Wasilla Public Library announces winners of annual 'Once Upon a Spooky Night' story contest

Wasilla Public Library is pleased to present the winning stories and poems from “Once Upon a Spooky Night,” our recent writing contest for young writers in the Mat-Su Valley. These are the works that stood out from the rest, complete with their original spelling and punctuation.

Aizen Kelly: Fourth Grade

“Body Snatcher”

Monday: an ordinary candy =( )=

Tuesday: a set of eyes =( : )=

Wednesday: a smile =( :D)=

Thursday: fangs =( :})=

Friday attacking // -! -! - //

Saturday: snatching // <*> //

Sunday: candy head = =

/ | \

The End _/ \_

Dael Langdon-Brown: Fifth Grade

“The Twilight”

When the light of day turns to twilight night,

Better grab your stuffy, hold it tight.

So get ready for the twilight,

Get ready for the night.

For into your house a shadow will creep,

Into your dreams the nightmare will seep.

So be careful do not make a peep,

So sleep it’s time to take a leap.

Rosemary Maixner: Sixth Grade

“Camp Freeland”

It all started when I was invited to a summer camp in the woods. I was surprised because the invitation said that eight people across the U.S. were selected randomly. I had typed ‘Camp Freeland’ into a google search engine and hadn’t come up with any results that matched the brochure. My parents had dismissed my worries and told me to start packing. So now I was on a bus with no air conditioning on a too-bumpy road with seven other kids. The bright orange bus decorated with the camp’s logo went over another colossal bump and half the passengers were thrown to the ceiling. I begged for this nightmarish ride to be over. My prayers were answered and the buss screeched to a stop. The kids around me swarmed the exit, and a boy with sand-colored hair glared at the bus driver. Finally, doors that seemed as old as the driver slowly creaked open. We all tripped over each other, ending up in a crippled heap on the grass. I struggled to my feet and looked around at the camp. I saw a lake with perfectly blue waters, four buildings in the distance, and a dark forest that surrounded us all, as if waiting for something. I wasn’t the only one who thought this way about the forest. Several kids edged away from the tall trees and toward the center of the grass, where a small group of four people waited for us.

They waved at us to come over. When we did, they said some stuff about how going into the forest was forbidden, along with going outside after dark. After that, we were led to our cabins. That night, I felt something hard under my mattress after everyone had fallen asleep. I got out of bed and silently lifted up the mattress and saw a small black case. I clicked it open and was greeted with a red-stained butcher knife. I gasped and let go of the mattress, letting it fall on the weapon. I crawled back into my bed, shivering and eventually fell asleep.

The next day there were only six other kids. The counselors mumbled something about the missing girl, El, had gone home sick when I asked them. But one counselor said that she had strep throat, and another said she had athlete’s foot. That night, I snuck outside with the rest of the girls in my cabin to meet in the bathroom. The bathroom wasn’t divided into girls and boys, it was just the bathroom. A girl named Shauna banged on the side of a stall for attention as the boys streamed in. “A girl named El has disappeared last night, this place has no online status, and Jana found a bloody knife under her mattress!” She gestured at me. The boy with sand-colored hair stood up. “My name is Rick, and I think we should investigate the woods.” Murmurs spread across the echoey walls. Shauna glanced around the room. “I think that Rick is right. I also think that El was murdered. All in favor of looking in the forest, say ‘aye.’ All who want to stay here say ‘oh.’” Ayes spread across the room. Five minutes later, we were heading toward to woods. I was even scarier at night and it seemed like red eyes were following us through the shadows. When a twig snapped beneath someone’s feet, I almost stabbed Shauna with the knife that was under my mattress. I had brought it for protection. Suddenly I turned around. “Hey guys--”

Nobody was there.

I panicked. In the distance, I saw a tall man with an old-fashioned hockey mask. I ran. He chased me.

He was faster.

Gosta Dagg: Eighth Grade

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This residence contains several instances of supernatural creatures, classified as Class A Spooks in accordance with the Alaska State Department of Ghouls & Frights. Do not approach the residence unless specifically given permission by the AKSDGF, under guideline §13.666. These “Spooky Skeletons,” as they are commonly referred to, are well known for their tendencies to frighten unsuspecting passersby and go bump in the night. DO NOT GO NEAR THIS RESIDENCE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10:00 P.M. AND 6:00 A.M. AKDT.

