Winning Stories 2016

25th Annual Scary Story Contest

Pueblo City-County Library District

Winning Stories 2017

Pueblo City-County Library District, in cooperation with the Friends of the Library, is pleased to announce the winners of the 25th Annual Scary Story Contest. Budding writers, from second grade to adult, were invited to enter the creative writing contest. Mysterious, suspenseful or humorous scary tales of a non-violent nature were judged by the Friends of the Library. Entries were judged for characterization, plot, description, dialog, setting, theme and originality. Winners received a certificate of achievement, a booklet with all of the winning stories, a Folkmanis puppet and a $10 gift certificate to Books Again, the Friends of the Library’s used book store. All participants received a certificate of recognition. There were 1,215 entries this year!

The judges were Friends of the Library board members Monica Ayala, Leslie Carroll, Jennelle Chorak, Evelyn Clayton and Becky Sudduth.

The library wishes to thank the many teachers who supported the creative writing experience by having their students enter the contest. We look forward to receiving your work again next year!

Pueblo City-County Library District 2017 Scary Story Contest

2nd Grade Isabella Armijo Sunset Park Elementary School – Mrs. StinchcombTalon Cardinas Sunset Park Elementary School – Ms. LunaMadison Dailey Sunset Park Elementary School – Ms. LunaAnton Morales North Mesa Elementary School – Mrs. Mraovich

3rd Grade Tannin Jackson Goodnight Elementary School – Ms. WeaverLiam Martinez Sunset Park Elementary School – Ms. TaravellaKatie Purfield Goodnight Elementary School – Ms. WeaverBear Styduhar Goodnight Elementary School – Ms. Weaver

4th Grade Ashlynn Baird Homeschool – Ms. BairdNoah Eslinger Sunset Park Elementary School – Mrs. PumphreyTalulah Griego-Montez Carlile Elementary School – Mrs. GribbleBrynn Hambric St. John Neumann Catholic School – Mrs. BrownParker McCafferty Haaff Elementary School – Ms. Burbidge

5th Grade Spencer Clark Desert Sage Elementary School – Ms. LaumbachGianna Coca St. John Neumann Catholic School – Mr. ZschokkeSophia Martinez North Mesa Elementary School – Mrs. PowellTyler Thielemier Goodnight Elementary School – Mr. Shue

6th Grade Elijah Romero Risley International Academy of Innovation – Mrs. GenovaMason Stanley Skyview Middle School – Mrs. Johnson

7th Grade Diallo Bianchi Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences – Mrs. BelportEmily Crouch Vineland Middle School – Ms. Chavez

8th GradeKyle Meyer Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences – Mrs. BelportAlexandra Rose Risley International Academy of Innovation – Mrs. Thompson

High School Bernard Hund Centennial High School – Mrs. BlackmoreLily Anne Marquez Pueblo County High School – Mr. Grossen

Adult Kimbra Blackmore

winners

On a warm, sunny day I went outside to my backyard to jump rope. As I was jump roping, I heard some noise coming from the leaves on the ground. I continued to jump rope when suddenly, the noise from the leaves grew louder. It made my heart beat faster. Then to my surprise, a brown squirrel popped out of the pile of leaves and looked at me with his huge brown eyes and he had large candy corn teeth! I screamed and I ran inside as fast as I could. I hope I never see that squirrel again! So, whenever I see candy corn, it reminds me of that scary looking squirrel.

The Candy Corn Squirrel Isabella Armijo

Untitled Talon Cardinas

Jimmy was shopping for a Halloween costume. One that was not too scary or not to hairy. One that is not itchy or scratchy but one that was catchy. He put on a mask that was a bit too tight. It stuck like glue, oh what to do. He was afraid what others would say if he looked like that every day.

Ghosty the Candy Stealing Ghost Madison Dailey

Once there was a ghost named Ghosty and he was a candy stealing ghost. Ghosty loved Halloween because he loved candy. Ghosty thought Halloween candy was the best. Ghosty would walk through walls and scare kids by yelling BOO! When the kids got scared they would drop all their candy and run away. Ghosty would then call all his ghost friends to meet up with him to eat all the candy left behind. Every year Ghosty would get a tummy ache but every year he would steal all the candy again!

The Night of the Living Toe Anton Morales

There was a scientist named Bob and today was take your son to work day. Bob brought his son Roger to his lab. Roger was bored so he looked around. Roger was reading some papers on his dad’s desk and he stubbed his toe and projects fell on his hurt toe.

Later at Roger and Bob’s home, his toe got swollen. His dad took him to the emergency room. Doctor after doctor and finally the last doctor said, “I never saw anything like this before.” So they had to cut it off and they kept it in a jar and day after day the toe started to transform. It grew arms and hopped out of its jar and started to rip off other kids toes and together they took over the world and it was the big, daddy toe all along.

Hide and SeekTannin Jackson

The Creepy ClownLiam Martinez

One spooky day Joe and Lil went into the woods. They went down a path they found an abandoned creepy clown old house in the middle of nowhere. The farther they went the creepier it got. They went home and got in bed. The next day they went to the woods again. They went down another path. That one was even creepier. They saw lots of abandoned houses. They found an old water fountain. There were dead fish in the fountain. They heard a bush move and a clown jumped out of the bush! They had nowhere to go but they found a path that led to a lake. The lake led to my house. The clown still followed them down the lake. They went to bed with mom and dad but the clown was still there all night. The clown left right before we woke up. One day we saw the clown. They called the cops and the cops found the clown when he was able to go into the woods. The cops took off his mask and knew what to do. They put him in the cop car and took him to jail but he broke out of jail. He is still out there with his clown friends.

“You hide, I’ll seek,” said Jessie. “Fine,” said Danny. “Do thirty seconds, okay.”One…two…three…four…five…Danny had already run off. Getting a quick idea,

he sprinted into his basement closet. It was awesome that his mom and dad had to take his bratty nine year old brother to the doctor. His parents left Jessie and Danny behind. When Danny knew Jessie was loose, he decided to take a nap. Finally, Danny woke up. He checked his watch. “Only eight minutes!?” he said. Then he heard the sound of stairs creaking. Danny assumed it was Jessie. He kept quiet. Jessie moved to the other side of the walls. Then the footsteps stopped. Danny could hear breathing behind him. Then he realized this was NOT Jessie. Then, Danny bolted out of the closet and up the stairs. Sadly he wasn’t fast enough. Whatever it was…he/she/it…grabbed his foot. Danny turned, it was his father. And in a cold voice he said, “Found you.”

One day June and Jack were playing together and they overheard some kids from their class say that there was a little girl that goes out at midnight to swing on the park swing. So Jack and June said, “We should go out tonight and look for her.” So they woke up at midnight and got their backpacks on and walked to the school park. When they got there they saw the little girl. Then, they quickly went behind a tree. Jack peeked over to see the little girl, and he couldn’t see her. So they looked and looked. They never found her. They walked home, and June looked back and saw the girl following them. June told Jack quickly, and so they ran as far as they could. Next, they saw the girl in front of them. Jack and June were very scared so they ran back to the swing. Then, Jack noticed the little girl was right behind them. Jack and June went missing, and everyone in town was searching for them. When Jack and June’s mom and dad were looking for them in the park all they found was a little girl sitting in the swing.

