“Your honey, sweet. Your kisses, sweeter. I love my beekeeper.”
That story, written by Meta Vornehm of Nashua, is the winner the Nashua Public Library's 10-Word Love Story Contest.
When asked if there was a real beekeeper in her life, at first Meta said, "There'd better not be. My husband is in optics." But then she recalled that her grandfather had been a beekeeper. She thinks that he, and her love for the taste of local honey, inspired her entry.
Meta is not a writer by trade: she has a background in mechanical engineering and is currently a stay-at-home mom who spends her much of her time homeschooling her daughter.
Honorable mentions
Eight 10-word love story entries were singled out for honorable mention by the judges. In no special order they are:
We met We talked We laughed We loved We married—By Maria McNaught
Her soldier left; she waited. Peace rewarded patience with love.—By Janet Whatmough
Gideon and Shirl, (caked in mud), no longer angry, wed.—By Mary Ann Kobbs
Though he fears the sea, he grew gills for her.—By Nola Ennis
She was considered untouchable, but I found her chastity adjustable.—By Salvin Schmidt
After fifty years, he’s still handsome and she’s still beautiful.—By Cynthia Jean
She knows I love her, still I tell her daily.—By Walter Crooker
The orchid I pinned on her lost to her beauty.—By Walter Crooker
Over 150 entries were submitted. The prize was a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Congratulations Meta!
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Can you write a love story in exactly 10 words? Enter our contest and you may win a $50 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.
The winner will be chosen based on clarity, originality, cleverness, and style by a panel of library-employee judges.
Rules:
1. Entries must be exactly 10 words in length.
2. All work must be original, unaided, and not previously published.
3. You may submit more than one entry.
4.
Entries must be submitted by Sunday, January 24, 2016.
5. Winner will be announced on Thursday, February 11, 2016.
6. We reserve the right to use entries for publication or promotional purposes.
7.
We may post entries on our bulletin board, website, or social media pages. Before the judging, no names will be posted with the memoirs; afterward, names of authors may be posted.
9.
Entrants must live in Nashua and be at least 18 years old.
10.
Library employees are not eligible to enter, nor are judges or members of their immediate families.
11.
Entries will be submitted to the judges anonymously.
12. Hyphenated words count as multiple words (e.g., "hand-me-down" counts as 3 words). If you aren't sure if a word should be hyphenated, consult Webster's New World College Dictionary. at
http://websters.yourdictionary.com.