Want to read some fun fiction? These student written short stories are just the thing! If you have any of your own masterpieces you'd like to be posted and read, you can submit them here too.

By Eleanor Medlen

Spooky Stories

The Mirror

By Tobias Medlen

 I stretched and looked back at the mirror. My reflection was still yawning, jaw expanding slowly outwards in a grotesque manner.

My face twisted in disgust as my reflection betrayed me. I balled up my fists and rubbed them against my eyes. This was not happening. I looked back at the mirror to see myself doing the same, the only difference a small delay. I needed rest, my job was taking too much out of me, and that was that. I wandered back into my bedroom and drifted into unconsciousness.

The incidents only got worse from there. I was constantly met by my face smiling unnervingly back at me; its slow, crooked grin stretching farther than humanly possible. The smile lingered but my lips never moved.

This went on for months and months on end, without fail. I started to avoid mirrors altogether. It was too risky, but I don't know how long I can keep this up. It kno

 I stretched and looked back at the mirror. My reflection was still yawning, jaw expanding slowly outwards in a grotesque manner.

My face twisted in disgust as my reflection betrayed me. I balled up my fists and rubbed them against my eyes. This was not happening. I looked back at the mirror to see myself doing the same, the only difference a small delay. I needed rest, my job was taking too much out of me, and that was that. I wandered back into my bedroom and drifted into unconsciousness.

The incidents only got worse from there. I was constantly met by my face smiling unnervingly back at me; its slow, crooked grin stretching farther than humanly possible. The smile lingered but my lips never moved.

This went on for months and months on end, without fail. I started to avoid mirrors altogether. It was too risky, but I don't know how long I can keep this up. It knows I know.

The Hide Behind

By Tobias Medlen

The Hide Behind is a creature in American Folklore that lures unsuspecting people into the woods and follows them. According to the legend, you can hear it moving around, but nobody has ever seen it.

You never see it,

but only hear.

I bet you can sense it  

The Hide Behind is near.

It lurks just out of sight,

behind your back.

Paranoia slips in,

that’s when it attacks.

It stalks,

it hides.

You run,

it finds.

Don't wander into the forest,

do not go out late.

For you shall be a cautionary tale,

there’s no escaping fate.

A Candlelit road

By Tobias Medlen

Leila Withers slowed her jog to a walk and pulled out her phone. It was 9:12 in the evening. She was jogging away from her friend Anastasia’s house, her feet padding along the streetlight-lined sidewalk. 

She started to speed up her pace, but a loud snap behind her made her stop where she stood. Leila whipped around, scanning the area for the source of the noise. She was about to continue jogging when she spotted it: A stick broken in half, a dozen feet behind her.

Leila shrugged it off. She turned on her phone flashlight and rounded the corner.  She was about ten-minutes from her dad’s house, and started running. Darkness engulfed Leila as she pushed beyond the streetlights, and into the darker part of her neighborhood, the world a mystery ahead of her small circle of light. She pushed along the winding path, every step bringing her closer to her home. “Leila,” a voice called.

She stopped dead in her tracks. “Who’s there? Anastasia?”

Silence swallowed her words. Leila’s breaths came in ragged gasps as she moved her phone around, her flashlight illuminating her surroundings.

Tap. Tap.

Leila screamed and dropped her phone, sending it skittering across the pavement and into a leaf pile. She lunged for the pile, her hands scrambling for her source of light. She needed to see.

From across the street, she saw a small flickering glow. Leila abandoned her phone and broke into a sprint towards the light. But it went out. “Hello? I need help!” She yelled into the night.

The light came back, but now the orange flame was further up the street. She let out a wail and ran to the light. And then two things happened at once; The light went out, and Leila’s foot caught on something in the street, causing her to plummet to the ground. The last thing that she saw before she blacked out was a light directly in front of her face. And then that light went out.

The Midnight Walk 

By Liam Fuller

On Friday, October 31, 1947, it was a cold, eerie Hallow's Eve night on Willow Street. The few trick-or-treaters had already returned to their houses, although it was barely past 10. This was customary for anyone living on Willow Street. Legend had it that if you stayed outside past midnight on Hallow's Eve, you would never see the light of day again. 