The SwingBear Styduhar

The DollKatie Purfield Once I went to Rosemount and I went with my mom. We went through most of the house. We were having a pretty good time until we got upstairs. I felt weird, it was pretty creepy up there. Then we got to the little girls bedroom. There was a very cute doll sitting on the bed. Then it was time to go to the next room. But then across the hall I definitely saw the doll. “Hey mom…”I said. “I think that doll is following us.” “Oh Katie, I think you’re just seeing things,” said mom. “I hope so,” I said. Then it was time for the third floor. I peeked down the stairs. Then the doll was sitting on the stairs. “Mom! Really! I saw the doll! Look!” I said. Then mom looked down the stairs and the doll wasn’t there! “Katie! Stop!” mom said. “Okay…” I said. Then we went to the Mummy room. The other people went to the next room. But I decided to stay and investigate the room. Then I went to join the others in the next room. I saw the doll and I got pretty freaked out. “C-c-creepy,” I stuttered. “Huh?” mom asked. “Nothing,” I finally answered. We moved onto the next room. There she was, just sitting creeping around the wall. We moved back to the first floor. She was waiting on the car. “Hey mom?” I said. “Yes?” she said. “Can we look a little longer?” I asked. “Sure,” mom answered. “Okay I think it’s time to go now,” mom announced. “Okay,” I answered. I looked out the window. She just sat on the car. We got in there and sat. When we started driving she sat on the street. All dirty but I knew I was safe. Boo!

The Unnamed ChildAshlynn Baird

1956. The unnamed child was a secret baby, her parents never even gave her a name. They kept her hidden in the basement for her entire six years of life! Then one day the dad went crazy from keeping their secret and after a struggle he killed his wife and the unnamed child. On a cold fall day in 1985 Bob, Alice, Jack and Ash moved into a new house at 9595 12th St., Haunted Hollywood, Alabama. None of them liked it because it was super creepy and there were lots of bugs but it’s what their parents could afford. They didn’t know that this was the unnamed child’s house. It made her very angry that this family moved into her house! She wanted to kill them just so they wouldn’t be there invading her space. She decides to do whatever it takes to get them to move out! On the first night she goes to each family member and whispers terrible things in their ears. Then she goes around the house screaming and making haunting noises very loudly! She loudly throws pots and pans and anything else she can find in the kitchen! She makes lights flicker on and off! Bob, Jack, Alice and Ash are so scared that they run and hide from the ghost but she always finds them! They try to leave but she locks the doors! The kids make a plan to escape. They look and see if the windows are locked, only one window is unlocked! They go upstairs to Jack and Ash’s room. They open the window but then Jack thinks “won’t this hurt?” Jack turns around, away from the window and sees that the ghost has possessed a knife! The knife hacks him in the face, blood and guts were everywhere! Jack falls backwards out the window! The others know they must escape quickly so they climb down the fire escape and run for their lives! The family never returns and the unnamed child becomes a good ghost and goes to heaven!

One dark night in an enormous and forbidden castle there was a Vampire known as Count Dracula who lived in it. That night he was thinking of what he should invite to live in his castle with him. “Hmmmm...” he said to himself. “How about zombies? Sure. What else?” he said. “Maybe, goblins? Yeah. Sure,” he said. What else should I invite to live in my castle? Ghosts? Oh no, ohhhh no,” he told himself. The ghosts are horrible! They’re evil! I think I’ll just settle with zombies and goblins. The next day he spread the word to all the zombies and goblins, but two ghosts also found out. Their names were Ned and Head. Ned was just a regular looking ghost, but Head, however did not. His body is shaped like a head. That’s actually how he got his name. “How dare Dracula not let ghosts into his castle!” Ned yelled with anger. “It’s probably because the last time he let ghosts into his castle you commanded all the ghosts to attack Dracula,” said Head. “Shut up!” said Ned. “The only reason I did that was because he wouldn’t let me eat a witch!” said Ned. “Exactly! That is practically evil,” said Head. “You sure can be a butthead sometimes.” whispered Ned. “I heard that, and last time I checked I didn’t have a butt,” said Head. “Come on let’s go,” said Ned. “Fine!” said Head. When they got to the castle Ned went in and tried to convince Dracula that he should let ghosts live in his castle but Dracula said no. Then Ned got really angry! He got so angry that he went from white all the way to blood red! “Calm down Ned. Deep breaths, deep breaths,” said Head. “Okay fine!” said Ned. Then Ned and Head went back to their cave and Ned started cooking up a plan. His plan was to gather every single ghost he knew, and more and command them to attack Dracula and every other living thing in the castle. While he was making his plan he was whispering it to himself and Head was right behind him and could hear everything he was saying. “You do realize the last time you tried to attack Dracula, you failed,” said Head. “I know that but this time I’m planning on also attacking every other thing in the castle,” said Ned. “You do know that that just makes your job harder because that’s even more people then you tried to attack last time,” said Head. “Yeah but this time I’m gathering ghosts that I don’t even know yet, but last time I only gathered the other ghosts I know!” said Ned. “Okay whatever,” said Head. Then when they went back to the castle they had done exactly what Ned had planned, there were hundreds of thousands of ghosts. “Now it’s time for the attacking part of this magnificent plan that I have come up with,” said Ned. “You sure do brag about yourself a lot,” said Head. “This is the first time I’ve boasted about myself in over twenty years,” said Ned. “More like twenty minutes,” whispered Head. “Attack!!!” screamed Ned. “Yay we’re going to get ourselves killed,” said Head. When they burst open the doors to the castle all of the ghosts went floating as fast as they could into the castle, getting ready to attack. About seven thousand wimpy ghosts saw the scary looks of all the zombies and goblins that had already entered the castle. All seven thousand of the ghosts turned even whiter than that already were. They all screamed as loud as you can think of, maybe even louder, and then floated away so fast out of the castle that when they were about a mile away from the castle they all started melting. “So much for those ghosts,” said Ned. The rest of the ghosts fought all the living things that were protecting Dracula from being attacked. Then the ghosts finally got through all of them except for about five to ten. Only hundreds of ghosts got to Dracula with the scariest screams and faces they could make to try and scare Dracula, but Dracula thought they looked ridiculous. So Dracula started scaring all of the ghosts away until it came down to just Ned and Head. “Sorry Ned, but I’m bailing out.” said Head. “What?!” said Ned. “Yep, bye- bye!” said Head. “Hi Dracula, I see that you have invited hundreds of goblins and zombies to live in your castle, I just wanted to come by and tell you that I am so angry at you that I could scream for an entire century because you won’t let ghosts live in your castle,” Ned said scared. “I also want to ask you one more time if ghosts can live in your castle?” said Ned. “Nooooo!!!” said Dracula. Ned’s face turned as pink as a pig. “Okay, I’ll leave,” Ned said so scared he nearly peed. Then he zipped out of the castle and found Head trying to run as hard as he could, but going very slow because he was exhausted from floating out of the castle really fast. “My butt, my butt!!!” screamed Head. “I thought you said you didn’t have a butt!?” said Ned. “Oh wait, I forgot, hold on, and let me restart. My head, my head, my head!!!” shouted Head. “Ugh!” said Ned. Then when Dracula finally got all of the ghosts to leave he helped all of the hurt zombies and goblins to feel better and then invited even more zombies and goblins to live with him in his castle.

