A Whiter Shade of Pale - First Campaigner Challenge - my EXACTLY 200-word story starting with 'The door swung open...'

The first Campaigner Challenge is to write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open...” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)
For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!


For details on how to post your story, go here:

A Whiter Shade of Pale

The door swung open and I dived inside, desperate to escape the cold. I tried to tug the monster shut behind me but it refused to budge. The centuries have made it less malleable. I flicked the light switch and giggled - a gas light would be more fitting. I threw my bag onto the ancient stuffed lounge  where it lolled like a broken marionette. I turned back to the door, teeth chattering, fingers frozen inside my woollen gloves. I reached out for the gigantic doorknob, feeling anxious and alone.

Every year the winters in London were getting harder to bear. It felt like the cold had curled up in my bones and refused to be scraped out. My pale body was screaming for sun. I’d locked myself in a prison, a prison of my own making. I was the one who wanted to leave Australia for hip and happening London. But nothing hip and happening had happened to me. Instead I’d found a crowded, aggressive, uncertain land that’d stolen my optimism. As the snow tickled my nose I imagined the sand tickling my feet as I sunbaked by the ocean. One final tug and the door swung shut.

I hope you enjoyed my entry. It is exactly 200 words and I've used challenge words at the beginning and the end. For more entries and to 'Like' the story you think is best, go here: