The Lost Phone Writing Contest results!

Losing my phone was a total pain in the asterisk but y'all sure were the silver lining in that cloud.  Some terrific entries, and some hilarious scenes, and remind me not to ever get on a train with a couple of you!! Yikes!!

The prompt paragraph

"Reacher took his seat on the train, leaned back and shut his eyes. He felt something underneath him, in the crease below the seatback. He reached down and took hold of it: a cell phone someone had lost. Well, it shouldn't be hard to locate the owner, and returning the thing should be pretty straightforward. How much trouble could he get in?"

was written by Fabulous Patrick Lee as a few of you sussed out on my Facebook page (and here.)



Herewith the results:

Utterly brilliant inside baseball references deserving a huge huzzah:

Alec Breton 7:10am

Hilarious if you're in on the inside joke:

Jed Cullan 5:57am (known to those of us who know, as Dead Jed the cake thief)

The stuff of which nightmares are made:

Carolynnwith2Ns 7:32am

Nikola Vukoja 2:37am

Deliciously surreal

donnaeverhart 8:30am

Michael Seese 3:53pm

Absolutely amazing work on Lee Child titles

Kitty 11:06am

Rivka 2:22pm

Insane but amazing

Kregger 11:15am

Thought provoking

Constantine Singer 11:39am

Rakie 3:00pm

Hey! It's no HUGGING the shark, but clearly we need to add no KILLING the shark!

laura 12:32am

Great line:

"Tempt fate and fate is more than happy to slap you silly, and then come back for another round."

Kristine Poptanich 2:00pm

awwww--puppies!

Wren Wilkins 2:12pm

A line that really needs to be seen more often:

"RC: Keep the corpse in the cellar, I'll deal with it tonight."

Joe Smith 8:32pm

Cracked me up completely;

Delaney 3:42pm

Foxcreek 4:53pm

Lenny Liang 7:09pm

BonnieShaljean 6:17am (that's queen of the known UNIVERSE!)

Chris Christie should be so lucky!

Amelia 9:38pm

What an image!

"Now I’m just an unmarked shopping cart away from being mentally homeless."

 George Djuric 10:29pm

Not quite a story but terrific entries!

ashland 7:33am

Karen McCoy 2:14pm

the start of a story I do want to read!

Gigi Kern 7:37am

Alex Sheridan 8:53am

SiSi 5:55pm

And here are the five finalists:

(1) Kristine Poptanich 2:00pm

How much trouble could he get in? In retrospect, the answer was obvious. Tempt fate and fate is more than happy to slap you silly, and then come back for another round. That's how Reacher felt right now, like a piece of meat fresh from the jaws of a Doberman. If only he'd sat somewhere else on the train. If only he hadn't answered the stupid phone. If only he'd listened to the voice on the other end of the line. He looked past the barrel of the gun to the phone's owner. If only . . .

(2) Amy Schaefer 2:00pm

“Bait taken,” Kerry muttered into her throat mic.

Two rows ahead, Reacher toyed with the phone he had found before tossing it into his bag. Kerry smiled. Tracker activated.

She strolled toward the next train car. As she reached the lavatories, a hand covered her mouth and shoved her inside.

Wedged against the sink, Kerry grimaced as Reacher patted her down. Still holding her close, he found her ID. His eyebrows lifted slightly. “ATF, huh. Talk fast.”

“Your ex-girlfriend is running AK-47s into Mexico. Help us.”

Reacher sighed. “I liked you better when I thought you were a bad guy.”

(3) Terri Lynn Coop 3:26pm

Finding the orphaned phone's owner would have to wait.

Reacher compared the description to the man who just boarded the train.

Polo with popped collar? Check.

Tom Cruise smile? Check.

Knock-off Vuitton briefcase? Check.

Reacher worked the straps until he was behind the target. The knife slid in between T-8 and T-9. He'd probably live, but he wasn't walking out on any more wives.

His favor to Conway Sax paid, Reacher got off the train and thumbed through the phone's screens.

Scotch.

Books.

Cupcakes.

My kind of woman. I wonder if she likes tall guys?

Reacher clicked “Home Reef.”

(4) Calorie Bombshell 10:26pm

I saw her through the haze of cigarette smoke and roughneck bikers. I gestured and she sashayed towards me in the kind of skirt that could coax the cash right out of a man’s back pocket.

“Reacher?” Her eyes traced the chiseled scar on my forearm.

I nodded and handed her the phone. “Want a drink?”

“Bourbon. Straight up.” But she smelled of vodka and lies.

I grabbed her wrist and twisted. “Who are you?”

She grimaced a smile. “Francis Xavier Quinn. Remember him?”

Bikers toting pool sticks approached.

I had less than one second to react. I needed two.

(5) Jared X 10:28pm

Reacher stepped off the train, someone’s lost phone buzzing in his hand. Manhattan number, ‘SFerrell’ the caller.

“Shark?” said SFerrell.

“I found the Shark’s phone. Are you the SFerrell who wrote NUMB?”

“Yes! SEAN Ferrell!” he gushed.

“Not my thing,” said Reacher. “I’m in Philadelphia. How can I reunite your Shark and this phone?”

“Stay there. I’ll make a call,” Sean said icily.

A glint of light from the escalator caught Reacher’s eye. He slinked behind a steel column. “Insulting an author while unarmed,” he muttered. “I’m slipping.” He opened his foldable toothbrush like a switchblade, coolly mapping an escape.

And the winner in a VERY tough decision is Calorie Bombshell.  Ms Bombshell, if you'll send me your mailing address, and a rundown on the kinds of books you like to read, we'll get you a prize in the mail.

Thanks to all who entered!  You were sharkolicious!