Plus some New Spooky Stories!
The Locked Room
by Thomasin Franken, age 11
Mom and Dad said we were going to spend our summer in an old mansion. It was for rent, very expensive. There were 15 rooms, not counting the locked one.
When we were on our way there, I asked, "Dad, how come the owners didn't just break down the door?" "Well," began my dad, "I don't know. Maybe they'd rather find the key."
Then I saw a mansion on top of a hill. "Is that it?" I asked."Yup, that's it, Honey! Isn't it great?" Mom answered, then asked. "Yeah."
It really was great. It had two towers, three terraces, a roof you could walk on, bay windows, and even gardens. I wonder which room was the locked one...
When we arrived, I put my baseball cap on and went upstairs to choose my room. First I ran up the first flight of stairs. On the second floor there were four bedrooms. All had dolls, lots of the color red and tons of dust. I checked the next floor, different color, but pretty much the same. The fourth floor was very dull.
I decided on a nice light blue room on the fifth. I put my hat down on the bed and set up for the tower. The stairs were not very sturdy so I clutched the rail. At about the middle of the tower, I leaned back for a rest. Suddenly, I was pushed forward. The wall was closing in on me!
I turned around and saw one brick out of the wall, with a key placed on top of it. The key to the locked door! I checked both towers, and since I've already checked the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors, I could go directly to the first. The first door on the first floor was locked. I tried the key. It worked! In the locked room, I saw a skeleton at the door. Apparently, someone was going to the bathroom and couldn't get out!
- first published in the Nov./Dec. 1992 issue of ZuZu
It was a dark and stormy night.
Carl was riding on his bicycle, pedaling as fast as he could
to get home because it was raining so hard. He passed by an old house with broken shutters, cracked windows and
chipping paint - exactly like a haunted house!
He was scared easily and did not want to take shelter in the old shack, even though it meant getting a bad cold. But one block away he saw a vacant house unlike the other old one. It was unchipped with gleaming white paint, new shutters and unbroken windows.
Carl decided to take shelter in this house since it looked safe, it was still raining, and it was a long way from home. He rode his bike up to the front porch and got off.
There was no doorbell so Carl just opened the door. Carl thought it was strange that the door was unlocked but went inside anyway. He walked into a hall which led to many doors. He passed each one, but stopped at a green door. Carl was curious, so he opened the door. Inside there was a green couch, a green table and green frames with pictures of hands. Carl was confused by the pictures, but since he was tired, he sat down.
Almost at once he heard a scratching noise behind the sofa. Just to prove to himself it was just a mouse, he looked behind, He saw the ugliest hand he ever saw coming out from under the sofa. It had long grey hair and yellow brittle nails, just like the ones in the picture!
Carl tried to scream, but he couldn't. He tried to run, but the hand grabbed him and pulled him under!
The next minute he was surrounded by darkness - but wait! He was wrapped head to toe with white bandages and was placed in a coffin. He screamed but all that came out was a muffled sound. The coffin was placed in the hole and he was BURIED ALIVE!
That night his family and neighbors searched everywhere for him, but all they found was his bicycle, and not Carl. It just goes to show that things aren't always what they appear to be!
- first published in the Sept./Oct. 1994 issue of ZuZu
New Spooky Stories
Add Your Story
