2024 Scary Story Contest Winners

October 23, 2024 - Thank you to everyone who entered our 2024 Scary Story Contest! We had so much fun reading all your submissions, and even lost sleep over how scary some of them were. Congratulations to our winners - Kennedy Tesch, Keiran Otha-Mayar, James Eastman and Audrey Miller-Drapeau! If you were unable to hear their stories being read at our Saturday Spooktacular on October 19, you can read them here! 

The Haunted Amusement Park by Kennedy Tesch

When I was a little girl, I loved amusement parks. There was a good one, just down the street when I was growing up. It was abandoned when I was only 7 and everyone said it became haunted. 

I'm 14 now, and I don't believe in that stuff anymore. So, when my friends invited me to visit the old amusement park, I knew I had to go, to prove it. That night I went with them.

Under the full moon, we walked through the old broken entrance. Right after that, one of my friends, Ashley, screamed in terror. "AAAH! HELP MEEEE!" 

We all froze in terror when she was attacked by something big and furry with sharp looking claws and teeth, just like a werewolf.

We ran to climb the old ferris wheel, but some dead looking hands reached out of the ground and another one of my friends, Rebecca, was pulled under. Her scream never came out when she disappeared. I could only think of zombies chewing on her brain.

My last friend and I turned and ran toward the carousel instead, because we thought it was our only chance. When we got there, a secret door opened under us and we fell into a giant pot with hot bubbling water. It was no hot tub, it was a potion, and we were the last ingredient.

We heard a cackling sound as a lady walked over to us to stir the cauldron, saying that she would finally be young again. 

The witch dipped her big spoon in to stir us, but I grabbed it and pulled hard so she fell in. We climbed out as quick as we could and started to run, but the witch reached out and took Beatrice by the ankle. I reached back for her, but it was too late. 

At last, I was alone, all by myself in the abandoned amusement park. Scared, frightened. I kept trying to think of what would happen next.

Ashley, Rebecca, and Beatrice were gone. 

I wish I could have helped them. I knew I should have been braver. 

But then, I screamed in terror, "AAAHH!" There was a ghost right in front of me. It wasn't just one ghost, but three. They looked like my friends, coming for me.

I said, "what did I do wrong? It's not my fault you died. You guys wanted me to come with you!" 

Then I ran, but they followed me. I tried to run all the way back to my home, crying, but I tripped and hit my head on something.

I fell asleep then and they were waiting for me when I dreamed of how the amusement park used to be. 

We all had fun together, playing in the bright lights and riding the rides.

I couldn't wake up. Me and my friends have been at the amusement park ever since.

Come and play with us.

Eyes of the unseen - James Eastman and Keiran Otha-mayar

It started on a cold October evening as I walked home from work. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the streets bathed in a dim, gray light. That's when I saw it - a black cat, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, its eyes glowing like embers. 

At first, I thought nothing of it. Cats roam all the time. But as I passed, it stood and followed me, its paws silent against the pavement. Every time I looked over my shoulder, it was there, just far enough behind to seem innocent, but close enough to make my skin crawl.

I sped up, but the cat matched my place, its unblinking gaze fixed on me. The streetlights flickered overhead as if reacting to its presence. A chill crept down my spine, and I felt a sudden, inexplicable dread. It wasn't just following me. It was watching me. *Waiting.*

By the time I reached my apartment, the cat was still there, sitting by the front steps as if guarding the door. I hurried inside, locking the door behind me and glancing out the window. The cat stared up, its eyes never leaving mine. 

That night, I dreamed of shadows. In the dream, the cat wasn't just a cat. It was something else - something old and malevolent. I awoke with a jolt, heart pounding, the sensation of those glowing eyes still fresh in my mind. When I looked out the window, the cat was gone.

The next morning, I convinced myself it was just an overactive imagination. But as I left for work, there it was again, waiting outside the door. This time, I tried to shoo it away, but it didn't move. Its eyes burned into me, a look far too intelligent for an animal.

Every day after that, the cat appeared, always at a distance but always watching. I stopped sleeping. The dreams grew worse, more vivid, showing me glimpses of ancient, dark places, of rituals performed in secret. And always, the cat was there - watching, waiting. 

I told my friends, but no one believed me. "It's just a stray," they said, "just ignore it." But I couldn't move, couldn't scream. The room seemed to grow colder, and as I stared at it, I realized with dawning horror that it wasn't just a cat - it never had been.

It jumped onto my chest, and I couldn't breathe. Its eyes burned into mine, and in that moment, I understood: It had chosen me.

Mimic by Audrey Miller-Drapeau

"Meow"

There goes that awful noise again. No matter what route I take, or the winding path I walk, every day after school this dreaded cat follows me home. On the few times I've glanced over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of the creature, it's always a couple of paces behind me, trying to catch my attention. It's a wily thing. The shiny black coat and single, vaguely ghost shaped spot send a shiver down my spine, as it sneaks off through the back alleys just to make its way in front of me, pinning me in place with its gaze. 

I'm not usually afraid of cats, but this one's different. It takes the form of the late Nix, my 3rd-grade pet with the same piercing eyes and ghost-shaped spot. Maybe I would've fallen for it, rushing to scratch behind her ear like she always loved if I hadn't buried my dear friend myself. No, this isn't Nix. This is something else. Something worse.

I hear that mewl again, desperate like it was growing tired of following me. I stay steadfast in my denial and quicken my pace, only a few blacks from my house. Yet still, it follows, lithe legs hurrying to match my stride. It cries once more, trying to catch my attention, and speeds ahead to get in front of me. I begin to jog, attempting to get away from the impostor when I hear a sound that fills me with dread. 

"Innn my solituuudde" 

I stop dead in my tracks. The last time I heard that tune was at my grandmother's wake, the song playing quietly over the speakers as I sat in the corner, curled in on myself, vacantly staring at the people chatting amongst themselves, some crying, and some pretending to. None of them had ever visited her. I would know, I eyed the sign-in list every time I checked myself in, nodding cordially at the nurse working at the counter, scribbling in the date, time, and my name. Cursive and print. But it wasn't the voice of Billie Holiday I heard. I would recognize it anywhere, the way her voice would begin to crack as she held the last note, harmonizing with the vinyl spinning on the old turntable she begged me to bring to her hospital room; she was always better at piano than singing, but that didn't stop her from trying. It didn't seem to stop her tonight either, but something in her voice felt off, almost like it was her voice instead of Holiday's playing over the crackly record player. The memory had me forgetting the creature behind me, but as I turned to face the dearly missed voice, I was reminded of my situation. Looking down I saw the cat at my feet. We locked eyes for a moment before it opened its mouth, once again mimicking the familiar voice, 

"You haunt me, with reveries of days gone by" 

No, this was no regular cat. This is something else.