Perfect weather brought out the young and the young at heart to the second annual cranberry harvest at “The Bogs” on Acushnet Road in Mattapoisett, a Buzzards Bay Coalition property. The retired bog acreage is slowly returning to meadows and woodlands. But for now cranberries continue to grow giving the do-it-yourself harvester a chance to enjoy nature’s bounty.

Here it is: The last story in our Halloween Story Contest. To continue the suspense just a little further, we won’t tell you who won until after this story, where there is also a list of all the authors. Thank you to everyone who entered!

The Wanderer will also be holding a special Facebook Halloween photo contest next week. Submit your best Halloween photo to: support@wanderer.com by November 2; don’t forget your name and contact information. All the photos submitted will be displayed on Facebook where you can vote for your favorites. The top three photos will win gift certificates to local restaurants. See The Wanderer Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wanderer for more details.

 

To read the first week’s stories Click Here 

To read the second week’s stories Click Here 

 

Halloween Story Contest #13

The Maze

I just love this time of year. The cool “Hoodie” weather, the colorful leaves on the trees, the smell of pumpkin and apple and of course that fresh, crisp, fall breeze! It is my favorite time of year indeed! Everything in town is decorated for Halloween. The shops have their harvesty window displays set up, the town has lights and fall decor strung up in the center. Even the houses that are close by have their spooky sceneries out as well.

Halloween is a big “to-do” in our small farm town. We have a ton of festivities that go on during the day. There is face painting, pumpkin carving, costume contests and special crafts for the kids. There is a small Halloween parade followed with trick o’ treating and then a big bonfire where they give out hot chocolate and apple cider to warm us up at the end of the night. I’m heading over to the hayride, as we speak. Last year the hayride brought you from the center of town, through the woods and then dropped you off at the bonfire but this year is different. This year the hayride picks you up in the center of town, takes the path through the woods and drops you off at the new 10 Acre Corn Maze. You walk through the corn maze with a group and when you are done the hayride picks you up and brings you over to the bonfire! It should be a fun night!!

“Ember!! We’re over here!” Jenna called out and waved to get my attention.

She was waiting for me at the back of the hayride line with her boyfriend Drew, his brother Jake and Jake’s girlfriend Lily. Jenna is my best friend. We have grown up together and have always been inseparable. Everyone always asks if we’re sisters because we look a lot alike. Except for the fact that Jenna has red, wavy hair with green eyes and I have dark, wavy hair with blue eyes.

As I walk over to them she says, “We’re the last group to go!!”

“Good thing I made it!!” I answered.

We were standing in line behind six boys that go to our school. They are seniors just like us. Finally, the man driving the tractor climbed off and came around to the back of the hayride, he folded the steps down and called out,

“All Aboard!!”

The group of boys in front of us climbed up on the hayride first and sat near the back so they would be the first to climb off. Jenna, Drew, Jake, Lily and I climbed on last and walked to the front of the hayride to sit. When we were all sitting the man got back on his tractor and started to drive. We talked about randomness on our ride over there and after about ten minutes we arrived at the front of the maze. He pulled the tractor right up to the entrance. After he shut off the tractor he climbed down, walked to the back of the ride and folded down the steps to let us all off. After we all climbed off, we formed a line at the entrance of the maze, the man walked over toward us and announced:

“Happy Halloween Everyone!! My name is Ben. This is my family’s farm. It has gone from generation to generation and now to me. After a lot of consideration I decided to open it up to the public with this new Halloween treat. I hope you all enjoy my hard work! You are the last two groups to walk through the brand new maze!! It is five dollars a person and you can deposit your money into the cash box that is right over there attached to the bottom of the rule board. Speaking of the rule board, Make sure to read it before entering the maze! Okay, on that note make sure to stay with your selected group and do not dilly-dally! The maze should take about 60-90 minutes tops to walk through. It is 7:25pm right now and the hayride pulls out at precisely 9:00pm sharp! However, if you happen to miss the ride you can take that path over there through the woods. It will take you about twenty minutes or so to walk it but it will bring you right out at the bonfire!”

Ben folded up the steps and climbed onto his tractor. As he pulled away he yelled, “Make sure to stay on the main path, you wouldn’t want to get lost in the dark on All Hallows Eve with the ghosts and goblins out there!!”He laughed and laughed as he drove away.

