Winners announced for Bryanston Prep’s Story Writing Competition

Emmy and Laurie went to the beach and Emmy went for a swim very deep in the sea. Emmy saw a pointy bit and she swam under water and there was a great white shark. It ate Emmy up in his tummy and Laurie had to go home all by himself. Laurie then went back to the beach the next day and he made a huge sandcastle with a wall along the sea so there was no way the shark could eat him. Laurie never saw Emmy or the shark again.

Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Messi. He lived in Argentina with his mum and dad. They did not have a lot of money. Messi loved football more than anything. He played in the street, in the park, everywhere!

When Messi was little, the doctors said he had a growing problem. His body needed special medicine to help his bones grow strong. The medicine cost lots and lots of money, and his family could not pay for it. That made them sad.

Messi was so, so good at football that a big team called Barcelona in Spain saw him play. They said, “Wow! He is amazing!” They asked him to come and play for them. They even said they would pay for his medicine. Messi was only 11 years old when he moved from Argentina all the way to Barcelona. He missed his home and his friends, but he was very brave.

Messi worked very hard at his new club. He trained every day. Soon, he played his first big game against Real Madrid. It was a very important match. Messi felt nervous.

Then he got the ball. He ran past the other players. The crowd was watching. He kicked the ball…

GOOOAAALLL!!!

Everyone cheered so loudly! His team won the match. Messi was so happy. After the game, he celebrated with his friends. He loved his friends so much. 

Messi played lots of matches and scored many, many goals. People around the world said he was the best football player ever. He earned lots of money and helped take care of his mum and dad. They were so proud of him. 

When it was time for Messi to play his last match for Barcelona before moving to a new team (Inter Miami) he felt sad. He knew he would miss his friends and the club that helped him when he was little. After his last game, he spent time with his friends because they meant so much to him.

Messi loved football very much. But even more than football, he loved his family and his friends. 

Suddenly, I woke up in the middle of the night.  I heard a screechy noise, I thought to myself “where is that sound coming from?” I grabbed my torch and my cricket bat.  If a monster jumps out, I could hit it on the head and knock it out with my cricket bat.  I slipped a grappling hook with 360-degree cameras into my pyjama pocket (the pockets were big) and a pointy pencil.  I took my homework from my desk so I could confuse the monster by teaching it English, Maths and Geography.  Next, I went down the creaky stairs into the kitchen.

I heard the screechy sound again.  It made me nervous! It could be the sound of a monster licking its lips in the shadows, ready to eat me!  I followed the sound, it got louder and louder until it was as loud as a big base drum.  I walked down the next set of stairs into the massive larder.  The door was ajar.  This is where there are loads of loaves of bread, plucked chickens daggling from the ceiling, and Mum and Dad’s secret stash of emergency tea and coffee.  I heard the screeching again; it was not as loud but more sinister.

I raised my cricket bat above my head and held my torch aloft.  I flicked the torch on and kicked the door open.  Mum and Dad were both screeching.  “No, we’ve run out of coffee!” said Dad, “we’ve run out of tea!” cried Mum.  The cat was there too meowing, “I have no milk” and the dog cried “I have no bones.”   I said, “why don’t you get on your bikes with the pet trailer and go to the ‘all hours’ supermarket?”

I turned around and went back upstairs BUT as I was climbing up the stairs I saw a big shadow on the wall.  It had two horns, eight arms, five legs and four enormous ears.  It grabbed the back of my pyjama top, and it roared in my face.  Up close it had 6 eyes humungous teeth and three noses.  I hit it with my cricket bat and knocked it out.  I felt bad so when it woke up, I taught it English, Maths, Geography and History and finally I went back to bed.

I heard a happy hopeful bark, a contented sigh from Mum and Dad and one joyful meow as I drifted back off to sleep.

Our story begins in KOBE with a little girl called Amelile. It’s only the second week of summer and Amelile is already bored and does not know what to do. Walking through the streets pulling her trolly, nothing is catching her eye.

As she walks past the Minatogawa Shrine, she trips on an uneven tile and falls into the mud! As her hands slide forward into the mud, she looks down they have made the print of dragon wings.

Suddenly, her mind spins like a whirlpool, her imagination is ignited and the fireworks explode.

DRAGONS!!

She shouted with excitement, “I will ride a dragon this summer!!!!!!!!!!!”

Her mind races with all the things she needed to do.

1. Trap a dragon
2. Befriend the dragon
3. Train the dragon
4. Ride the dragon
5. Show the world.

Then she made another list.

