A touching tale of a daughter’s love for her mother and the interpretation and appreciation of a holy tale describing the love of a father proved inspirational for the judges of the popular GDNlife short story competition.
The BD25 adult monthly prize for June went to Evangeline Reyes Francisco, better known to her family, friends and colleagues by her nickname ‘Nanju’.
The 57-year-old Filipino content writer, editor and English trainer was delighted to win with her post called ‘The Last Goodbye’.
“Since my mother died in 2015, I had always wanted to write about my last moments with her before she passed away so I could share my story with everyone to encourage them to go on with life, no matter how painful or difficult it might be,” said Nanju, who lives in Juffair with her brother Emmanuel Clemente ‘Von’ Francisco.
“We must be strong and stay positive and always be thankful for the life that God has given us and live it to the fullest, whatever the circumstances are. It is very painful to lose a loved one but life must go on. Just have faith in God and everything will be okay.
“I am a writer but right now, I am totally at a loss for words. There are no words to describe the joy that I am feeling at present.
“I just want to thank everyone who supported me all these years and especially GDNLife for giving me a great opportunity to share my humble story with other people so they would be encouraged to always stay strong and be positive in the midst of trials and difficulties.
“After working as a journalist in Brunei Darussalam, I applied for a job as a journalist in Bahrain in 2008 but there was no opening for such a position at that time. However, there was a chance for me to work in a printing press so I grabbed the opportunity because I wanted to know how newspapers and magazines are being prepared and printed. This job opened a lot of great opportunities for me because it gave me a chance to pursue my passion for writing.
“People are always asking me, ‘What is your secret in writing?’ I always reply: ‘I write with my heart’.
“I would like to encourage everyone out there who wants to be a writer someday to continue with their passion because we need more writers to make our world more pleasant, colourful and meaningful.
“Go ahead and don’t be afraid to write. Remember to ‘write with your heart’. Through your writing, you can inspire people and change their lives for the better.”
Her entry impressed judge Rohini Sunderam, from Bahrain Writers Circle, and the 1,700-plus viewers on our social media platform.
“This emotional story is told with simple sincerity and because of that the tension came through and one felt what the writer was feeling,” she said. “That prescient dream added to the goosebumps.”
In the U18 category, a pair of CINECO movie tickets was won by 13-year-old Bangladesh School Bahrain pupil Rasel Ahmed for his entry ‘The Story of Prophet Yusuf’ which already received more than 2,300 views.
The Bangladesh expatriate was born and raised in Bahrain and lives in Isa Town with his proud parents Ahamed and Mariyam and siblings Samiya, 16, and Afroza, 20.
“I’m deeply honoured for this recognition of my work by the incredible judges,” the schoolboy said. “I would also like to thank GDNlife for giving us this platform to showcase our talent and also for encouraging us.
“I recently started to explore my religion and I wanted to share the fascinating tales of Muslim history.”
His enthusiastic efforts were appreciated by judge Chris Fenton, head teacher of the British Primary Department at Al Noor International School, who said: “A good retelling of a classic tale. You kept the pace of the story by being succinct in your crafting which kept me reading to the end. Well done Rasel!”
You could be a winner too! Join the many keen writers of all ages who are being offered the chance to publish their work on Bahrain’s popular social media platform for a monthly and annual prize. As a result of the contest’s success there is now a special exclusive Short Story section on www.gdnlife.com for visitors to enjoy.
In March next year, our panel of judges will decide on who should walk away with the annual GDNLife Short Story of the Year prize plaques in both categories.
The winner of the GDNLife People’s Choice Award – the short story that has received the most views and likes – will also be announced.
Bored over the summer? July entries are invited, so get writing up to 800 words today! Register, choose an image, create a title, paste and copy your words in text – and submit to share your work on www.gdnlife.com – clearly stating Adult or U18 entry.