However, there was one unsuspecting character unbeknownst to the lore. Henry Jackson, a teenage traveler passing through the area, was staying at a rental home at 233 Willow St. Unaware of the danger, he ventured out for a midnight walk around the neighborhood. As Henry wandered around, he started hearing faint whispers coming from the forest behind the houses, and saw a strange, shadowy figure lurking in the darkness behind him. Then another. Then two more. And then they were gone. 

Thinking that his lack of sleep was getting to him, he decided to head back to the house. Suddenly, he felt a cold grip on his left shoulder and heard an eerie screech. He turned around, and saw a bony face staring him in the eyes. Before he could escape, he was dragged into the depths of the woods. 

The next morning, the rental owner came by the house where Henry was staying, and he decided to check in, but found the house empty. He was confused, as Henry wasn't supposed to leave until later that evening. The owner rode his horse around the block to see if he could find Henry, but all he ever found was a pile of bones on the side of the road, which he assumed were a decoration his neighbors hung up. Little did he know, no one had put up any. 

Echos in the Dark

By Tobias Medlen

Late one evening, Emma Μyers sat alone in her dimly lit apartment, working on her laptop. The rain drummed steadily against the windows, and the only sound other than the occasional rumble of thunder was the hum of her computer. Her phone rang with an incoming call from an unknown number. She answered the call. “Hello?” A chilling silence greeted her. Emma was about to hang up when a quiet, grating voice whispered, “Marco.” Her heart skipped a beat and she froze. “Who is this? Jonothan?” she demanded, but the line went dead.Moments later, the phone rang again. She answered immediately. “Who’s there? Jonothan, if this is you, I swear, I’ll-”

“Marco.” The voice was clearer now, still cold and eerie. 

Emma’s pulse quickened. She tried to calm herself, thinking it was a prank, or a sick joke from her brother. But she knew her brother’s voice, and this was definitely not him. She hung up, but the calls continued, each time repeating that same unsettling word. Panic set in as she -- 

The phone rang again. The voice on the other end was almost gleeful. “Marco, Marco…”

“Enough!” Emma shouted, voice shrill and anxious, before hanging up once more. She was done feeding the fire. No. More. Answering! She scanned her apartment, feeling the walls close in around her. The oppressive silence that followed was punctuated only by the storm outside.

Then she heard it—a soft, almost playful whisper coming from the dark hallway. “Polo.”

Emma’s breath hitched as she grabbed a flashlight and crept towards the sound. As she reached the end of her apartment hallway, she saw something that made her blood run cold: her front door, slightly ajar. The flickering light of the hallway outside illuminated a figure standing in the doorway, drenched from the rain. It turned slowly, revealing a face concealed by a mask. “Marco,” it said, stepping inside. Emma’s scream was swallowed by the thunder as the figure advanced. The last thing she heard was the echo of the chilling game, playing out in the darkness.

Maple Grove Haunting

Mary Lockland sat upright on her couch, searching her TV for a decent horror movie. After a long period of scanning her streaming services, she hnally decided on a psychological horror film.

The aroma of melted butter wafted through the kitchen air as the staccato of popping kernels sounded. She began the movie as the microwave rang with a high-pitched beep.

Mary got up, walked over to the microwave, and pulled out the bag, pouring it into a large bowl. Just then, she heard noise coming from upstairs.

"Hello?" Mary called out.

No response, just the feeling of empty silence plaguing her. She shrugged her shoulders and sat back down on her couch. Sarah should be here by now, Mary thought before hearing a shrill scratching noise against her window. She jerked her head to the right to see what was there, but only saw the maple tree. The branch was just rubbing against the glass, what else could it be? The question rattled around her skull.

She looked at her watch. Sarah was 15 minutes late! She became concerned and messaged her, asking about her whereabouts. Then there was the sound of snapping twigs coming from the front lawn. The noise was getting closer and closer, louder and louder, until finally, there was knocking at the door. Mary gulped as she walked, slowly, towards the door. She thrust the door open and Sarah was standing in the doorway.

"Sarah, you're here! I was getting so worried about you," Mary said in a rush.

"I'm fine, let's just start the movie. I want to see what you picked," Sarah said enthusiastically.

Sarah sat down next to her and they pushed play on the movie. Ding! Mary's phone chimed, the screen showing a text from Sarah, saying that she's on her way.

"Then there was the sound of snapping twigs coming from the front lawn. The noise was getting closer and closer, louder and louder...