Materials for the trap:

1. Chocolate for bait, they love it
2. Wood
3. Jugs full of water
4. Metal
5. Lead
6. Saddle to ride it.

Amelile raced around the town bouncing from shop to shop, filling her trolly with everything she needed. Just as her energy was starting to run out, she finally pulled her trolly to the top of mount Rokko where she lived.

Amelile’s mother and father jumped and shouted as she crashed through the house on the way to the old shelter at the end of the garden. She began to build the trap straight away.

“Dinner!” Her mother shouted.

Amelile ran in the house, grabbed the plate and went back to the shelter, just before bedtime she was finally finished!

That night as Amelile closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but dream of what she could do if she woke up to a dragon.

Sniff, sniff, a dark shadow crosses the moonlight. “Crack”, a scaly talon steps on a thin stick. Following the sweet smell of chocolate, the shadow creeps under the shelter. As the sweet smell is just within reach, a gentle clang rings out and even with perfect night vision, the shelter goes dark.

Amelile’s eyes flash open, she is sure she heard a faint crack from outside. Amelile jumps out of bed and goes to run down the garden, but she wakes up Dad.

Rubbing his eyes Dad says, “go back to bd Amelile, it’s just a cat or something.” Amelile climbed back into bed, but she did not close her eyes. Sunrise came and straight away Amelile ran down the garden with her net in her hands.

Amelile pushed, slowly creaking the shelter door opened, Amelile couldn’t move! Her trap had been set off, it might have worked! Lifting up the wooden box she throws under the net and jumps back. Amelile is sure she saw something, lifting the ox up again she peers under, looking back at her are a pair of bright red eyes.

Every part of Amelile wants to run, but instead of running her hand pulls out a piece of chocolate from her pocket. Heart racing, she reaches out with her hand, but instead of taking the chocolate, the dragon presses his warm scaly head onto her hand. Not angry or aggressive but kind and gentle. Amelile lifts the box off the dragon completely and gently untangles the dragon from the net. Amelile can’t explain it, but they seem to trust each other.

“What will I call you?” Amelile wonders to herself. As she does, a flicker of warmth and light comes from the dragon’s mouth. “That’s it, Spark! I will call you Spark” she says stroking his nose. I will have to keep you a secret for now, Amelile says.

As the weeks passed, Amelile’s parents quiz her about why she is spending so much time down that old smelly shelter. “Amelile, what are you doing down there?” Her mum asks. “I just enjoy nature” Amelile replies, her mum walks off shaking her head continuing with her busy day.

Spark is growing strong, the more love that Amelile shows him the more powerful he seems to be. “Tonight” Amelile whispers to Spark. “Tonight, we will ride together.” At the dead of night Amelile sneaks down to the shelter. As quietly as she can she slides open the huge side door. Spark steps out flap his huge wings and then sores off into the night. A tear drips down Amelile’s cheek, “He didn’t love me, he is gone.” Just as she gave up hope, Amelile heard a familiar crack. Spark had landed next to her and lowered a wing. His eyes said, “It’s time for you to trust me”. Amelile did and she gently climbed onto his back holding tight around his neck.

The wind is cold, ice cold, as Amelile and Spark fly through the night. Amelile does not feel the cold, the warm glow coming from Spark keeps her warm. Amelile can’t tell if the heat is from Spark or the love that has grown between them over the last weeks. RUMBLE, CRACK, SCREATCH.

Amelile and Spark turn looking for what has caused this terrible noise. “Earthquake” Amelile shouts the fear in her voice. “Mum, dad, we must save them. They will be looking for me!” Spark turns tight in the air, Amelile can hardly hold on.

“She is not here” Amelile’s Dad shouts from her room in terror. Amelile’s mother came up to help look but as she does, the earthquake rumbles and rips again. The stairs fall away and the whole house will soon follow. “We are trapped” Amelile’s mother says holding her Dad close. Just as there is no hope left, a black shape crashes through the window. “GET ON NOW” Amelile shouts. Amelile’s parents want to argue and question but there is no time. Spark flaps his huge powerful wings again and they are just clear from the house when a huge rumble tells them they have only just made it out alive.

“Look, the town – it won’t survive this!” Amelile’s Dad shouts. They all look together and they can see the huge crack in the ground, ready to swallow up everything in its path, including the town of Kobe.

Spark lands safely away from the earthquake and rests Amelile and her family down. “There is nothing that can save the town now” her Mum says. Spark looks at Amelile and with his eyes and a roar says, “We can do this together.” Amelile climbs on.

