2017-2018 Spooky Stories: Essay & Poem Winners

First Place: Shaelyn Whatley

The first thing I notice is the distinct screams beyond my immediate surroundings. The floor below me is damp and sticky; the stench of a mixture of human despair and must is overwhelming and stings my nostrils. I can't tell if my eyes are sewed shut or if the engulfing darkness is the reality of the setting before me. My heart beats loud in my ears, yet my body- light as feather and simultaneously heavy as lead- feels disconnected from my soul.

I don't know where I am, but I am afraid. After initial disorientation wears off and panic begins to descend, I seek my mind to recall any details. Nothing. A yell. Bright lights. Nothing more.

My  hand bravely reaches around, attempting to create an internal image of my situation. The stone of the floor is only about four feet wide and six feet in length, just big enough for me to lie down flat. (not that I wish to). Three walls are solid stone with jutting edges, one wall is iron bars... I am in a cell.

Upon this revelation, my heart thumps so loud I'm sure whoever- or whatever- lies beyond these bars hear it. I find no window, no padlock, and no door. No way out. The coldness from the environment seeps into my inner being. What is happening? Why? Questions shoot through my head, one after the other, disorienting me once again.

I miss it the first time, but the second time it's louder and I'm sure it's not my own imagination running wild. A voice in the dark. Hope fades after I realize where it's coming from.

From the corner of the cell, closer to the ceiling than the floor, a sickly, cacophonous voice whispers, "Open your eyes, it's not too late."

"What? What do you mean? Who are you?" I don't even recognize my voice- fear hinders my speech. I'm trembling in a cold sweat.

"Open your eyes, it's not too late for you." It repeats.

In the next moment, the screams from beyond roar louder than before, footsteps resound nearby, getting closer with each step. Each second that passes feels like an eternity.

Thud. Sweat drips to my brow. The owner of these footsteps must be wearing iron boots.

Thud. My gut twists into knots. I've never been a religious person, but in this moment I am completely convinced that lost souls are screeching in the distance, the torture never ending. I am next.

Thud. Confusion boils beneath the surface of my fear. I'm not a bad person, this has to be a mistake...

The voice hisses over the screams, "Open your eyes. Now."

But my eyes are open, the black void surrounding me would cause me to think otherwise, my eyelids open and close. Then I feel a tug on my subconcious. Arms wrap around my body and the contrast shocks me. Warmth surrounds me, all at once, the world is only warmth, then nothing more.

Second Place: Gracie Gilchriest

Reality

I used to be scared of Halloween:

Ghosts, and goblins, everything in between.

But as I grew older, I feared no more.

There are scarier things behind closed doors.

I used to be scared of the creepy clowns;

But they just paint on smiles despite their frown.

I used to be scared of the vain vampires;

But they just are blinded by their own desires.

I used to be scared of the wretched werewolves;

But they just are unable to control themselves.

I used to be scared of the skinny skeletons;

But they just reveal what really lies beneath them.

I will no longer be scared of Halloween:

All the ghosts and goblins, everything in between.

But as I grow older, everything becomes clear:

The only thing I’m scared of is losing what I fear.

Third Place: Courtney Gore

It was Halloween night

Fall in the air

Kids in costumes

Ready for a scare

It was a full moon

Shining bright

One could see everything

In its glowing light

Not everything was hidden

The children would find out

A pair of piercing red eyes

Led to unsettling shouts

They disappeared

As soon as they came

But known to the people

They would surely come back again

It was Halloween night

Fall in the air

Kids in costumes

Ready for a scare