How are you all? 2020 is nearly over, and to many people it’s been a depressing year. I sincerely wish that you’re coping well, albeit with adjustments. For myself I will continue to work from home till spring next year, for that I’m truly grateful.
I hope my post can at least cheer you up a bit. Remember months ago I posted the Incident of Two badges? My friend Yue Chan (thanks again!) sent me an interesting thread of a Japanese Candy Candy fan, where she had uploaded all the pages from Nakayoshi magazine concerning this incident on Twitter. You can refer to my aforementioned post for the translations, if you like. 🙂 What interested me most however, was the reply to this particular tweet:
Those who are familiar with the manga version know what comes next. But back then, this was the end of that episode in the magazine. All they got was a preview that the next one would be the end of the story that had lasted 4 years.
On the right hand side, see the words that struck through the characters? It was saying that the riddle of Prince on the Hill and Granduncle William would be revealed. Can you imagine the agonizing wait of the poor readers? 😉
I wonder how many of them had correctly guessed the true identities of both Prince on the Hill and Granduncle William. “They were” important figures to Candy, from the beginning of the story till the very end. This is even more obvious in Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS), as discussed in this thread by Christine, Myra and Anita (thank you ladies! ❤️)
In fact, I’d like to invite you all to write a one-shot about either (1) Candy’s receiving a Christmas card from Anthony’s father, Captain Vincent Brown, or (2) Candy’s letters to Dr. Martin around Christmas time about accepting Albert’s generous offer to build a clinic for the doctor. In both cases, Candy acted like the spokesperson of WAA, don’t you think? 😉
Your short story should be based on Candy’s letters in CCFS. I think her reply to Captain Brown is a significant clue that indicates her change in status. For more details, you can read my earlier posts: Candy and Prince on the Hill, Granduncle William(!), and Did Candy find her happiness? (Part 7). About her letters to Dr. Martin, it’s a proof that Albert continued to keep in touch with Candy even after she left Chicago, either by writing or visiting.
The deadline is midnight Dec 23 (Pacific Time), which gives me a day to choose what to post on Christmas Day. 🎄 Looking forward to hearing from you! 😍
P. S. It’s my honour to have heard from you already about participating this writing contest! 🤩 I’m so happy!! Here let me address your questions:
(1) In my mind a one-shot is not too long, somewhat like my fanfic Reunion. How about between 1000 and 2500 words? Don’t worry if your story is not long enough, as long as the plot makes sense I’ll accept it. 🙂
(2) You do not need to write it in epistolary form, unless you prefer that. You can write a narrative from the perspective of Candy, Albert, Captain Brown, or Dr. Martin. Of course, third-person narration is welcome too, just make sure your entry is less than 2500 words.
(3) You do not have to write in English. As I don’t know many languages, I might have to use a machine translator, but I’ll try to be fair. 😉