Travelling so fast, the wind in Amelile’s eyes make it impossible to see, but she can hear the rumble and crack of the earth tearing aprt. Thinking as hard as she can, Amelile is desperate to come up with an idea. “That’s it. Minatogawa Shrine is made from huge stone blocks. If we knock it in the crack and you melt it to lava it will fill in the crack. This will stop the destruction from going any further as it cools.”

Spark and Amelile crash into the side of the shrine with all the strength that they can. The huge blocks fall into the tear in the earth. With all his magic and power, Spark lets out a flame that is so bright, Amelile can’t see what’s happening. When Amelile opens her eyes, the blocks are gone and a river of lava is flowing through the crack in the earth. Cooling as it goes, it glues the earth together just before the earthquake crashes into the homes of Kobe.

“You’ve done it” Amelile yells and hugging Spark. Amelile climbs onto Spark’s back, and he takes flight back into the night sky. Soaring upwards just as Spark flies over the moon, Amelile hugs him tighter and with her whole heart says, “I love YOU over the moon.”

Once upon a time in snowy Russia, there lived two red haired bakers. They had entered a competition to create the World’s Most Disgusting Gingerbread Man. They are trying different ingredients to create a gingerbread man so disgusting that they make the judges sick. Their recipe ingredients included a USB cable, 5 blended laptops, 10 juicy lemons and a bucketful of sick to make it strong.  

The two bakers made the mixture and waited and waited and waited. They opened the oven but suddenly the gingerbread jumped out. It looked crazy. It had cheetah legs, cables coming out of its tummy and wings. Then it sprang up the chimney, passed the bedrooms, out through the loft and out of the house. The two bakers went outside to look at this fantastic sight. They followed the gingerbread man and tried to catch it. The gingerbread man was singing, “Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the electrician man! 

The bakers needed help, so they got James Bond! “James Bond our gingerbread man has run away.” 

“I can’t catch a gingerbread man they’re too fast. You will have to ask my cousin James Pond.” 

James Pond is a funny looking man, with a buzz cut and an eye patch. From previous battles he has acquired scars all over his face, some from the famous Battle of Ice Cream and Englishmen. The red headed bakers had to travel to the Bethlehem to find the key maker who created the key for the Bryanston Loft, where James Pond lives. When they got there, they were met by an old, long bearded man wearing a neon green jumpsuit and yellow shoes.  

The red headed bakers asked “please, please help us! We need to find a key for Bryanston Loft to find James Pond.” 

The long-bearded man said. “No, you have come to the wrong place! You need to travel across the world to Jamaica. You will meet my friend, Bob, who helped me make the key, bring him to me and we will create the key together!” 

The red headed bakers, John and Berry, travelled via shopping trolley all the way to Jamaica. They were met at the airport by Bob, a dirty, bald man.  

He said, “sorry I am so dirty! I have been fighting a Bull! I am the world’s best bull fighter!” 

John, Berry, and Bob travelled back to Bethlehem in a yellow mobility scooter with flame red wheels, making a stop off at Burger King in Dubai. 

Bob and the Old Man created the key for Bryanston Loft but there was a difficult twist. The key had to be blessed by Jesus with his magic. John and Berry took the key to a church in Bethlehem where they we met by Angel Gabriel who had become Jesus’ secretary.  

He told John and Berry, “I am afraid you cannot go in! Jesus in is a meeting.”  

“NO! We must go in! If you do not let us in, we will blow the church up with dynamite!” Said John 

Angel Gabriel looked shocked, “Ok, ok Jesus is waiting for you now” 

“Thank you” said Berry as they walked in. 

After some heated conversation with Jesus, they finally got him to bless the key. He gave them an Ender Pearl, so they could transport to Bryanston Loft.  

When they got to Bryanston Loft, they opened the door with the key. James Pond was startled! He was brushing his teeth and dancing to Happy by Pharrel Williams, he did not expect John and Berry to be there.  

“How did you get here!” Said James Pond. 

“Jesus gave us an Ender Pearl when he blessed the key to open your door,” said Berry. 

James Pond said, “What can I help you with?” 

“We have an electric gingerbread man on the loose!” Said John in a gruff voice.  

James Pond explained that he too was too slow to catch the gingerbread man. John and Berry would have to travel to Bethlehem, AGAIN, to find his uncle James Blonde.  

John and Berry travelled all the way back to Bethlehem in a yellow submarine. On the way there they saw a cow with a pig nose and a tigers back legs, a sheep with electric wool and a fish with electric cables coming out of its brain. They knew the electric gingerbread man was close! 

When they met James Blonde, John and Berry told him what he had to do. James Blonde put on his black north face puffer jacket, dinosaur shoes and his windmill hat and headed out the door.  

