Scary Stories 2026

First place: Don’t look behind you

The first rule of our new house was simple: If you hear someone calling your name after midnight, don’t answer. My mom told me it was an old family superstition. I laughed. Until the third night. “Eliana?” I opened my eyes. My bedroom was pitch-black. “Eliana, sweetheart. Come downstairs.” It was my mom’s voice. I checked my phone. 12:03 am.

“Mom?” I answered. Silence.

Then, from directly beneath my bed, an odd voice whispered, “Don’t answer that.” My blood turned to ice. Something shifted beneath me. I heard fingernails slowly dragging across the wooden floor.

“Eliana,” the voice called again, sounding irritated now. “Come downstairs. Now.”

The thing beneath my bed began to cry. “Please,” it whispered. “It knows you’re awake.” I clamped both hands over my mouth. Footsteps creaked up the stairs. One. Two. Three. My bedroom door opened. A silhouette stood in the doorway.

“Eliana?” My mom called softly. I wanted to run to her. I wanted to scream. But from beneath my bed, the thing had grabbed my ankle. Its fingers were freezing.

“Don’t look at her,” it whispered. “That’s not your mom.” The silhouette stepped into the room. I couldn’t see its face, but I smelled something metallic. Like blood.

“Sweetheart,” it said, “look at me.” I shut my eyes. The thing beneath my bed squeezed my ankle.

“Good,” it breathed. “Whatever happens, don’t open them.” Then my mom’s voice changed. It became deeper. Wet. Angry.

“You little liar.” Something crawled across the ceiling. I heard its nails clicking directly above my head. Then, silence. A warm hand touched my face.

“It’s gone,” My mom whispered. “You can open your eyes now.” I did. Morning sunlight spilled through my window. My real mom stood beside my bed, pale and trembling. She grabbed me and hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. “Thank God,” she sobbed. “Whatever you do, never answer it.” I pulled away.

“Answer what?”

My mom stared at me. “The voice that sounds like me.” From inside my closet, something knocked three times. Then my mom, still holding me, whispered: “Eliana, whatever you hear next, don’t believe it.” But from beneath the bed, my own voice answered:

“Too late.”

Jaya Cherian, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

Second place: The Song

“Boo!” my little sister Claire screams, jumping from behind the couch. 

“Hey! I’m reading!” I shout. “And anyway, you can’t scare me.”

“But it’s almost Halloween! It’s a scary time!” Claire persists.
“There is nothing frightening about October 31st. It’s just another day in the year.”
“Fine,” Claire says. “Come for a walk?”

Outside, the chilly air feels like it blows into my bones. I zip up my jacket, but it doesn’t help. “Whatcha thinking?” Claire asks. 

“Just wondering why people think ghosts are real,” I laugh.

 “But they are,” Claire says. She looks very serious. She’s only ten, so I drop it. We walk on, to the ruins of an old farmhouse. We’re pretty high up on a hill, so it’s even colder now. It’s starting to get dark, but it’s only four. It seems like an artificial darkness: foggy, kind of. 

Claire whirls through the fog, then bumps into a crumbling stone wall and falls. I dash to her. When I reach her, she’s sitting against the wall, looking straight ahead, breathing hard. 

“Are you okay? What is it?” I look in the direction she points and freeze.

A woman, dressed in all black, with hair like the sunset, stands with her back to the road. She looks at us and smiles with perfectly white teeth and eyes full of fire. Then she sings in an eerie, high, ringing voice:

Come and live with me on the top of a hill

Where the birds don’t sing and the bells never ring

Come and live with me where our best sport is kill

Where the chair rocks alone, and you never want to roam

Come and live with me on the top of this hill

I’ll make it clear: you’ll never leave here

For once, I’m actually scared. I look for Claire, but I can’t move. Then I see her. As stone. And I realize that, too, is my fate. I just study her scared face, staring into mine. I wonder what my expression is.  This is it. This is my life, if you can call it that. Frozen, staring straight ahead at my unmoving sister for eternity, becoming part of the wall that I now see is made of other statues. 

The worst part is, I can still hear the last note of the woman’s song. And it’s not getting quieter. If anything, it’s louder than it was. 

Clover Heinzman, 13, eighth grade, homeschool

Third place: The Haunted House   

   The air in Blackwood Estate always tasted of dying leaves, but by late October, it felt entirely hollow.

On the twenty-ninth, four best friends—brave Adam, quiet Thomas, funny James, and cautious Isaac—sat on the porch, tossing pepperoni to Buster. The golden retriever caught the scraps with joyful snaps, blind to the supernatural snare his boys were weaving. They were just trading local myths like currency.

    “They say the door melts into a solid wall,” Isaac laughed nervously. “And your pockets fill with sentient black licorice!”

    By the thirtieth, James embroidered the nightmare: “Yeah, and an invisible hand aggressively tickles your neck while stealing your voice so you can only make high-pitched, squeaky horn noises!” Buster barked happily, chasing away the sudden chill.

    But by midnight on All Hallows’ Eve, nobody was laughing.

    The heavy oak doors didn’t slam when they stepped inside. Instead, the wood groaned as the seams fused together, leaving only a flawless, unbroken wall.

    “Well, Isaac,” Adam whispered into the suffocating dark, “your story just walled us in.”

    Panic hit Isaac first. Seeking comfort, his hand darted into his candy bag, only for squirming, breathing black licorice vines to wrap tightly around his fingers. Before he could wail, unseen threads clamped around their necks. The sensation was a horrific, invasive tickle. James opened his mouth to scream, but his voice was gone; the only sound echoing through the vacuum was a series of frantic, high-pitched honks.

    Buster’s fur bristled. With a fierce roar, the retriever tore his leash from Isaac’s numb fingers and bounded into the pitch-black basement to defend them. The boys listened in absolute horror to a sudden, violent scuffle. Then, silence.

    It was replaced by a terrifying, synchronized rhythmic crunching sound as the shadows drained the dog’s life force away.

    From the stairs, a wet giggle echoed upward—a monstrous harmony woven from their own stolen voices. Then, Buster trotted back into the faint light. He wasn’t bleeding, but the change was absolute. Buster’s body had turned into solid, cold, unmoving porcelain, his eyes frozen into wide, sad, lifeless spheres. Tears of clear glaze painted his cheeks.

    As their own limbs grew stiff and heavy, turning to stone, the friends stood trapped forever in the dark—frozen alongside their loyal, lifeless companion, forgotten by the world outside.

Ezekiel Lamancusa, 10, Great Brook School, Francestown

Honorable mentions: The crows’ rhyme

“Where did you hear that, Lischae?” The woman’s voice is silvery, echoing in the vast space around me, coming from no direction. Lischae isn’t my name… is it?

“I’m not sure. The crows rhyme has always been…” I trail off. 

Her voice begins to materialize. “In your mind?” she offers.

I accept that. “Yes,” I reply.

The room is a type of cathedral. Stained glass windows form pictures of constellations you can’t see in the sky. The ground is littered with flower petals that have long since died but never decayed.

“You must have made it up,” she says. “For that is certainly not the crows rhyme alone.” Her voice is now coming from above me, from the ceiling that seems to be miles away.

Voices float in and out of my ears, whispering words I don’t understand.

“Muime, where am I from?”

“What do you mean, child?”