Ned and HeadNoah Eslinger

The Girl Did ItBrynn Hambric

The Ghost StoryTalulah Griego-Montez

It all started just because my baby sister wanted apple juice. My mom, dad, me, my brother, dog, cat and my baby sister were in the kitchen. Then my dad said, “Do you want some orange juice?” She said no and that she wanted apple juice. No one wanted to get her apple juice because it was in the basement. So mom said, “Alright, I’ll go get the apple juice.” So she went down the stairs in the basement and as she was getting towards the end of the stairs she heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye.” Mom got scared and ran up the stairs as fast as she could and slammed the door. She said to them, “There’s a ghost in the basement.” So dad said he’d get the apple juice and so he went down the stairs and in the basement and as he started walking towards the end of the stairs he heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye.” So dad took off running and slammed the door behind him. He said there was a ghost. So the brother said, “All fight sense, nobody got her apple juice. I’ll get it.” So my brother walked down the stairs and then he heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye.” He got scared and ran upstairs and slammed the door too. My brother said, “There is a ghost in the basement. So my baby sister said, “I want my apple juice now, now, now. No I don’t want orange juice. There’s plenty of orange juice. No, no, no. I want apple juice. Now, now, now.” So I got up and opened the door and walked downstairs and into the basement and then I heard a voice. “I am the ghost with the one black eye.” I got scared and ran back upstairs and I said there is a ghost in the basement. So the dog got up and opened the door with his snout and ran down the stairs and then he heard a voice that said, “I am the ghost with the one black eye.” He got scared and ran back to the room. So the cat got up and waited at the door until somebody opened the door then she ran down the stairs and into the basement. Then she heard a voice. “I am the ghost with the one black eye.” So the cat screamed and ran up those stairs as fast as she could. Then the baby said, “Alright if nobody’s going to get my apple juice I’ll get it myself.” So the baby climbed out of the chair and opened the door and went down the stairs. Then she heard the voice, “I am the ghost with the one black eye. Then she said, “If you don’t leave my family alone you’ll be the ghost with two black eyes.” So they never heard of the ghost ever, ever again.

We just moved to Austin, Texas. It was a big house with more than enough space so everyone could have their own room. Ty and Emma got a playroom too! The movers would not get here until Friday. It was Monday. It was hard watching two dogs and two cats. Thursday came, and we would finally get our furniture tomorrow. Before I left for work, I heard a ball bouncing. The kids went to school an hour ago. I went up there to check. The ball rolled to my feet. I thought it was the air conditioner, but it wasn’t even on. There had to be an explanation for it. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I called my husband, Roy. He thought I was hallucinating from getting up too early. I didn’t believe him. When the kids got home they finished their homework within an hour. They went to the playroom to play Monopoly. I was making tea when I heard a thud. I looked out the window and it was Emma! We rushed her to the hospital. She only broke her arm and leg, “she will heal very quickly,” the doctor said. Emma came home in less than a week. I cared for her a lot. She said, “Mom, I am fine, you don’t need to ask all the questions, I am 13!” I said, “Ok, honey, whatever you say,” and I left. Roy thought Ty did it. He went in to talk to him. Roy said, “So! Why did you push your sister?” Ty replied, “I didn’t push her!” Roy asked, “Well then, who did? There was no one else in the room.” Ty said, “The girl did it, the girl in the closet!” He was five and made up stories a lot. The next night when Roy went in to tuck Ty in to bed,

he heard someone say, “Hi Dad,” it came from under the bed. He looked and there was Ty. Something else was under the sheets! He lifted them and a little girl screamed, “Ahhhh!” Roy jumped back and yelled at Ty, “Who was that?” He said, “That was Rose,” I said she could sleep in my bed tonight.” He tucked Ty in and told me immediately. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this, I told myself. I went in the next day to talk to Ty. I asked him, “So, who is this Rose?” He said, “She lived here before us.” Five seconds after that I heard a whistling sound. I looked to see if anyone was coming up here. I looked back at Ty and said, “How did you learn to whistle?” “I don’t know how to whistle” he said. “Then who is whistling?” I asked. “Rose is,” said Ty. I told him “you don’t have to lie about pushing your sister, we won’t get mad at you.” Ty answered, “I am not lying.” We had to try to get Rose out of here.

After everyone left, I called a medium. She came over immediately. She walked around and asked what happened. Before I could answer, she said, “Does your son see a little girl named Rose?” I answered “Yes!” I had told her nothing. She asked another question, “Did your daughter break an arm and a leg?” Again, I said, “Yes!” She tried talking to the spirit and telling her to move on with her life, but Rose stayed. We will try talking to her. We got as many candles as possible. I lit them up and we tried talking to her. We recorded what we said and played it back. At the very end, we heard Rose yell, “No!” and she never left. The next day the kids said they had a great day as school. Emma’s casts were covered in names and emoji’s. That night I went to tuck in Ty…he wasn’t there. I thought he was in the bathroom so I waited. He never came. I rushed down and told Roy. We ran outside and called for Ty. “Where are you Buddy?” We couldn’t find him anywhere. Even though we were new to the area, everyone in the neighborhood helped. The police came and brought their K-9’s. The fourth night the police searched, they found Ty. He was in the forest behind their house talking to what looked like himself. But really it was, Rose. They also found a backpack. I stated, “That’s not Ty’s backpack.” The police looked in it and found a Dork Diaries book. We told the Police thanks for finding out son. “You are very welcome,” replied a policeman. That night I woke up to a whistling. It was coming from the closet. I looked deeper and deeper. I saw a girl in a light pink shirt and a purple skirt. She yelled, “Help me!” then vanished in to thin air. I knew she was in trouble. I decided to call the Ghostbusters. They came with their ghost detecting stuff and found a ghost. They looked up and it threw green slime on everyone. Finally, I decided to have the house blessed. I called a priest to come bless our home. He came immediately. He said the “Our Father” and we never saw Rose again. We just hope she is in a better place now and she is happy.