The electric gingerbread man whooshed passed him and James Blond could not catch him on foot, but James Blonde had a mobility scooter that travelled faster than the speed of light. He caught up with the gingerbread man and had his stick ready. The gingerbread man stopped at the same and then he got the gingerbread in the net, and the gingerbread man flew out. But James Blond could not fly. 

But they knew who could! 

Bob…! 

Bob agreed to meet John, Berry, and James Blonde in Beijing, where they would decide how to finally catch the Electric Gingerbread Man. They knew that Bob had wings and James Blonde was super-fast, so they needed everyone’s help in order to catch him!  

Meanwhile, the Electric Gingerbread Man was coming up with his own escape plan. He was going to pack his things and move to the deepest darkest Peru and meet Paddington Bear. He was trying to make the world’s smallest car that travels at the speed of sound, but he has a part missing. He must travel to Thailand across the oceans to collect a special engine that makes the car even faster.  

John, Berry and James Blonde, meanwhile, are already in Thailand. They had heard a rumour of the electric gingerbread Man’s arrival at Bangkok airport. John was disguised as a ticket officer, Berry as a cleaner and James Bond as a pilot; all posted at the gate ready to pounce.  

The Gingerbread Man was Emirates flying first class, drinking champagne, and eating caviar. The Gingerbread Man was excited to land, he was 2 days away from making the world smallest and fastest car. 

“AAHHAAHHAA I’m so close to ruling the world!!!!!!!” screeched The Gingerbread Man 

As the gate began to open John and Berry hid behind two rows of seats at the end of the gate. They threw a titanium grate across the floor, it was filled with water and would cause the Electric gingerbread man to lose his powers. As they took one deep breath in…. The Gingerbread Man walked out of the doors, towards John and Berry’s trap! 

“I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE” screamed The Electric Gingerbread Man as he was caught in John and Berry’s trap! James Blonde ran over and finally caught the Gingerbread Man in his new and improved net! 

A few weeks later…. 

The Gingerbread Man walked into the court room, looking glum. The judge sentenced him to 20 million years in prison for 3 counts of illegal use of electricity for disarming his enemies, 5 counts of submarine graffiti, 4 counts of toothpick overuse, 7 counts of not brushing his teeth and 15 counts of being the World’s Most Disgusting Gingerbread Man. Although John and Berry have won the competition, they were happy to see the Gingerbread Man behind bars.  

When John and berry returned home, they decided to have one final go of making a non-magic, tasty, ordinary gingerbread man. They found Gordon Ramsey’s cookbook and used his recipe to create the tastiest gingerbread man.  

The oven went…. “PING” the gingerbread man was done. 

They got their nicest plates and cutlery ready to eat it…. When they noticed something blue inside the cookie. It was a blue electric spark.

Once upon a time there lived a young girl named Molly. One day she was walking in the woods, she had no friends as she just got bullied all the time at school.

While she was walking, she saw a lion cub. The lion was all alone and had no mum or dad to look after him. “Hello” she said, “what is your name?” “Leo” the lion he said. She was shocked that he could talk. “Why are you all alone?” “I have lost my Mum and Dad,” “I’m so sorry to hear that,” said Molly.

Because she was worried about Leo, she took him home and looked after him. She had to go to school now, but she just couldn’t leave the lion alone, so she took him to school. She put Leo in her bag, leaving a little bit open so he could breathe. At lunch time she took some food for Leo and he was very hungry. After Leo ate his food, he slept for a couple of hours. When he woke up, he tried to get out of Molly’s bag.

When Molly finished school, she took Leo back home, so he could play. Molly was only 11 years old when she found Leo. Molly trained Leo to survive on his own. Molly trained him to hunt food like vegetables and to hunt for pheasants.

The years passed by and Leo and Molly had so much fun together and they became the best of friends.

Leo was big now and every time Molly went to school she was not bullied anymore because Leo went with her every day. Everyone was scared of Leo, but Molly knew he was a big softie and loved to be cuddled.

In the evenings, Molly and Leo loved to go to a big field and watch the sun set and talk about their dreams for the future.

One day in the field, a lioness walked by and Leo stopped to talk to her because she smelt familiar. And it was his Mum that he had lost 3 years ago. Leo was very happy as he had now found his Mum. Molly said, “go with her”, but Leo felt sad as Molly was his best friend. Leo hugged Molly and licked her goodbye. Molly was crying and felt sad that Leo had gone home to be with his family, but she was happy for him.

A long time passed and one day Leo went to Molly’s house. When she saw Leo coming, she ran to him and hugged his huge furry head. Leo wanted to show Molly a surprise and next to Leo were three cubs and a lioness, Jasmine.

