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Our first place Middle School category winner was written by Lily Hutchens of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a student attending Forestbrook Middle School. |
Everybody says that seeing is believing, but I know that’s not true. In fact, I am living, breathing proof of this. I am blind. I believe that there is a sun, moon and stars, but I have never seen them. I was born blind; there was no freak accident and no sorrowful tragedy. I wouldn’t mind being blind if one thing didn’t come into play: being different. It haunts me, it is ruining my life. The difference is tinier than you would think, but nobody cares. They talk to me like I am three years old, and a fool. I constantly have to remind myself that I know just as much as they do, I am just as smart as they are and maybe even more so.
It’s Friday, I can tell by the teacher’s chipper tone of voice that this is so. Mrs. Gray has a sweet, smooth voice, it reminds me of molasses. “Good morning class. Today Jack brought in an old photograph to show us,” Oh no, I think to myself… Jack. The last time he brought in something to show the class he brought in a toad that he found in a ditch by his house. It smelled horrendous, like dried mud, mixed with spoiled milk. Only a few minutes after he showed the class, the toad got lost somewhere in the room. The whole class panicked, searching frantically for it. They finally found the toad when it let out one loud, mellow croak.
I am snapped back to the present when Jack’s stuffy, annoying voice fills the room.” Hello fellow classmates,” a few people snicker at that, “Today I am going to show you some photos from 1951 I found in my attic.” Surprisingly, not one acrid remark comes from the class. “This picture is of an old abandoned shack.” I can’t see the picture, obviously, but I know what a shack is and what abandoned means so I can sort of figure it out. Still not another word is spoken from the class. Jack begins to speak again”Now I will read you an article about this ominous shack. Oct 19th 1951, the New Orleans Chronicle. Breaking News!” he begins in a cheesy reporter voice. “Maya Macdonald, the mayor’s daughter and six other kids were found dead, in an old abandoned shack in the woods last week. There was no evidence of what happened….” Then Mrs. Gray interrupts, her tone uneasy,” Jack, I suggest you sit down now before I have to call the principal in.” “Wait, one second,” Jack says hurriedly ”I think we should go find the shack in the woods to see what happens together, so I left a sign up sheet on the door if you want to go. Oh, and one more thing, Leila, the blind girl, probably shouldn’t go, because she can’t see and all”. “Jack, that’s it I’m calling the principal!”
I am furious! I’m angrier than a charging rhino with a thorn it’s foot! I’m angrier than…. I ask to go to the bathroom. Mrs. Gray let me go, but I have to go with a “bathroom buddy”, I have trouble with the faucets. When I get there I splash water on my face. It helps calm me down a little bit. One thing is for certain though; I am going to go on the “abandoned shack expedition”.
When I go back to class I have my “bathroom buddy”, Susan, write my name on the sign. She asks me why I want to go even though Jack said I shouldn’t. I told her “Because I feel like it.” Susan puts her name on the list, too.
Tonight is the “abandoned shack expedition”. I tell my mother that I am going to sleep over at Susan’s house. She automatically lets me go because I have never been to a sleepover. The reason for this is that I have almost no friends. Susan’s mom picks me up at 6:00 p.m. We have pizza for dinner which is great because I don’t need a helper to eat it. We play some board games and at 10:00 p.m. her mom tells us to get in bed. Susan said she fixed the bed so that it looks like we are sleeping. I hope her mom will fall for it.
