Carmen, Forward On, by Denise Smith-Lewis - 1st place – Short Story Ages 18+
It’s the grand opening. The building is painted orange, trimmed with lavender. The stools and tables are painted red and purple and neatly frame the veranda, giving the appearance of a rainbow. The brightly decorated sign read, Carmen’s Cookery. It’s a proud moment and the proprietor, Carmen Woodley, smiles a satisfied smile. She’d moved forward, and the evidence is there for all to see.
As Carmen stands in her new restaurant, a flood of emotions washes over her. She remembers everything like it was yesterday. She’s sitting under the guinep tree doing her family’s laundry.  With seven children and another on the way, it seemed like every day was washing day.  She surveyed the two lines of clothes, and chided herself for working so hard. The baby moved, as if in agreement. “You better rest yourself in truth,” Carmen mused, “for you know what Alexander will want when he comes home tonight.”  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle on her driveway. This was a very unusual time of the day, and she doesn’t expect any visitors. She sees the car stop and Miss Dover, the company’s secretary, and Mr. Rawlins, the company’s manager, stepping out of the vehicle, and coming towards her. The strained look on their faces spoke volumes, and a knot tightened in Carmen’s stomach.  
“What’s going on? What’s happened to Alexander?”  Carmen asked nervously.  
Miss Dover held Carmen’s hand, and led her to a chair. As she relayed the details of her husband’s accident, Carmen howled like a wounded animal.
“Take it easy, Carmen,” the woman said soothingly as she patted Carmen’s hand. “Remember the baby.”
That was the day Carmen’s world turned upside down.
Alexander was badly crushed, and went abroad for medical attention. If he survived, he most likely would not be able to work again. How was Carmen going to manage with eight children?  Throughout their marriage, Alexander insisted that she didn’t need to work. And he was right. She was pregnant so often that it would have been difficult for her to hold down a job.  Now what was she to do?  
“Giving up is not an option,” she told herself. “Crying all the time won’t help either.  So pull yourself together!  Be strong and forward on!”
Carmen pondered what could she do to help herself. She knew that she was a great cook, and that’s how the brilliant idea of Carmen’s Cookery was born.
Carmen started the business in her home but it was slow-going. Then she made a little niche for herself on Market Street with her food stand where she gradually built up her clientele.  Business took off.  As she grew heavier with her pregnancy, there were many times when Carmen felt unable to move. But move she did because her survival depended on it. She worked up to the day she gave birth.  And to ensure that her clientele didn’t suffer during her weeks of convalescence, she made her eldest daughter, Maude, do the cooking while she supervised. She knew that customer satisfaction was important.
After six months abroad, Alexander returned home with only the use of one hand. Now, he felt threatened by Carmen’s independence, and angry at his uselessness.  He was angry all the time and became abusive. When she saw him behaving like this, Carmen threatened to end their marriage.  
“I don’t have anything now, so go ahead and leave me,” Alexander yelled.
“A one hand man is no less a man” Carmen told him. “When you ready to believe this, let me know.”  
Then Alexander broke down in tears and his attitude changed.  In the midst of her many challenges, her husband realized that his wife still left his manhood intact.     
Now, today, at the opening of her restaurant, he stands next to Carmen.  He wipes the tears flowing down her cheeks. He looks a little awkward as he does this.
“You did it Carmen, you did it. Against all odds, when life had you down, you got up and you forward on.” He draws her close to him with his one good hand.  “I am so proud of you. You picked up our broken pieces and moved on.”
“And I am proud of you, too, Alexander.  We both have picked up the pieces and moved on”
“The customers are coming,” Alexander said. “It’s time to get busy; so let’s forward on.”
They smile knowingly and go to welcome their customers.

See Jane Run, by Devra Thomas - 2nd place – Short Story Ages 18+
Her feet hit the ground with hardly a sound. The thud-thudding of her heart sounds the alarm that sends every dog and donkey scurrying out of her way.
She runs but doesn’t look back. There is nothing to slow her steps.  Her family is lost to her. They’ve rejected the call for freedom, preferring, instead, to stay enslaved under Bakra’s oppressive, but familiar rule.  As for him, she was just another roll in the hay, an object of his abuse.
She propels forward by her desire to be free. Her tattered clothing has forsaken her yet, she presses on – naked and bleeding. She doesn’t care that the moon’s beam shows her shame. She just keeps moving forward, forging a path for the brave to follow.
The sugar-cane and cotton fields give way to sea and sand.  Her feet collapse at the touch of the cold, salty water. She looks back and bursts into laughter.  She has overcome! She escaped and out-ran them all. She is free!  But who is calling her name?
“Get up you lazy woman!” the jailer shouts as he pours a bucket of cold water on her.
She awakes with a start and stares intensely at him. His skin was the colour of burnt wood, the same as hers. She begins to smile.
He retreats slowly as he takes her in. He realizes there is something different about her.  She has changed. The look in her eyes disturbs him more than the stench that fills the small space.
Her smile gives way to laughter, and the sound of her voice quickly escapes through the openings in the hut. She looks at the shackles on her hands and feet, and laughs even louder.
“You call me a slave,” she shouts, “but I am free!”  
She is indeed free, for she no longer believes their lies about who she is. The shackles are now loose from her mind, and she knows it won’t be long before these physical chains fall off and she can run…  They will all see Jane run!