They all lived happily ever after at the bottom of her garden surrounded by daises.

The silver locket lay half buried in the mud, its delicate chain broken. Marie had seen that locket around Elizabeths neck every day since year 3. It shouldn’t have been there, not at the edge of the Manors property.  

The wind blew harder in the west side of the town, where the manor lay, the trees made screeching noises that made it feel like people were stuck inside. The noises would send shivers down your spine, and the cold air felt like a phantom touch against your skin. The shadows danced to the rhythm of your heartbeat, and the animals would sit there on the roof, staring at you, squeaking and squawking. Normally Marie would walk past this house quickly, but when she spotted the necklace, she stopped immediately. 

Marie hadn’t seen or spoken to Elizabeth for days, no gossip no fun and no laughter, just the silence and the crunch of dead leaves under Maries boots. Elizabeth always used to walk home with Marie every day for the past 4 years.  

She wondered if Elizabeth could of be in that horrible house, and with no thought of the consequences, she stepped towards the door.  

Her hand trembled as she reached for the rusty handle, but the moment the creaky door shut behind her, she felt the air change and then realised that she was no longer alone. Marie took a steady step forward, her footsteps echoing across the run-down floorboards. She heard heavy breathing coming from the next room, it was as If someone or something was with her, waiting to come closer. She thought she saw a shadow shift in the corner of her eye, then faced towards the door, stepping backwards slowly and silently.  

But then she heard a howl coming from the basement. She didn’t stop to think and rushed to go downstairs, but the door was jammed. She kicked it and pushed it with all of her body weight until it fell open. She stepped in to see Elizabeth in the corner of the room.  

Elizabeth coughed and gradually stood up. “Marie? I only came in because I thought I saw my cat run through the broken window,” she whispered. “But once I walked inside the basement the door slammed behind me and I was unable to get out.” 

But then they heard a crash from upstairs, and rushed under a heavy, dust covered table to hide. They pressed their backs against the stone-cold walls, pulling their knees to their chests. Elizabeths was trembling so hard her teeth rattled, Marie reached out to grasp Elizabeths hand with a tight squeeze, praying that it was just their imagination. Someone lay their hands on the top of the table to peer under, when they heard a gentle soft voice. 

“What are you two girls doing in here?”  

It was Mr Davidson, the kind man from next door. 

“I heard a scream and came to find Elizabeth.” Marie said with a relieved smile on her face. Mr Davidson didn’t say a word and just started walking upstairs towards the door. The girls and Mr Davidson walked outside, leaving the manor and its secrets behind. 

Ten-year-old Timmy and his golden retriever, Barnaby, had wandered too far following a skittering blue jay into the dense pines of the Blackwood Forest. By the time the sun dipped behind the ridges, the familiar trail had vanished into a tangle of shadows and thorns.  

Timmy’s breath came in short, jagged gasps. “Barnaby, home?” he whispered, but the dog only tilted his head, his ears twitching at the hoot of a distant owl. As the temperature plummeted, Timmy’s light jacket proved useless against the creeping chill. Fear, heavy and cold, settled in his chest.  

They walked for hours, Timmy’s legs aching, until they reached the edge of a steep, hidden ravine. In the darkness, Timmy’s foot slipped on a patch of loose shale. He tumbled downward, his cry cut short as he landed hard on a narrow ledge, his ankle twisting with a sickening pop. 

Above him, Barnaby barked frantically, his paws pacing the edge of the drop-off. Timmy tried to stand, but the pain was a white-hot flare. “Help!” he shouted, but the wind swallowed his voice. He curled into a ball, shivering violently as the first signs of hypothermia set in.  

Barnaby didn’t just bark; he acted. The dog disappeared into the trees, his scent-tracking instincts kicking into high gear. He didn’t run toward the house; he ran toward the faint, metallic scent of the search party he had heard in the distance. 

Two miles away, Timmy’s father was losing hope until a golden blur burst through the underbrush, snapping at his sleeves and whimpering. “Barnaby?” his father gasped. The dog didn’t stop—he turned and bolted back into the dark, stopping every few yards to ensure the flashlights were following.  

Barnaby led them straight to the ravine. When the rescuers’ lights finally hit the ledge, they found Timmy huddled against the rock. Barnaby didn’t wait for the ropes; he skidded down the slope and pressed his warm, heavy body against the boy, providing life-saving heat until the paramedics could reach them. 

Timmy was hoisted to safety, his arms locked around his dog’s neck. Barnaby hadn’t just found the way home; he had brought home back to Timmy. 

