The Masquers
2011 Scribe's Scroll

Nominees for the Scribe's Scroll Award are selected by Amy Kitchener, spiritual inspiration behind the online website that bears her name. It is a symbolic honor. No money is involved.

The Masquers, in real life, are this young-hearted pair whose collective age is 151 years. They have produced every Senior Poets Laureate Competition online since 2004. Al Baker and Wanda Sue Parrott, persons behind the masks, are recipients of the Amy Kitchener's Scribe's Scroll Award in honor of the tenth anniversary of Amy Kitchener's Angels Without Wings Foundation's incorporation on July 31, 2001. Throughout the decade they have remained dedicated to maintaining the principles for which the organization was founded: perpetuation, preservation, promotion, presentation and production of the ancient esoteric scribal arts through contemporary literature.

One of the original projects The Masquers invented and launched was Project Aznatsyrots. It entered cyberspace on January 1, 2008. "Aznatsyrots" is Story Stanza spelled backward. Basic Story Stanza format for both Prose (set in manuscript format) and Poetry (centered) is a 100-word piece that fits this scheme:

• 1st 15 words —A problem, challenge or conflict is introduced.
• Next 70 words—A struggle, battle or other drama follows.
• Last 15 words—A twist, shock or humorous ending occurs.

The world's first Story Stanzas are reprised here. You are invited to use the formula to create award-winning flash fiction or any short, terse creative writing. Short works are the wave of the literary future. The Masquers are Aquarians, but all signs of the zodiac may use this Shortcut to Success.

HOW PETE BECAME POP

When
Peter Piper
picked his peck
of pickled pepper plants,
he pricked his picking thumb,
producing pairs of rants: Poo Pow,
Pee Doo, Doo Wop, Ah Dee, Bee
Bop, A-Dippee Doo. He shook his hand. A
marching band matched tempo to this cue. Pete hopped.
Drums stopped. Pete yelled. Horns swelled, and then Pete saw
that he was now bandleader on parade. His throbbing
stopped, but Pete hip-hopped the band around the
square, extending his charade. And that is
how his twist of fate gave
Pete what he now has:
the moniker he falsely
earned: Pete, Pop
of Pricktown
Jazz.

SPIRIT CROW

When crow flew from the tepee, Carol began to fall into a deep restless sleep.

Unable to awaken her, the Chief sent for the medicine man, who--in his rush--left his tepee without his ever-present tokens to the bird spirits.

Carol, it seems, had lapsed into a dream state, which left her twitching and chanting to the crow spirit that had escaped her. Growing cold and near death, Carol’s body turned light blue, with extended veins pulsating from her previously smooth tawny neck.

Just then, as crow flew in with new spirit tokens, Carol ended her dream quest.