This Halloween, our students traded tricks for treats of the literary kind! We challenged our "Growing Taller" and "Reaching for the Sky" writers to craft terrifying tales. Compare the fantastic examples below to see how targeted skills build from foundational scares to masterful horror.
✨ Skills We're Celebrating in This Story: "A Hike Gone Wrong" By Cara.
- Atmosphere & Mood: Crafting a setting that shifts from peaceful to terrifying.
- "Show, Don't Tell": Using sensory details and character reactions to convey emotion.
- Suspenseful Pacing: Building tension step-by-step to keep the reader engaged.
- The Twist: Delivering a surprising and clever ending that redefines the story.
Every Sunday, Mia liked to go hiking in the nature reserve near her home. She loved to take photographs of insects and animals. She wanted to find the elusive golden green carpenter bee, but her mum told her “Mia Andreson. Remember not to climb to the top of the mountain, you're already playing with fire being out there on your own.” Mia nodded, and immediately ran out the door with her bag.
She looked up and saw the mountain reaching for the sky. While walking up the trails, Mia got entranced by all the wild life and beautiful views. Losing track of time, she had followed a boar family until there was a loud crack of thunder. The sky was moody with crying clouds and deafening winds. Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she saw a cave at the top of the mountain. She ran inside feeling grateful she had found shelter.
Dark and shadowy, the cave was full of cobwebs and dust. Mia coughed. She walked deeper inside out of curiosity. Mia loved exploring. While looking around, Mia thought she heard a strange humming sound coming through the walls. She thought, “Hmm that's weird, maybe I’m just hearing things”. She pressed her ear up against the cave wall. Suddenly, she felt the wall give way and she rolled over into a chamber. Patting the dust off her body, she looked around and saw many antique looking machinery. There were many wires running above her head and some flashing bulbs. It felt like she was in 1920’s. Mia felt slightly uneasy but it also seemed cool.
Mia started pushing all kinds of buttons until a tall shadow loomed over her. A shiver went down her spine. She turned around in fear. Standing in front of her was a green skinned monster. Its face had stitches oozing with black blood. On both sides of its head, two metal rods stuck out. It let out an ear splitting groan. Its breath smelled like rotten fish. Mia fainted.
Mia woke up to the sound of lightning striking. She felt distressed. She tried to get up but found herself taped into a chair. She screamed for help but no one could hear or help her. She heard thumping footsteps coming towards her. It was the green monstrosity. Stopping right in front of Mia, it lifted a small cracked mirror to her face. Mia screamed in horror. She looked like she had been experimented on. Bandages on her arms and scars on her neck.
That's when she heard it speak for the first time. Proudly, it boomed “Welcome home my wife, Miss Frankenstein!”
✨ Skills We're Celebrating in This Story: "The First Howl" by Beau.
- Masterful Foreshadowing: Seamlessly planting clues that make the shocking ending feel inevitable.
- Literary Imagery: Using sophisticated similes and metaphors to create vivid, cinematic scenes.
- Controlled Pacing: Expertly shifting the tone from peaceful, to eerie, to horrifying.
- Thematic Twist: Crafting an ending that is both terrifying and darkly humorous, adding depth to the horror.
One cool summer evening, Luca and his parents went camping in the nature reserve outside their little town. Excited, Luca had packed his bag with a frisbee, sunscreen and a box of bandages. Arriving just before dusk, Luca went to explore before darkness fell. The sky had canvas brush strokes of lavender and gold. Through fluffy clouds, he watched as a fish eagle plummeted like a shooting star towards the rushing rapids of the river. Luca let out a gasp of astonishment as his amber eyes were glued to the scene in front of him. A draft carrying a scent of earthy tones and sweet honey grabbed his freckly nose’s attention. It was like mother nature was cooking up a storm in the kitchen. The irresistible scent pulled him deeper into the woods…
While wandering through luscious nature, something caught Luca’s eye. There were deep scratch marks on trees, strands of thick, dark fur caught on branches and bloodstains leading deeper into the woods. Suddenly, Luca heard his parents calling out for him, “Luca, come back! Dinner’s ready!” Luca turned his head towards the campsite and heard a low growl coming from his belly. “Ooh, my stomach’s rumbling! Time to eat dinner!” he thought as he sprinted back to the campsite.
