This has been one of the most significant and exciting events to hit the Streets for what feels like years.  Donations came flooding in and I'd like to thank everyone who contributed - this could not have happened without you.

We had a variety of entrants. 

It is with great excitement that I announce the winner....

Godfather_of_DT  wins the first prize of $10M!


This contribution contained excellent characterisation, a sense of drama and also a notion of the type of fun that this lifestyle can bring.  At first glance, it's a simple diamond heist.  But then what?  Things start to fall apart...  A sense of wonderment and excitement is painted richly by the author, who is surely destined for greater things.

Stuttering Gabe comes alive before us.  We can feel the tension, the anger and the excitement.  We look forward to hearing more about Gabe, and about Godfather_of_DT.  If they managed this triumph in exactly 300 words, well, who knows what else will follow?  I like that precision.  Exactly the lower end of the word limit for the competition.  Sage, savvy and talented.

A well deserved win!

RonnieRamsay takes second place

With his radical, cruel and stark depiction of a rogue element unleashed onto the Streets.  It had a solid ring of truth about it, and an almost Shakespearean Iambic pentameter rhythm.  RonnieRamsay will not receive any prize money, as he organised and judged the competition himself and therefore could not be deemed impartial. 

TwoB takes third place!

His is a story literally of Biblical themes.  A struggle story; a sign of our times.  A welcome relief to the quiet Streets of today.  TwoB wins his prize money back (paid via banking "credits", a perk, and an executive place on our committee)

GavinAndTaraByrne take fourth place!


A good rendition of that age old theme - what makes us what we are, do what we do and be where we be at?  Very entertaining.  This would have been ranked higher, but we assumed that two people entered.  We are therefore also not awarding any prize money, unless they submit a further entry.  We have now ascertained that Tara (as she likes to be known) wrote this by herself.  She therefore gets $1M prize money.  Thanks Tara for pointing this out!

Star is in fifth place!

I must admit that this entry was like an extended piece of advertising.  That's no bad thing, in and of itself, and we shouldn't damn Star for doing that.  But we should damn Star for being a CL!!  And that's why we have decided NOT to give Star the prize money, and instead donate it randomly to a no-name-C in Star's crew!!

That's just what we're like; unpredictably artistic, dedicated to making things happen and a breath of fresh air in a stagnant and stale world.

 

THE WINNING ENTRY!

The Diamond Heist by Godfather_of_DT

Godfather_of_DT runs through the woods with this partner in crime Stuttering Gabe as the police chase them.  Godfather_of_DT is wearing a t-shirt that says Toni Is A Girl's Name.  They have just pulled a diamond heist and are now on the run from the law.  He yells to Stuttering Gabe.

"Stash the diamonds in a nearby bush and then meet me in that cave to hide from the cops." said Godfather_of_DT.

"OK I will will will will will, boss boss boss" he stuttered back to him.

Godfather_Of_DT runs into the dark cave until the coast is clear.  He hears a noise in the cave.  He calls out causing his voice to echo inside the cave.

"HELLO, Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, ...... IS ANYBODY THERE, There, there, there, there....."

He hears footsteps in the cave.  He reaches for his pistol and cocks the hammer as the footsteps come closer and closer and closer and closer.  He fires his gun into the darkness.  The pistol lets out a loud sound as he shoots BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM click click click click.  "Shit, out of bullets.  He reloads and shoots BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM!

A dark figure steps out from the shadows.  It is Stuttering Gabe.

"Stop stop stop shooting boss it's just me me me."

"Did you stash the diamonds?" 

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes I did.  We lost the cops too.  Now we take the diamonds to a guy I know know know know that can move ice and we split the money." 

Godfather_of_DT smiled wickedly.  He knows that once the deal is done, he is going to kill Stuttering Gabe and keep the money for himself.

"Good work Stuttering Gabe."  

"Thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks" said Stuttering Gabe. 

In 2nd Place!  Shoot Mutes by Ronnie Ramsay

Ronnie drove up and down the Streets.  He was looking at  the people standing about doing nothing.  DOING NOTHING.  They weren’t making speeches.  They weren’t contributing to the discourse of this thing of ours.  They were taking, taking, taking.  Living the life and giving nothing back, these guys might as well have been mute.