Alicia stopped in the layby, taking in the fresh country air. She hadn’t been able to remember the last time she’d properly stopped and taken a deep long breath, it was as if her lungs were dancing inside her. She was interrupted by a tractor and its roaring engine. There was hay flinging off the back of the big blue tractor, falling onto her windscreen that she had washed the day before she came to the village, she had spent most of her life in.

She was startled by a knock on her window. It was a girl who looked around in her twenties, a couple years younger than Alicia. She was wearing blue overalls with oil patches smeared all over. “Are you okay?” she said with a Dorset tilt in her voice. “Yes, I’m okay thank you” replied Alicia. “I’ve got some water in truck, if you want me to go get it.” Alicia looked into her wing mirror and saw a tatty old truck that looks like it’s seen better days.” “I’m okay thank you, I’ve got some just here.” She patted her pink water bottle. “I suppose I need to be drinking a lot more” Alicia said, although she knew that wasn’t the reason. She just couldn’t face going back to Lovers Cove, but she knew she had to, for Barny.

“Are you visiting?” said the girl. “Yes, but no I used to live here when I was a little girl, so I’m quite familiar with everything, well used to.” There was a flash of grief in her voice when she said she once lived in Lovers Cove, the girl didn’t realise though. She smiled and said “Then you must know Frank. I’m Alice by the way.” “Hi, I’m Alicia. Of course, I know Frank, the handy man. Is he still around?” When she was a little girl, she remembered him being in his sixties, that was twenty years ago but it feels like forever. “He is still around yes, he has been quite sick though, so I’m helping out. Business isn’t great though, the thought of me being a woman doing a man’s job just isn’t right these days,” explained Alice. “He’s doing good, he must be in his eighties by now, our generation is outrageous! Us women can do loads of things equally, maybe even more better.” Alicia was so shocked that people could be so sexist! “Yeah, it’s not great for women like me. I must be on my way now, have a good stay, Alicia. Nice meeting you!” “Thank you, bye” said Alicia with a wave. She watched as Alice drove past in her tatty truck and gave a sigh. She knew she couldn’t put off going to see Barney anymore. She was to go straight to his house to see if he was okay. After Harvey sent an email saying Barney had a fall went to hospital but is now safe at home, did not give her the picture that he was okay. She needed to see if he was ok!

Barney had always been there for Alicia, not just when her mother died or when her father ran away, abandoning her, she was only fourteen. But when she fell out with friends, broke up with boyfriends that she thought could be the one. He wasn’t just there for her, he was also there for Harvey, whose father was an addict and whose mother was very sick. Harvey and Alicia had a strong friendship that turned into love that turned into hatred. She turned the keys to her car and the engine rumbled to a start. She pulled out onto the bumpy, narrow road, after two minutes she had discovered seven potholes. She remembered coming home from her football match, her dad racing along the road in his white Mini, afraid he’d be late for supper. They came across a pot and swinged to the left landing in a bush, she’d been terrified and refused to go in a car with her dad ever again.

She drove past the rusty, crooked sign that leads to Lovers Cove. Past the small, skinny stream she’d paddle in every day of the summer, splashing Harvey till he was drenched. And finally, past the Lovers Meadow, she had her first kiss there. She went there when she heard her mother was dead. She had shared good and bad memories there.

Alicia parked right outside Barney’s house, the pink door shining in the sunlight. The flowers that she planted years ago were in the front lawn, although she reckons he would have changed flowers, the same plant pot from over six years ago was still there.

As she knocked on the door, a man came out. Her jaw dropped, she wasn’t expecting to see Harvey quite so soon. He shifted uncomfortably, he cleared his throat and gave a loud grunt. He said in a low voice, “You’ve taken your time to come back”. The eye contact faded as she looked to the ground sheepishly and said “Yeah, I’ve been busy.” “What you’ve been busy for the past six years, too busy to even call” he said annoyed. A flush of anger fell upon her, “You know you could have given me more information about Barney!” she was going to say some bad words but was then interrupted by a voice hollering “Who is it Harvey, if they’re trying to sell you something, pretend you’re foreign.” “No, it’s not, I actually think you will love who is here, it’s Alicia.”