At the campsite, the family enjoyed some grilled steak and hot dogs before ending off with smores. Like well fed piggies, they rolled into their tents for a good night’s sleep. At the devil’s hour, Luca jolted upright when he heard haunting howling which sounded like hellhounds on the hunt. Luca fell back asleep with cold sweat trickling down his spine.
The morning dew brought songs of sparrows welcoming Luca to a new day. Embracing the fresh daybreak air, Luca packed up his tent and all his belongings. Curiously, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted tear-dropped pawprints. Before he could react, his parents honked the car horn to get back home for the Lakers game. On the drive home, Luca complained to his parents, “My back is so itchy, it is so annoying!!!” Thinking nothing of it, Dad replied, “Don’t be such a baby young man, it’s just a mosquito bite.” Over the next couple of weeks, life returned to normal. Dreading annoyingly hard homework, dirty and smelly football socks and not showering for 3 days every week, it was the typical life of a 12-year-old.
When the night’s unblinking eye was shining its brightest a month later, Luca had been fidgeting on his bed. Suddenly, Luca stumbled to the ground. His fingers elongated and twisted into claws. His body contorted. Muscles rippling beneath his skin. Thick fur grew. Luca felt like he was being ripped away from himself. A beast had taken over. It leapt through the bedroom window and slipped into the darkness of the night…
The sound of Luca’s neighbour wailing outside his window woke him up In the morning. “Oh, my poor little FLUFFLES! Who did this to you?” she sobbed. Feeling tired and hazy, Luca got up to see what the commotion was about. Holding a dog in her arms, Luca could see it had been mangled. Guts were dangling from its belly, an eyeball was hanging out its socket by a thread and its neck had been ripped. Luca winced. In shock, he retreated backwards into his room from the windowsill and stepped onto something unfamiliar. Looking down, he saw a red collar with a dog tag. Luca licked his thumb and slowly wiped the blood off the tag. Letter by letter, it gradually revealed “Fluffles”. Luca felt like was going to throw up. He started sweating profusely and the room started spinning.
At that moment, his parents walked into the room. “Mom… Dad… I… I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’ve done,” Luca staggered. Luca was confused because they didn’t look angry or appalled. His mom spoke first, “We see you’ve had your first meal…” and his dad followed up, “We are proud of you son, another werewolf in the family.”
✨ Skills We're Celebrating in This Story: "The Blue Light" By Alexa.
- Contemporary Voice: Crafting a relatable and authentic character through modern details and concerns.
- Strategic Pacing: Expertly building tension from a strange event to full-blown sci-fi horror.
- Visceral "Show, Don't Tell": Using powerful physical sensations to convey terror and violation.
- The Unsettling Twist: Creating horror through subtle, robotic behavior and a chilling final line that expands the story's scope.
Alex was doing his usual routine; a night-time jog in the park. Listening to his favorite pop singer, Michael Jackson, he took in a deep breath as a flowery breeze ruffled his curly blonde hair. After running a rapid 3km, Alex put his hands on his head, trying to catch his breath. With his eyes closed, he started to visualize winning his upcoming race. Unknowingly, a blue ominous light silhouetted his athletic frame.
As soon as Alex realized he was floating, he started to freak out. A split second later his things started to fall out. “Noooooo! My Airpods!” he screamed. The more things he lost the angrier he got. After losing almost everything he owned, he lost his most prized possession. His Iphone 19 pro. “NOOOOOOO! Not my Iphone, how am I supposed to post stories on my instagram, how am I supposed to reply to the comments from all of my followers?!” Alex decided enough was enough so he started screaming so loud even the other side of the country should hear him, he vowed that whoever made him lose his things would pay a price.
Alex woke up to the sound of indistinct chatter. It sounded like dolphin clicks. His body felt numb and he could barely twitch his toes. A dash of light shined on his face just bright enough to make the figures in front of him a mystery. He squinted before retaliating “Where in the Bikini Bottoms am I?” Suddenly, some inconspicuous contraption was lowered directly onto his forehead. Alex roared in fury, “What is all this about?!” Whirring and humming flooded the cold metallic room. Alex fought against the chains which pinned him to the operating table. It was no use. He felt a warm ray pulsing onto his head. It was suffocating. Slowly, Alex could feel his soul leaving his body like his life-force was being sucked by an energy hungry space demon. With the last ounce of who he is, Alex groaned “Please… Stop.” Alex grew despondent. Without a trace, Alex was gone. His eyes remained open but he would never be the same. A living corpse.