Ronnie flicks through journals.  Heck, there was a time wars broke out because of the things said on the Streets.  Now?  Wars break out and nothing is said on the Streets.  I’m fed up with it… 

Ronnie started thinking…  maybe someone should do something about this.  We are heavily armed.  Each man here can make a difference.  Maybe I should make it so that speaking on the Street is very desirable; motivate and encourage.  Heck, maybe I should run a competition, get people talking with a view to making money.  Yeah, I could do that.  Or…

I could shoot people that don’t speak.  I can get some guys together, load up our guns and shoot the mute bastards that are making this place unbearably silent.  Men of principle and conviction.  That will get them talking.  Shoot a few mute bastards in their underused mouths and watch their buddies start flappin’ jaws.

I don’t think there’d be much support.  But then, who needs support?  And doesn’t murder usually get results?  One result, obviously, is a dead person.  Otherwise it’s attempted murder.  But a result beyond the obvious dead body.  That’s what we want.  Clearly, the plan had a fundamental flaw; the dead can’t speak.  But if a mute can’t speak through death, is that such a tragedy? 

We obviously can’t and won’t kill every mute.  Some mutes need a chance to become unmute.  But I think I will try and round up a posse and shoot  mutes.

Heck, that even rhymes!   We are Direct Action Against Mutes;  We Shoot Mutes.  We ain’t brutes.  We wear non-bold suits.  We smoke cheroots.  We plant plants by the roots.  We wear cowboy boots.

We shoot mutes.  Let’s shoot mutes and restore the Streets.

 

Who’s with me?

In third place...  By TwoB

"For God shows no favoritism." Romans 2:11 

Emilia's words my mother a loving kind person ,she always told me how we are all equals that good things happen to good people and viceversa

The thing that's a lie bad things happens to good people and very good things happen to bad people this just life it a dark awful place

"The world isn't fair it doesn't owe you anything ,if you wanna something take it you are your own Hero"
this the words i remind myself of every single day trying to survive trying not to kill myself

the memory of that day always haunted me , me and my mother was going home after she took me from school early after hearing about Mafia families fighting in the streets, to find out about my father the respectable town sheriff was with another women a prostitute in my mother bed 
"UUUUHHHH WHY! In our house! You Have No shame!!!" mother said crying and shouting 
Dad said to the prostitute "OUT NOW!!" she got her stuff and ranaway

Fearing for his reputation he ran from the bed towards mother saying "shhhhhhhhhhh... shut up the neighbors!" 
mother didn't, this was the first time seeing my mother broken screaming and crying 

Father took a Candlestick and hit her in the head my mother was now on the floor in her own blood

"I just wanted her to shut up,i didn't mean to hurt her!" he said after realizing what he did

I was frozen and shocked 
as i saw the life drained from my mother my heart faded away with it  

Father took me away and said "Don't Worry honey every thing will be fine ,i Promise" locking me in my room 

That was the last time i saw mother and father 
after 3 days Shocked ,traumatized and locked in my room without food or water and almost dying 
Hearing the sound of my room door cracking a Man came in saying
"Hey there Little girl don't be afraid ,am Mr.A you can call me Uncle A ,come on let's get you out of here"
He took me in ,fed me ,taught me and took care of me

after a while i learned that Father Killed himself Leaving His 9 year old girl locked up alone!!

i realized that is no such a thing as good or bad ,a bad man like Don.A and his family did for me the best things i could ever ask for those "evil" mafia criminals was more kind to me than i could imagine 

i struggled in life  , i didn't wanna live , i wanted to kill myself and still do,,, but the thing is because the world isn't fair i fight
even though i don't wanna live

"I will live,why? because i can,i wont miss a chance ,i will do what i want when i want,i will fight for the people i love and i will be my own Hero and Savior".

In Fourth Place (highest ranking woman entrant

The Pull of the Underworld, By Tara Byrne

Just like a swimmer lazily making their way through the ocean is sometimes gripped by an undertow, each of us has felt the pull of the underworld. 

Newcomers find themselves drawn here by something unique. For the old family liness, the pull is even stronger. Generations retire, only to see civilians put down their lives and reach for a gun.

Perhaps H.L. Mencken was correct when he said "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."

For any number of us, we've seen generations leave us... but many of them come back, no longer content to live life in the sun, heeding the siren's song of our world of black and grey. 