“Okay then!” I said with a chuckle.

Jenna laughed out loud and raised her eyebrows.

Drew added in, ”We wouldn’t want that now would we!”

The group that was in front of us had already gone in. Jenna, Drew, Jake, and Lily deposited their money and then started looking over the rule board. Drew read aloud: “The rules are as followed:

Enter at your own Risk!

1) Stay with your group or corn buddy! (You don’t want to chance getting lost alone!)

2) Stay on the main path at all times! (No cutting through the corn!)

3) Make sure to bring a flashlight! (It can get really dark at night, especially if it is cloudy!)

4) Do NOT pick, throw or damage the corn! (You may eat it but for survival purposes only! It doesn’t taste that great raw!)

5) NO running and NO horseplay! (The ground is uneven and you may fall and get hurt!)

6) NO climbing on any of the props! (We don’t want you to have to replace them!)

7) NO littering!! (There are trash barrels provided!)

8) NO pets!! (Service animals are exempt!)

9) NO smoking, NO alcohol use, and NO inappropriate behavior!!

10) Most of all, HAVE FUN!!

“Okay! Are we ready!!” Jenna exclaimed.

“Yes! Let’s go!!” Lily said enthusiastically.

Jenna and Lily took their flashlights out of their bags and put them into their sweatshirt pockets. Now they have them ready when needed. I had a small LED light with a clip that I hooked to my belt loop. Jenna hooked her arm in Drew’s and pulled him along. Jake grabbed Lily’s hand and followed them into the maze. I pulled my five dollars out of my pocket, deposited it into the cash box and trailed along behind them.

“Come on corn buddy!!” Jenna called out to me.

“Ya, let’s follow the yellow corn road!” Drew said with a chuckle.

“Ya Em, Embrace the cornyness!!” Lily said with a laugh.

We all laughed as we walked down the curvy path. As we weaved in and out, we passed all the Halloween decor that they had scattered about. There were pumpkins and gourds all placed along the edge of the corn path, Skeletons and Scarecrows propped up high, and fake spider webs with big fake spiders strung across the top of the corn stalks. The dusk has just about settled and it is getting pretty dark, now.

“Flashlight time!!” Jenna pointed out.

Jenna took her flashlight out of her pocket and flicked it on. Lily took hers out as well, faced it down at the path and turned it on too. As I fiddled with the clip on my flashlight I had to slow down a bit. As I attempted to unhook it from my belt loop I walked right into someone.

“Ugh. Sorry!” I gasped as I looked up to see who I bumped into.

It was a boy about my age. He was tall and slim with shaggy dark hair and dark eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt.

“That’s ok. Are you alright?” He asked in a deep calm voice.

“Uh… Ya… I’m fine… Thanks… Um… Are you lost?” I stumbled out.

“Actually, kind of. I got split up from my friends.” He answered.

“Well you can walk with us if you want.” I said.

“Uh, your friends won’t mind?” He asked.

“No, they won’t mind. Oh, by the way, I’m Ember.” I said with a smile.

“Ok, cool. I’m Hunter.” He replied.

Jenna, Drew, Jake and Lily were all stopped up ahead at a fork. As Hunter and I walked over to them, they were discussing which way we should go. I introduced Hunter and explained his situation. They didn’t mind him tagging along at all.

“Which way should we go?” Lily asked.

“I don’t know!” Jenna answered.

“What do you think Hunter?” Drew asked.

“Well, we had the same issue in my group. So, we played rock, paper, scissors and whoever lost would go one way and the group would go the other and we’d hopefully meet up in the end at some point. So as you can see, I lost, and I also chose the direction that just turns you around, so, ya.”

“Okay, Right it is!” Jake exclaimed.

We all walked down the right side path. It was getting kind of creepy the further in we went. However, the moon was full and the stars where bright so that gave off some extra light to work with. As we continued on along the path we checked out all the decor and props they had strung about. The skeletons were looking pretty real and I could have sworn I saw a scarecrow move. The cob webs and spiders where looking awfully real as well. Lily actually screamed as one brushed her side. Jake said it was probably motorized, just to freak people out. It is Halloween after all. We came up to a wooden bridge that led over a small stream. It was really pretty the way the moon light hit the water. We all crossed the creaky, old bridge to the other side.

“Check this out!!” Drew yelled.