“UPLOAD COMPLETE!” a screen flashed in blue. Alex stood up. The extraterrestrial tried out his new body. He leapt out of the alien mothership and returned home. “AHH! There you are, come sit down, dinner is ready,” said his mother. With a blank expression and absolutely no blinking, Alex picked up a fork jerkily. He awkwardly held eye contact for 5 seconds before saying “Thank. You. Mother,” in a cordial tone.
The surveillance had begun.
✨ Skills We're Celebrating in This Story: "Fangs and Friends" By Stephanie.
- High-Stakes Opening: Using immediate, traumatic events to motivate a character's profound transformation.
- Psychological "Show, Don't Tell": Revealing a character's internal breakdown through specific, observable actions.
- Visceral Horror Language: Employing sharp, evocative vocabulary to create chilling and memorable imagery.
- Thematic Betrayal: Crafting an ending that is both shocking and a logically dark conclusion to the character's damning arc.
In the early morning, Lizzy sat on the old groaning bus. As her class headed to a science museum, Lizzy turned to her best friend and said “Lacy, I missed you so much after you got sent home from school yesterday.” Before Lacy could reply, the school bus lost control and crashed into a tree. Smoke blew out of the engine. Lizzy coughed violently and crawled to the emergency exit. Seconds later, the bus exploded and caught fire. Tears streamed down Lizzy’s face as her friend got burned alive.
Lizzy stumbled around the highway but no cars came along. Below a bridge, she saw a river where she could drink some water and wash all of the char off her red shiny hair. Looking around, she saw a structure in the distance. As the sun went down, the trees swayed in the cold breeze. Lizzy went inside the structure for shelter. She opened the rusted door. Creak. Chills ran down her spine. Tired from exhaustion, she collapsed onto the floorboards.
The next morning, Lizzy woke up to the sounds of a rescue team calling her name. She weakly trudged forward and screamed with a raspy voice, "I'm here.” Lizzy looked as pale as death. She went into the rescue van and was taken home. “OMG, are you alright darling?” Mom said all shocked while treating her wounds. Lizzy sat unresponsive to her mother when she was speaking to her. Lizzy didn’t blink. At dinner, mom made Lizzy’s favourite dish (beef wellington) however Lizzy didn’t eat one bite. Her eyes twitched and she scratched her nails against the table.
Hours passed and Lizzy didn’t move until 3 AM. Morbidly, she skulked down the stairs and out the door. Disappearing into the darkness, Lizzy never returned (well the one that everyone knew anyway). Her heart started to thump uncontrollably. Her eyes narrowed, veins popped. Fangs grew. Eat. Eat. Eat. Like being served on a plate, an adorable toffee brown hare was illuminated by the moonlight between 2 tall blooming trees. Eat. Eat. Eat. After a crunch of bones and shrieking, the birds fled the scene as a damned demon walked out of the woods.
As daylight approached she went back to the structure where it all began. “Reveal yourself this instant,” Lizzy stated with a renewed vigor. From the rafters, a cloud of bats flew down and transformed into vampires. Forming a circle around her, a black haired and red eyed monster spoke first. In a macabre tone he said, “Welcome home.” Lizzy wiped the blood from her face, traumatised by what she had heard and done. He continued, “You've been bitten and tasted blood so you can’t go back to your original form. Unfortunately for you. You. are. a. VAMPIRE!” announced the creature with pride. Lizzy fainted. When she woke up, she found herself lying in a casket. She got up and the leader of the nest told her, “You must go back and bring us some humans for dinner.”
Lizzy ran home and saw her mother calling the police to find her. When her mom saw her, she said “Oh darling, where have you been? I thought you had been kidnapped.”
“I left something in the woods while coming back. Is there any chance you can come with me to fetch it?” replied Lizzy.
“Okaaay…” responded her mom with concern. So they got ready and set off.