The Nightmare on 28th Street Parker McCafferty

Long long ago, there was a house on 28th Street and a girl named Jessica went trick or treating at that house but she didn’t know that she would be getting a trick instead of a treat. It all started when she knocked on the door. An old lady with a dark black shirt with her black cat in her arms answered the door. Jessica said, “Trick or treat,” and the lady in black said, “Ohhhhh, I forgot today was Halloween, can you come inside and I’ll let you pick a bag of candies that you want?” Jessica she fell for the trick and went downstairs with the lady to go pick her bag of candies.” There was a slide on the way downstairs, and there was a dark red liquid all over in the slide. Jessica went in first and did not know that the lady in the black was not going in after her. Once she got to the bottom of the slide the lady clicked a button that she had on her coat. The button led to the bottom of the slide and it closed the slides bottom so you could not go up or down the slide. Jessica dropped into a room and sat on a chair. “Ahhhh,” Jessica said with fright. A ceiling fan almost fell on top of her head. Five minutes later Jessica looked closer at the fan and she found a note. On the note it said, “This clue is for you, look for a book that you knew.” Jessica looked all over the room for a book that she has read before. She found the book under the mattress only having a corner of the book peeking out. It was Jessica’s favorite mystery book. She flipped through all of the pages and on page 127 she found another clue. It said, “Good job I am surprised you found this clue. I hope it’s something you love to do.” That clue really confused Jessica. She had to reread it five times before she understood it. She thought it meant that she had to look for something she loved, so she brainstormed some ideas of things she liked, she thought of jump rope, soccer, drawing and reading. She started looking around the room and found a box of crayons she pulled a crayon out until there was only one crayon. It was a red crayon labeled “find the angry face.” Jessica was very confused. All of a sudden a bunch of flower petals dropped to the ground and they had happy faces. That is when it hit Jessica, she had to find a flower petal that had a smiley face on it. She started looking when she noticed the walls were closing in on her. She kept looking for a flower petal as fast as she could. She finally found it when the walls were only as big as her laying down. She picked it up and was very content. She noticed there was a string on the flower petal that was labeled “pull me.” Jessica did not know if she should pull it or not. Out of nowhere she just pulled it and a painting that was on the wall popped off of the wall. She noticed a ladder in the corner of the room and ran and grabbed it and climbed into the hole that was now in the wall. There was another slide that she fell down that led to where the lady in black was. The lady shouted, “Surprise!” Jessica was now even more confused than when she was earlier. The lady in black took off a costume and thanked Jessica for helping her come up with a new story. It was Jessica’s favorite author who writes mysteries. After that Jessica’s favorite author and her ate cake together and Jessica got some presents for helping her write her latest book. So after all, the house on 28th Street was not that much of a nightmare.

The Case of the Missing WaitressSpencer Clark

As the cops pulled their patrol cars into the driveway of the Carson family, Detective Moore knew something bad had happened in this house. As the detective and his colleagues cautiously stepped into the house, he already noticed signs of a struggle. After two hours of searching, the three investigators gathered their evidence. The thing that worried the man the most, was that he found a spent bullet casing and no sign of blood, nor a bullet hole anywhere. Then, all of a sudden, he heard the scream. He bolted upstairs with his gun (a 44 magnum revolver) at the ready. When he entered the room, he found a twelve-year-old boy in the corner trembling.

The following morning, the detective was at the coffee shop across the street from the police department. Here, Detective Moore was thinking about the night before, when he heard two (female coffee shop baristas) talking. He heard them say, “She went missing last night.” After a moment, he finally realized that they were talking about the same girl that he was now looking for. The anxious detective stood up from his chair, and fast-walked toward the two girls. The two looked at him and then said, “’Hi, how may we help you?” Detective Moore asked, “So you know the girl?”

“Yes we do,” replied the girls.” “Who is she?” “Kamella Carson,” they replied. “Does she work here?” “Yes...well, she did.” The detective was puzzled. “What do you mean she...did?”

They answered. “She used to before she quit and moved to a different job.” “What other job?” he asked. “She moved to the drycleaners department across the town.”Then, as the detective thanked the two and left, he thought again about the boy from last night. He proceeded to the

police department with his newly discovered evidence.As you know dear reader, the detective is already on edge but he will be more so after he hears this next thing.As the detective entered the interrogation room, he felt a sudden chill and noticed something strange. He noticed that

the secretary wasn’t at her chair. He also realized no one else was around either. Then he saw it. .. The boy was playing cards with the others in the backroom. The secretary said, “Hey Detective Moore! How are you doing?” The detective did not answer. The rookie police officer, who came in last week, said, “If you’re wondering what the kid is doing outside his cell, it’s because Ronnie (the guard) and the boy got into an argument.

The argument was whether the boy is a psychic or not. Finally after thirty minutes of arguing, Ronnie set up a challenge- to see if this kid was a psychic or not, by guessing what the cards were without looking. So far, he is looking good!”

“Wait, wait, wait...” the detective muttered angrily. “Are you seriously playing cards with a suspect?”“It’s okay, he is surrounded by guards. “I don’t think he will try anything stupid,” Ronnie said. “Why don’t you join

us?” the secretary asked. “Okay…’’ the unsure detective mumbled.Ten minutes later, the police officers and Detective Moore were sitting down watching the boy blow through the cards,

answering each one correctly. Then the detective thought “This kid is actually a psychic.” I could use him to help solve this case, but I need some real proof. “If this boy really is a psychic, he could probably read minds.” “I could get him to read mine!” He thought.

“Hey boy, come over here.” “Yes?” the boy asked. “What am I thinking about?”“You wonder what my name is.” The boy replied.“Yes!! How did you know?” The detective asked astonished. “Psychic.” The boy said

tapping his head.“How would you like to help solve this case?” Moore asked. “I would be honored to.”“Good! Let’s get started!” The detective yelled excitedly.The detective and the boy started their investigation by asking around town, Moore asking

people questions, as the boy worked as a lie detector. They partnered together whether each person was telling the truth or not.

A week later, as the two were checking their evidence, the boy felt an intense pounding in his head. He fell to the floor holding his head and was groaning in pain. Detective Moore nervously asked “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, I think I’m feeling someone’s thoughts.” “Where are they coming from?” He asked.“I think from the woods.“Let’s go! That person could be in danger,” Moore anxiously exclaimed. About two hours later, the two arrived at the woods. They walked and walked for what seemed like hours through the

woods, until they came across giant footprints. “You don’t see those every day!” The detective said. It began to get dark, when the boy spotted a cave.

“We should probably spend the night there!” The boy said.”“You are right.” Moore said as the two begin to walk toward the cave. Once they stepped inside, the detective started

to make a fire as the boy decided to explore the cave.Ten minutes later, the boy yelled, “Detective! You might want to come and see this.” “What is it?” Moore asked,

running to where the boy was. Once he came to where the boy was, he saw what the boy was afraid of. A woman, about thirty years-old, was chained to the rock wall. After scrambling to untie her, Moore asked “Are you okay? Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know. I was so scared and it was all a blur.” “Well, let’s get you out of here.” The detective said.As they started to make their way out of the cave, Moore spotted a patch of black fur on the ground. The detective

gathered the fur and sent it to a lab for analysis, however the fur could not be identified. No further evidence was ever found. Eventually, the case went cold.

The Bear that Wouldn’t LeaveGianna Coca

I was watching TV with Abby when there was a knock at the door. Bang, bang! “Ok, I am coming,” I said. The only thing I saw outside was a brand new stuffed bear. It was snowing and I didn’t see any footprints in the snow. Abby got scared, because we were watching a scary movie. The next day, we woke up for school and we were so tired because we watched a lot of scary movies. We threw away the bear because we didn’t know where it came from. When we got to school, I couldn’t believe it, the bear was in the classroom. At first it didn’t seem too scary, we thought that someone else had that bear too. Abby got really scared, but I wasn’t too scared.