“What is that! Animal heads?” Jenna asked.

“It is a totem pole.” Jake chimed in.

“That’s pretty cool.” Lily said.

There was a tall totem pole that had animal faces carved into it. It was standing on the right side of the bridge. Everyone checked it out and continued up the path. I hung back and took a quick look at it. It was really detailed. As I turned toward the path to catch up to my friends I heard rustling in the leaves behind me. I spun around and shined my flashlight in the direction of the noise but there wasn’t anything in sight.

“Em, Catch up, slow poke!” Jenna called out.

I jumped and ran towards the group. Jenna and Drew were up front, Jake and Lily were walking behind them holding hands and I was now walking next to Hunter. We continued along laughing and joking with one another, having a great time. We pointed out the scenery and all the creepy, life-like things along the way. I talked with Hunter and he told me he lived with his grandparents and younger sister on the outskirts of town. I told him how I lived in the center of town with my mom. As we walked on I heard the rustling noise again, except this time Hunter heard it too. We slowed down and examined the area that we heard the noise come from. I saw something move behind the husks but as soon as I flashed the light in its direction it was gone! Hunter and I glanced at each other and said, “Creepy” simultaneously. Then we both burst out with laughter. As we spun around to continue down the path we bumped right into someone. It was a tall, pale man just standing there glaring at us!

“Oh my gosh!” I gasped.

“Excuse us!” Hunter snapped.

The man was wearing a black suit with a black top hat and he was just standing there. As I went to walk around him he grabbed my arm.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” I asked accusingly.

An older woman wearing an off-white gown stepped out from behind him and then I really started to panic.

“Let go of my arm!!” I pleaded.

“Leave her alone!” Hunter demanded.

The others heard Hunter yell and ran over to us.

“What is going on!” Jenna asked confused.

The man pulled me closer and whispered, ”Beware the maze on All Hallows Eve. Things in here are not what they seem. There are many things you won’t believe. They’re not just another Halloween Theme.”

At that point Hunter wedged himself between me and the tall man.

“Let go of her!!” He snapped.

The man stared at Hunter and then he finally let go of my arm. As I backed away from them the woman looked at Hunter and said, “You must lead them out of here, the others are attracted to their fear, you need to put out the flame, this is not a game!”

“What are they talking about?” I whispered to Hunter.

“I don’t know! Let’s get out of here!” Hunter said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me away from them.

“What is going on!?” Jenna asked.

“I don’t know, those people are crazy.” I muttered.

“What did they want?” Drew inquired.

“For us to get out of here.” Hunter assumed.

We all ran up the path and when I glanced back toward the older couple they were gone. We were all a bit shook up, so we kept up a fast, steady pace. As we walked along I kept thinking I heard something following us, but every time I glanced back there wasn’t anything there. After a few more minutes of walking we came up to another fork in the pathway.

“Great.” I mumbled.

“I think we should continue going right.” Jake said.

“That’s worked so far.” Lily agreed.

“OK, let’s go!” Jenna exclaimed.

We all headed up the right hand path when all of a sudden a big, ragged, wolf-like dog jumped out in front of us. It was drooling, growling and snapping at us. Jenna and Lily screamed and ran back the other way. Drew and Jake ran after them. I turned to run but tripped on a root of some sort. As I scrambled to get to my feet the wolf-like dog came bolting at me. I thought I was a goner but just at that moment Hunter tackled the wolf-like dog to the ground!

“RUN!” he screamed!

As Hunter fended it off, I ran back down the path towards the others. When I was far enough away from the wolf-like dog’s immediate reach, I stopped to see if Hunter was okay. He came running right towards me yelling,

“Go, Go!!”

Knowing he was okay, I continued running toward my friends that had run down the left had path. When we were all far enough away we stopped to catch our breath!

“I think it’s gone!” I said breathlessly, then I asked Hunter, “Are you okay?”

“Ya. I’m fine. I just got a small rip in my sweatshirt!” He said.

“Too bad, That’s a nice one. Especially with that fuzzy hood!!” I said with a smile.

Hunter laughed and said, “Hush! I like my black fuzzy hood!”

“We need to get out of here, now, in case that dog comes back!” Jenna pressed.

“Ya, especially since this place is getting creepier by the minute!” Drew said while gesturing up ahead.

“What is that? A lighthouse?” Lily asked curiously.