“I never thought it would be so easy to fool my mom,” Lizzy thought. They walked out the door and Lizzy’s mom followed her back to the structure. They walked into the building and down the stairs. Suddenly, Lizzy’s mom was attacked. Blood gushed. The walls were painted red. While her mom took her last breath, Lizzy laughed uncontrollably like a demon from hell.
✨ Skills We're Celebrating in This Story: "The Secret of Stillwater" by Hailei.
- Atmosphere & Relatable Conflict: Blending a real-world problem (being the new kid) with a supernatural mystery to create immediate empathy and tension.
- Strategic Pacing: Building the narrative through clear stages from setup to a fulfilling emotional resolution.
- Visceral "Show, Don't Tell": Using powerful physical sensations and detailed imagery to convey terror and make the supernatural feel real.
- Emotional Twist: Incorporating a character-driven revelation that transforms a scary ghost into a tragic figure, providing a poignant and smart conclusion.
Staring out of her parents Mercedes, Harley pretended her fingers were a figure jumping over the passing houses. “It’s ok if you feel upset,” assured her mum. Harley continued gazing out the window. The family was moving into a new home and a new city for a new life. They were moving because her dad got a new job as a Pandora sales manager. Harley felt bittersweet about the move.
Harley stood outside her new school as the bell rang. The walls were painted scarlet and white which brought a feeling of warmth. Kind of like a model on a runway, Harley felt awkward because all eyes fell on her. She then heard whispers and murmurs:
“OH MY GAWD! Did you hear about the new girl,"
"Yeah she moved into that haunted house,”
"We should stay away from her.”
Confused and saddened, Harley kept her head down after the bad start. Back home, her parents could tell she was down as she was dragging her feet across the floor. While handing Harley a bowl of spaghetti, her dad asked “Is everything alright kiddo?”
“The kids kept bullying me that this house is haunted,” replied Harley with a furious tone.
“Harley dont think about it. They are probably just playing a prank on you.” said her mum. After dinner, Harley's dad carried her up to her bedroom since she fell asleep while reading her book.
That night, rain and thunder cackled in the sky. Her room turned cold and there was a sudden bolt of lightning which lit up the space. For a split second, she thought she saw a woman with a bloody knife in her head. Harley froze in shock but after blinking a few times it was gone.
The next morning at breakfast, her parents told her it was just her imagination. “But mum there was this fetid, rotten smell in my room… like death.” Her parents rolled their eyes. “Youre gonna be late for school,” they said in unison. When she arrived, to Harley’s surprise, no one seemed to talk about her living in a haunted house. “It’s stange no one is gossiping about me anymore,” she thought to herself.
“OMG did you hear that Jake was doing graffiti drawings on the school wall?”
“Yeah, I heard about that too!”
“I never knew Jake wold do something like that, I thought he was the goodie 2 shoe boy,”whispered some girls in the corridor. Harley felt relieved she wasnt the hot topic anymore and the day continued like any other school day.
After getting home, her parents told Harley that they would be going on a date. She grinned with joy before replying, “Ok mom and dad, have fun!”. Once her parents left, she immediately catapulted herself onto the couch and took her phone out to scroll on TikTok. Hungrily, Harley ordered a BBQ pizza with a side of chicken wings and a huge coke. Realising the time was getting pretty late, she went upstairs to shower and brush her teeth. While she flossed, she heard a strange noise coming from the living room so she plodded back down to check it out. What she saw was frightening. Her mouth dropped. Eyes wide. Her breath cold like smoke. Her hands felt clammy. In front of her, floated a pale woman with water dripping from her long, muddied black hair. The apparition opened its mouth and shrieked as spiders began to crawl out over her teeth. Harley was frozen. The spirit whizzed across the room, stopping right before her face. Its neck cracked as it inspected Harley’s luscious brunette locks. Harley fainted. She had a vivid vision of a man and woman arguing after what seemed like a nice picnic. A gold hair blue eyed man picked up a cheese knife and thrust it into her skull in a fit of rage. Her limp lifeless body rolled down the river bank before being swallowed by the dark murky waters. Harley woke up with a gasp, choking like she had been drowning herself. Immediately, she scrambled to her computer and searched up “Unknown deaths in Stillwater, Minnesota”. There was an article about a woman named Mary Jenkins who had been reported missing since 2004. The photo she saw was the same woman. Harley sprinted to the police station and told the chief officer.