After school, we went home and saw a note on the bathroom door. It said, “This is my house, you better leave or there will be some consequences!” I ran downstairs and told my mom. We looked for some clues to see if anyone was there or if anything was missing from the house. The only thing that I noticed was that the bear that we threw in the trashcan, was not there. I thought my mom had dumped the trash and she said she didn’t see the bear.

We called the police, because we were confused. They came in and investigated. We found a couple more notes that were left. One said, “Don’t try to stop me, this is my house!” and the other said, “If you find me, there is a better chance that you can defeat me.” We thought it sounded like some type of riddle. I really don’t like riddles! We tried to figure out what that riddle meant, but we couldn’t come to a solution.

We decided to put up some security cameras so that we can see what was going on when we weren’t home. Me and Abby had to go find a Halloween costume for the dance at school. So my mom took us. I wanted to be a Swan Princess and Abby wanted to be a Fairy. When we got home, we got our stuff packed up and ready for school the next day. We went to bed.

During the night, I heard a noise. “Thump, thump, crash, crash.” I couldn’t go back to sleep. It was such a crazy sound and I kept hearing it. I woke up Abby, and we got up and put on our slippers, and walked to the other room. This is where the cameras were so that we could see who was in the house. It was pretty dark and all I could see was darkness on the screens. Except that one screen that showed the living room, we saw the stuffed bear sitting on the couch! We ran and told mom to call the police. The police came to investigate again and couldn’t find any clues to lead us to figure out how the bear got back to our house and sitting on our couch. The cops took the bear with them and left. We didn’t want that thing in our house.

The next day, we woke up to have some cereal and watch cartoons, it was Saturday. After getting the kitchen cleaned up we headed upstairs to get ready and the bear was sitting on my bed! There was a note in his paw, it said “remember

me?” We ran out screaming down the stairs, yelling for our mom. The weird thing was, my mom was sitting at the kitchen table drinking her coffee and she was laughing so hard, we were stumped. Mom played a prank on us, she planned the whole thing with the bear. She had a note on the table and it said, “I gotcha, Happy Halloween!”

That day we all went to the pumpkin patch and we had a great time. Me and Abby needed to do some planning in order to get mom back. Our family likes to play pranks on each other all of the time, but mom really got us good this time. We never thought that she would do something so scary, but she did. Stay tuned for the next Halloween prank on mom.

The Graveyard Girl Sophia Martinez

The day was a warm summer eve. The flowers had just bloomed and it was a great day. But I would have never gone out that day if I knew I would meet the ghost that changed my life. My name is Ashlyn. I am 17 years old, I live in Orlando, Florida. Today marks two years since I met the ghost that changed my life I will tell you how it happened.

I was going to school when I saw this girl on the street she had pale skin, dark brown hair, and light green eyes. She was wearing old clothes and looked like she needed help. So I stopped my car and asked her if she was okay. She said she was, but I offered her a ride home.

It had been one year, and the girl (whose name I found out was Josephina) and I had become best friends. One day we were going to the mall when she went to turn the radio up, I also was going to turn the radio up and my hand hit hers. Her hand was so cold it gave me the chills. I stopped the car in shock. I asked her why her hand was so cold, she didn’t respond. I thought it was odd but I brushed it off and tossed her my old gloves from when me and my family went to the mountains for a skiing trip. She took them but after that her whole attitude changed as if I discovered her deepest, darkest secret...the rest of the ride was silent and I ended up turning around and going home. She refused to tell me her address and take her home as if she didn’t have one. She got out of the car at a stoplight. The funny thing is I didn’t notice her get out and I didn’t see her on the street.

It had been a few months and I hadn’t talked to Josephina. I figured she didn’t want to talk to me either but I needed my gloves back. I tried to call her but she didn’t answer. About a week later she texted me an address. The whole car ride there, I practiced what I was going to say to her. I got to the address she sent me which happened to be a dark, gray graveyard. The graveyard’s name was Gate’s graveyard. I felt uneasy, so I waited by the front gates. After about ten minutes of standing and waiting, I got a text from her saying to go in. I went in the gates. After a while of standing perfectly still, the gates slammed shut with a loud, ear-shattering bang. The noise was so loud it knocked me off my feet. I struggled to get back up from the ground as if someone or something was pulling me down. As I got back up, I wiped the dirt off my clothes. I tried pulling at the gates to open them, but I started walking backward. I tried to pull myself forward to the gates but I couldn’t. I was being pushed to the back of the graveyard where all the really old stones had been. The dirt started to get loose and there was no grass anymore. There were very few stones and nothing else. I was pulled to a certain grave. The dark dirt covered stone, half broken off read, “Josephina Gates 1888-1920.” It still amazes me that I lived to tell this tale.

The GhostTyler Thielemier

Thud! Thud! Thud! I could hear quick footsteps in the hall as I was hiding in a dark closet. My heart felt as though it was beating at the speed of light. Suddenly, the door was ripped open. “Found you!” screamed my little brother Cooper. I was terrible at hide and seek.

That night I had a sleepover at my house with my friends Aaron, Bridger and my little brother Cooper.My mom and dad were at a party, hoping to come back to a house free of flames or any other form of destruction. They

knew that when I got together with my friends, there is typically a trail of destruction everywhere we go. But, I told them that we would be responsible...enough.

Once my folks had left, I planned to get a horror movie going, but Cooper had already put in a little kid ghost movie. It was only an hour and fifteen minutes, but it felt like an eternity. When it was finally over, I decided to order a pizza. Suddenly, I realized that Cooper...was gone.

Just as I was starting to worry, I saw a small pale figure darting back and forth around the room, quelling any panic I might feel concerning my missing brother. Then it stopped, looked at us with a shadowed stare, and in a whispered voice spoke, “Hello.”

We all screamed like my mom when I put a mouse in her shoe. My friends and I bolted to my room and threw the door shut.

“What was that and what do we do!” I panicked.“Maybe we should just wait for it to go away,” replied Aaron. We all agreed and turned around. You would never guess

what was behind us. Yep. The ghost.We stood there waiting to accept our fate, when the ghost started giggling? It pulled off a hood, and it was... Cooper?

In a ghost costume? But if he was in here, who was outside my room? We slowly opened the door to see Cooper’s friend laughing hysterically on the floor in an identical costume. They must have planned it all out! I should have known.

After all the scares I had that night, I learned my lesson...never invite Cooper to a sleepover.

Happy BirthdayMason Stanley

October 31, 2016 - One night on Halloween Joseph and I decided to explore a big mansion on Newbury Street. No one has lived there for years. We felt it was the perfect time to see if all the stories about ghosts and goblins were true. We got up to the door and it surprisingly was slightly open. Joseph pushed the door all the way open. There was a glimmer of light from a burning candle. We thought someone was inside for a candle to be burning.

To our surprise we also saw a white blurry thing coming down the curved staircase. We didn’t know what to do. Should we run, scream, or watch what happens? We chose the last option because we were curious about the figure coming towards us. First he floated above us but then he floated through us. It was a chilling feeling, but he didn’t seem to want to hurt us. We started talking to him but there was no answer. He motioned for us to follow him.

