Scarey Move

• Taylor Beattie, Grade 5, St Pius X Primary School
• Short Story
• 2011

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

My Mum sat up in shock and sprinted down to my bedroom, “What’s wrong? I heard you screaming”. I sat up, confused. I realised that I was OK, everything was normal.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Mum said.
“Yes, it was just a bad dream,” I told her.
“All right then, go back to sleep now,” whispered Mum.

The sun was shining and I was munching on my breakfast when Mum said, “You know Taylor, you still haven’t told me what your dream was about”.
“Ok”, I said, “I’ll tell you. Do you remember how last week Dad told us we have to move to Dubbo? I told my friends at school and they were telling me scary stories about new schools and houses with ghosts that make scary noises.” Sharing that with Mum just made me more scared.
“Well, Taylor,” Mum continued, “Today Dad is applying for a house on 25 acres. It’s quite an old house, but there are a lot of people who want it so he doesn’t have much of a chance.” “Phew,” I said.
“Ok,” said Mum, “go and put your bowl in the sink and get changed.”
I walked into my bedroom feeling sad, scared and excited all at the same time. I finished getting dressed and Mum drove me to school.

I arrived at school and all my friends were talking in the playground. I said good-bye to Mum and went over to them and shared my news
“Wow,” they said. “You know,” one of my friends whispered in my ear, “one of MY friends moved and they said that when you are living on a farm you hear scary noises that sound like ghosts.”
That scared me even more but my friends didn’t seem to care, even though I asked them not to tell me scary stories. I was nearly crying when the bell rang to go to class.

That afternoon Mum and Dad picked me up. In the car, I told Dad that my friends were trying to scare me with stories about moving and that I didn’t want to move anymore. He was shocked. “Don’t listen to those stories,” he said, “You know they are not real.”
“I know,” I replied, “but I just can’t help it.”
“Well, Taylor, you could be a little excited because – guess what? I got the lease on the farm!” I smiled at Dad because I knew he wanted me to be excited but inside I was petrified.
*********************
I climbed out of the car at the new house, it was pitch black and cold. I was terrified walking into the dark, empty house. I walked into my new bedroom and dumped my bag on the floor, had a shower, cleaned my teeth and headed to bed feeling sick because I was so scared…..
In the morning, I woke up very surprised. “Well,” I said to myself, “I’m still safe. Maybe school won’t be so bad after all.”