Young Readers League 2017 Writing Contest

2nd place

Category 2 (ages 12-14)


Horror Houses

by Raela Jayasekara
Age 12 (Grade 7)
Blair Middle School

 

“I must have been eleven when I saw a ghost. We had just moved into a new house. I ran up the stairs to the bedrooms. I chose the one closest to the stairs, it was bigger. My sister didn’t want to have the bedroom next to the stairs. She thought it was creepy.

I was going to bed one night. I was exhausted. In my bathroom I was brushing my teeth. Everyone was downstairs. The room was cold. I felt like I was being watched. I looked down to the vent in the wall. In the bars, I saw a person. A little boy, just watching.

I remember running downstairs. My parents convinced me it was nothing, that this house was too new for ghosts. So I went to my bed and went to sleep. That night I heard the stairs creaking like someone was walking up them I went to investigate. Nobody. All there was, was the smell of old perfume.

I followed the scent to the basement. I went down the steps. The door closed behind me, I heard the lock click. I then heard the scream. A child’s. Then I saw the little boy. He said to help him. His name was Thomas and he needed help. A ghostly figure appeared behind him. A woman. Thomas screamed. I pounded on the door and was relieved to hear my mother’s murmurs and footsteps.

That morning we were watching television. “Horror Houses” was on. lt was talking about a house where an old woman lived. She lured children into her house and killed them. A little boy was one of her victims. A picture of her room went on the screen, it was my bedroom.


Contest info: In 300 words or less, tell a ghost story.

Special thanks to our judges:  Allison Hill (Vromans); Shauna Redmond, Jean Penn, Leela Perea, Robin Reidy and Rosa Cesaretti (Pasadena Public Library).

Copyedited by Faith Malicdem, Teen Blog Assistant


To view more stories from the contest, view the list:  http://pasadena-library.net/kids/2017/ghost-story-contest-winners/