“I mean,” I reply, “how did I get here, the Otherworld?”

The woman, now in a physical form, steps around from behind me and places a hand on my shoulder. “You wanted to come here,” she says. “You wanted our feasts, music, and magic.”

“So, I’m not home here?”

She lets go and steps out in front of me. “Are you?”

After a moment, I respond, halfway unsure. “No.”

“I want to leave,” I tell her.

“But we enjoy your company.” A boy, seemingly my age but significantly more beautiful, walks in. I don’t know where he came from.

More Fair Folk flood into the room, silently.

“Why leave?”

“We want you here.”

“Stay.”

“No,” I say, “I want to leave.”

“Then go,” they say together, though their minds don’t seem changed. They form a long, winding path from here to the border.

As I walk past them, they seem disappointed. Like I was their pet, not their guest.

“Goodbye,” I say, but the Fair Folk have gone.

I step over the threshold, to freedom, and for a moment I am home.

But the time spell lifts. I turn to dust.

Madelyn Treshinsky, 14, ninth grade, ConVal High School, Peterborough

Tastes Like Murder

“Opal, you’re gonna be late for school!” my mom called.

I rolled out of bed and flopped onto the floor. “I didn’t buy enough baggy clothes this year,” I mumbled, throwing on a band tee and sweatpants. My mom had forgotten the laundry AGAIN.

I hurried downstairs, shoved burnt toast into my mouth, and rushed out the door. Glancing at the TV, I heard the reporter say something completely unintelligible. I stared, feeling an odd sense of grief, but the moment passed.

I barely caught the bus. Sitting on a smelly seat, I couldn’t stop thinking about the broadcast. Something felt wrong.

School released us early because of a crime scene in a nearby town. The closest town was ten miles away, far enough to feel safe. Or so I thought.

At home, I questioned my mom about the news and early dismissal.

“I don’t know, sweetie. They just care about your safety,” she replied, her face reddening with every word.

“Lies,” I thought. “Dirty little lies.”

Being the nosy kid I was, I decided to investigate. As I read, I froze.

“IT WAS IN OUR TOWN?!”

Panic surged through me. I reached for my phone, but everything suddenly went dark.

I awoke in a hospital, my head pounding. I tried lifting my hand, only to discover it was handcuffed to the bed.

“Huh?” I whispered.

A tall man entered my room.

“You have good taste,” he announced proudly.

“What? Good taste in what?”

“We know you did it. Didn’t think we’d check the cameras?”

“What did I do?”

“Does Colby Dawson ring a bell?”

“No?”

“Aw, I see. You didn’t even know your victim’s name.”

Then it hit me.

I did it. I killed someone, without even knowing it?

The next day, the man returned. I stayed silent, until a sentence I’d buried deep inside escaped my lips.

“I didn’t do it. She did it.”

I felt myself slipping deeper into my own lies. With trembling fingers, I pointed toward the corner, where the girl responsible sat.

The man turned to look.

But all that remained was my shadow.

Lennox Daravong, 11, sixth grade 

The Halloween Party

Once, there was a village called Pumpkin Patch. One morning, a little bunny was hopping about. He was carrying decorations like leaves, pumpkins and more! In a while, a turtle named Daisy walked up and said,

“Do you need help with that, Twitch?”

“Sure! It’s important to get the decorations ready for tonight. I need all the help I can get. Do you know where the rest of the crew is?” said Twitch.

“I saw Tulip on her way with Oak. They should be here soon,” said Daisy.

“Great! Did you hear from Ivy?” Ivy, a skunk, was a friend they didn’t see often. She used to live in Pumpkin Patch but moved to Boo York City. They talked on their walkie talkies but still missed her. This Halloween she said she had a surprise for them.

Soon, Tulip a duckling, and Oak a bear cub, came and helped. Tulip asked, “Do you know if Hootie is coming?”

Hootie was another friend they didn’t see often. Not because he moved, because he was an owl and was nocturnal. When they finished decorating, Daisy and Oak went to help Oak’s mom bake a cake.

Later, Hootie came. Twitch asked him to get more leaves. Hootie said he knew where some leaves were. He went to the woods and saw some good leaves off the path. He went so deep into the woods that he got lost!

Back at the party, they were worried. Tulip said, “It’s been a long time and the party starts soon.”

“Let’s look for Hootie,” said Oak. “He told me he was going to Spooky Woods.”

Pumpkin Patch got its name from a haunted pumpkin patch in Spooky Woods. The friends walked until they got to Spooky Woods. They found where Hootie left the trail and followed his footprints. They finally found him but realized they were in the pumpkin patch! They huddled together and heard a voice. They jumped back in surprise.

It was a witch! “Guys, meet my new friend, Addy. She’s a witch in training!”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” said Addy.

“Would you like to come to our Halloween party?”

“Yes!” said Addy happily.

They walked out of the woods and back to the party. They made it just in time, and discovered a surprise. It was Ivy! They gave her a hug. Then she said, “Let’s get this party started!”

Name: Wren Lawler, 9, fourth grade, Hancock Elementary School

The Puppet

It was June 6, 2006, and I was just moving  into my new house in Rosemont, Chicago. I love exploring so I ran upstairs, plopped my stuff down, and started looking around. I found this room that led to a staircase. I started going up. It was surprisingly steep. It kept on going for what felt like hours. I looked at my watch. It was stuck at 12:00. Huh. I just replaced my watch battery. The stairs creaked. I froze. They creaked again. Boom. Boom. Boom. I saw these five giant legs with no feet grab me. They reminded me of a hand and fingers. I screamed but it didn’t come out. Not that I was scared too much or anything. I just couldn’t. I calmed down and tried to talk. I couldn’t. My mouth couldn’t even move. My mouth. It was hard like wood. I was stuck on this creepy smile. My hair wasn’t even like hair. It was flattened down like wood too. My eyes were stuck forward. I could hear some sounds that sounded like talking but really loud and low. I tried to turn. None of me could move. I got moved around by this giant hand thing. I could see a little girl. She was smiling. I had turned into a puppet. My house was not real. It was just a dollhouse. I lived forever frozen in that dollhouse. I watched this little girl grow up, sitting in her room. She had reached the age of 14. She didn’t need me anymore. I wish I could tell her that she can’t take me to the dump. I was not a puppet, I was a real human. She threw me in a trash can. I could hear the garbage truck coming. I got picked up. I was getting tighter and tighter. I was gonna get squeezed to death. Just when I was gonna blast, I started getting bigger. I could move and I was a human again! But before I started celebrating, I should have thought about the walls closing in on me. Two hours later, someone came to the dump. They saw a big bloody pile of trash. “Huh, maybe someone found a dead animal in their house and threw it out,” he said.                                                                                

Rye Heinzmann, 11, sixth grade homeschool 

Glass Jars

Silence.

Never before had an absence of sound been so loud.

Your body feels stiff and your spine is twisted in a way that aches the longer you hold the position, muscles trembling from the prolonged strain. You flex your fingers, joints cramped and freezing. They bump into a jar, and you cringe when your nail clinks against the glass. It’s a quiet sound, but here – now – it tears through the silence like a gunshot.