“Hey little kid, we don't have time for your little game ok?” he replied.
“Wait. Chief, I'll go check it out with this kiddo, if that's alright with you,” another officer said. Harley turned to see it was a much younger officer who seemed familiar.
When Harley and the officer arrived at her house, the spirit turned 180 degrees to face them. His eyes widened in shock. Strangely, the spirit’s skin then started to restore to a glowing tan colour and her hair became shiny and silky. Her green eyes came back to life on her face. Finally, she looked like a young beautiful woman again. “Mum!” the young officer exclaimed. “Mum?!” Harley thought to herself. He stepped towards her to try hug her again. “You have to move on now, I know that you have a grudge but there’s nothing that you can do about it. You have to let it go, bit by bit,” he begged with tears in his eyes. The spirit nodded with a faint smile and vanished into thin air. At the moment, Harley heard the garage door open as her parents arrived back from dinner. “Oh no.. Oh uh.. Thank you mister police man uh.. You can leave now. Uhh bye!” said Harley as she ran upstairs as fast as she could before jumping into bed and pretending to be asleep.
A few days later, she flicked on the T.V. and listened to a news reporter state that a 20 year old cold case had been solved while an older Mr. Jenkins was seen being put in handcuffs. Interviewing the young officer, he said “I couldn’t have done it without a young kiddo named Harley”. Harley’s face stretched into a satisfied smile. In the days that followed at school, students came rushing towards her from left and right to see if she wanted to be their friend.
✨ Skills We're Celebrating in This Story: "The Girl in the Glass" by Stella.
- Meaningful Symbolism: Using an object (the mirror) to represent a deeper theme of self-acceptance and truth.
- Psychological Tension: Building fear through the unsettling erosion of reality, not just through obvious scares.
- Internal Conflict: Creating a compelling villain from the main character's own guilt and self-doubt, leading to a powerful internal battle.
- Emotional Resolution: Showing character growth through a nuanced psychological victory and a symbolic final action.
Shay blew the dust off the shelves after she took off the many pictures that sat on it. It had been 5 weeks since Grandpa died, and no one in the family had bothered to clean up after him. She had just finished duct taping the boxes when she noticed a shiny shimmer in the drawers that were slightly ajar. Curiously, Shay chose to pull the antique brass knob. Inside she found a crimson red cloth which was wrapped delicately around a vintage handheld mirror. The mirror itself had gold glimmering grooves. On the back, there was an inscription in grandpa’s messy scribbles.
“Are you ready to see your true self?”
Shay rolled her eyes, knowing her grandpa had always been rather strange. She slid the reflective object into her handbag, before continuing to tidy the study room.
Life had gone on, and eventually Shay had forgotten about the family heirloom until one night, when she had been rummaging through her cabinets attempting to find her sunglasses. Noticing the reflection, what she had thought to be her sunglasses was the mirror. Somehow, Shay had forgotten about what she was looking for, and sat down transfixed on her grandpa’s strange item. For the first time, she saw herself clearly. She noticed the subtle freckle on her eyelid, the dark teal hair with messy black streaks, and her green eyes with brown specks that were weirdly similar to dried leaves. The details had felt uncanny. It was like she was looking at a replica of herself. Suddenly, Shay sneezed, but when she looked up, her reflection seemed to be delayed. Shay put down the mirror, trying to reassure herself she was just tired. When she threw it on her bed, it slowly slipped off. Glass shattered everywhere. Shay groaned, grabbing the broom from the laundry room.
The next morning, Shay had been late for school, as she had overslept. Sitting at her vanity half awake, she reached for her lipstick, yet her fingers felt nothing but air. She opened her eyes and saw a vacant spot where it used to be. “What?” she muttered, looking around. After a few seconds, Shay smothered on a random shade and left in frustration.
On the weekends, Shay usually liked to get together with her friends at the mall.
“Hey!” she giggled, hugging her friend.
“Where’s your other friend?” Michelle questioned, looking around.
“Huh..?” Shay replied in confusion.
“Your friend’s not coming?”
“What friend?”