There was silence. Alicia poked her head out and said quietly, “Hello Barney, it’s me Alicia” tears were starting to form in her shadowy, misty brown eyes. She ran straight into his arms. They both sobbed for a while. After they had both recovered, she said “Are you okay? What happened? Can you walk? What have you hurt? Were you close to…” “Whoa, slow down, I’m fine just a little fall, that’s all and no I wasn’t close to death at all. You don’t need to worry about me at all, I promise” replied Barney unconvincingly. “Okay, if you say so.” They had tea and cake with a secret ingredient, ginger. “Are you planning on going to the dance now that you are back in town?” asked Barney curiously. “Umm, I haven’t brought a dress with me” replied Alicia looking sad. That won’t be a problem” Barney said, looking excited. He stood up and slowly made his way to his bedroom and pulled a beautiful green dress out. “I thought you wouldn’t have on, good thing I’ve got this, you should be able to fit into it.” The dress was gorgeous, it was a forest green with an open back and bow. The straps had fabric falling down over the shoulder, there was ribbon marking where the bodice finished. She broke the silence, “Wow, it looks amazing, are you sure I could wear it, when is the dance?” She said quietly, still looking at the emerald dress. “Monday the 2^nd of March,” said Barney. “Barney, you do know that’s tomorrow, right?” “I know, I know, but I’ve got an extra ticket, I know you used to go with your parents but trust me, it will be just as much fun” Barney said trying to convince Alicia it would be fun.

“It brings back loads of memories though, but if it makes you happy, I will go.”

The day of the dance was hectic, but Alicia looked stunning. “Wow you look magnificent, are you ready to go?” said Barney. “I’m ready I think, hair done, make up done and dress on – done!”

When they arrived, it was full of beaming lights, music blasting and people dancing. They sat down on a small table with a few people from the village. Alicia was having a great time dancing, laughing and singing. Until a man came through the doors. He was tall, skinny and was very muscly. As he walked closer, Alicia could see who it was… “Dad?”

The wind buffeted against the sides of the old carriage, it moaned through the cold, icy air, reaching through the barred windows and groping at me. I shivered, holding onto the last scrap of warmth that burned within my soul. The rickety wheels of the trap bounced up and down on a cobbled track leading far into the distant countryside.

Peering through the bars I watched as the last of the sunlight was drained from the sky. My eyes shuttered as my limbs fell back into paralysis. Slumping against the wooden box that had become my prison, my death sentence.

The jolting of the carriage woke me up as we turned onto an ominous driveway, the gravel crunching beneath the horse’s feet. Pressing my head against the barred windows, I saw the driver swaying in his seat, holding a lantern high into the night sky, throwing light into the abyss, the horse flinched at whatever horrors awaited me at the end of the driveway.

What I wouldn’t give to get out of this straight jacket, its violently white material bound my hands across my body, no better than an animal. I could feel my hair sticking to my face, knotted and matted with blood. Somewhere ahead of me a crow cawed, calling to all who might listen, screaming a warning into the desolate blanketed countryside.

The carriage slowed to a halt outside the towering double doors. I could hear the bolts scraping across the wood as the carriage door swung open. Hands reached in and dragged me out, into the night. My legs buckled and a sudden dizziness overcame me; I was drowning in the fog swimming to the surface before sinking to the hard floor. I fell before the massive stone house like a lamb on the slaughter block. I became detached from my body, a soul without a corpse, high on delirium and delusion. I floated up, up past the iron gates, the gargoyles guarding the grotesque exterior of this hospital, the place where people are sent when society wants to forget about them. Sent to decay whilst screaming silently to the stone walls, to fulfil doctors’ macabre obsession with torture, ‘ just remember it’ s all for your own good’,  the words echo through my head. I watch as I’m dragged, kicking and screaming into the cold hall of the mental asylum; from above I realised I did in fact look like a lunatic, blood shot eyes framed by a ghostly pallor, my once healthy complexion white, my violently crazed expression was worn by hollow cheeks and long matted hair.

I watched, paralysed with fear as I was frog marched into a wheelchair, I felt as though I was being sucked back into my body, incarcerated by this goddam fettering garment. In front of me a face leared, sneering in the delight of the pain that it caused me, snarling as it stabbed me with a needle. I was shackled to the metal chair, and this time as I drowned, I could not escape.

It was her first night in the new house. Though her parents slept together in the room next door, she felt curiously alone—enclosed by four unfamiliar walls, a shut door, and towers of unsorted boxes. Dust clung to the floorboards like a thin grey veil, the windows were still clouded with grime, and a heavy branch pressed against the glass, blotting out the moon.

She lay motionless in a narrow bed whose covers barely reached her toes. The pillows smelled faintly of those papery flowers whose petals fall away and are crushed into perfume—fragile, sweet, and a little sad.

She closed her eyes, though rest refused to come. A dull ache throbbed behind them from a day spent under bright lights. No position felt right; the mattress groaned with every breath she took, and faint tapping rose from within the walls. Moonlight stretched the shadows too far across the room, as though each time she glanced at them they crept a little longer, a little closer.

