Scary House

• Samantha McCombe, Grade 5
• Poetry
• 2010

The Scary House!
There is a really scary house on my street. I go past it every day when I go to and from school. I keep telling my parents that it is haunted but they tell me my imagination is too big. I don’t know why they won’t believe me. They should know I’m telling the truth. I found out it was haunted one day. It went like this.
I was walking past the house with my friend Peter when we heard something smash inside the house. Peter ran up the front step and onto the porch. I followed him, eager to see what was inside the house. When I was standing beside him he held out his arm and swung open the door. Inside was deserted. It was like no one had been there for a thousand years. Everything was covered in dust. There were cobwebs hanging from the roof.
As we were looking around, the door behind us shut with a bang, shaking the old house. Peter and I were scared. We tried to open the door but the handle fell off as soon as we touched it. Suddenly there was a witch-like cackle from behind us. We both froze. When we turned around no one was there. We were shaking. As we tried to move, the wooden floorboards creaked. Suddenly, a hand came out from one of the rooms and pulled us in by the backs of our shirts. We were screaming. The room was pitch black. We could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. We were so scared.
When the lights came back on we realised a rope was tied around our waists. Looking up I saw the rope was attached to the ceiling and the floor suddenly disappeared below us. We were descending into a dark cavern. Peter and I were both frightened. Suddenly we stopped moving. I looked up. The rope was caught on something. Below us was a boiling cauldron, obviously the witch had been here before us. On the walls there were old paintings of witches and wizards. There were also framed wands. I glanced up again. The rope was slipping. It wasn’t going to hold for much longer. I was worried. Looking around I saw a broom hanging up on the wall. I tried grabbing it but missed. I started swinging back and forth. Peter turned his head and saw what I was doing. He immediately did the same. We were picking up pace. I reached out. I thought I missed the broom but I didn’t. There it was in my hand: a magic broom. Suddenly we heard a cackle. The witch had entered the room. I managed to put the broom between our legs. Peter and I both struggled to get out of the rope. Once we were free I pushed the power button on the broom. And off we went flying through the air, never to return.
And that is why mum and dad should believe me!