“No. I think it is some kind of watchtower.” Hunter replied.

We all walked up towards the small path that led to the tower.

“It’s a sign.” said Jenna. Then she read it aloud:

“Beware on All Hallows Eve,

There are things you may not believe!

Do not disturb the keeper of the tower,

He waits up above until the witching hour!

He watches for the veil between worlds to become thin,

Then he lights up the flame to attract the ghosts and goblins!

He stays up all night to keep the fire burning,

In hopes to keep them here so they’ll be gone by morning!”

“Creepier and Creepier!” I said aloud.

“I agree! Let’s get out of here!” Hunter said as he hooked his arm in mine and steered me away from the watchtower. Jenna and Drew walked over toward the path were Hunter and I were standing.

“Is that a light up there?” Lily asked, as she pointed to the top of the tower.

“Yes. Yes, it is. I say we get out of here while we can, Lily!” Jenna exclaimed.

“Alright, Let’s go!!” Jake insisted as he grabbed Lily’s hand and pulled her toward the rest of us.

We basically power walked until we stopped short at a three-way fork.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I spat.

“Any ideas?” Jake questioned.

I spun around to look at everyone and answered, “I don’t know. What do you guys think?”

They all stood quietly staring behind me.

“What now!” I growled between clenched teeth.

I slowly turned around and saw a little girl standing at the top of the right hand path. She had to be around seven years old. She was very pale and had on a blue, frilly dress with a matching blue bow in her dark hair.

“Okay. Now what?” Lily asked rhetorically.

“Why would there be a random little girl, in the middle of a corn maze, alone, in the dark??” Jenna pondered out loud.

“Okay. Let’s think about this for a minute. Maybe she is just part of the maze’s charm!” Drew suggested.

After watching us for a bit, the little girl pointed to the middle path.

“Are you trying to tell us to go down the middle path? Does that lead to the end of the maze?” I asked the little phantom girl.

She didn’t answer, she just continued to point toward the middle path. As we discussed what we should do, something started walking out of the shadows from behind the little girl.

“Oh my gosh! Not again!” Jenna cried as she backed up.

It was the scary, wolf-like dog from earlier. As the dog came up alongside the little girl, she put her hand on its head and it just sat right down next to her glaring at all of us.

“Should we take the middle path?” Hunter asked.

The little phantom girl just stared at Hunter for a minute and then she nodded her head yes.

“I say let’s go for it! It’s better than standing around here!” Jake pointed out.

As we started to walk toward the middle path, I glanced toward the phantom girl and realized that she looked rather frightened. She slowly started backing away while pointing in the direction of the left hand path and the wolf-like dog started snarling in that same direction. I turned to see what was frightening them and saw a masked figure standing at the top of the path!

“Guys!!!” I called out and then gestured in the direction of the left hand path.

They all looked to see what I was gesturing at and saw the masked figure!

“RUN!!” Hunter yelled.

Hunter grabbed my hand and we all bolted toward the middle path as fast as we could! I glanced over to where the little girl was standing but she was gone! We continued to run as fast as our legs could go, Jenna and Drew where right behind us and Lily and Jake where right behind them. The masked figure continued to chase us down the path. He was right behind us laughing hysterically. All of a sudden I heard Lily scream!!

“He’s got her!!” Jake yelled as he ran towards them.

The rest of us stopped to see what was going on. The masked man had Lily by the ankles and was dragging her back down the path.

“Let me go!!” Lily demanded.

Jake ran to her and grabbed her hands. Jake and the masked man were basically playing tug of war over Lily. Drew ran over and yelled,

“LET HER GO!!” while tackling the masked man to the ground!

Lily flew forward into Jake’s arms as Drew wrestled the masked man onto the ground. Jake helped Lily to her feet and brought her over to where Jenna was quietly freaking out. Drew continued to wrestle the masked man on the ground but the masked man got the better of him and pinned him down. I mindlessly ran over to the edge of the path and grabbed one of the big pumpkins. I picked it up and ran over to where the masked man had Drew pinned down. I picked the pumpkin up over my head and smashed it onto the masked man. This gave Drew a chance to break free and escape! He jumped up and ran to Jenna. The masked man stood up and burst out in hysterical laughter, again. He looked at me with a tilt of his head and then charged in my direction. He slammed his shoulder into my chest and tossed me over him like a rag doll. I tried to scream but I couldn’t because he knocked the wind right out of me. Hunter ran at us and tackled the masked man to the ground knocking me free. Hunter jumped up away from the masked man and ran to me. I was having trouble breathing so Hunter picked me up and ran down the path toward the others.