You were in the kitchen when the power died, lightbulbs flickering before they cast the house into shadows. The heat had been next to go, and without the steady hum of airflow, the thud from upstairs was all the more prominent. One thump turned into two, then three and four; a rhythmic set of footfalls that you tracked across the ceiling with your eyes. Your gaze darted around the room for somewhere to hide when the staircase floorboards creaked, adrenaline urging you toward the walk-in pantry.

It didn’t feel safe enough, and so you precariously wedged yourself into one of the lower cabinets in the back, contorting your body to fit around the half-shelf and rows of clean jars that filled the space.

Which leaves you here; back arched and legs squeezed against your chest, hands braced against the shelf, trying not to rattle any of the large-mouth glass jars. Your lungs feel too tight and can never get enough air, silently gasping at the seam between doors while your eyes and ears strain for movement beyond the pantry.

All you can hear is the blood hammering through your veins and your rapid, shallow breaths: a fact that sends shivers down your spine because- God, what if they can hear it too?

But holding your breath isn’t an option, and the cold air seeping through the crack is the only thing keeping you from focusing on the dark, small cabinet.

Wait. Motion, just now.
A shadow, ghosting across the floor just outside the two layers of doors hiding you.

Everything freezes in sheer, unrivaled terror. Your breath stalls, heart halting its torrent in your ears – even time seems to break. A vent in the pantry pops as it loses radiant heat. The cold numbness tugs at your spine, and your vision’s swimming and your head feels too light on your shoulders and-

The door swings open.

Serafina Amatto, Peterborough, 17, grade 12

The Story of the Halloween Hound

One Halloween night long ago James was trick or treating when he saw something dart
through the trees. Curious, he followed it through the forest and into a cave. When
suddenly he saw something, a vampire ready to strike! Just before the vampire could
bite James, a six-and-a-half-foot tall dog attacked the vampire. The dog was fierce but
was losing. He scooped up James and ran! The vampire chased after them. He was
fast, but the dog was faster. The dog got out of the forest and dropped off James in a
safe spot, then went back to finish the vampire.
Confused, James walked home wondering if the dog was okay. That night when James
was lying in bed, he heard something and looked out the window. It was the dog
howling at the moon. James went to sleep happy knowing that the Halloween Hound,
which is what he named the dog, was safe.

Lucy Arpin, 10, fifth grade homeschooler, Rindge

The strong and sturdy stable

Chelsea Pearl Cheever, 9, fourth grade, Antrim Elementary School

The Creeping Boughs                                                 

Have you ever seen a moving tree?  Five weeks before Halloween I was in the forest.  The wind  was blowing and a tree moved–but not JUST the branches!  The whole tree moved!  It was ‘Side-scooting” so you wouldn’t see it moving.  I came closer to the tree and it stopped.  I took one more step and it started moving quickly.  I took out my phone and started recording and caught it on camera. 

     It grabbed me. I yelled, “HELP!” The tree swallowed me!  I tried to escape and I blacked out.  Ten minutes later, I woke up and remembered I had a mini chainsaw.  I took it out and cut open the tree and escaped.  I went to the police and told them I would cut the trees that moved so the forest is safe.  At first they didn’t believe me. So, I showed them the evidence on my phone.  I got to the forest and saw a tree move and cut it down.  I walked a mile and saw another tree.  It had its eye open and I cut it down. It was night so I went home and went to bed.  When I woke up, I saw one –the last one.  It was watching my every move.  I sneaked outside and cut it down.  I checked the miles of the forest with a drone and none were left. One week later the governor gave me a medal and a trophy. I felt rewarded and proud.

Marcello Matos, 9, fourth grade, Temple Elementary School

The Suit is Haunted!   

Hi, my name is Odin. This story happened on 10-30-1966 and it was on a Friday.  I was at the grocery shop.  I had the night shift at the grocery shop.  A guy walked in and asked for 5 loaves of bread. He gave me a suit of armor for some reason I don’t know. 

That night something turned off the lights.  I went to the breaker and flipped the switch.  The lights came on.  Then a black thing ran away.  I chased it to a secret door.  I went in the door. Then I was knocked out because he hit me with a loaf of stale wheat bread.  I woke up and my hands were tied behind my back. He was talking on the phone and looked like the guy I sold the 5 loaves of bread to.  I untied the rope and I sneaked around the corner…then I attacked the guy. He said, “I’m trying to save you from the suit.  It’s haunted. The last owner went missing.   And…the bread is moldy–all 5 loaves!”  So I let go of him and he said “The only weakness of the suit is fire. The only fire we have is gas but all the lighters are at the back of the store.”  We went to the car. I got the gas and I remembered that I have a sword in the back of my car. I went back to the shop.  The suit moved!  The guy used the sword. I got the lighters and the suit chased us.  We stopped and poured the gas. It lit up like a fire!  It melted the suit!

All of a sudden the firefighters showed up and put out the fire. Odin asked the bread guy “Who was the person you were on the phone with?” He said “The fire department, I got clearance to start the fire.”  Odin asked “Why did you give me the suit?”  The bread guy said, “If I told you about the suit, the suit would get smarter and stronger and do more damage.”

They went to New York and built another grocery shop and made sandwiches with fresh bread. 

Odin Medeiros, 10, fourth grade, Temple Elementary School           

Chloe’s Halloween                                            

On Halloween, Chloe went to a scary, purple haunted house. There were yellow windows.  She saw a creepy ghost. She ran upstairs because she was scared of the ghost.  She ran to someone’s room, closed the door and locked it.  Chloe threw a mattress out the window. She jumped out the window onto the mattress.  She ran to the woods as fast as she could.  She saw a spider.  The spider bit her on the nose.  She turned into a spider.  Then there was a storm.  It was snowy and icy. She was so cold, she went to a science lab.  She found a potion and then she drank it.  She turned back to normal.  She ran to the trampoline park.  When she got there, there was a scary bat.  He chased her to the top of the slide. He chased her to the trampoline. He chased her to the ball pit. Then, Chloe ran home.  She put on a dinosaur costume to go trick or treating. She showed her friends her costume and they went trick or treating. They went to Story Park and had a party.  Happy Halloween.

Chloe Racine, 8, second grade, Temple Elementary School

The Story of Bob 

Damey is the son of the president.  He lives in Washington DC.  He took a taxi to NH.  He stopped at the haunted house that he saw when he got off the bridge.  He looked at the haunted house and he saw a giant eye. He did not get scared about the scary eye because he could call the nuclear army.  The house stood up!!  Damey screamed!!!  Then the house ate him.  There were a bunch of doors inside.  He went in door number 1.  He had a notepad and he wrote door number 1 so he could know how many doors he went past.  He kept going by the doors; opening each one. And the house kept growing as he kept going through the doors.  He went through 100 million doors. He was looking for the door that said exit.   He finally found the exit door but there was NO handle.  He broke the door when he rammed into it.  He went outside and started running.  The house was as big as Godzilla.  The house ran through the electric fence. The house was chasing Damey to tickle him.  Then the house got stepped on by a giant octopus from space named Bob.  Bob’s job is to make sure space is stable and planets are safe.  If the house got too big it would tickle  planet Earth.  The octopus gave Damey a glowing space sword to get rid of other tickle monsters. The sword shoots out a laser that makes a portal on the ground and sends the monsters back to Tickle land.  Damey became friends with Bob and they made a new planet called Discoland.

