My FIRST is in HARRY but never in POTTER
My SECOND’S in HOGWARTS and also in ROTTER
My THIRD is in ACE and features in SPADES
MY FOURTH is in MACE but never in BLADES
My FIFTH is in HORROR but not in SCREAM
My SIXTH is in DEMON but never in DREAM
My SEVENTH’S in ORANGE and also in COLOUR
My EIGHTH is in SPIDER but never in DULLER
My NINTH is in WEATHER but not in VANE
My TENTH is in HOBO but never in BRAIN
My ELEVENTH’S in BITTER and also in BEER
My TWELFTH is in FLITTER but never in FEAR
My THIRTEENTH’S in ARAGOG but not in REVOLVE
My EIGHT plus my TWELVE will aid you to solve!
If you can solve the riddle and would like to win an inscribed copy of my latest book, To Cut a Short Story, vol. II: 88 Little Stories, please send your solution to me via the contact page, together with your name, address (worldwide) and the name you would like the book to be dedicated to. Do NOT post your answer in the comments! The senders of the correct solution will be put into a ‘hat’ and randomly drawn to give one winner.
The competition will remain open until the end of February 2019 (Midnight GMT (UTC)
The winner will be announced here shortly thereafter.
NOTE: I received NO correct solutions before the deadline, so I am extending the competition until the end of March. The FIRST correct solution received will win the prize and terminate the competition. I’ll announce it here as soon as possible, should I receive a correct solution before the new deadline.
Featured in the book, Flash Friction: To Cut a Short Story Short, vol. III: 72 Little Stories
- To purchase the stories on To Cut a Short Story Short up to December 2021 in paperback, Kindle, eBook, and audio-book form, and for news on new titles, please see Shop.
- If you are interested in joining Write Away, a fortnightly story group (giving a choice of 250, 500 or 750 word assignments) please contact me and I’ll be pleased to send details.
- Don’t forget to check out some of the other stories on this blog. There are over 350!
