The Woods

• Savannah Graff, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2019

As the wind howled and the leaves rustled in the trees, there sat a group of friends playing truth or dare in an old, abandoned mansion surrounded by the petrifying mystical woods. Like a crime scene, the windows were barricaded and had tape stating, ‘Do Not Enter’.
An old grandfather clock stood tall in the long, dark hallway. The chimes echoed throughout the building as the clock struck three. The ten kids jumped out of their skin because when they first arrived, they saw the clock smashed on the dusty floor. ‘Weird,’ whispered Jake.
A high-pitched scream appeared out of nowhere. Studying the room, they noticed Gabrielle was missing. ‘We must look for her!’ Joe shouted. Everyone split up to search for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. ‘I guess there’s only one place to look.’ ‘Don’t say it!’ replied Daniel but it was too late, Joe said it, ‘The woods.’
‘What are we waiting for?’ said Amelia. Little did they know the woods were called the Execution Woods. In the past when people were sentenced to death, their bodies were burned there, and their ashes remained in the tree trunks. Their bodies may have faded but their spirits remained - and trust me, they aren’t friendly!
Splitting into groups of three, Sean, Luke and Fred came across Gabrielle laying across the orange, crunchy leaves barely alive. They had no idea who, or what, had done this to her but something was lurking in the woods. ‘Ahhhhhhh!’ Their three screams unsettled a flock of crows and the boys vanished into the mist.
‘Ow! What did you throw at me?’ yelled Isabella to Savannah and Amelia. There was no reply. She called out their names five times, but it seemed they too had disappeared.
Jake, Joe and Daniel heard a piercing scream. Sprinting, they found themselves in a nearby graveyard.
‘Whoo...I seeeee yoooou.’
‘Wh-what was that?’ whispered Jake. Joe felt a sharp pain in his back, ‘OUCH!’ he squealed. Daniel found himself on the floor as if he had been pushed. ‘We need to get out of here,’ he demanded. Another faint scream in the distance sent instant chills down their spines. They ran towards a nearby church in hope they would be safe from whatever was out there. As they barged through the doors, the moonlight revealed a room in the far corner. ‘That seems way too tiny, I’m claustrophobic!’ Joe uttered. ‘Uhh me too?’ Daniel lied. ‘Fine, I will go by myself you wimps!’ Jake snapped, hesitantly entering the room.
A few minutes had passed, and the boys became worried for their friend.
‘HELLLPP!’ Three screams tripled through the cold evening air and the church filled with an eerie silence as the sun rose.
The ten children were never found, and legend has it, if you go to this neck of the woods, you can still hear the chimes of the old grandfather clock.
I dare you to stay until the clock strikes three…dong, Dong, DONG!