Pedro Flores, 7, second grade, Temple Elementary School

The Black and White Werewolf…

One night Amy and Lola were watching one of Amy’s dad’s old movies. It was in black and white and had a lot of weird accents and clothes, but they didn’t care, they just laughed. They started to get tired and they fell asleep on the couch. When they woke up the world looked like it had been drained of its color. They started to walk to see where they were. They knew they were in a city but what city looks like this? They saw a sign that read, “New York City Station”. “We’re in New York City. But how, I’ve been here before and it looks nothing like this?” said Amy with shock. “I don’t know I haven’t been here, I just heard from you.” Lola responded. So they walked through the city and when they heard the people talk they sounded funny, like weird accents. They were also wearing weird clothes. Then they remembered they heard it before in Amy’s dad’s movie, and it was black and white like this. They tried to run but they always came to the same spot. Then they remembered something else, something worse… The movie they watched had a werewolf, and there it was chasing the people of the city. Then it came right at them. They ran and ran, but it caught up. They were cornered. The wind blew, carrying the wolf’s horrifying growls. The stomps of the wolf echoed as it got closer, and they could feel its breath on them. They tried to climb the wall but only Amy got up and over it. She started to run but she stopped and heard a scream and then realised that Lola was not with her at all, and that was her scream. Amy screamed and closed her eyes, but then something happened she could feel something changed. She opened her eyes and she was on her couch, Lola was not there. But something else was… It was the werewolf.

Charlotte Seitz, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

The Night Where Everything Went Wrong

It was a peaceful night. Koda, Oaklyn, Blake, and Kora were sitting at the fire at their little campsite in the Appalachian Mountains. Blake said,

“I’m going to go out and get some deer. I’ll be back by sunset.” The whole group nodded as Blake walked away. A few minutes later, Blake never came back.

“We should look for Blake. He said he would be back by sunset and it’s almost pitch black outside.” Kora said calmly. As Koda replied with

“MYSTERY ADVENTURE?! COUNT ME IN!” Oaklyn just nodded, following the group. Right as they got to the woods, they heard a screech that sounded unhumanly as Oaklyn was the only one to speak up, holding her wooden spear protectively.

“S…show yourself…!” she said nervously as the screeching stopped and heavy footsteps approached them. The monster stared at the group, its blank white eyes glowing as it lunged at Oaklyn, scratching her face deeply. She tried to stab the monster but it was no luck. The monster was too powerful as the group stood in shock. Oaklyn yelled,

“GET OFF ME!” and kicked the monster off of her. The monster yelped as Koda used the only thing he could think of. He screamed random things as the skinwalker grabbed the group and harmed them badly before dragging them to a cave. Blake was there in the cave, severely injured as the group was on the verge of dying. Days, months, and years passed. No one knows where the group went. It took police and rescue teams 170 days to find their corpses. Rumors say that the group’s campsite is still there, breaking down and rotting. The ghosts of the campers can still be found at the rotting campsite, floating. The monster? Still alive, finding more victims every night, luring people away by mimicking humans crying or screaming for help. Blake never accomplished his dream of being a professional hunter, Oaklyn never got to see her pet dog ever again, Koda never got to accomplish his dream of being a actor, and Kora? She never got to be a actress.

Gwen Gasper, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

Warehouse

I was in my room doing my homework, the old wood floors squeaking as I rolled my chair back and forth looking at the problem. I was home alone with only my dog to keep me company, my parents were both at work and my sister was away at college. The old staircase creaked as I went downstairs to get snacks from the kitchen. I looked at my phone, the time reading 3:26. My parents don’t usually get home too late, so I continued my homework, knowing my parents would be home in about an hour.

About a half hour later, I saw a car pull into our dirt driveway. I thought it may have been my mom, but I was confused why she was home so early. I went outside and realized that it was very cloudy and cold, the cold wind brushing against my shoulder. The car parked where my mom usually parks, but I realized it wasn’t my moms car, it was a large black truck, which I couldn’t see out the old cracked window. The car door opened, revealing that no one was in the driver’s seat. All there was was a note. I picked it up and brought it inside.

I checked the time on my phone, 6:34. “How has it been 3 hours, and how are mom and dad still not home?” I tried to call my mom, but got sent to voicemail. I tried my dad, same thing. “Huh,” I said, “Why aren’t they responding?” I read the note from in the truck, thinking it might explain what was going on. It read “Meet me at the warehouse at 11:15 SHARP, DON’T BE LATE.” “what?” I said, looking out the window in confusion. “No one has been in the warehouse since 1936.”

The truck was still in the driveway, the steering wheel turning back and forth on its own. I realized something in the truck, but couldn’t see what it was through the cracked window. I tried to make out a face in the figure, and saw dark eyes and wrinkled skin, with long fingers. I went outside to see what it was, and opened the car door cautiously. All of a sudden I was pulled in.

The next thing I knew, I was at the warehouse.

I saw my parents.

I saw the figure, standing next to them.

Aubree Wallace, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

That Old House

There once was an old house where an old lady lived. One night when the old lady passed, the house went dark and it seemed like the house had no life left. All the lights went out, the water stopped running ,and the clocks stopped ticking. The house just sat there like an old tree, no more life, no more color. The house seemed like it was frozen in time. One year later, the house was sold to a family. The house had not been taken care of for a year, so it looked older than it had. The windows were covered with dirt. The porch was covered in leaves and the paint on the house was peeling in certain spots. The family that was moving in wanted to renovate the house. The family had always lived in the city. This was a huge change. There were three people in the family. The mom, Elen, the dad, Jo ,and their kid, Grace. When they went in, it had dust, cobwebs ,and the air was cold like if a ghost went through you. Grace tried to turn on the light but nothing happened. Then Jo said, “I guess we are going to have to have an electrician come in the morning”. Grace’s face went white! “You mean I have to sleep here in the dark?” Her dad just nodded. When night came, Grace was exploring with her flash light when she saw something move. She said ,“Who’s there?” No answer. So she ran but she dropped her flash light and didn’t realize until she got back to her mom and dad in the upstairs bedroom. Her dad said ,“You good? You look like you saw a ghost.” She just nodded. “Time for bed,” her mom said. “Ok,” said Grace. She got in her sleeping bag and fell asleep. About three hours later, she woke to a shrill voice. She said ,“Who’s there?” But this time, something said “hello” and her blood ran cold. She grabbed a flash light. She ran out of the house and into the woods. It is still a mystery what happened to her. Some say she ran because she saw something more terrifying than you could imagine, while others say she was driven mad and to this day, her parents live there. Nobody goes in, nobody goes out.

Nell Somerset, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

The Haunted Library

I’m at a sleepover with my friends. We’re playing Truth or Dare, my dare was to go into the haunted library in the dead of night. So we walked to the library and opened the door. Big mistake.

It was dark, the shelves were dusty and rotten, books were covered in cobwebs, and there was a smell. A rotten smell, the smell of a dead body. From behind the desk, I heard a scream. A bone chilling scream. I started to panic. I ran towards the door but it slammed shut, locking me inside.

There was nothing to do, panicked, I decided to look for an exit. I walked up and down the aisles of books and I saw a shadowy figure slip past me. I ran to hide behind one of the book shelves and one book caught my eye; “The Walking Dead” by Moira Wilson. I went to pull it off the shelf but it wouldn’t budge. I pulled harder, suddenly a window shattered open and a gust of wind knocked me off my feet. When I tried to get up the wind knocked me down again.

