By the winner of the 2018 Booker Mann prize author,
When my father died, on his birthday in fact, he wrote a long will to numerous people (because of the amount of money he died with) a superior amount went to fund the school he grew up in. As the fund was so large, I decided to drive there and personally deliver the cheque.
I began to drive to the school after work, which finished around 5 o’clock, and I was caught in traffic on my way, resulting in the journey taking just under 3 hours. I arrived at the school around nine o’clock and I was surprised to see the hallway lights still daintily lit. I approached the school which stood in an ancient looking forest that was being chocked and suffocated by ivy and moss. It wailed out for help through the wind and its bodies creaked and cried for help. The ivy that had already chocked out a tree started to crawl along the ground looking for another tree. As I turned my head the breeze blew through me and sent shivers up my spine, until I saw an old dilapidated, crumbling building which stood (sill strongly) on an old stone platform .
I came to the entrance of the school, a pair of large stone statues stared down at me, their eyes staring through me. I slowly opened the door and it let out a high-pitched shriek. I walked through the dated corridor, leaves crunching under my feet. As I walked, with the lights flickering above me, I turned my head to look at each classroom. Every window was smashed, with blood seeping under some of the doors. I start to panic and consider leaving until I hear footsteps coming from around the corner. The sound of long, searing nails scraping against metal lockers pierced against my ears. Pressing my sweaty palms against my ears, to stop the noise, I jumped into a small, crammed room. I lay there my heart pounding, my breathing heavy and labored. When I had caught a hold over myself, I peered through the window. A cloaked figure stood in front of me, it suddenly through someone, or something against the door. I jumped back into the wall of the clause, weeping I rested my head against something solid. I slowly turned my head round and there sat a white bag with what felt to be a body inside of it. I jumped nearly screaming and collapsed in the corner and cried myself to sleep.
I woke up the next morning confused for a couple of minutes. Until remembered what had happened last night. I sat in the corner, quietly thinking of what to do next, and after a while I finally gathered the confidence to peer through the window. The light temporarily blinded my eyes, and when they adjusted, I saw an empty corridor and decided to run for my car. I slowly pushed the body away (that was in front of the door) and ran. My legs moving as fast as I could, I could feel myself becoming out of breath, but I didn’t care. I just kept running.
I have never felt the same after what I saw the cloaked figure . That is why I am here.