“Seriously? You don’t remember?” her friend huffed.
“Seriously, I don’t remember,” Shay insisted.
Michelle gave up and sighed, she linked arms with Shay and began to walk. What was happening? Shay bit her lip as she matched speeds with Michelle. Shay felt like she was in an alternative universe, out of place and just plain strange. Something was not right, but Shay couldn’t figure it out… Maybe it was just a simple mistake from her friend.
Many strange things proceeded to happen. From misplaced mugs to randomly eaten snacks, things were all over the place. Shay felt like she was losing grip on reality. To get out of her funk, she decided to celebrate end of her mid-term tests with her friends (although she doubted her results) at the movies. She stood promptly in front of the gate, and every few seconds she would check her phone for any messages. Minutes went by, and she was sure the advertisements would have already been over. Impatiently, Shay snuck into the cinema room, trying not to disturb anyone. Her jaw dropped when she noticed her friends giggling and sharing popcorn in the middle row. She looked closely and spotted someone strangely familiar. The teal hair and green eyes, and worst of them all, “Is that… my favourite pair of sneakers?” she gasped. That’s when she realised, she was looking at herself. The imposter tilted her head as she locked eyes with Shay. A smile so sinister it sent shivers down her spine. Shay’s hand went loose, popcorn spilling as she sprinted out the room. Her head twirled and spun.
That night, Shay laid on her bed, tracing out the cracks on the ceiling. The door cracked open, floorboards creaking. Shay froze. No one lived with her. She shot up and saw it. Her twin. Her doppelganger. The girl who had been slowly destroying her life. Moments went by as they shared eye contact. Shay not daring to move. Shay opened her mouth, but no sound came out. This copy was mimicking her, its mouth also hung wide. The tension in the air suffocated Shay. Her mouth slowly opened again, before she got cut off by a shrill and horrifying laugh. Her doppelganger cackled like a witch.
“You’re…” Shay stammered.
“Oh, yes…” The doppelgänger replied with fake sympathy in her voice.
“Yes… I am Shay, aren’t I?” they continued, while creeping towards her. The room had become a pathetic shell of itself, eerie and cold. Shay stepped back, horror filling her body. Before she knew it, her own copy was right in front of her. With a sudden movement, the doppelgänger firmly pressed her finger on Shay’s forehead, all while having a wicked smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Grandpa?” Shay quietly whispered, confusion and worry washing over her like a waterfall. As Shay tried to move, voices whispered in her head.
“Grandpa probably hates you, how could you choose yourself over him?” one cracked.
“I would be ashamed of how you lied,” another chimed in.
“You can’t run away.”
“It’s- That’s not true! I did…!” Shay protested, although even she was unsure. Shay ran down the empty nothingness she saw, as more doppelgängers chased her, evilly making horrifying remarks.
“Dishonesty is what leads you to your doom.”
“Swallow your disgusting pride already.”
“You arrogant little girl…”
Shay felt as if she was running for eternity. Eventually, her breath went minty and her lungs gasped for air. She gave up. Tumbling over and lying on the emptiness, the voices got louder.
“Giving up? Grandpa hates you because of this.”
“He does.” Shay steadily replied.
“You’re nothing.”
“I might be.”
“Your pride killed you.”
“It did.”
Shay opened her eyes and saw her grandpa peeking over at her as she laid on grass. His cheerful smile made Shay’s heart go warm. As she tried to speak, she realised this was simply just a memory, and she couldn’t control it.
“Grandpa, get out.” she insisted.
“Why are you lying down like this?” he asked.
“I’m doing whatever. Get out.” she retorted.
Suddenly everything clicked. Shay couldn’t control her past, but she could control how she felt. She slowly rose, before falling back down in defeat.
“Look Shay, it's you!” Grandpa said with an excited smile, holding a familiar mirror.
“Go away.” she pleaded.
“This mirror is special!” Grandpa continued, holding it in front of Shay. “It tells you to accept yourself...even your flaws!” Before she knew it, Shay had gained back her strength and the doppelgängers then smoothly merged, twisting and spiralling back into Shay’s heart. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Back in her room, Shay blew the dust off the shelves. But this time, she propped the now uncracked mirror on top.
“Thanks, Grandpa,” she whispered.
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