Best Opening Lines

So, my survey of the best opening lines by independent authors has concluded. Participation was limited, results are not scientific, but here they are. The top vote-getter was a professional, Candas Jane Dorsey topped the votes with the opening sentence from Black Wine: "There is a scarred, twisted old madwoman in a cage in the courtyard."

But as promised the official winners are only the independent writers.

I apologize for throwing my own work into the mix. Submissions were few enough that it wouldn't have made a very exciting contest without a couple extras.

First Place	At the end of this story a baby will be born, and touch off an insurrection.	Shock and Awe	Eugene Fairfield
Second Place (tie)	Mesmerized by its beauty, I found myself staring at the sky with its only sun.	The Legacy: Fate	GG Atcheson
Second Place (tie)	The ravenous hunger that had formed a knot in my stomach pulled me out of my rest.	The Legacy: Destiny	GG Atcheson
Third Place	It all started with the bowling ball.	The Prophecy of Shield	Isabelle Wightman

Congratulations to the winners.