Last month, we challenged you to write a 300-word flash fiction story that somehow included a balloon. From over 1,100 fabulous entries, we chose two Grand Prize Winners and eight Honorable Mentions. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! (For more stories, check out this forum thread.)

14-18 Division:

• "Center of the Universe" by Maneesh J. — "The astronauts looked out from the window of their spaceship at the bloodred world below them. All but one. While the others stared at Mars, their future home, one astronaut was gazing further..." Read the rest!

• The Cat and the Thing" by Wafaa L. — "The cat was on high alert. Ears pricked, eyes wide, body tense. It watched suspiciously as the round, strange thing floated in the air a few feet in front of him. It was dangerous – he could smell it..." Read the rest!
  
  
• "Golden Dawn" by Yuchi Z. — "Venus’s scarred, tortured surface passed beneath Manuel’s gaze as the balloon gained altitude. The domed city of Jardines Ishtar, gleaming bright in the fiery sun, became faint on the horizon..." Read the rest!
  

11-13 Division:

• "A Balloon of Nightmares" by Ally N. — "The balloon is the color of midnight. This fits because this balloon in particular is not a happy balloon. It is rumored to hold all the evils and sorrows of this world..." Read the rest!

• "The Balloon Festival" by Logan M. — "I release the balloon into the air, and see hundreds of others doing the same. I watch my balloon float up, a blue dot against the sea of red. People gasp and point at the abnormal balloon color..." Read the rest!

10 and Under Division:

• "Silver Lily" by Iris D. — "IN THE SMALL MARKETPLACE of Shellkey, there was a silver balloon tied to a stake. No one knew how the balloon had never deflated, but it didn’t matter. The oddest thing about the balloon was that it had a girl in it..." Read the rest!
  
  
• "Travel" by Gabrielle G. — "An old, gray dog was striding along a dusty road in the middle of a field. He was wondering about whether or not the old lady who lived down the road would give him some of her food..." Read the rest!
  
  
• "The Time Balloon" by Leia F. — "The balloon was pink and shiny, like a wad of bubblegum. Mikayla loved blowing it up just a little, so her mom, a dentist, would freak out, thinking Mikayla was chewing gum..." Read the rest!