A New Stove for Independence, by Star E. - 3rd place – Short Story Ages 18+
“Future? What future?” She laughs until the sight of her discoloured gums makes me want to vomit. And yet, I was the one being scorned.
“How dare she laugh at me?” I think to myself. “How dare this ash gray skinned, white hair, old nobody laugh at me? I was born in the age of technology. I know how to use a BlackBerry. I can talk to friends in China via wireless internet. What do I know about the future? What does she?”
“Mama, look!” I say, “It’s even got burners with automatic ignition so you won’t have to light any matches.”
“So, now, I’m too old and weak to light a match?”
“Mama, I’m only saying a stove like this will save you a lot of time…”
“What you know about time? Your generation always in a rush - rush hour, high speed; instant this, instant that. What do you know about quality time? About doing things right?” She asks.
“Mama we do things right. Better yet, we do things efficiently. People are trying to build a decent future. Nobody has time to stand around and take in the sights. Things have got to be done now.”
She releases a long, slow sigh; a never-ending sigh, a sigh that makes me wonder if, in our advanced era, there are machines that make old people less stubborn.
She looks at me with her hollow, fading eyes, “How can you build a secure future if you never slow down to study the blueprint that is history? How can there be a future where there is no past?”
I watch Mama spend hours cooking fungee and saltfish in her worn clay pot on that Sunday. She sings as she toils, “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before.” I scoff internally - old people are just incorrigible.
Then a clump of ash rises in the air as she fiddles with the pot. These ashes blow away but they don’t go far. They find a resting place in the concrete mixer that will provide the foundation for my future home.

Forward On, Kerry-Ann Quinland - 1st place – Essays 12 - 17
Life is a challenge we face every day. As we move forward, we will be faced with difficulties because nothing good in life comes easy. However, with hard work and determination, we will achieve. Looking back, from slavery to now, we’ve come a long way. Look around and see the beauty that surrounds us that says forward on: forward ever; backward never.

Success comes through team work, so let us forward on as a nation, hand in hand with all hands to the plow for a progressive country. Never let opportunity pass you by, once it’s gone it will never return. Let us grasp every opportunity for our nation’s wealth. You are never too old to learn and, remember, technology rules the world. I urge you not to get left behind. Increase your knowledge by getting involved with modern technology that is a part of today’s society. The world has changed and we have to change with it for the betterment of our beloved twin island state.  So, let us forward on as we strive for a better nation.

Youths, we are the future! Get involved in nation building. The time is now, and we need young fresh minds with new ideas. Be productive and work alongside the elders with one purpose as we look towards a brighter future. Together, we can make a difference; together, we will forward on.

We welcome visitors from near and far to our beautiful shores, where the beach is just the beginning. As we celebrate our independence, as one family moving towards a secure future, may God bless us all, as we forward on.

Forward On, by Trinity Wilson - 2nd Place – Essays 12 - 17
Moving forward means to be successful in every aspect of my life. My future plans include completing all my studies, and becoming a veterinarian. Then, I want to travel the world to visit people, and animals that need help.
I want to help needy people get better housing and food. I want them to have the same life as other people are having today. On the other hand, I want to be an animal activist, and fight against animal cruelty, especially in the Caribbean region. I believe that making the world a better place to live can happen, one step at a time. Forward on!!

Forward On, by Nycosia Mack - 3rd place – Essays 12 - 17  
So, I’m guessing you can tell by the name of our country that Antigua and Barbuda consists of two major islands. This year, our theme is Forward On!
Today marks Antigua and Barbuda’s 30th Independence Celebration. Let’s celebrate! We became independent from the United Kingdom on November 1, 1981.
The original full name given to our island was Santa Maria de la Antigua, named after a church in Seville, Spain.  
Did you know that we have our own national heroes? One of them is Sir Vivian Richards, who still lives in Antigua. We also have the sweetest pineapple in the world named ‘Antigua Black’.
It is independence time again! Let us celebrate Antigua and Barbuda! Let us forward on with our life, pride and education!
We are one people moving towards a happy future.

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