We followed him to the back of the first floor of the mansion. He seemed interested in going to the kitchen. He acted like this was the last place he was before becoming a ghost. The saddest part of all was he just wanted some friends to hang out with him. We know this is true because our new acquaintance started crying, it was real because we felt the drop of his tears on us. After that night we regularly visited Kingston the ghost. He treated us well and even played games.

The Ghost of Kingston ManorElijah Romero

It is my very good friend’s birthday today. Sadly, I don’t know where she is, so I can’t tell her happy birthday. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see her at school today. I’m at school. I don’t see her. In fact, nobody can see her because she’s imaginary. Eight hours pass. I’m done with school for today. I’m so glad it’s Thursday. I have the next three days off from school. Every day when I walk back and forth to school I always have to walk by this creepy old house. I’ve always wanted to go inside for some strange reason. Maybe I will tomorrow since it’s the weekend.

I’m finally home and I call my friend. She doesn’t pick up, so I leave a voicemail saying, “Happy birthday and call me back.” I never hear from her, so I go to bed. I wake up early and tell my mom I’m going to hang out with my friends, which is a lie. I don’t have any friends. Well, just my imaginary friend. I’m really going to the old creepy house. I kiss my mom goodbye and head out the door. It’s cloudy. It doesn’t look cloudy enough to rain though. As I’m walking to the creepy house, it seems that the trees are starting to wilt and fade and die the closer I get. Also, I swear I’m hearing voices chatting. Sounds like children playing almost. I don’t see any children. I’m either crazy or it’s just my imagination.

I see the house. I’m only about half a block away, so I’m going to run the rest of the way there. The children’s chatter and laughter is getting louder and louder. I’m running as fast as I can towards the house. I stop. The children stop. Time and reality seem frozen.

I feel a withered bony hand on my shoulder. I know who it is just by the way it was placed on me. I slowly turn around. There she is, my imaginary friend but she isn’t herself. It’s like someone tore off her skin so that all that is left is muscle. Her eyes are all black. She’s wearing a white dress and is surrounded by children dressed in party clothes. The children have pale paper-white skin and no facial details. I’m screaming for help. No one is coming except the stone-cold silence and the ringing of my own voice in my ears. I try moving. I’m paralyzed with fear. Nothing in my body is working. I feel myself blacking out.

All I see is a dark never-ending void that is suddenly broken by a flash of light. Darkness. Flash of light. Darkness. Flash of light. It’s just repeating for what feels like an eternity. Suddenly it stops. I see the house, the children, my friend. The house, the children, my friend. The house, the children, my friend. It just won’t stop! The ringing in my ears is so loud that that’s all I can hear. Now everything goes black. It’s totally quiet except for a small child’s faint laugh.

I gasp. Where am I? I’m inside the basement that is lit by a low-dimmed light bulb. I can see a table with a birthday cake sitting on it in the middle of the room. My friend grabs my hand and leads me towards it. As I get closer, I can see that it is my name, not hers, written on the cake.

The FlickersDiallo Bianchi

Serrah remembered when it first came. The Flickers. They’d disrupted her life, destroyed her fragile and meager reputation, every little thing she cared for. This is a short tale of what occurred.

It started in the Parkview Medical Center hospital, on the 26th of September, 2001. The night her father, Mr. Drottlin, died. It rained that night, as if in mourning for the past life, in symphony with Mrs. Drottlin and her tears. They slept fitfully in the hospital beds, when he appeared. His glasses glittered evilly, his hand dripping a deep red liquid. Serrah lay transfixed at the sight, then the lights flickered-once, twice, and he disappeared.

In the daylight, Serrah was a pleasant looking girl, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a strong jaw, matching her eyebrows. But it wasn’t enough for that school. Despite her looks and brightness, she was so painfully shy that she only gathered two friends, Molly and Petra. They were almost twins, with blond hair, blue eyes, and almost the same dresses. The only way to tell them apart was Petra’s slightly darker skin tone, which Serrah learned to discern immediately.

The class was chatting, as usual, when suddenly, Mrs. Daly vanished, replaced by a clown with a gaping, broken jaw. It attempted to smile at her, but resulted in a ghastly appearance. She looked around, but none were there to see the clown. Just her and it. The figure took a step closer. Then another. Then it was so close Serrah could’ve touched it with her fingers. Its hand reached for her face in an agonizingly slow claw, then, ”Serrah, are you okay?” the teacher asked, concerned. “Yeah, I’m alright, just zoned out,” the shaken girl responded.

As this occurred, more and more often, with disturbing images, not just the clown, they gave her anti-sleeping pills, but they seemed to worsen the “Flickers” as she called them, as they always ended with a flicker, as if someone turned off an old TV.

Once, they were on a school trip to the Pueblo Zoo when a koala morphed into a winged creature with vampiric mouth. It flew for her face before the vision ended, turning again to gray flecks. Serrah screamed and ran, disrupting the entire zoo. It was a scene of chaos. That was her first mistake, as everyone had simply thought she was depressed and tired. Now, people whispered behind her back, “She’s insane” and “Watch out, you don’t know what she’ll do.” Serrah ran from nothing.

It was their night out on the Riverwalk when the final straw, coin, or whatever you’d like to call it finally left, being torn into an abyss. “Everyone believes you’re insane!” Molly exclaimed, playing the part of the friend who doesn’t believe. But they don’t know you as well as I do, you probably have good reasons!” As they crossed the bridge, Molly’s hysterical banter stopped, abruptly. It took a few seconds to realize that, then Serrah turned. Flick-fl-fl- the light went out, and a great tearing sound, not unlike a roar, vibrated through her body. Then she felt the airy sensation of floating, and fell, falling deep into the icy waters, drowning, calling for help, gasping, drowning. Molly and Petra were shaking her, violently, when she regained consciousness, snapping back similar to a reed. Serrah was determined to regain control of her mind. Exactly how, she couldn’t have told, but she was going to do it.

It was three in the morning, and she felt so, so tired. She should have gone to bed hours ago, for it was a school night, but she no longer cared. Serrah wanted “It” out of her head. If she had so touched a bed, she would’ve fallen asleep. So, she sat on the rough wood floor waiting. Four o’clock, waiting. Alright, it’s time for bed she thought. She walked over and got in bed, or flopped to be more accurate. Her eyes were beginning to become blurry when the light quivered, and went out. Suddenly, she was wide awake, frozen with fear. Would it come tonight? She wondered, no longer thinking about confronting it.

A dark gray fog appeared by her bed, along with a high pitched sound and static. It had images, no, memories in it. She didn’t know where the correction came from, but it appeared. Serrah sensed no malevolence from the gray cloud, only curiosity and a sense of familiarity. “Come” it emanated, in imagery. She reached out, not exactly knowing why, but it felt right and touched the stormy cloud. Instantly, she saw a young boy, a man, a fatherly figure. She felt joy, sadness, responsibility everything in the human spectrum of feelings flowing through her. “I never meant to hurt you” it said. She couldn’t completely comprehend its otherwordly words, but thought she heard “I wanted you to understand.”

