Spooky Story Contest - Mr. Wright

By: Eireen Presetyo 
February 12, 2025

Eireen Prasetyo (2nd place winner)

 Reflections 

     Sarah lived in New York City, a city where she has always dreamed of living, the city that never sleeps. She has long brunette hair with loose curls, her eyes were hazel-blue, and has lots of gold jewelry all over her body. Sarah had a one-bedroom house in Brooklyn, it wasn’t the most delightful place but it was all she could afford. Sarah worked in a little coffee shop around the corner, it’s usually pretty busy, and made an average amount of money. She lived alone since her parents had left her in Connecticut when she turned eighteen. Sarah never knew the reason behind it and never bothered questioning it as she was already enjoying life as it is without any burdens. However, Sarah’s parents did leave her some furniture but she never quite used them, she wanted to let go of her past and start fresh. 

One Night, as she was sleeping, she heard someone whispering, it was coming from the attic. She tried to ignore it, but the whispers grew louder and louder. She was petrified, her hands were shaking, and she had sweat all over her body. However, she gathered up the courage to see what was making that noise. She used an old ladder, made out of wood, and there was a lot of dust on it. As she climbed the creaky ladder, she opened the door. Suddenly, the whisper stopped. She turned on the attic light, it was dim, and it had a yellow tint to it. Across the attic, she saw this dusty mirror. Sarah approached it, and suddenly, her reflection smiled back at her even though she wasn’t smiling. Sarah’s eyes widened, filled with fear as she slowly stepped back. She watched as her reflection stepped out of the mirror and whispered, “I was waiting for you.” with a creepy smile. Sarah’s reflection had razor sharp teeth , red eyes, and walked like a zombie. Sarah was terrified, she tried climbing down the attic but her reflection pulled her away. The reflection grabbed and pulled her hair, throwing her across the attic. Sarah’s vision blurred as she struggled to get back up on her feet. The reflection laughed evilly, “You can’t escape me!” It shouted. Sarah’s heart pounded as she looked around for anything she could grab and use to defend herself. Sarah spotted a wooden stick nearby and grabbed it, she swung it with all her strength, hitting her reflection with it. However, the stick passed through the reflection, almost like it was made out of smoke. The reflections' laughter grew louder and louder. Sarah screamed, feeling cold hands wrap around her throat, squeezing the life out of her.

     Just when she thought that this couldn’t get any worse, the attic light flickered off, the room was dark and dead silent. The grip on her throat loosened up, as Sarah gasped for air, she crawled towards the ladder, hoping to escape before it found her again. Sarah climbed down the ladder and reached the floor, she was relieved. She took a deep breath and walked fast, trying to get into her room to call the police. Suddenly, she felt the cold hands grabbing her by the ankle, pulling her harshly. Sarah’s head struck the floor face down, a few of her teeth fell out, and her nose started bleeding rapidly. The reflection dragged her around her house, Sarah’s face still facing down. Blood from her nose smeared all over the floor. At this point, Sarah didn’t have any more energy to try and escape. Sarah’s reflection placed her on the sofa, tying her hands so she couldn’t escape. The reflection stood in front of her, “You thought you could escape huh?” It laughed. “I’ll come back in ten minutes.” While walking off, going outside through Sarah’s front door. Sarah sat there, lifeless. She thought about the mirror, remembering the day her parents bought it. Ever since her dad had bought this mirror, Sarah’s parents have always acted weird. They had the same smile as her reflection, “Oh My.” Sarah whispered. That’s when Sarah realized why her parents had left her and gone missing. The only way to escape this is by killing herself so that her reflection won’t have anyone to copy.  She walked to the kitchen, using all of her energy, and grabbed a knife. Sarah’s eyes started to water as she pointed the knife at herself. She fell onto the ground, blood gushing out of her stomach. The mirror pulled the reflection back into itself, everything was quiet. A couple hours later, neighbors had reported to the police saying that weird and suspicious activities had been going on in Sarah’s house. Police came into the house and saw Sarah’s body just lying there. He followed the blood on the floor and it led up to the attic. The police came up to the attic and saw the weird, dusty, and old mirror. He went up to it and looked at himself in the mirror while holding a flashlight. The police’s reflection smiled back at him. 

By: Yehezikiel Widjaja  
February 12, 2025

Yehezkiel Widjaja (3rd place Winner)

Maggie Suibhne’s Curse

In the Scottish Highlands, there lived Maggie NicSuibhne and her young sister, Bonnie. Maggie’s hair was black like a magpie’s, her face displayed wrinkles that would ward off a saint. Bonnie’s eyes were as blue as the Aegean Sea, her hair glistening as obsidian. Their bonds were indestructible as well as inseparable like chains. One day as Maggie was walking through the town market getting food, she heard rumors of a Glaswegian knight coming to visit town. Later at noon, she went home and told Bonnie about it. As a result, Bonnie was ecstatic, for she had always dreamt of encountering a knight from Glasgow or Edinburgh. While waiting for the knight, Maggie daydreamed about paintings she saw in Edinburgh years ago. Among them was a painting of three witches dancing around a tree, with the devil playing a fiddle on a branch.

