Writing competition for kids in the UK: Write a thriller

Write a thriller is a writing competition for children (who live in the UK) aged five to 16. Last month Patrick Ness's incredible book The Knife of Never Letting Go won the Guardian Children's Fiction prize. Patrick Ness will choose one winner and two ­runners-up from a longlist of 20 chosen by Perri Lewis, the Comic editor, and Natalie Doughty, a teacher. The winner will receive a £50 book ­token, a signed copy of the award-winning The Knife of Never Letting Go and a set of 10 children's ­fiction books published by Walker, Patrick Ness's ­publisher. Two runners-up will each ­receive a £25 book token and a signed copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go. All three winning entries will be published on guardian.co.uk. To enter the competition, you must: write a story in no more than 600 words that ... ... Starts with the line: A bell rang and I opened my eyes. I thought, 'Oh, no, not him, anyone but him.' … and finishes with the line: Then she let go of my hand, and I fell and kept falling. The closing date is 11.59pm on November 7 2008. Patrick Ness