He yelled out to them, “RUN!”

They took off down the path as fast as they could and Hunter followed them still carrying me in his arms. He must be pretty strong to be able to carry me and run. Granted, I was 5’5” and 120 lbs but still. After running down the curvy path for a bit, we realized the masked man wasn’t following us anymore, At least not that we could see. Everyone came to a stop and Hunter put me down.

“Feeling any better?” he asked.

“Ya, I’m okay!” I said quietly while concentrating on my breathing.

We looked around to make sure that he was really gone. We didn’t see him anywhere in sight so he must be gone for now, hopefully.

“That … was … awful …” Lily panted.

“What does he want from us, anyway?!” Jenna cried.

“I don’t know! Let’s keep moving!” Jake insisted.

The path curved around a bit, kind of like an S shape. When we came to the beginning of the last curve there was a sign. We all walked over to it and Drew read aloud,

“You’re almost out, but don’t scream or shout!!

You wouldn’t want to wake the dead, It’s been a while since they’ve fed!!”

“Seriously?” Jenna whined.

“What’s next, Zombies?” Jake snickered.

“Bite your tongue! After our crazy night, who knows!” I snapped.

“Seriously! Let’s walk quietly just in case there is another psycho or something up ahead!” Lily urged.

As we continued around the curve we reached a sort of opening in the maze. It just so happened to be a small graveyard on the right hand side of the path.

“See. What’d I say.” I whispered through my teeth.

“Ya, Ya … okay, you were right!” Jake mumbled.

“It looks so real!” Lily said under her breath.

As we all continued down the path trying to ignore the random graveyard, we heard a crinkling of leaves coming from the back. Lily grabbed Jakes arm and whispered, “What was that??”

I shined my flashlight in the direction of the shuffling and there stood a creepy girl. She was wearing a dirty, tattered, white dress and snarled as the light hit her face. She just stood there cringing at the light for a moment, then she started moving toward us.

“She looks like a zombie!” Jenna observed.

“I agree, let’s go!” Drew urged.

We all jetted down the path which veered left and then right. As we turned that last right corner we came to the exit!

“FINALLY!!” Jake yelled.

We all ran into the open field.

“What time is it?” Lily asked.

I looked down at my watch and said, “9:35, we missed the hayride!!”

“Of course we did! As if our night could get any worse!” Jenna whined.

“Well, since you just jinxed us lets hurry to the path over there. That’ll take us through the woods and to the bonfire!” Lily pointed out.

We all ran over to the beginning of the path. While the others ran ahead Hunter stopped and looked back at the maze. I stopped and walked over next to him and asked,

“Are you okay?”

“Ya … I’m fine. Just a weird night!” he answered.

I glanced at the maze in the same direction that Hunter was looking. I saw the old couple, the little phantom girl and the wolf-like dog just standing at the edge of the corn. It was almost like they belonged there.

“Creepy.” I mumbled.

I grabbed Hunter’s hand, took one last look at the maze and I saw the weirdest thing. There was a bright light illuminating from the center of the maze and the watchtower was radiating a bright, flame-like light. Then I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

“Oh no!!!!” I gasped.

The zombie girl and the masked man where exiting the maze. I also noticed other dark figures following them out.

“I think we woke the dead!” I whispered.

“Come on, Let’s get out of here!” Hunter urged.

He grabbed my hand and we ran into the woods. As I glanced back I saw the creatures running our way. However, we had a small head start. After a few minutes we caught up to the others, who were all stopped up ahead.

“Where were you guys?” Jenna asked curiously.

“It doesn’t matter. Just run!” I said.

They looked back and saw the creatures running right at us!

“Oh my gosh!!” Lily said as she grabbed Jake’s arm and dragged him forward. I hurried Jenna along and she grabbed Drew’s arm and pulled him with her. The creatures were right on our heels. We picked up our pace but could only run so fast.

“Hurry … Faster …” Hunter called out to the others.

“I see the fire up ahead!” Drew yelled.

We could see the fire from where we were. We were almost out of the woods when Jenna tripped and the masked man grabbed ahold of her.