 When the clock struck three, a man in an emerald tunic riding his stead arrived in town. He stopped at a shabby white house, dismounted, and knocked on a crooked caramel door. The knight bore two bouquets of roses, each as red as royal blood. When the door opened, what he saw was an angelic dove and a shy raven standing at the doorway. He handed a bouquet to Maggie, and the other to Bonnie. As the knight courted both of them under the seemingly dull Scottish clouds, he took a liking to the latter. At least that’s what Maggie noted. At midnight, the knight came up on his steed and shouted, “Goodbye, fare-ye-well!” to the sisters as he went home. 

After the knight trotted away, Maggie’s mind slowly spawned envy as much as her gladness for Bonnie.  As each cloudy day passed by, Maggie’s bond with her sister was weakening. At last, Bonnie decided to offer Maggie to have dinner together but was only given a “hmph”. Days went by and the second week arrived as quick as the devil’s fiddling. Maggie still nurtured her envy towards Bonnie. What changed inside her is that her heart became moldy. On Wednesday Maggie’s mind was speaking to her, rebuking her on how envious she had been to Bonnie. From the next day to Sunday, she went back to her grouchy self. She started to have emotional meltdowns, letting herself be consumed by hatred each slow day. Finally, on a bright Saturday morning, Maggie awoke her sister. Bonnie arose and asked, “Dear sister, wha’ is it ye want?” Maggie, almost delightedly, requested that Bonnie would accompany her to a nearby cliff for sightseeing. The younger lassie hurriedly rushed from bed and prepared herself to go outside. 

Maggie and Bonnie held each other’s hands and journeyed to the cliff. As they walked, Bonnie spoke; “Dear Maggie, I didna expect ye tae be so happy. I’m glad tha’ ye came back to yer senses.” When they arrived, the sisters stared across the horizon and silence took place. After a while, Maggie let out a question suddenly, “Dear sister, dae ye ever wish tae be a mermaid? One who’s both beautiful inside and out?” Bonnie looked at her sister, cocked her head, and replied, “But I’m already beautiful, sister. I dinnae be a hideous beast tae attain beauty.” Maggie stated that she could attain rare beauty by just looking at the sun rising and Bonnie obeyed, assuming her sister was teasing her. The sun shone brightly upon her and commented on her beauty. Then suddenly, the elder lassie pushed her poor sister off the cliff.

  When Bonnie fell into the sea, she struggled to stay afloat. Each time her head emerged, the water laughed and raised itself up. Bonnie’s eyebrows raised like mountains; her eyes bulged in fear. Alas, Bonnie couldn’t swim and when she saw Maggie coming down to the coastline, she cried out, “Sister, reach to me your hand!” But Maggie did nothing, her eyes stared into the horizon instead. She didn’t conjure a smile or a twinge of pity. The sea became stormy and the waters looked grim. There was no sense of hope; it was hell in the sea. When Maggie finally moved her gaze onto Bonnie, her eyes were soulless. Again, Bonnie pleaded with her, “Please, dear Maggie, Ah’m beggin’ ye. Ah can’t swim!” Her voice sounded frantic, tearful even. Yet, Maggie hadn’t even moved a single finger. She’s like a statue overlooking the choppy waves. Finally, after what felt like hours, the water grabbed Bonnie down and drowned her.

Once Maggie could no longer see Bonnie, she turned back and went home. However, every step she took created heavy thoughts of regret that struck permanently in her head. Walking through jagged paths, Maggie thought she might as well be dead by the authorities. In the house, Maggie stared at a wall and contemplated her action. For five days, Maggie went mad. She grabbed a kitchen knife and peeled her left arm like onions. It pained her greatly and Maggie screeched in great agony. She hadn’t eaten, slept, or drank in those days. In the end, her arm looked flayed and an insurmountable amount of blood seeped out. The rest of the four days were her blood-writing bible scriptures of peace and eternal happiness everywhere in the house. She made drawings of Christ, Mary, saints, and angels. They were meant to be comforting but they looked distorted and instead, disturbed her. The home no longer smelled like perfumed mahogany, but the stench of iron; Maggie’s blood was for hell to take. 

In the fourth week, Maggie went to church and stayed there until Sunday of the fifth week. She prayed fervently and tearfully. She lamented to Christ how she woefully regretted her selfishness and asked for penance. On the last day of her stay, Maggie prayed, “O Lord, why did Ah dae such an act of cruelty? Ah beg ye tae let my sister enter Heaven, please! Forgive me too, a sinner who worships ye and hae forsaken ye.” After confessing her guilt, she hesitantly left the church. Maggie wanted to feel a sense of comfort from her deity. She felt none. 

When she arrived home, she found a fiddle and a rope on the kitchen counter and picked them up. Maggie sprinted to a forest far from town and strolled down. Many tall trees overgrown her, some were even taller. The sky appeared green, for it was leaves covering it. Tree barks were misty white and the forest had a certain smell like poppies in a meadow. Maggie stopped walking and found a small tree with a high branch. She dropped what she held and prayed, picked up her fiddle when finished, and played a lullaby while skipping around the tree. However, nothing helped comfort her. When she finished performing, Maggie dropped her fiddle and picked up her rope, threw it on the branch, and made a large knot. When she managed to place herself on the branch, she took one last breath. Before a single magpie could sing, Maggie leaped off the branch. Her skin became pale like a phantom, her head crooked uncannily. Eyes displayed shock with the mouth opened and yet, Maggie NicSuibhne couldn't scream anymore, for she had hung herself.