This is imperative for your safety, as there has been at least one instance of this creature shocking a middle-aged woman, whose name will not be revealed as to protect her privacy, almost to death. When she woke up a week later in the hospital, all she could say was “Binky” and “He’s back”. There was another incident in which two teenage boys, whom we shall call “Billy” and “Peter” for purposes of this notice, attempted to enter the residence, presumably for entertainment purposes. Billy left the dwelling with his right index finger missing, and Peter with two large teeth marks, seemingly from fangs, across his neck. Both boys never spoke of the house again, presumably in an attempt to forget the events that transpired, so we may perhaps never know what truly happened that fateful night.

Dr. Frank E. Steinberg

Alaska State Department of Ghouls and Frights

Jacob Brooks: 11th Grade

“Horror in the Cold”

No one had the slightest clue what might be happening. No one knew anything at all.

A fog setting in around the mountain was hardly unusual for the season, but this was hardly typical fog. Locals were being held back by the police as they swarmed around the scene. The officers didn’t know what it was, but they knew that the public probably shouldn’t touch it. Nothing could be done about seeing, though. The light inside the fog was visible for miles.

One distraught woman was being held back; Mrs. Klein was her name. She was crazy eyed with a mess on her head, shouting through tears at the lawmen holding her off. “They went in! They’re there!” Poor Mrs. Klein screamed. She had sworn that her sons went to the mountain and never returned, and was demanding someone enter the harrowing fog to find them.

The police had been hesitant about the display, thinking that it may be a prank or just an odd weather event. Their minds changed when a dozen missing persons were called in, all lost in the same place. A respected, mustachioed man called Officer Billings had volunteered to check earlier, but it had been twenty minutes and he never exited, never radioed.

Mrs. Klein was hardly the only one being held back too. One man was shouting about his daughter and her friend, who were apparently sledding here not two hours ago, yet vanished as soon as the fog set in. A teenager was frantically telling a keeper of the peace how her boyfriend was dared to go in and when he didn’t return, his friend followed and now neither boy as accounted for. The most frightened of all was a sweet little boy named Ethan, who cried as he described his little brother wandering in to see the big lights and how his father chased after the boy and now all he had was his disheveled mother clinging to him.

No one there could say for certain what the sounds coming from the mountain of nightmares were. It was almost musical sometimes, having this strange and alien melody which overlapped with what sounded like screams. There was electricity sizzling sometimes as well, always coinciding with the smell of fire. Most terrifying was when there was no sound and all that could be heard was the shrieking of people who didn’t know if those they loved had been swallowed by the terrible fog.

The pushing and withholding went on for awhile before some final relenting on behalf of law enforcement. One officer draped in a parka, ski mask, and goggles volunteered to enter. The noise was getting louder. So, so loud…

A winch was attached to his waist just in case and the covered officer walked to the misty light show on the mountain. One step, two, three… The whole community watched in anticipation as he entered the fog and shrieked with horror when the winch shattered like glass behind him.

The panic had spread to the police now and things started to unravel as the fragile order started breaking. People pushed through the barriers as the distraught police tried to process what had just happened to their comrade.

Mrs. Klein was the first to rush into the fog, screaming the names of her young. Other parents, friends, siblings and others rushed in while others held back with fear. Some police even went in, wanting to find the man in the parka or protect the people entering.

The chaos went on for just five minutes as so many people rushed into the mist and light. The screaming and music would end eventually and only then would the real terror finally show itself to what remained of that little community of worriers.

The fog rescinded, raised to the sky as if summoned by the angels, but what was left must have been placed by their enemies.

The mountain that once stood there was gone. All gone. The ground around it was purple and smelled of sulfur and smoke. Those standing the closest fell over in sickness, unable to stand the wretched air. A great monolith stood in the middle, red entirely with a distinct electrical charge atop it. The sizzling continued but to a purpose no one could say.

Of course, these horrors were pedestrian, almost comical when compared to what was in clearest view. Scared Mrs. Klein, brave Officer Billings, sweet Ethan’s little brother and everyone else who dared to wander inside was there, right there, still as could be. Their faces were frozen, frozen in some unsettling covenant of wonder and horror. Their skin was so cold, yet smooth, like fresh statues. Their arms, their legs, then heads, nothing would move, nothing could move.

Emergency workers and paramedics were rushed to the wretched scene as quickly as they could be contacted. Altered land aside, there were people who needed help. The workers did their best to lift them, to move them, but there was no moving, there was no leaving.