To distract herself, she studied the tapestry on the ceiling—angels perched upon clouds, cherubs astride pale horses—spinning stories for them until her eyes might finally tire. But then, from the corner of her vision, something moved. The tree’s shadow quivered, then unfurled into a long, wavering arm. It reached toward her bedpost, hesitant, almost curious—until it was suddenly pulled back by whatever shape it belonged to. The house fell silent.

A distant sound drifted through the air. At first a wail, then a cry, then—clearer still—a lullaby. A song.

The shadow lengthened again. One arm became two, and the outline of a woman’s figure emerged upon the wall. The singing wrapped around her like a soft echo. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands over her ears, hoping the strange melody would fade.

When she finally dared to look again, she gasped—not in terror, but in astonishment. She wished she could have captured the moment somehow, for standing in the corner of the room was not a monstrous apparition, but a young woman with a gentle smile resting on her lips.

Moonlight slipped free of the branch outside and poured through the window, illuminating the figure fully. The woman wore a long white dress that shimmered faintly, as though woven from mist and memory—like the gown of a pianist stepping onto a stage for her final performance.

“My appearance is not to haunt,” the figure said, her voice as soft as sunrise. “I hope I have not startled you.”

The girl felt the tension in her shoulders loosen. The ghost’s melancholy song softened, becoming something tender and familiar, like a melody remembered from early childhood. Each note drifted through the room with the weightlessness of falling feathers. Her eyelids grew heavy. The creaking of the bed quieted. Even the shadows seemed to settle, unafraid of its presence.

The last thing she glimpsed before sleep claimed her was the woman’s serene smile, glowing softly in the moonlit corner — watchful, kind, and impossibly gentle. Her slender figure floating gracefully on invisible staircase to a white light; a pool of heavenly shine — and with that, the music whisked her into the calmest sea of slumber imaginable.

The moon hung low over whisper hollow Churchyard, casting a gloomy glow across the desolate churchyard. The air was sharp with a pungent smell of decaying bodies, and the crooked gravestones looked almost like a lingering shadow of the dead. Most people avoided this place at night, but my friends had dared me to walk through it alone. I had agreed but not willingly, pretending it was just a dumb challenge, but now I really wished I hadn’t.

As I stepped through the rusted iron gate, it creaked with a harsh sound, as though warning me of something

 ominous. The shadows seemed to penetrate the ground, stretching long and thin like fingers of the dead. Even the wind felt abnormal, whispering secrets only the night could understand.

Then I heard it.

A voice.

Soft. Eerie. Haunting.

“Agatha…”

I froze. My heartbeat thudded with a strange ache. I spun around, but the church tower only stared back at me with its empty windows, like a sinister face carved into the walls.

I walked faster, though a narrow path with roots grabbing me trying to slow me down. The path twisted unnaturally, as if the churchyard itself was alive. Gravestones I didn’t remember seeing before appeared in front of me, their names worn away by time and rain.

“Agatha …” the whisper came again, drifting from behind a tall angel statue. Its stone wings were cracked, its face stained with moss, giving it a morbid, almost crying expression. Ivy embedded its base, curling like green claws.

I swallowed hard. “Who’s there?” My voice shook.

No answer.

Instead, the angel’s shadow stretched across the ground, inching toward me. The air grew colder, the weather turning from a calm summer’s night to a late storm in winter. My breath fogged in front of me.

Suddenly, the church bell rang—one deep, lurid toll that echoed through the night. Everything fell silent. Even the trees stood still, as if ensconced in fear.

Then, slowly, the angel’s stone hand moved.

Just a twitch.

Just enough.

I stumbled back, but before I could run, something cold wrapped around my ankle.

I looked down.

A pale hand was reaching out of the soil beneath the gravestone.

And then—

A voice, not spoken aloud but inside my mind, like telepathy, whispered:

“You shouldn’t have come here, Agatha…”

The ground trembled.

The hand tightened.

And everything went dark.

When I finally opened my eyes, I wasn’t lying in the churchyard anymore. I was standing upright, surrounded by a thick, swirling fog that growled faintly. The gravestones were gone. The trees were gone. Even the sky had vanished, replaced by a vast, empty darkness that felt alive. A faint whisper curled through the mist—my name again, but this time it sounded older, heavier, as though spoken by something that had been waiting centuries just for me. I tried to move, but the ground beneath me pulsed like a heartbeat, holding me in place. Somewhere in the fog, something shifted. Watching. Approaching.