The Real Deal

Lucy Wallace, an Associate Editor for Lumina Publishing, had been sent as one of the judges for the writing competition co-sponsored by Lumina and two other publishing companies. These contests were not only an opportunity for writers to showcase their talents but also a way for publishing houses to scout potential new authors.

Lucy was fair in complexion, which complemented her striking blonde hair, neatly styled to convey an image of professionalism. She was dressed in a tasteful business suit, carrying a sense of authority.

As she entered the room, she was greeted by her colleague John, who was there to be her eyes on the ground as she had judging duties.

John was dressed in well-fitted jeans and a comfortable shirt, dressing casually unlike his colleague so that he could blend in with the crowd.

"So, is there anything for me to know?" she asked him.

"There are some strong contenders," John replied. "I made note of some standouts."

Lucy nodded. "Alright, is there anything else?" she asked John as she was about to enter the room where the judging process would take place.

John glanced at his notes and then looked back at Lucy. "There is a certain contestant that caught my eye."

"Oh, what's special about this one?" she asked, her curiosity evident in her voice.

John leaned in slightly. "His age. One of the contestants is ten years old."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the unexpected information. "A ten year-old contestant? That's certainly unusual. What's the name?"

John flipped through his notes. "Daniel Adler. He submitted a story called 'Toy Story.'"

"How is this relevant other than that he is ten?" she replied. "The story might not even pass the preliminary stages to reach me" she added.

"I have a good feeling about this. Just be on the lookout for his entry."

Lucy pondered for a moment. "Alright, I'll keep an eye out for the kid's entry."

She entered the room and joined the others, Only the best stories were brought to them, as the others were sorted by another judging panel. She was surprised to see the title 'Toy Story' among them.

"Maybe John had a point," she thought.

They started to go through the stories, and she got hold of the 'Toy Story' entry first. As she read through the story, she found herself increasingly impressed by the narrative's vividness, well-defined characters, and intriguing overall plot.

"A ten-year-old wrote this?" she thought in disbelief. It was beyond what one might expect from someone so young. Even though she was impressed by the story, a hint of scepticism lingered.

'Did a ten-year-old write this, or was this some kind of fraud?' She thought

She had to find out whether the kid was a fraud or if they had a prodigy in their hands. She excused herself and went in search of John.

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She found him outside and called out to him. He heard her and approached.

"What is it?.. Is it over?" he asked.

"I've read the entry by the kid you mentioned," she replied, her expression a blend of intrigue and uncertainty.

"So how was it?" he inquired.

"It's good," she admitted, her eyebrows furrowing in contemplation.

"See, I told you I had a good feeling about it," he said, a hint of triumph in his voice.

"That's not the problem. It's too good. It's hard to believe a 10-year-old wrote that," she explained, a sense of disbelief evident in her tone.

"Well, I didn't expect that."

"We need to confirm that the kid wrote it. What was his name again?"

"Daniel Adler"

"We need to find out if he truly wrote that story" she said

John thought for a moment and his expression changed as if he got the answer he had been search for.

"I think I have a way to find out if the kid is the real deal." he said triumphantly 

"How?"

"Well, I found out that he entered the writing sprint. We can compare both stories. If he truly wrote both, there should be similarities in style," he suggested.

"He entered the sprint!" she exclaimed, "Well, maybe we do have a prodigy on our hands," she added with a glint in her eyes.

"I'll go and check that and meet up with you later," he said and then took off in the other direction.

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Lucy went back inside to resume her judging duties. She hoped that they had a real one here. She read through the story once more. One of the other judges, a representative of one of the other sponsors of the competition, asked if she was done with that, realizing that she might have competition if the kid turned out to be the real deal. She lied.

"Oh, don't even bother with this one," she said as she put the papers containing the story away.

"I think they made a mistake in sending that one to us. Aren't they supposed to select only the best ones?" she added, trying to act as frustrated as possible.

The other judge nodded, seemingly satisfied with her explanation and went back to looking at another entry.

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John walked to where the winners of the writing sprint were being announced.The venue buzzed with the excited chatter of participants and onlookers, all eager to know the results The announcer's voice echoed through the room as John made his way to the front.

The crowd hushed as the announcer took the stage.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for," the announcer declared, "the winner of the writing sprint is... Emily Miller!"

A wave of applause and cheers filled the room as Emily Miller, the announced winner, stepped forward with a mix of surprise and joy on her face. The atmosphere filled with the sound of clapping hands.

As he tried to make his way to where the judges for the writing sprint were, he stopped as he noticed that the announcer was not done.

The announcer continued, the room hushed again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a remarkable story that caught the judges' attention for more reasons than one. Even though it didn't win, the judges thought it needed a special mention because of the age of the author."

The audience reacted with a mix of surprise and curiosity. John's eyes widened, realizing that he was mentioning the kid.

"We were astounded to discover that the talented writer behind the story titled 'Finding Nemo' is just ten years old. Yes, you heard it right, there's a 10-year-old prodigy among us!" The announcer's voice carried a mix of excitement and amazement.

The room erupted in applause once again.

The announcer continued, "Daniel Adler, where are you? Please come forward!"

A boy with messy brown hair came forward; he was dressed casually, his attire reflecting his youthfulness. He was followed by a woman with light red hair and fair complexion Her hair was neatly styled, and she carried herself with a graceful presence. She stopped at the elevated platform and motioned for the boy to go without her; he was met with applause and cheers from the audience.

'No need to check now,' John thought as he watched Daniel waving to the audience.