The Cloaked Shadow

A loud crash emanated from downstairs, forcing Estelle Fears to sit bolt upright in her bed. She surveyed her surroundings, her thoughts clouded with a dreaded uncertainty of what was concealed in the darkness. Estelle battled with the idea of setting foot on the cold, wooden floor. She inhaled deeply, and without further ado, she sprinted across the room as though on fire, and flipped the light switch on, a dramatic click echoing through the room. She sighed with relief and turned to face the doorway. A new horror awaited her, lurking in the shadows that were pacing back and forth in the crevices of her house. As she tiptoed into the pitch black hallway, toward the stairs, and heard an obnoxiously loud Ring! She jumped out of her skin, and stumbled backwards, hitting the edge of the stairway. Shivers went up her spine as Estelle winced with pain. Ring!

The noise sounded again, more distinctly from her bedroom this time. With hurried steps, she made her way towards her bedside table to turn off the alarm clock, from which the loud ringing originated from, and silenced her clock. That's odd, I don't remember setting an alarm for 5:43, Estelle puzzled. She was now incredibly spooked, knowing that it wasn't her who turned on the clock, and wasn't her who had caused a ruckus downstairs. In the hallway once more, she decided that she could be dreaming. There was something about the atmosphere that was off. She couldn't describe it, if anyone asked. It was a presence that you had to experience, not hear about secondhand. "Who said you were dreaming?" A deep voice came from behind her. Estelle screamed with absolute terror, and ran as fast as she could to get to her bed.

She hyperventilated. She looked around the room for another sign of life, and she found something wrong, all right. Her alarm clock had been levitating in front of her, reading 3:21. That's when she realized that her alarm clock had not been reminding her of an alarm, but more of a countdown. 5:43, and 3:21. But the clock was not levitating. Hands had been holding it up, the very hands that belonged to the crooked smile leering above her.

The Basement by Tobias Medlen

Tyler Reid stared down the wooden stairway that descended into the black unknown. Tyler was a short, worrisome boy, with red hair and ice-blue eyes.

His mom had given him the rask to retrieve the laundry from the dryer. He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. Tyler was deathly afraid of the basement. "Why, Tyler, were you tasked to go down into the basement again?" His sister, Sarah, had asked, walking up to him.

Sarah was his older sister, with dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. She was the polar opposite of Tyler. Sarah cowered over him and his parents. But most of all, she was a social butterfly, and would never turn down the opportunity to prank him. In response to her question, he nodded his head towards his sister. Sarah sighed, "I'll go down for you."

Tyler exhaled, openly relieved.

Sarah stepped onto the wooden staircase, a small creak sounding. Her figure disappeared into the darkness of the basement. In order to rum on the light co the room, you would have to reach the bottom of the stairs, and Aip the switch on the wall.

Suddenly, a shriek bounced across the walls, followed by a dull thud. "Sarah?" Tyler called down urgently, his eyes widening with fear.

Tyler hyperventilated. *Uh-I-I'm coming!" he managed to choke out, before bolting down the stairs. As he clambered down each stair, a continuous series of groans rose up into the cool air of the basement. Tyler reached what he thought was the last step, he couldn't tell for sure. His hand rubbed the drywall, and he moved it over to the left.

Nothing. He moved his hand to the right, and sure enough, his fingers collided with the hard plastic switch. He flipped the switch.

A tall figure lunged towards him.

Tyler squealed and shrunk down against the wall. Once he saw what had lunged at him, his expression stiffened, and his cheeks burned beet red. "Got you!" Sarah said, before she darted up the stairs, Tyler on her heels, fueled by embarrassment.

Sarah reached the top of the stairs, leaped out of the doorway, and pushed the door shut, leaving angry Tyler pounding on the other side of the wooden door. "I'm not letting you out, Ty! Not until you admit that I got you good," Sarah called.

Once the words had left her mouth, Tyler began shouting. "Sarah! Sarah! Let me out!"

The pounding stopped, and Sarah spoke into the wood, "Ty, do you seriously think I'm going to fall for this?"

Curiosity overcame her, and she thrust open the door. Sarah screamed bloody murder.

Seasonal Stories

Cupid and the Leprechaun by Tobias Medlen

In the lively town of Cloverfield, there exists a Taco Bell that was the center of attention to all mythical creatures. Everyone knew where it was because they could hear the screams from the occupied stalls.

