Behind The Headlines

They say that life is stranger than fiction.

That art imitates life.

I think they might be right...

Your challenge - should you chose to accept it - is to write a fictional story based on these real life headlines. Using just the bare facts, portray the 'real truth' behind the news. Create a character based on one of people in the news article or from the point of view of someone that witnessed what happened. What are their thoughts? Why did the person do what they did? What were the events leading up to their actions? What were their motivations?

Here are your choices:

"Man superglued, robbed by blonde." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mexico_Man_superglued_robbed_by_blonde/rssarticleshow/3767285.cms

"Woman jailed after killing virtual husband" http://www.nowpublic.com/world/woman-jailed-after-killing-virtual-husband

"Tourist killed after urinating on 750 volt electric railway line" http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1037177/Polish-tourist-killed-urinating-750-volt-electric-railway-line.html

"Wet baby in tumble dryer: Man charged" http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/wet-baby-in-tumble-dryer-man-charged/2006/05/30/1148754978203.html

"Genital eating fish" http://mangossubic.com/only_in_the_philippines2.htm#Genital%20Eating%20Fish

"Ferris wheel passengers tell of ordeal" http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24840998-5006003,00.html

"Real Wedding Crashers Nabbed" http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24837441-5001026,00.html

"Robber holds up bank; doesn't bother getting off cellphone" http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/

"Bank Robber Holds Gun Backward During Crime" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025294/posts

Or one of these unusual deaths: 

1. Dwayne Carroll, 48, from Kentucky, had a fatal heart attack while clearing a place for the double gravestone intended to commemorate himself and his wife in the Floyd County cemetery. When he was late arriving home, his wife Carolyn, 49, sent her sister, Shelby Shrewsbury, to look for him. Mrs. Carroll had a fatal heart attack herself when her sister told her the news. The headstone had the names and birth dates of both husband and wife on it, but only one date of death will be required. A joint funeral service was planned (Ananova -July 11th, 2001).

2. A 23-year-old Italian man died during an Easter re-enactment of Christ's passion, probably because the noose he was wearing in the role of Judas Iscariot was too tight, police said Sunday. Watched by his parents, Renato Di Paolo had taken part in a re-enactment of the Via Crucis, or way of the cross, in Camerata Nuova 75 km (47 miles) outside Rome Saturday night. He played Judas, who betrayed Christ, allowing him to be arrested and crucified on what Christians commemorate as Good Friday. Engulfed by remorse, Judas hanged himself from a tree. Di Paolo, who had played the part safely Friday night, jumped from a height of about 30 cm (one foot) and lay immobile on the ground with a noose around his neck while the play continued. A fellow actor raised the alarm after noticing that he looked too rigid. Di Paolo was rushed to hospital but could not be saved (Reuters -April 24th, 2000).

3. Kathleen Yeoman, a 46-year-old divorced mother of two, staged an elaborate fake burglary to win back the affection of Paul Cockerhill, her neighbor in Brixworth, Northamptonshire (England), on October 30th, 1998. She ransacked her house, tipping out drawers and throwing jewelry on her bed. She piled electrical goods in the front room, taped her mouth, put a plastic bag over her head and tied her hands together. Leaving her front door open, she lay across the front doorstep of her former lover. As she waited for his return from a pub, she vomited and, unable to remove the tape from her mouth as her hands were shackled with self-tightening plastic ties, she choked to death. Police at first treated the death as suspicious, but they reviewed the case when they found that nothing had been taken and she still had £918 in her handbag (Times, Daily Telegraph -July 1st, 1999).

4. On August 25th, 1998, Franc Filipic, 47, drowned in an eastern Slovenian lake when he was pulled in by his catch. Determined to land the sheat fish, a kind of catfish, he walked into the lake after hooking it and refused to let go when it pulled him under. According to a friend, his last words were: "Now I've got him!". Police and divers found Filipic's body after a two-day search. The fish was not found. The friend said it was six feet (1.8 m) long and weighed about 110 lb (50 kg). (Associated Press -August 26th, 1998).

5. The one depicted in the picture for this contest.

RULES:

1. Must be a story based on one of these headlines/news articles. No poetry, rants, scripts, or anything else not resembling a story.

2. Option must be included in author's notes.

3. Adequate standards of grammar, spelling and punctuation must be adhered to. Chat speak and sticky caps strictly prohibited.

4. Up to two entries allowed per person. Please use a different headline per story submitted.

5. You show acceptance of these rules by entering this contest. It will be assumed you have read the rules and agree to them.

6. All genres acceptable. Please categorise appropriately.

7. Stories must contain at least 300 words and no more than 3000.

8. New writes only - and must be directly related to the headline chosen.

9. Have fun. Brownie points for Humour

Stories will be judged on writing skill and how well the prompt has been used.