I heard the wind say in a raspy, panicked voice,”Don’t do it! Don’t open that book! Please! If you want to live, don’t open the book! She’ll find you! Don’t! No!”

Then it stopped, everything stopped. I could only hear footsteps. Slow, clacking footsteps. They got louder until I could almost feel them. I hid behind the shelf that was closest to me. Then, I saw them. Pale, long fingers with nails painted in a deep red, grasp around the edge of the bookshelf I was hiding behind.

I heard a raspy, high pitched voice say, “Don’t fear me child. I have come to help you out of this library.”

I came out of my hiding place to see a librarian. She had pale skin, her eyes were sunken in and she wore old clothes, covered in dust. She walked behind the desk and I followed. I asked her what was happening.

She said in a low voice, “Foolish child. Never trust an old librarian.”

Then she opened the book that the wind warned me not to and I was sucked into its yellowing pages. The last image I saw before I was gone forever, was that old librarian laughing an evil laugh.

Faye Hudson, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

The Map

On the night of September twelfth, 2016, two parents, each in their late twenties, are driving their toddler named Jaquith home from preschool. It was dark, quiet, and raining very hard. The two parents were named Amelia and Arthur. As the rain blinded the windshield, Amelia decided her husband should take the wheel, trying to ignore the unnatural stillness that had suddenly filled the car.

She killed the ignition and stepped out. The gravel crunched under her heel, but it was the wet, breathing sound in the dark behind her that made her freeze. “Arthur?” Amelia asked, yet she heard no response. She started to feel the sudden warmth of something nearing the far side of the car where Jaquith was. Jaquith’s voice suddenly tears into a wet, jagged shriek that doesn’t sound human. Amelia lunged for the door, but the wet breathing behind her surged into a freezing gale. Before her fingers could even touch the handle, a heavy, suffocating shadow slammed into her, dragging her into the dark. Then the air grew cold, and the sound simply… died.

10 years later…

“Jake!”, Norman yells across the parking lot of Pyreburg middle school. ‘Yeah?” Jaquith answers. “Recess is almost over! We’d better line up!” Shouts Norman. “Okay.” Jaquith replies. “See you in science.” As Jaquith lined up, his scar on his left forearm began to sear with pain. When he takes his seat, he notices a map showing the road that a police officer found him in. Just as Jaquith puts the map away, he notices something. There is a trail connected to the road where Jaquith was found and it matches up perfectly with his scar. His mouth and eyes widen in confusion. In science Jaquith tells Norman everything he saw. “We should go.” Jake says. “What!?! Are you insane?” You’re telling me that you want us to go into the woods alone at night just to see what’s on the trail?” Norman asks. “Ummm” Jake responds. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” “You’re on!” Norman says with a smile, later to realize that he should never have agreed.

Later that night, the two boys crept out of their rooms and met up at the library. “Flashlights?” Norman asks. “Check” Jake responds. “Water?” “Check.” “Snacks?” Check.” “We’re all good to go.” Norman said. It didn’t take long for Jake to realize something was wrong. “Norman?” No response.

Ronan Johnston, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

The Disappearance of Lim Taehyun

Han Leejae never liked the smell in his grandparents’ bathroom, especially after his boyfriend, Lim Taehyun, went missing. It always reminded him of the coffee Taehyun used to make him the morning after his exams. The smell was bitter, just as bitter as the aroma of coffee filling Taehyun’s dorm when Leehan would have a bad day during classes at the university. The bathroom itself was relatively clean, and made Leehan very confused on why there was a bitter scent in there in the first place. Recently though, the scent became less bitter and… metallic almost? Leehan hated to admit it, but to him it almost smelled like blood. Also, his grandparents hadn’t been letting him use the shower in that same bathroom. Today he tried to open the curtain to the shower, and the power cut out. “Sorry LeeLee! I accidentally switched off the power!” yelled his grandma from downstairs, using the nickname he hated. But it sounded so toxic and controlling that he could almost tell there was something wrong in the shower. He didn’t care, he should’ve though. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened the curtain, once he opened it, he screamed so loud and piercing he could’ve broken glass. It was his boyfriend, and he was dead. He couldn’t believe his eyes, he felt like he was going to faint. There was his boyfriend, lifeless, with dried blood coming from his mouth and chest. Just as he finished screaming, he heard something coming up the stairs, the low and fast thumping of his grandpa’s footsteps. His grandpa burst through the door, “Han Leejae! Stop right this instance-” he was cut off right away once he saw Taehyun’s body in the bathtub. “I… I need to get your grandmother..” He left faster than he came and returned a few minutes later with Leehan’s grandmother who was surprisingly calm. “Ma… What happened here..?” said Leehan, his face losing every drop of color at how calm she seemed. “Oh that?” she asked, her eyes slowly looking over Leehan and the dead body. “That’s not important. Come with me LeeLee, we need to talk.” Leehan hesitantly followed her as his grandpa looked at her with skepticism, not following behind. They soon made it to the basement, she shoved Leehan hard. “Sorry LeeLee..” She turned around and locked the door as she left.

Liv MacLean, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

The Hospital Massicure

Beep…

Beep…

The sound of a monitor was beeping the same rate my heart was. I woke up in a hospital bed with a clear tube in my arm, it felt as if there was a cold liquid running up my forearm. My Mom was sitting in a chair next to me.“Mom?” I gasped, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell on the floor like a rag doll. Her hair was patchy like it had been ripped out by something…Crack! Her bones were splitting and bending as she rose into the air like a puppet. I wanted to scream but I felt like the air had been sucked out of me. I ripped the tube out of my arm and rolled to the floor. I threw the bag and the poll the tube was attached to at her, but it did nothing. She absorbed it, as if it made her stronger. I ran through the hospital as policemen flew by. It felt as if there was a flock of geese flying by. One stopped me and threw me my clothes “how do you have this?!?” I asked “Don’t ask questions” he said and ran with the herd of people. I didn’t, considering what just happened. I got to the front desk and asked where I was. The nurse gave me a map of the town and pointed to where we were. It wasn’t too far from where my house was just down the street, turn left, and pass- uh oh. Pass the old haunted house where Mr. Snougy died. NO WAY was I going to pass there with my Mom going through my head. “I’m Stacy,” the nurse said as my face was half in the map,

“Where are you trying to get to?”

“My house”

“Well where’s that?” Stacy looked at me like I was stupid. I pointed to my house “Here’s the way to my house but there’s a haunted house on the way” I said, “A teacher died there.”

“Well if you’re taking the long way you better get some clothes on.” She pushed me into the bathroom and threw me my clothes. “Get ready.” She said and closed the door.

I came out to Stacy on the ground with blood running down her forehead. She whispered “RUN” and I didn’t ask any questions. I ran.

Harper Treshinsky, sixth grade, South Meadow School, Peterborough

Talk of The Witch

 Sybil Soulard was an elderly woman, who lived on a short road. Aside from the road there was a little town. The town often whispered about that old lady. “She once asked me if I may have a cup’a tea in er’ old little cottage might have fallen in Well, u’corse I said no she’s batty.” said the old man in the pub. 

The man playing cards said “I once invited er’ to me and Dorothy’s wedding pat’y and I turned round and she was gone. Was quite rude.” 