“Who are you?” Serrah asked, stretching away from the thing with her will.“I came back to help” it stated, simply. Now come. She reached out once more, and a white

flash of light temporarily blinded her sight, and she saw the boy again. The boy stood in a

It was October 24, 1969. Pops died that day. A week before Halloween. Pops was always good to us kids. Jacob, Helen, Max, Sandra and I always remember him being a good gentle soul. We were very sad to hear he had passed. The facts surrounding his death were still a mystery. He did not have any health problems other than just being an older man. We were sad to see him go but we were hoping he was in a better place. It sounded weird to say but it would not be Halloween without him.

Halloween was his favorite holiday. He loved to see kids all dressed up in costumes. He also loved to scare the life out of them. Old prankster he was, now that he’s gone it will be so different. He will always be with us we just didn’t realize the extent. The burial was in a creepy old cemetery that has been around since the eighteen hundreds. It had a ghostly aura of the dead, like they were still there. I could hear the cries of the small children and babies. You could imagine the old wagons strolling along the dirt roads filled with a mist, in the middle of nowhere. As we walked, we came upon an old cement casket still above ground. We were all curious to see what a corpse would look like after being there so long, so we opened it. We felt a cold chill run down our spines, lightning hit and the thunder crackled as if we had awoken something evil.

The next day, I had a terrible feeling in my gut. Like something was wrong, like something was coming for me. I heard a creaking sound that broke my concentration. I thought nothing of it until I realized I was alone. Could it be the house? Again, I heard it growing louder and louder. I jumped off the bed in a panic, my mind racing, thinking what it

could be. Still hearing it all the while coming closer and closer, louder and louder! Suddenly, my door slammed as if whatever it was ran straight into it at full speed. My door handle was violently shaking as if whatever it was couldn’t get it open but desperately wanted to and then nothing. Nothing at all but silence. It felt like a bad dream that I couldn’t wake. I needed to get ahold of my friends. Am I going crazy and should I say anything at all? Suddenly my phone rang.

It was Sandra. She had called to tell me the same thing happened to her last night and she couldn’t sleep all night. She said she kept hearing screaming in the distance. Just then I heard a loud horrific scream. It sounded like it came from down stairs. Sandra asked what the scream was. I told her, I didn’t know. I jumped out of bed and rushed down stairs. There was nothing there though. I was terrified. I told Sandra I had to go she asked if something was wrong and I told her I didn’t know. I went outside to see if someone was out there. In the barn there was life like shadows that looked like a tall man with his wife and kids. In a split second they were gone.

The next day, I got a call from Jacob asking if weird things had happened to me after the funeral. I asked “like what?” He said “like hearing footsteps, loud screams and doors

The Cemetery Emily Crouch

clearing, staring at a carnival circus longingly, holding a dime and three pennies in his clenched hand. He walked off, aiming for the meat shop.

Another flash, and she saw a teenager, running out of his house, his father chasing after him at first, then slowing, turning back to slam the door closed. “I’ll never care about you again, little rapscallion! Live on your own, you’ll never see us again!” She heard his yelling in a detached and far-off way, as if through a layer of plastic. The teenager stopped, then turned around to stare at the door for a second, fuming, before he left off again, slower this time.

Yet again, and now she saw her father, leaning over her as a child, watching her fragile form. Whispering something into her ear, he backed off, slowly, and closed the door behind him.

She broke contact with the thing that had her father’s memories, “Who are you?” she repeated in a whisper. It had felt like years, though it had only been a minute. “You know” the wind seemed to breathe. “You’ve always known.” Serrah leaned over and hugged her father’s spirit, learning great things from him, lessons she wished she had learned earlier. After a while, or mentally a lifetime, he slowly crept away from her consciousness, so quietly that she never exactly knew when he had left.

Mind Craft: Real Scary NightmaresKyle Meyer

slamming.” I told him that happened to both Sandra and I. Then, Max and Helen called. They asked the same thing. It was weird all of us kids had experienced the same thing but at different times. Like something was trying to tell us something. We all decided to meet up at the park. When we were on our way to meet up I lost control of the wheel and my brakes stopped working. I ended up in a ditch. Everybody was freaking out. We knew something was following us. I was fine just so shocked. The next day, on the news they said Helen disappeared. It was shocking. Then Thomas, Max, Jacob then I. When I woke up I was in a dark cold cave. I had found them they were with me. We didn’t know where we were though. There was no way out. Everybody was freaking out. All of a sudden we hear a voice say “Get Out!” We started banging on the walls. We found a door and we got out as fast as we could. We ran and ran. We all got home and there were people looking at my house. I started yelling to get out but it’s like they didn’t hear me. Like I wasn’t there. I walked by a mirror. I couldn’t see myself. I was freaking out. Was I a ghost? Why can’t I see myself? I called Helen to look at herself in the mirror. She said she couldn’t see herself same with the others. That’s when we knew we weren’t alive. We were ghosts. It was all a lie. How? Why? It’s all still a mystery how we died and when we died. We know though that we can’t break free. We need to break free I hope someone helps or we find a way.

It was just a normal day at the library and I was playing Minecraft. I was working on developing my town, when suddenly the lights flicked off. I moved my head around and I looked where the light switch was at. I said, “Who’s there?” No one responded; I was all alone. The lights flickered, matching the rhythm of my beating heart. I instantly began sweating, my teeth were clicking uncontrollably, and my heart was beating faster. I jumped out of my seat and ran for the door as books were flying off the shelves and targeting me. All of the doors slammed shut and a huge gaping abyss opened up in the floor behind me! Water was shooting out of the hole. As I slowly turned toward the hole, I noticed sharks swimming in the hole. I shook and yanked on the door, but it would not open. Suddenly, I was electrocuted by a bolt of electricity from the handle; pain immediately shot up my arm! I ran to the other door, and just as I got there, it slammed shut. I saw what appeared to be a ghost. He looked like a man wearing a cloak with the hood pulled up and had glowing white eyes. I saw hate gleaming in his eyes. He put his hands around my neck and tried to strangle me and I didn’t know what he was going to do next. I closed my eyes, and suddenly, I woke up in the library. I had fallen asleep at the computer still playing my Minecraft game. I think I should get more sleep tonight so I don’t have any more crazy dreams.

HerBernard Hund

One night I rented a cabin in the woods and it was a nice cabin, but the only flaw was the scary pictures on the wall in my room. I tried ignoring them. The pictures were of deformed faces that belonged to something inhuman—they looked so real I actually thought one of them moved.

Later that night I heard a creepy sound like something breathing in my room. The pictures were still there and still scaring me. When I woke up the next morning the pictures were gone and windows were in their place.

FacesAlexandra Rose

I sit here in regret. Regret. Such a word that most can’t comprehend. Most regret from people is insignificant. I missed a class. I didn’t do my work. I forgot to feed my cat. Selfish.

That’s all that is. Selfish need and wants. I was selfish once. Until I regretted.I see the light, its red eye staring me down. I look away to blink to see her. That woman, no not woman. Not a girl

either. Her.She smiles at me, the familiar smile I’ve seen a thousand times. A thousand and one now. Forever.She looks beautiful in that dress. A dark dress looks nice on her. I believe she should have worn it more before today.