At 11:00 p.m., we arrive at the school parking lot where we are supposed to meet, Susan’s hand in mine. Jack walks up to us “Hi Susan, glad you could come. Wait a minute, what is Leila doing here!?” I tell him the same thing I told Susan,” Because I feel like it.” “O.K., whatever, good luck.” He says back. Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the group gets here; it consists of me, Jack, Susan, and four other kids. Susan and I walk slowly. I am so afraid, my hands are sweating buckets and so are Susan’s. Every rustle, every branch snap, every owl hoot causes us all to jump. Then Jack whispers “We are here.” When he says that I want to turn around and go back to Susan’s house, but I don’t, I say nothing. I hear John take a step onto what is probably a step on stairs. Then Susan says, Step up now, Leila.” I step up. An eerie creak follows. I hear a quiet click and a chilly breeze comes toward us, so I know he has opened the door. I continue to walk. Finally, we stop. “What now?” Susan says. “We wait” replies Jack. An unrecognizable voice now asks,” For what?” Suddenly, thud, I hear something, I can’t figure out what it is. Then I know. “You guys, did you just hear that.” I said nervously. “No” everyone says. Well, I could have sworn I heard a footstep.” Susan told me it is just my imagination, I guess she is right. “Told you she shouldn’t have come” Jack mutters under his breath. Thud! I jump. “You heard it that time right everybody?” “No Leila, we didn’t here anything.” replies Jack in an annoyed tone. “Leila,” Susan whispers nervously,” The hairs on your arms are standing straight up.” “I know it’s so weird. Susan, I really did hear something, I swear.” “I believe you.” Susan speaks so quietly I can barely hear her.
“Everyone, I know we are not the only ones here, I can sense it. We need to leave now.” I exclaim.” “You two are such chickens; I knew it was a bad idea bringing you along. Go ahead and leave, we are staying here. Right everyone?” Jack says in a confident fashion. “Yep,’ the group mutters doubtfully. “Come on everyone, you’ve got to believe me, please, lets go home.” I pleaded. “No Leila, we are not leaving, just go.” Jack demanded. “Come on Susan, we need to leave”. Then I heard the footsteps again. “There’s no time. We have to hide “I said. “Fine,” Susan whispers. She leads me into a damp room. The air is stale. We sit down on the floor. It is freezing cold. I feel miserable. The only thing that seems real is the sound of Susan’s heavy breathing beside me.
I feel like I lay there forever, but only a few minutes have gone by. Suddenly, I hear someone coming, heavy steps thump, thump, thump, thump followed by a sound that is almost impossible to describe, a kind of squishing noise like when you slice into a big, juicy thanksgiving turkey. This will later be identified by a dagger going into a heart. Immediately after that I hear something I will never forget, a piercing cry that seems to slice the air like a knife would to a piece of burnt toast. Within five minutes, the same sounds repeat four times. Then the worst sound of them all occurs, a laugh; a laugh of pure evil and nothing more. That is when I faint.
I wake up; a steady beeping noise is coming from beside me and something sharp is in my arm. I sit up straight in bed. “Oh, you’re awake. Good” a voice I don’t recognize says, “I’ll go fetch your mother.” That is when I realize I am in the hospital. The happiest moment of my life is when I hear my mother’s voice repeating over and over again,”You’re alright, you’re alright, you’re alright”. I feel one wet drop fall lightly onto my arm, a tear.
The New Orleans Chronicle Oct 19th 2011
Breaking News: Five young kids were found dead in an old shack last week, but two young girls survived one of whom is completely blind.
Is something mysterious going on in New Orleans or is all of this just a coincidence? Five, twelve year old children were found dead in an old shack in the woods last week, but two very lucky girls survived. There is no evidence on the murder. On top of all this, exactly sixty years ago, almost the same thing happened. Seven twelve year old kids entered this shack and were all murdered, but know evidence or murderer was found. This time, however, Susan Cary and Leila Brookes both survived this tragedy. They were found unconscious in a closet in the shack. Strangely enough, Leila Brookes is completely blind. The whole group came here when Jack Stevenson brought in the photograph of the shack and article from October 19th 1951 to school and asked everyone if they wanted to come with him to the shack. The group consisted of Leila Brookes, Susan Cary, Jack Stevenson, Tonya Green, Henry Johnston, Logan Freeze, and Gregory Jones.
The crime scene is being investigated, but no evidence, not even a finger print was found on the killer. If I were you I would lock all you windows and doors, because there is a murderer out there somewhere.
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