Three days later, Sybil was convicted of being a witch. This century of 1500 often thought women to be witches and no one came to contradict the Judge, no one did. Five days later the little cottage was empty and officers buzzing in and out searching though they found only three things: a dusty broom an old rusted cooking pot and a letter that was never sent,  it read:

            Dear Hilda

I have  known a long time I would be burned for being a witch and I will not see you ever again but not because I am dead but for I will be the reason that you would be burned next and I could never live with that in my heart so I send this to say I’ll live no matter how many times I be burned and the officers that will search my cottage will pay. 

 S.S.

The officers were shocked. hHw could an old lady come back from the dead. Unless she was never dead. The day after next, people started to wonder where the officers had gone and why they hadn’t come home. Towns’ families of some of the officers put up missing signs all over the church and at sunrise they sent small search parties to the old cottage off the way. They looked all over the property and the parties hadn’t come back. They sent high officials to look for the missing people. That night the whole town gathered in the small pub even the children came with their mothers. They made a ruckus of noise. “It must be ‘r she’s behind all the mad stuff  happening.” 

“But we burned the witch.”

And with that the wind, rain and lightning started and the candles went out. Darkness, and that was the end of the “talk of the witch.” 

Alice Moenter, 12, Great Brook School, Antrim

To Have and to Hold you

Once upon time there was a girl who was in 8th grade. Her name was Blink. She was the fastest girl in cross country. One day she found a boy. Really fast, nice, but… Alone.

Blink told him that he should sit with her and her friends at lunch.

Jinx, the boy, stares at Blink while he moves to her table. Her friends whisper behind the guys back. “Hey! What’s your name?” Blink asks. “My name’s Jinx…”, while he licks his lips. They walk down the hallway together. Jinx’s face starts to drip with blood. “Let me take you down to the nurses office!” They both sprint down the hallways.

After the school day, Jinx and Blink have cross country practice, so they head their way down to the gym but no one’s there. Jinx starts to wrap his arms around Blinks shoulders. Blink blushing. “CRASH!” Jinx lets go of Blink and pushes her behind himself. Then the coaches come into the gym. “Come on guys!,” her hand gestures to the outside door. They both run outside doing their two laps around the school. Once they ran their laps, Jinx was accidentally standing right in the beam of sun. A thought comes across Jinx’s mind. “Does my love know that I’m a vampire?”

He started to get pale and blood was starting to come out of his dry lips. While he was stretching he started to move to the spot of shade. “He’s finally normal again. …Good.” Blink whispered to her best friend Clara. It was partner time for planks and Jinx asked Clara to be his partner but she was already paired up with Blink. Jinx wanted to be paired up with Clara so he could suck up her blood. Instead Jinx was paired up with John. John asked to go get some water. Once Jinx came back outside he started chewing something like … gum and John never went home. 

Blink was now his target. He finally got some time alone with only her. “Will you be my girlfriend?” Jinx said. “Yes.” Blink said quickly. He started licking his lips. “I’m going to enjoy this.” Jinx says. Blink screams. Chewing noises started coming out from the hallway. The hallway carpet started turning a different color. Blink started to turn into a vampire. Jinx enjoyed that day, still wrapping his arms around his wife, Blink. The End 

Clara Regis, 10, Great Brook School, Bennington

The New Kid   

Once upon a time it was Friday October 30 2025, the day before Halloween. Mia was at school when the teacher, Mrs.Day announced that a new kid named Annabella was coming to the school. Mrs. Day said that Annabella was going to need someone to help her for a few weeks so she knows her way around the school. Mia raised her hand and said, ‘’I WILL HELP HER! ‘’

 “Ok you can help her Mia’’ Mrs.Day said laughing. Two minutes later Annabella walked in for a second, I thought she said (he he more blood for me.) But I must be hearing things because she looked so pretty. She was in this pink dress with cute red shoes. Mrs. Day called her up and told everyone to give a warm welcome to Annabella ‘

’Excuse me Mrs. Day, I like to be called Ana b’,’ she said quietly. ‘’Oh sorry. My name is Mrs. Day’’ 

Then Mrs.Day told her to go to the empty desk next to Mia. Ana b then asked Mia if she could show her around the school tonight when no one is in. “Sure I’ll ask my mom, when do you want me to come?” Around 6:30? (Mia’s mom said yes.) Then they met at 6:30 at the school. Ana b and Mia were there by themselves    Mia started the tour of the school. Ana b asked if they could start on their side of the school, not the older kids Mia said that she was gonna start there anyway but ok. Then Mia showed Ana b the classroom and Ana b locked the door when they got in there she said you are gone. Then Ana b started to say what people think was a spell but it was not confirmed then Mia fainted then Ana b said yes finally another one then she tranceformed from a pink dress to a dark red and black eval cloak and she bent down and bit into Mia with her sharp vampire fangs yes vampire fanes Annabella is a vampire then Mia got up and hissed at Annabella than ran off. To do what Annabella did to her to everyone else. The next day Annabella and Mia had each turned 290,368 people into vampires. you are next you will be next they will get you next…

Brooklyn Powell, 10, Great Brook School, Hancock

The ghost of the woods 

 Me and my friends were walking home after telling scary stories in a tree house in the school woods. I have to admit that we were a little jumpy after the story about the ghost that haunts the school woods. The woods was BIG and the tree house was right in the middle of it. After an hour we were lost. “How are we supposed to get home now?” Rosy wailed. “I don’t know!” Lily wailed back. “It’s not that bad” I said “So we spend a night in the woods, Big deal.” We heard a wolf howl, at least we thought it was a wolf. “Let’s get some slee–” “So thirsty for so long” a voice wailed. “Rebeca, w-w-what was that?” Lily whimpered. “I don’t know. Most likely the wind” I said. But I was unsure, the ghost that haunts this woods is said to say that when it returned from the dead. As we settled down for the night a big black bear emerged from the trees. It was huge, with a nasty scar on its face. We screamed and ran for our lives. As we were running we fell down a pit. I saw a flash of white light and then we heard a roar. We climbed up as fast as we could. As moon light fell on the pit we saw two tigers prowling and growling. “ Let’s get out of here!” I yelled. We ran past trees, bushes, and rocks. A big white figure appeared out of nowhere and we gulped. “So thirsty for so long.” It jumped on Lily, then she turned pale, no WHITE, then she disappeared. We screamed and ran. The ghost chased after us saying “don’t go I just want to talk” we ran faster. I turned around to check on Rosy just in time to see her disappear. I ran like I never ran before. I saw moonlight at the school playground! So close, almost there. Then the ghost grabbed me. I managed to break free crawling to the playground. The ghost couldn’t get out of the woods smiling. My smile faded when I thought of Lily and Rosey, stuck in the woods forever never to be seen again.   

Benjamin McKinnon, 10, Great Brook School, Antrim

The Graveyard and the Zombie 

My friends and I were having a sleepover on Halloween night. We were getting bored so I suggested we play truth or dare. My friend Robbie went first. We dared Robbie to go into the graveyard but he said not without us. Nobody goes into that graveyard, people say that it’s haunted, that you’ll get grabbed by spirits of the dead. We all thought that was a lie, until that night. 