Her nails gleam purple. No, not purple. Lavender. She always corrected me on that. I can still feel those soft hands on my face, the soft scrape of those nails as they leave.

I should have cleaned up before I saw her. I’m covered in dirt, I’ve gone through a lot of labor just to catch a glimpse. My hand is numb from the pain of that labor. I grab my bag, and I begin to stuff her in. I attempt to be careful not to cramp her or mess up her hair. I want her to be perfect for where we are going. It is a shame that her eyes can’t open. I loved the way those never ending seas stared at me.

The car was flipped on its side. I smelt of gasoline and oil. Sirens woke me to the sight of her. Her face was bruised, she was covered in glass and her outfit ruined. I reach out to grab her, I then see my hand. It is missing a finger, I couldn’t feel it.

The duffle bag made its way out of the hole in which it was. I climbed out and grab the shovel with it. I pour the gasoline all over this vial tomb where they put her. She isn’t gone, she isn’t dead.

She is perfect.A single match sets the place ablaze, like the flames of desire. We drive off. A new car,

one that won’t betray me. I stop at the light. The single light that made me realize how much I loved her in the back. She is still now. She knows where we must go.

A place where we can be. A place where I can hold her hands. Smell her hair. See into her eyes. A place where I can feel her hands on my face. To feel her lips touch mine. A place where

we can love each other eternally. Forever.

What Are They? Lily Anne Marquez

I never knew it would end the world. I never knew what trouble these experiments would bring. I should have seen it coming. Why didn’t I? Were the calculations wrong? Maybe, but I never would have thought it would spawn these creatures. What are they exactly? They have dead skin, the kind that’s falling apart. No sense of humanity but very strong. If you’re caught, you have no way to survive. They eat you. Every bit of you, if you’re lucky. If not they turn you into one of them, one of these decaying cannibals. I would rather be eaten by lions. At least they kill you before they eat you. Not these things. If they get ahold of you they just start eating. Whatever piece they grab. How do you kill one? I haven’t gotten that far. Why haven’t I? Because, right now, I’m the one chasing you.

The Black PennyKimbra Blackmore

“I’ve got something for you!” Mom yelled from upstairs.Stephen closed his eyes and sighed. Mom must have been at garage sales again. What could she have to add to his

collection this time? More worthless baseball cards?Another broken radio? Stephen cringed at the possibilities. “Stephen!” Mom yelled again.Stephen dragged himself up the stairs to the kitchen.“Look what I got for just one dollar!” Mom exclaimed proudly.A large cardboard box covered in dust sat on the counter. Stephen peered into it and saw a stack of old magazines. The

one on top was called Strange Things.Stephen rolled his eyes and quipped, “Wow. What a deal, Mom.” He headed back toward the stairs.“I thought you’d like them,” Mom said in a defeated tone. “I know how much you like ghost stories.”Stephen felt a pang of guilt and turned around and picked up the box. “Thanks, Mom!” he said with feigned enthusiasm.Stephen lugged the box down the stairs. Judging by the weight of it, there had to be at least 50 magazines inside. He

knew Mom meant well, and he did like to read...He dropped the box on the floor of his bedroom and grabbed the magazine at the top of the pile. He did a belly-flop

onto his waterbed and started thumbing through the pages.BATBOY LIVES!ALIENS ARE IN MY BASEMENT!Stephen rolled onto his back and flipped another page. Something small and hard fell from the pages and hit him right in his left eye. He plucked it from his face and sat up

to examine it. It was a black penny. Or at least it looked like a penny. It didn’t have Abraham Lincoln on it, but it was definitely the same size and shape as a penny.

It was totally smooth, except for raised images on both sides that Stephen couldn’t quite make out. It appeared to be made of a stone or gem of some kind. Stephen turned it over in his hand a few times. He rubbed it between his finger and thumb. He looked at it and wondered where it came from. Then he threw it in a cigar box with all his other trinkets and forgot about it.The next day, Stephen rifled further through the box of magazines and discovered every one of them was Strange Things. The dates ranged from 1917 to 1919. He leafed through a few issues, throwing the ones he read onto the floor. He had gotten through about half the box, he guessed, and grabbed one more to read before bed.

As he scanned the pages mindlessly, he decided they all had the same ridiculous stories. He threw another magazine on the floor without reading it at all. When he looked down at the mess he’d amassed, he noticed the magazine had landed open to a page with a large want ad:

LOOKING FOR BLACK PENNY“I must’ve read one too many stories,” Stephen thought to himself. He reached down and grabbed the magazine to be

sure of what he saw.Sure enough, the full-page ad asked for anyone with a black penny to contact one Alexander Maelstrom in Salem,

Massachusetts.Stephen did the math: “If the guy was 20 back then, he’d be at least 87 by now. He’s probably pushing up daisies.”He threw the magazine back to the scattered pile and crawled into bed.The next morning, he picked up the issue with the want ad and read it again. REWARD FOR THE PERSON WITH THE BLACK PENNYStephen imagined what the reward might have been... $100. A new bike. He ripped the page out and stuffed it in his

pocket.“What the heck? It’s just a stamp,” he thought. Within a few weeks, he got a reply:Dear Stephen,Words cannot express my excitement upon receiving your letter. Please meet me at Elmwood Park on Tuesday next at

10 in the morning so we can discuss your reward. Ever Grateful, Alexander P. MaelstromStephen read the letter three times.“I can’t believe this guy is still alive,” he thought.Stephen got to the park a little early and scanned the area. His eyes quickly settled on an older man with slick black

hair sitting on a bench. Stephen walked in his direction. As he approached, the man stood up and walked towards him.“Stephen?” he asked.Stephen stuck out his hand and said, “Yeah. Nice to meet you.”“Thank you for contacting me,” Alexander said. “How ever did you find the penny? And how did you find my ad?”“My mom brought home a bunch of magazines -” Stephen started but was cut short.“No matter,” Alexander said quickly. “I’m just grateful for the happy accident.”His smile made Stephen feel extremely uneasy. “May I see it?” Alexander implored.Stephen pulled the penny from his pocket and held it in the palm of his hand. Alexander snatched it. He examined it

the same way Stephen did when he found it.“I can’t believe it,” Alexander said.Stephen smiled sheepishly, wondering if the man was going to hold up his end of the deal. Just then, Alexander

produced a fifty dollar bill and handed it over to Stephen.“Thank you again, Stephen. I’m sure this day will be as important to you as it is to me.” Alexander walked away and left Stephen sitting on the bench, dumbfounded.“What a weirdo,” Stephen thought.He was still thinking that as he finally got around to picking up the magazines

from his bedroom floor. As he leaned over to throw another magazine in the box, he noticed the cover:

“The Legend of the Seven Pennies” was plastered across the front. Six different-colored coins stood out crisply... Red. Blue. Green. Yellow. Purple. White.

Stephen’s skin became flush with goosebumps. He grabbed the magazine and feverishly flipped through the pages. He found the story, which featured a picture of an older man with slick black hair - smiling.

Winning Stories 2016

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Transcript of Winning Stories 2016