Bodies by Nina Dragicevic

Nina Dragicevic has made the 2020CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Bodies.

The shortlist will be announced on April 15. The winner will be announced on April 22.

• Calling all poets! The CBC Poetry Prize is now open

About Nina

Nina Dragicevic is a freelance journalist living in Scarborough with two dogs and a husband. She publishes fiction under the name Nina Dunic.

Entry in five-ish words

A boy finds a body.

The story's source of inspiration

"I was walking my dogs through an empty, misty field."

First lines

Ali's father woke him up early.

"I need your help getting bags from the car, I forgot them," he said.

Ali put on his track pants and a hoodie and zipped it up close to his neck, and then pulled the hood over his head. He was sleepy and annoyed but not showing it to his father, or trying not to. It took him a few tries to get his shoes on. His father was already dressed for work and wearing a parka, holding the keys and waiting by the door.

It was bitterly cold outside. It bit through Ali's body and woke him up quickly. "What did you forget?" he asked his father, feeling that talking would keep him warm, and he kicked up his step a little as well.

About the 2020CBCShort Story Prize

The winner of the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize will receive $6,000 from theCanada Council for the Arts, have their work published onCBC Booksand attend a two-week writing residency atthe Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Four finalists will each receive $1,000 from theCanada Council for the Artsand have their work published onCBC Books.