“HELP!” She yelled.

Drew ran to help her but one of the dark figures grabbed him. The Zombie Girl had Lily in her grasp and another dark figure had gotten to Jake. Hunter was standing in front of me fighting off two dark figures. When all of a sudden the fire went out!

Jenna screamed, “I can’t see … it’s too dark!!”

Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me in close. I squealed and then Hunter whispered in my ear, “Shhh … It’s just me. It’s okay!”

I breathed a sigh of relief as Hunter pulled me behind some bushes to hide until we could figure out what was going on. Just as we hid someone approached the area but we weren’t sure who or what it was so we stayed quietly hidden. We saw the gleam of a flashlight and then a man yelled,

“Is there anyone out there?”

“Yes! I’m here!! Right over here!” Jenna called out.

The man walked over toward Jenna’s voice.

“Jenna!!” Drew yelled.

“Drew! Are you okay?” Jenna asked anxiously.

Hunter and I stood up and walked out from our hiding spot so we could see what was going on. Drew ran over to Jenna and gave her a big hug!

“Yes, I’m fine!! Where’s Jake and Lily? Do you think they’re okay?” he asked.

“We’re over here! What happened?” Lily moaned.

“We’re okay!” Jake called out.

Lily and Jake walked over to Jenna and Drew. They looked a bit confused and disoriented but other than that okay.

“What happened? Is anyone hurt?” The man asked. As he got closer we realized that the man with the flashlight was Ben from the hayride.

“Where are Ember and Hunter?” Jenna asked.

“We’re over here and we’re okay!” I called.

“Oh. Good!!” Jenna exclaimed and then added, “Where did all those things go!?”

“I have no idea, as soon as the fire went out they were gone!!” Drew answered.

“What things?” Ben asked.

“The things from your corn maze! Those crazy people or whatever that were chasing us!!” Jenna said in a loud voice.

“Ya, They are taking this Halloween theme way too seriously!!” Lily exclaimed.

“What do you mean? There isn’t anyone in the corn maze!” Ben said confused.

“Are you serious? Then who were all those crazies chasing us?” Jenna hissed.

“Ya and why did the fire go out all of a sudden?” Jake demanded.

“We always put the fire out at 10:00 pm. That way everyone has time to collect themselves and get home at a decent time.” Ben explained.

“Well, whoever was attacking us just disappeared as soon as the fire went out. It was like they just vanished!” Drew explained.

“It sounds like someone was pulling a Halloween prank on you guys.” Ben guessed.

“Well, whatever the case is, it was so not cool!!” Lily spat.

Hunter and I were still off to the side talking. We were standing near an opening in the trees, the moon was shining really bright above us. I looked up at him and could see his handsome face clearly. I gently brushed his messy dark hair out of his dark eyes and said,

“Thank you, for basically saving me on a number of occasions tonight!”

“No problem. I just wanted to keep you safe!” Hunter replied with a small smile.

“Well that is very chivalrous of you!” I sassily said. Then I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

Jenna, Drew, Lily and Jake explained to Ben everything that had happened in the maze tonight. All the creepy things that went on, the weird signs and warnings we saw, the dark figures that chased us. The masked man and the Zombie girl and everything else we came across through all the twists and turns.

“Well, we should be getting you all home!!” Ben urged.

I grabbed Hunter’s hand and pulled him toward where everyone was standing. He stopped abruptly and our hands unclasped.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that I should be getting home. It’s getting late!” he said with a ‘kind of’ sadness in his eyes.

“Oh … Okay.” I said confused.

“However, I had a great time hanging out with you!” Hunter exclaimed.

“Me too, Besides all the running for our lives part!” I said with a laugh.

“Ya, besides that!” Hunter said with a chuckle.

“So when can I see you again?” I asked.

“Um … Next Halloween?” He said with a crooked smile.

“Very funny! Well, I guess it’s goodnight then. So I’ll see you around?” I asked.

“Ember?” Jenna called.

I spun around in their direction and Ben shined his flashlight on us.

“Goodnight, Ember.” Hunter whispered.

“I’m over here, guys!” I called.

“Hunter!?” Ben whispered with a strange look on his face.

I turned back around towards Hunter and he was gone.

“Where did he go?” I said to myself.

Ben walked over to me and asked, “Who where you just talking to?”