We dared Robbie to go to the center of the graveyard to Mr. Preston’s grave. Mr.Preston was a senior loan officer at the bank. The doctor said that he died of a heart attack but everybody knows that he was murdered. That mystery remains unsolved. People say his grave is haunted and we wanted to see if that was true. 

As we were walking I could swear that I saw something zip through the trees behind us. Once we got to the grave I heard a strange yelp! Then I looked over and Robbie was gone. All that was left were his glasses. Then a zombie leaped out of the nearest tree and grabbed me. I tried to yell but it grabbed me around the mouth.The last thing I remember was the sun coming out and a cloaked figure battling the zombie. The next morning I woke up in my bed and assumed it was all a dream. All my friends were just waking up too but we couldn’t find Robbie. Wait, what’s that screaming from the graveyard?

John Hudson, 10, fourth grade, Peterborough

The Haunted House

Jake was not excited to move to his new home. The  rumor was that it was haunted. Jake didn’t believe any of it. Ghosts were just make believe in his opinion.

“We’re here, Jake! Look out of the window!” Jake’s dad said.

Jake looked, and saw why people had thought it was haunted. It was sagging and low, like a hunched old woman.

“Really, dad?” Jake said. “Come on, we can’t live here.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine!” his Dad said.

The family walked into the house, and Jake cringed back. It was old and musty, and there were rats scurrying across the floor like giant ants.

“Well, what are you two kids waiting for?” Dad asked. “Go pick your rooms!”

Jake and his sister, Jennie, went upstairs. Jennie found a room full of creepy cat stuff that she said was “cute” and Jake discovered a room with only a bed and a bookshelf in it, that suited him much better than any other room in the house.

That night, Jake couldn’t sleep. He kept seeing bright red eyes in the corner, which made him a little scared, but he thought it was probably just his imagination.

“Uh, Hello?” Jake said, not expecting an answer.

“Hello, little boy.” the red eyes glimmered.

Jake screamed, and ran to the door. He tried to pull it open, but he found it locked.

“Oh my gooooosh!” Jake screamed, backing against the door.

“Don’t run. You’re the only friend I’ve had in years.” the red eyed monster spoke again.

Jake was terrified now, pushing the door with all his might. Then, suddenly the door swung open. Jennie was there.

“Jake! What’s- oh my gosh! What is that?” Jennie screamed.

“I don’t know! Let’s get out of here!” Jake yelled back.

He ran out of his room, slamming the door. The two kids ran downstairs, and yelled for their parents to follow them outside.

The next day, the kids brought a police officer to the house.

“So, I saw this thing in my room. I don’t know what it was, but I think it might have been a monster.” Jake told the officer.

“Well,I’m sorry that happened, but it was probably just your imagination.”

Jake’s family moved across the street the next day, but on some dark nights, Jake swore he could see the red eyes from the windows of the old house.

Eva Bouchard, 11, Great Brook School, Antrim

The Screamer 

One day a six year old girl called Mila awoke with glass shattering, she jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to see where it was. With her heart pounding she ran, then she ran into her parents. “ Mila!”  Dad said, “ Are you ok? “ Yes,, and I’m gonna check where the sound came from.”  “ Mila no, we’re gonna check and you sta-” No mom, I will go down the stairs and you have to catch me first! “  Mila said. She ran down the stairs as fast as she could, but mom yelled, “  Mila Binx, come back now! “  They started to follow Mila.“Great, I’m so going in time out.”  she mumbled. She hid in the bathroom so her parents would pass. Instead of her parents passing by it was someone else, or something else. It had blood red eyes, broken chains around the creature’s legs, and huge claws. And the creature was a nightmare in real life. Scared she fell backwards, her heart stopped, Mila was petrified as the creature’s eyes turned to the bathroom. Mila saw that the creature’s eyes glowed a deep,  blood red. She covered her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. Luckily the creature passed the bathroom without noticing her. She was relieved. Then a piercing scream filled the house, then the screaming stopped. She squeaked, then covered her mouth so she would not squeal. Then the basement door slammed so hard that she could hear it. Scared, she stayed in the bathroom for a little longer. She looked around for anything peculiar, she found a note, and Mila read the note, it said, “ hello human being, im Grim, the creature. Enjoy your last day of life. – Grim.” She ran to the basement and opened the door. Right in front of Mila was Grim, he grabbed her, “ ah, there you are.”  He dragged her down the stairs. Then she saw her parents. Grim went over to them and sucked out their souls. I screamed and then Mila blacked out. A few minutes later she woke up, she was in chains, she was hanging down in the grasp of Grim he cackled. “ Patchic, just like the rest. Any last words?”  Then he sucked out her soul. Then he went back in the shadows, and waited for another buyer. news ,300 people have disappeared from the same house after the Binxs family.

Lyla Brown, 10, Great Brook School, Bennington

The Missing Parents

Gabby Turner was biting her finger nails, rolling and turning in bed. She just couldn’t sleep. She heard glass breaking and a groan. Suddenly she heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs. They got louder and louder as they approached her room. She hid under the covers. Then, she heard a little creak at the door. She peeked from under the covers, there was no one and nothing there. It was a struggle, but she finally fell asleep.

The next morning she woke up before her parents. She had breakfast and they still weren’t there. At lunch they still weren’t there. She got worried and suspicious, so she cleaned up and went to her parents’ bedroom. They weren’t in bed. So, she went searching for them and gathered everyone she knew. Her neighbors, friends, family, everyone.

The wind blew, and the snow fell hard. After 20 minutes, then an hour, then 2 and 3 hours no one found them. Then, Gabby saw 2 figures walking across the street. It didn’t look like her parents. She went anyway. They were talking quietly, like they were telling secrets. “Excuse me?” , Gabby said with her voice wavering a little. They turned and one of them said “Yes?”. It wasn’t her parents. She felt very sad. “I-I-I was just looking for my parents”. “Well, we’d be happy to help”. “Oh, thanks but I already have a lot of people helping me”. She said pointing to her friends. “Have a nice day though”.

  The snow fell harder as time went on. After 1 more hour, she saw 2 other people walking. They looked more like her parents. She went over to see. “Excuse me?” Gabby said a little more hopeful. They both turned and said   “Gabby is that you?”. “Mom and Dad!” Gabby yelled with joy as she jumped into their arms. “Where were you guys?”. “Oh, we kind of forgot to tell you we were going to Aunt Jill and Uncle Dave’s house for a party, but it was really early.” “Oh, I got so worried!” yelled Gabby.  “We know and we are sorry.” Gabby’s mom said. “But we can make it up to you.” Gabby’s dad said.” What do you say we go home, make a fire and read stories”. “I’d love that”.

    So they went home, made a fire and read stories all night. Together.

