Halloween Writting Contest Entry
The following story was submitted as an entry in The Wanderer's third annual Halloween Writing Contest.
"Horizon of Doom" by Olivia Silva
Look and see nothing. The air surrounding me is a dense layer of fog in the middle of Buzzards Bay. The only light is the full moon above. Ah, yes, it was only a meek dare given in broad daylight. Unbeknownst to me that I would be lost at sea on an eerie Halloween night in a small Herreshoff 12. Mind you, I am only 13. The seas are rough and the wind is howling. I ask myself, "Will I survive the night?" No compass, no radio, and no means of returning safely: a recipe for disaster.
I approach something strange and out of the ordinary. It must be a rock, or some sort of landmass. There is a sudden chill in the air and the hair on the nape of my neck raises. "It appears to be a shipwreck," I think to myself "but that definitely is not realistic. I must be hallucinating." The tall ship masts are towering above my small little one. The moon illuminates the ghastly sails. If I am thinking logically, which I'm having a hard time trying to do, there must be some extra rations left on board. I sail up to the tall ship and step cautiously onto the deck. The name of the boat is the Horizon of Doom. The name didn't appear to be trustworthy, but any supplies at this point would be appreciated.
I was looking around the cabin and I heard a sound. It was like a clacking sound. I quickly turned around and saw nothing but a shadow. As I peered around a doorway something grabbed me. This man had a pallid complexion and was adorned in dripping blood and saltwater. "How dare you step you foot on my ship, yeh filthy mortal!" he shrieked in a raspy voice. "I was just looking for food and maybe a compass." All of a sudden more and more men surrounded me in their gruesome appearance. "Yeh think yeh can get away with stealing food from me ship without bein caught? We are cursed; we can never die. Every Halloween we come from the murky waters below. Now, how should we punish you? Before we do so, what is ye name?" With all of the courage I could muster at the moment, I replied, "My name is Zoe Cray. I demand you let me sail off in my boat at once! I can fend for myself! I don't need your tainted food." The crowd laughed as I struggled against the captain, who was holding a knife. "Ok, fine. I will let you go. As a punishment you will become a rat every Halloween night. Get off my bloody boat! Go!" I hurried off the tall ship and scrambled to raise the sails of my little boat.
After hours of sailing I washed up on Ned's Point. "Land! I am alive! Sadly I couldn't go trick or treating, but there is always next year." I trekked all the way to the Kinsale Inn to spend the night. I am assigned the room on the top floor, the haunted room. "Is there any way I can get any other room than the haunted room?" I ask nervously. "I am sorry Miss, it is the only one available. I guarantee that that room isn't haunted. Here is your key to room three." "Thank you!" I replied.
I ran up the creaky stairs into my room, took a hot shower, and when I came out I noticed the chair was moved. I knew it wasn't possible, the nice man said it wasn't haunted. I quickly fell asleep. "What was that?" I awakened to a bang. The closet door was slammed shut. I went to open it and standing right there in front of me was a zombie. The zombie reeked of decaying corpses and wore clothes with more holes than you can imagine. He raised his hand as though to grab me, and it was all bone, no skin. He was so hideous I screamed and slammed the door on him. I ran as fast as possible out of my room, down the stairs, through the pub, and out the door. The Center School Halloween Parade is now passing by. The fog is going away, so I might as well set sail for home. By the time I reached Ned's Point the fog was completely gone. I set sail once again, but this time I can see where I am going. Finally, I reach the beach.
A short walk up the road, and I am standing at my back door. I open the door to see Aaron, Jennifer, and Lilly. "Hahahaha! You should have seen your face! How did you like your Halloween prank?" It was my friends all along. "How did you do that?" I ask. "Easy. There was a shipwreck earlier this week on Strawberry Point. Aaron dressed up as the pirate, and I made copies of him with my computer. Aaron was the real pirate, and Jennifer and I were hiding in the background doing computer graphics. I was the zombie in your room," explained Lilly.
What a surprise! As tired as I was I wanted to hear the whole story. We were up until dawn discussing the most exciting (and scary) Halloween ever. Lucky us, this all happened on Saturday so we had Sunday to recuperate. Monday morning came, and we had the best Halloween story the 8th grade has ever heard.