“That was my friend Hunter. I met him in the corn maze. He said he got separated from his group and he ended up walking with us. It was a strange night.” I replied.

“What group was he talking about?” Ben asked.

“The group that was ahead of us, I guess. Why?” I questioned.

“Well the group ahead of you came out of the maze at 8:40, there were six of them and they didn’t say they were missing anyone.” Ben explained.

“Hmmm … Maybe a different group then…” I pondered.

“Well, he looked like someone I use to know.” Ben whispered half to himself.

“Well tonight was really strange. I’m sure my friends filled you in on everything. We bumped into an older couple and then a little girl with a wolf-like dog. They all came out of nowhere. I just thought they were all a part of the Halloween theme that you had going on in there because they were kind of creepy, not to mention the crazy masked man, the insane zombie girl and the other dark figures that were chasing us!! Plus, on top of all that, the watchtower was lit up like a light house and there was a strange light illuminating from the maze!!” I explained.

“An older couple and a little girl with a dog? That’s strange. It can’t be.” Ben mumbled.

“That’s what you’re worried about? I’d be more worried about a masked man and whatever else running around town.” I said sarcastically.

“I’ll tell you guys the story about them when we get back to the center.” Ben replied sadly.

We walked over to the rest of the group and headed out of the woods.

“Where’s Hunter?” Jenna asked as she looked around.

“He told me earlier that he lives on the outskirts of town with his grandparents and younger sister, so he must have gone the other way.” I answered. As I said that Ben gave me a strange look.

“There’s nothing out there besides the farm land.” Ben commented quietly.

“That and the corn maze.” Drew added.

When we got to the center of town, it was already pretty late but Jenna and Lily were sleeping over at my house and I lived right around the corner. Drew and Jake lived on the block over from mine so it wasn’t too far to walk. We all formed a circle around Ben and let him tell us his story.

“Okay. Many years ago my Brother and his Wife were in an accident. They didn’t make it. Their children were practically babies at that time. So my parents took them in and raised them. My parents owned the farm where the corn maze is now. That land has been passed on from generation to generation and after my parents passed away the land was left to me.” Ben explained.

“What happened to your niece and nephew after your parents passed?” I asked curiously.

Ben went on, “Well, one Halloween a few years back there was a fire on the farm. It started in the barn and tragically spread to the house. I had just left them that evening to head out of town for the weekend for a convention, of sorts. My niece just turned 7 and my nephew was 17. I can still remember exactly what they were wearing when I left. My father, who was a tall man, was wearing his black suit with his black top hat, My mother had on her off-white gown and her house slippers, My niece was wearing her frilly, blue dress with a matching blue bow in her hair, she just loved to dress up, and of course her big dog was right there with her, he barely left her side, and that leaves my nephew. He wanted to come with me out of town but I told him it would be best if he stayed home with Papa and Ma. That way he could keep an eye on his sister and help out with the farm chores. Even though he still wanted to come, he agreed to stay and the last time I saw him he was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. The sweatshirt had this fuzzy hood. I remember it because when he hugged me goodbye it brushed against my cheek and I jokingly asked if he was wearing a girl’s hoodie. Coincidentally, his name was Hunter, too.”

 

Once again we would like to thank all those who submitted a scary story to our contest and helped make this a fantastic Halloween season. The winner of this year’s contest is Malanie Santosof Marion, who won an iPad mini!

            The authors in this year’s contest were:

Entry #1 – Two Little Kids Go Into The Woods by Alexy Perkins

Entry #2 – The Haunted House by Avery Perkins

Entry #3 – Afterlife by Maggie Berry & Hannah Watt

Entry #4 – The Jack O Lantern Gossipers by Nellie Zygiel

Entry #5 – The Ghost of Mattapoisett by John Kassabian

Entry #6 – Sally the Witch by Julia Downey

Entry #7 – The Fisherman by Liam Downey

Entry #8 – The Last Halloween by Serena O’Connell

Entry #9 – Get Out of Me byNathan Orie

Entry #10 – What Lurks from Below? By Spencer Perez-Dormitzer

Entry #11 – The Worst Birthday Ever! By Ava Russell

Entry #12 – Offerings by Malanie Santos

Entry #13 – The Maze byDiana Boucher

 

To read the first week’s stories Click Here 

To read the second week’s stories Click Here