The Terrifying Imp

• Zomkyi Rhalo, Grade 5, Wilkins Public School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

The cracked window gave the midnight breeze easy access to the lonely house. The vines were as green as shiny emeralds and the isolated chimney was as brown as meerkat’s fur. The grassy leaves were as spiny as a cocoa-coloured hedgehog. The young girl walked up the creaky stairs. She heard, with amazement, creatures chanting a song.
"Outside is bright, inside it’s a fight,
The monsters appear, you will hear
The creatures of scary wonder."

The little girl started to walk closer towards the house. She felt the house rattle like a snake shaking its tail, but she continued on, feeling fearless and more interested. She took her handmade handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped the doorknob which was covered in spider webs. She gulped hard then threw her dusty handkerchief on to the spiky bush. She peered at the musty wood door. She made a quick decision, she thought firmly. She opened the wooden door and entered the house. She heard creaky sounds that she had never heard before. She stood there with horror, now facing a frightful imp. His ears were as long and his fingernails were as pointy as a witch’s fingers. The little girl walked backwards, slowly trying not to make a sound. The mischievous imp made a frightening crackle.
“You shall not escape from what you have done,” said the imp, trying to scare the little girl.
The little girl was frozen in fear by the terrifying imp. She felt like she was in a soggy dungeon with no escape. The girl edged backwards until she had felt the door again. She was just about to slam the musty wood door shut, when the little imp caught her shivering arm. The girl fainted as the imp dragged her back into the house.

When it was dark, the little girl woke up with a shock. She was in an ancient bed next to the apprehensive imp.The imp felt very sorry for what he had done to the poor little girl.
“I thought you were going to hurt me,” sobbed the little girl in her soft voice.
“We imps don’t hurt humans if they don’t hurt us,” said the imp, trying to be nice to the girl.
She knew that was a pleasant thing to say, but the little girl was astonished by what the imp had done. Her immoral heart grew full of evilness and wickedness. Wanting powerful revenge, she slapped the poor imp that had tried to help her. The imp’s eyes glinted in the moonlight like icy steel. The little girl had changed the friendly imp to a malevolent imp.
“Let the battle begin,” whispered the imp, cracking his fingers one by one with a nasty cackle.