                                                  THE END  

Natalie Mullen, 10, Great Brook School, Francestown

It was a foggy morning

It was a foggy morning in the wooded town of lars. Fog lingered over the abandoned farm house, long since been used. The leaves dripped water onto the ground. Dale Martin has been a resident in lars since 1820 when he crossed the Atlantic to come to the new world. His wife died back in April from a fever and his only neighbors lurked in their houses and never spoke to him. His only friend was a mutt that came to his house in the middle of the night whimpering. Since that night he always sees the dog growling or whining at the widespread dark woodland behind the house and the crickets chirping nonstop. He named the mutt George after his late father. One night before supper Dale decided to take a walk in the woods with George because he loved nature. Immediately George paused in front of the little path Dale once made. It was getting dark and he wanted to go back but he also wanted to take a quick walk. He walked about 20 feet into the woods before noticing that George wouldnt follow. “Come on ya mangy mutt”. He said. “Fine ill go myself”. All of a sudden the crickets that were always chirping stopped. Before Dale could react George took off toward the house barking in terror. Dale swiwlled his head back to hear a branch snap. He froze as he heard George barking in the distance. He heard a noise again, this time closer. He looked around in the dark breathing heavily; it was so dark by now he could barely see. He traveled one way he thought would take him home but instead it led him to a thicker part of the forest. Hair stood up on the back of his neck as he got further into the dark trees. All of a sudden he heard a yelping noise and staggered breathing. 50 feet in front of him there was a buck lying on the ground bleeding. He was getting closer when he heard a growl resound from behind a boulder. Dale immediately took off through the woods faster than he had ever ran. From behind him he heard a long cry from the deer and then silence. Wait a minute. He was back on the path and could see a faint light from his house when his foot caught in a  root. He was trapped.

Alden Brown, 11, Great Brook School, Hancock

The screecher

 Once upon a time there were two friends named  Tim and Reece. They lived in a neighborhood in Arizona called hut vill. On Saturday Tim and Reece went to the dinner and ordered milk shakes when they were waiting they heard someone talking about this old legend in hut vill then reece asked “what are you talking about?’’ and the guy said “the legend of the screecher its an old legend of a monster that takes peoples souls in the middle of the night,when evere he does he makes a nose that sounds like this scREEEEEEEEEEEEEk!’’ YOU’RE lying said Tim “no I’m not’’ the guy said “ORDER UP two vanilla milk shakes.’’ “lets go’’ reece responded. When they were walking home Tim said “hey lets go camping tonight and stay up to mid night to prove him wrong,’’ “oh ya thats a great idea lets go pack we will leave tonight’’ said Reece. That night they met in the ceter of town Reece said “are you redy,’’ “yes’’ Tim replyed “then lets go’’ they set up there tent and turned on a lamp, “I have to go to the bathroom’’ Reece said “one or two’’ Tim said while laghfing a wile later Reece got back and shouted “ITS COLD’’ “shhhhhh’’ whispered Tim later they hered a fant eeeeeeek “what was that’’ Tim said confused “I don’t know’’ they hered it closer screeeeeeeeeek “what?’’ they said at the same time then they hered foot steps ………SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!     

Ellis Flamino, 10, Great Brook School, Hancock

 I’m not scared                                  

I was about to go to bed when my little sister Sunny started crying and screamed, “MILLIE I WANT MILLIEEEEEEEEEEE!!” I knew mom was struggling putting her to bed this week. So I did the right thing and told my mom to go to sleep and that I would take care of it. I went over to my sister’s bed and sat down, I wiped her tears away and said “how about a story?” “Okay but I want it to be scary.” she said. “Umm… okay? Are you sure because I just came up with a really good prince-“”NO NO NO I WANT IT TO BE SCARY!!!!” she screamed. ”Okay okay, a scary story it is jeez” I said and Sunny rolled her eyes. “JEEZ?! JEEZ TO YOU! I MEAN WHAT PART OF I WANT A SCARY STORY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!”

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Mia said to her older sister, Meddie, “Yes stop being such a scaredy cat, it’s just an old house.” said Meddie. “You always do this when we are about to do something fun.” she whispered then opened the door and out came a very old smell, a smell so strong it made Mia gag. “ EWWWWWWW! THAT SMELL IS GROSS!” Mia screamed. “Mia shut up you are going to get us caught.” said Meddie and they went inside. 

The first thing that Mia  saw was a rat that had a bite taken out of it. “Ewwww.” she whispered. Then she heard Meddie scream. “What, what?” She ran into the room and Meddy was laying on the floor with ketchup all over her and a pocket knife next to her on the ground. Mia starts to cry when out of nowhere she slowly sits up and says, “r…u…n…” and points to a shadowy figure behind Mia. “WHAT IN THE WORLD!” she screamed and ran out of the house and tripped on a rock. Meddy walked up next to her and said, “HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHA.” “wha… how…?” Mia said quietly. “It was a prank hehe.” “But you were bleeding?” Mia says,  “It was ketchup.” Meddy laughs back. 

                                                   The end 

 “Wait then what was the shadow figure? Sunny asks. “Nobody knows… not even Meddy.” I say in a creepy voice. “Anyway goodnight Sunny.” “Gggg-oodnight.” “What, are you scared?” “nn-o Im nnn-ot scccc-ared.”

Rosie Van Horn, 11, Great Brook School, Antrim 

The next day

“So Lilly,the book I got yesterday,”

“What is wrong with you?” “Youre voice is shaky.”

“The book last night was glowing.I didn’t even touch it……….and it opened.It opened to a page that was bookmarked.” “What was the page for?”

“The page was……how to become a witch.”Lilly and Rose argued back and forth.They had a sleepover that night,they wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again.Guess what,it happened again,but this time there was two metals.One had a cat and the other had a otter.The one with the cat had the name Grace,the one with the otter had the name Emily.”It’s our mothers!”Lilly yelled.”You girls good up there?” “We’re fine dad.”Then just then Lilly looked at the metals and saw that they were glowing.Then their room was glowing.”Were witches!”So they tried everything in the book.So then it was halloween.They got lots of candy.”So what do you think of what happened the other night.” “I don’t know,I think its cause were witches.”Then they talked about for a hour or two.During the night Lilly and Rose goat there powers.But they didn’t know because it was during the night.So in class Lilly used her powers and froze one of her classmates waterbottles.She didn’t know what to do.She ran back outside and told Rose.So Rose tried her powers she set a curtain on fire.The fire alarm went off.Everyone was outside except Rose and Lilly. The end.

Elizabeth Mitchell, 12, Great Brook School, Antrim

Story teller

Once there lived an old man, no one knew his name so they just called him the story teller because on halloween he told a story that made everyone jump as he told them it. Some kids say he killed himself, others don’t know, for the tail is as old as me. One day it was Halloween I was trick or treating with some of my friends. Then we got to his house and he told us the story, he said that when the clock struck 12:00 the world would be filled with ghosts. Me and my friend (Darik) were going to have a sleep over tonight and were planning to stay up all night. At 12:00 we saw ghosts outside, it looked like white globs that sort of looked like people. One of them came into our room and we screamed “ahhhhhh it was true” we said when the clock struck 1:00 they went away but me and Darik would never be the same.

Eva Berry, 10, Great Brook School, Hancock

The Disappearances

There was a 13-year-old girl named Kathleen who lived in Monson Village in 1920. Every morning at 6:30  she would hear 6 loud bangs on her door. It happened for 6 days before she had enough but she always thought that it was one of her 3 sisters or her mom but when she opened her door nothing but something grabbed her or was it someone . She screamed and kicked then she remembered the story that the previous owners told her . Their daughter got ill and died. She will do anything to get her room back .  20 years later her parents sold the house still wondering where their daughter went. Legend says every 20 years kids are getting stolen until the early 2000 ‘s then the house was abandoned and all the kids could be at home again and happy. 

Izzabell O’Brien, 10, Great Brook School

The walk of horror

Evan Harris, 10, fifth grade, homeschool, Peterborough