The government closed off the whole area around the monolith and informed people that their loved ones were dead. A fortress was erected around the monolith and almost daily, scientists, architects, demolitionists and others could be seen entering in the morning and leaving at night, never even cracking the tower from elsewhere.

There was never an explanation from the government, from the military, the police or anyone else. The town was expected to continue as if their land and friends hadn’t been stolen by a horror they would never understand.

Over time the scientists gave up. The army followed suit and the curious and mindful after that. The area was shut down and the events were ruled an accident. Life went on as best as it could, but fear remained. Fear of the monolith, fear of what placed it and fear of the wretched fog.

Jack McDonald: 10th Grade

“The hospital”

I wake up and open my eyes to see a hospital room. I don’t remember why I’m here so I cautiously get up and move around. I’m not bandaged and I don’t see any scars or stitches so I must be fine. I look around the room and think to myself, “why am I here?” I notice that aren’t any windows and the light is very dim so it’s incredibly difficult to see. The room suddenly seems very small and I start to feel claustrophobic. A sense of dread creeps into my stomach and I want to leave. I walk over to the door and reach for the handle half expecting it to be locked. As I open the door, I have a brief moment of relief until I see that the hallway is very dark.

The dim light from the room illuminates a few feet into the hallway and I step out into it hoping to see a nurse or someone. I look around the hallway, to my left at the very end I think I see something moving. I walk toward it and call out “hello?” with no response. It stopped moving and for a moment I thought someone heard me. It starts to move I my direction and the sense of dread hanging in me fades away.

It quickly returns as I see that whatever is coming towards me isn’t a human, or rather, it’s not one human. I back up and that thing speeds up and rolls into the light. Horrified I ran in the other direction and without light to guide me, I ran straight into a wall. It’s pitch black. I scramble to get to my feet before it reaches me. Despite my efforts it smashes into my leg. I yell out in pain and surprise. I pull my leg out from under the wet mass of corpses connected by bloody issue and begin to run again to try to find a way out of this awful place.

I run with my arms held out in front of me this time so I won’t hit a wall with my face again. Of course this isn’t a foolproof way of getting around and I trip over something soft. My mind racing I get up to find it. I pick it up hoping to have found a weapon of some sort. I nearly vomit as I touch something cold and wet that I assume to be a detached limb. I left out an audible gasp and keep running. I feel something running down my face and think I’m bleeding from my nose. I reach up to touch it and my nose bursts with pain. I must have broken it. The thing is still following me and I hit a wall again, although I manage to stay on my feet this time. I look to my left to see a faint red glow. I run to it, recognizing it to be an exit sign.

I nearly jump with joy as I reach the end of the hallway. I hold out my hands expecting a handle of some kind and am sorely disappointed to not find one. In tears, I hear the steady thumping of whatever that creature is rolling over itself to get me. In desperation I look to the walls and to the right in the red glow of the meaningless exit sign is see what appears to be a doorknob. Hopeful, once more I reach for the doorknob, fling it open the door and enter the room. Closing the door behind me. I hear a following thud as the creature hits the door. I lock the door and feel around for a light switch.

As I begin to calm down, feeling better for being away from whatever that creature is, the fact that it makes no noise other than moving around begins to mother me. I finally find a light switch and surprisingly, the light in the room is far brighter than I expected it to be. I look to my right and see shelves with various cleaning supplies and realize this must be a janitor’s closet. The other walls are bare and I see in the corner facing away from the wall with my knees to my chest. The gravity of my situation hits me and I quickly crawl over to a bucket and vomit. I am in what I think is a hospital with a grotesque creature made of human corpses chasing me and there are no lights save for the one in this closet and the room I woke up in. The creature is still trying to get into the room periodically slamming into the door. It startles me each time and anger wells up inside me.

I don’t know what compelled me to do it but I opened the door and attempted to strike the thing. My fist connects with a human skull and bounces off, unfazed it throws itself at me and bites me with human mouths and grabs me with human hands. Unable to escape this time I thrash about in pain. What I thought to be corpses were only arms, legs and heads. I thought I was about to die and in my mind I welcomed it wishing for nothing more than to escape this nightmare. Instead of eating me or beating me it started dragging me out of the room back into the dark hallways toward some unknown destination. I try to escape once more but it has latched on to me and will not let go. It is wet and cold and to my disdain, blood. Being dragged along I realize I have no idea how long I’ve been awake. I think it must have been at least twenty minutes but I don’t know how long I was in the closet. Suddenly it feels as though I’m being town apart and I’m in immense pain. Then everything goes dark.