As a fun halloween tradition, Mr. Wiseman, the Honors English II and AP Literature and Composition teacher, has both his sophomores and seniors submit scary stories under pseudonyms. Below is a snippet of this year’s scary story winners from each grade (voted on by their peers).
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“Welcome to Elkhorn City” Sadie read to herself off the rusting metal sign on her way into town. She glanced over at her Uncle Ray, tapping “Take it Easy”, by The Eagles, out on his steering wheel as the connection came in and out of the radio.
This was her first time visiting her aunt and uncle after her cousin (their daughter) Lila went missing 7 months ago. Sadie‘s parents were Nervous to send her. Ever since her cousin went missing, there was a quiet darkness in the air, almost like a tension clung to her aunt and uncle’s cabin.
Sadie knew two weeks was all the “awkwardness” she had to get through before getting back to her parents and friends after fall break.
Though the town they lived in was humble and quiet, Sadie grew quite fond of the trees’ sienna leaves, and the sharp, fall, Appalachian air running through her hair and nose throughout her first day there. Her Uncle Ray and Aunt Jennie lived in a one-story log cabin, with desolate ceilings and a backyard facing the nearby forest. While the cabin seemed quite typical for the houses around there, Sadie couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the presence of her cousin Lila still loomed. Even though her aunt and uncle never hardly spoke of her cousin anymore, Sadie took notice of her cousin’s dirty boots that had been left outside the front door, and the smell of Lila’s favorite perfume in the guest bathroom, but she wouldn’t dare bring up the subject to Jennie or Ray. She went along with her business and unpacked her belongings.
On her third night there, Sadie couldn’t sleep. Back home, when she couldn’t sleep, she would look up at the stars through her skylight. Longing for the peace of mind the stars brought her, she decided to sneak out to the porch. The cabin was so Isolated in the Appalachian mountains that the sky looked as if it was an ocean of twinkling lights that stretched endlessly above her. Shivering in her pajamas, Sadie wandered around the yard, eyes glued to the stars, almost drawing her in.
Then, she heard it.
A crunch.
A crunch of leaves, deep in the trees.
Sadie froze. Her pulse raced as the sound grew louder, closer, with each step, slow and seemingly deliberate. Sadie was unable to move, eyes tracing from one end of the tree to the other. Then, through the thin line of trees, she saw it. A figure tall, and gaunt. Its eyes, black as ink glistened in the dark. Ragged antlers, thrice the size of a buck sprouted up from its head, edges, sharp and broken. At first, it moved slowly, with each limb, twisting unnaturally with each step, head down.
A slight gasp released from Sadie’s mouth as she took in the appearance of the haggard creature.
Immediately, the monster looked up at the sound of Sadie’s gasp. Its mouth split open in a grin too wide for its face, exposing layers of blood-coated teeth.
Sadie ran. Her bare feet tore across the cold ground, old splintered wood digging into her skin. She felt the creature’s presence at her back each step pounding closer, like a wall trapping her in. With the back door locked behind her, Sadie ran to the front door, tripping over her cousin’s old boot and the disheveled doormat.
“Uncle Ray! Aunt Jennie!” She shrieked as she pounded her fists into the hand-carved mahogany door. The Porch light flicked on and she heard her aunt and uncle shuffle inside. Sadie peered at the Glass in the living room but was startled by her aunt and uncle inside. Standing just on the other side of the glass. Watching her. Faces blank.
A smile crept up to her Aunt Jennie’s face. Eyes hollow and dark.
Sadie tried the handle once more but had no luck. She peered over her shoulder, catching sight of the creature, moving closer, just meters away, its jaw hanging open as it inhaled her scent, its black eyes glistening with hunger. Sadie rapidly opened her phone to call 911, but stopped after reading a text she received a few hours back.
It read:
“Hey kiddo, got any fun ideas of what to do on your couple weeks off of school with us?
Looking forward to seein’ you, Aunt Jennie :)”
Her hands trembled in disbelief.
Sadie stared at who she once thought to be her aunt and uncle. Both peered at her with a dead look in their eyes and a grin on their face, eyes locked on her. Just then, she felt the cold, dagger-like claw glaze her shoulder as the creature breathed in her ear- “Times up”
xxx
No one ever saw Sadie again. The only trace of her that remained at the cabin after that night was her old muddy Converse, neatly aligned with Lila’s muddy boots next to the old hand-carved mahogany door.