What is it, exactly, that pulls us back?  Is it Mencken's black flag: the temptation to live a life with no restraints?  Is it the desire to wield power that their current world cannot provide them, leading them to try to exert their will here?  Is it a need to tell a story of their lives, to live a life worth sharing?  Is it a chase for glory? For victory and triumph?  Is it the mechanical force of habit?  Are some simply too goddamn bored to do anything else?

I like to think that for most of us, it is the bonds built in this society that draw us back time and time again.

That it is not the darkness of death or the gleam of gold that pull upon our hearts and minds, but rather the steady voice of a friend in the still of the night or the quiet,

palpable energy of a team of people working together to achieve a goal that becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
We don't live long, compared to civilians.

Our lives rush by, sometimes feeling like they last only months, weeks, or even days. Most of us, however, do not walk alone. In this society, we are not meant to be lone predators living lives of silence.

We are wolves, only at our best when park of a pack. Whether you are brand new to these shores or a legend surrounded by true friends whose bloodlines have known yours for generation, it is in reaching out to each other and building these bonds that we become true mafiosi and not the lone thugs wandering to dusty deaths.

When we feel the pull of this world, it may well be that it is the thrill of the kill, the allure of the dollar, or the need to make an impact that

motivates us most- but I strongly suspect that when our future retired generations feel the pull of our society, it will be the people that we form bonds with today that stretch out into the ether and gently guide us to our shared home.

Last but not least!!

Business As Usual Down On The Pier, by Star

The business world has practically exploded overnight in Philadelphia. The city of brotherly love has recently had a few new store fronts and enterprises opened and many more are rumored to be in the works down on the Race St. Pier. Local businessman, JackMezzo, has opened a bar on the pier and has recently reached out to the public in order to attract more traffic down on the waterfront. His assistants, Gavin and Tara Byrne, have opened up their own permit office that has helped launch the careers of several first time entrepreneurs. I spoke to them recently about the opportunities these new businesses would attract and they were very enthusiastic about bringing in new patronage not only for their operation, but for the city of Philadelphia as a whole. 

At press time, the number of store fronts and businesses that had opened up was 4 including Mezzo's East Cat Cellars, the Byrnes business office, Johnny's Candy Shoppe, and The Liberty Bell Massage Parlor. Rumor has it that within the next few days, a new science center and observatory will be opening up. The owner of the observatory, Star, has renovated an old club and turned it into an art gallery that features many local artists. The top floor of the building is dedicated to a large telescope which boasts the capability of seeing far enough into the night time sky to clearly see Saturn's rings. Word has it, there's also something of a mechanical wonder that will delight young and old. Star wasn't saying much but I got the impression that it works like a mechanical star map and can show the night time sky as it correlates to the calendar. It certainly sounds like something for the ages and is sure to bring in a lot of curious people. 

With all of these new businesses opening up, Mr. Mezzo and company is sure to see an influx of people on the waterfront. One can only hope that this will help revitalize this part of the city and bring in many more people throughout the coming months. It's exciting to see what they have already done to the pier. Mezzo reports that they have already seen an increase of 20% in the people coming down to pay them a visit and he expects that with the opening of the observatory, those numbers will only increase. So here's to the business district and the Race St. Pier, come down for some coffee and sweets, have a massage, and stargaze to your hearts content.

We'll see you there. 

Can we please save all of your congratulatory messages and notes of support for here?

Having heard an earnest, if sandy, plea from GavinAndTaraByrne, we have edited her piece and it is represented here.

Errors have also been corrected in prize money.

I'd like to invite Tara and Godfather_of_DT to make acceptance speeches?

Bunny, please accept your prize here!

OH WOW! i really didn't expect to get ranked at all!

Congrats to you guys for a well deserved win your stories really are remarkable 

I would like to
Thank Vela for being a good friend ,i didn't try RP or to write before  and a week ago she told me i should try it ,she believed in me
and supported me  so thanks deeply form my heart <3

I really appreciate the effort you made guys organizing this competition thanks to you all

i wanna add that this meant a lot for me ,am not CONFIDENT at all and i worry a lot This gives me a lot of confidence your support is amazing and overall i feel this made me better person 

thank you for the amazing participants ,for you RonnieRamsay and for people who made this competition possible