to react. She reached, tentatively, to grasp the outstretched hand. A breath hitched in her throat as she gave a nod to each girl beside her, and a smile was received on either end.
All the third girl needed to do was complete the chain. But how could she trust these girls? They hadn’t said a word to her, yet she knew. She knew she could trust them. Confidence radiated from her body as she joined the line. She grasped a hand of each stranger in each of hers, but they were no longer strangers.
All three pairs of eyes fell towards the ceiling. Or perhaps it was the floor, or the left wall, or the right. They all focused their attention to the same point; a collective agreement. They were a union, ready to embark on their next adventure into the start of their end.
Then, the space disappeared.