The Creepy Neighbour

• Jemma Casswell, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2021

Peter and his mother were new to town. Everyone in their new street seemed friendly, they kept their grass green and lawn mowed. Everyone except their neighbour, the house was shabby with boards over the windows and cobwebs hanging from the gutters.

Peter anxiously walked through the door of his new classroom his teacher Mrs Cruise pointed to a boy with brown curly hair sitting in the back corner, “That is Noah, you can sit with him today”. As Peter walked towards Noah, all his nerves melted away as Noah shot his hand in the air and waved with a big smile across his face. As the day went on, they came to realise that they had so much in common. They played the same video games and they both loved their AFL.

That afternoon Peter rushed home from school excited to tell his Mum about his new friend. He passed the house next door, and his skin began to crawl with the sensation of being watched. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees someone peeking from behind the curtains. Peter runs to his front door. He finds his Mum in kitchen, a look of worry on her face. “What’s wrong Mum” Peter asks, “Taffy jumped the fence and hasn’t returned” Mum told Peter. “He will come back soon” Peter replied. They sat and chatted about Peter’s first day and all about Noah for a while. Peter asked if Noah could come over after school the next day. “Sure, but only if you tidy that disaster of a room” Peter rushed up the stairs and got cleaning. The next morning Peter headed downstairs and found a note from his Mum saying she had gone looking for Taffy.

When Peter got to school, he asked Noah if he wanted to come over that afternoon to kick the ball. As they walked to Peter’s after school, Peter told Noah about his creepy neighbour, but Noah already knew all about him. He had a reputation for being odd. “No one ever seems to stay long living next door to Creepy Felix” Noah said, he continued to inform Peter that they all just seemed to up and leave. As they walked past Felix’s they heard a blood curdling scream, they rushed to the back yard to spy over the fence. Peter went inside to check in with this Mum. After searching the house, Peter realised that the house was the same as he left it in the morning, Mum still not there. Peter rushed back outside to Noah, only to find Noah no longer there. Peter started to feel sick, as the sun started to set, it got colder and darker by the second. Peter had never felt more scared and alone. But he had to find his Mum and Noah, Peter decided to climb the fence and look for himself, it was at the moment, that Peter was never seen again.