One day, when the doors were closed, and tacos were re-heated and sold as new, the most unusual thing happened. At the front of the line, a Leprechaun, Skippy, saw a weird Aying baby in a diaper, Cupid, also known as Clara.

Skippy eyed Clara with utter disgust as he came across a jolly idea. He would try the Pot of Gold-Aavored taco, with a side of golden cilantro rice. Cupid, with a wide-eyed grin stretched from ear to ear, felt the urge to try a love-infused churro.

As they stood there, now second and third in line, a smirk filled Skippy's face, like when gold coins pour into a pot of gold.

"Hey, what kind of food is a love-infused churro, anyway?" He teased.

Clara, not willing to step down, retorted, "Well, I would take love over chasing a pot of gold any day of the week.

Plus, the coins are just chocolate circles wrapped in golden tinfoil. They're basically worthless, since they melt by the time you get to the end of the rainbow."

"Well, at least I'm not a fying half-naked baby!" Skippy fired back.

"At least I can fly! All you can do is sing songs and make shoes for Fairies."

"Next!" the cashier called out.

Skippy walked up to the cashier, a unicorn whose name tag read Sparkle McBumble, and declared to her, while pointing to the menu, "I'll have the Lucky Leprechaun Crunchwrap with extra clover sauce, please."

Mrs. Sparkle McBumble gave him a cable marker labeled 15, and waved him on, signaling Cupid to go ahead. Clara pointed to the menu and said, "Give me the Cupid's Delight Chalupa, topped with heart-shaped cheese and a side of affectionate beans."

The bright-eyed unicorn handed her a cable marker, but Clara turned it down. "1 guess I won't sit alone after all," she remarked, walking over to Skippy and sitting down.

New Year by anonymous

New Year,

Watch a big ball drop

A time where we all come together

Wear sparkles and polka-dots

So many traditions around the world

Yet so many resolutions left unfulfilled

New Year,

Sure, I’ll keep up with it all year,

Right?

Sure, I can do this and that

Right?

But the real question is

How long will it take?

Until I give up that diet and eat some cake?

New Year,

So much suspense,

And I mean come on, what about the expense?!

So much to do,

Yet just one night to celebrate

365 days to just wait and wait

New Year,

Hey look! It’s midnight!

Five

Look up at the screen!

Four

Gather round, everyone!

Three

Watch a big ball drop

Two

Let’s have some fun

One

Happy New Year!

Goodbye 2023!

Autumn poem: Tobias Medlen

Leaves, leaves, falling down,

In the trees,

And on the ground.

Orange, red, and marigold,

A thousand people’s stories told.

Apple orchards, pumpkin patches,

Fog filled mornings,

Lots of laughter.

The days go slower,

The sun dips below the trees,

Bright white stars fleck the sky.

Leaves, Leaves, falling down,

In the trees,

And on the ground,

Dancing in crisp, cool air.

Other Stories

A diary of a chicken by: Chethana Venu

Entry #1 

11/15/2024

 Hello, I am a chicken. Yeah, now that it’s November y’all probably don’t even remember the poor lonely chickens, all the turkeys are getting picked to go to the human house, but does anyone remember the poor little chickens just abandoned and only fed 3 times a day, not 5 times a day like the turkeys, no they sadly don’t. All of my chicken friends think I’m  crazy and that I shouldn’t be wishing to go to the human house, they say that chickens and turkeys that go in, never come back out. I think that they get to go to the backyard wonderland and live there forever. I also think my friends are crazy. I would love to go live in the human house and live there forever. Anyway, this year only a few chickens get picked to go to the human house during November and next time the humans come to pick some chickens, I plan to be one of them.

Entry #2

11/21

MAYDAY! MAYDAY! I went along with my plan to be the next chicken to get picked to go to the human house. I guess it didn’t work out too well, because I ate so much that now I can’t walk around anymore and finally when the humans came to get me it all worked out exactly how I wanted it to but when they took me into the human house and I saw a ginormous oven all ready to bake stuff I realized that they wanted to eat me! Then I tried to roll away and I figured out that all the doors in the human house were locked and now I’m hiding in the closet and . . . I HEAR THE HUMANS COMING!!!