Table of Contents
SHORT STORIES & POETRY Noises in the Bedroom – Art Paul Schlosser.................................................... 4 You Should Have Seen the Basement – Art Paul Schlosser............................ 6 Are You Afraid? – Art Paul Schlosser................................................................ 8 Alone Together – Namya Moffett................................................................... 10 The Headless Toddler – Emma Wallner......................................................... 12
ARTWORK Sleep Paralysis Demon – Kelly Mendoza Viveros...........................................16 Twisty the Clown – Noely Bonilla....................................................................17 Girl Sees World Burn – Alyse Miller.................................................................18 Rest: Nightmares No Longer Wait for Sleep - Noely Bonilla..........................19 Sorceress – Aryn A. Faigin...............................................................................21
CONTEST WINNERS Sorceress – Aryn A. Faigin Alone Together – Namya Moffett
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SHORT STORIES & POETRY
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Noises in the Bedroom by Art Paul Schlosser
Noises in the bedroom Who could be there? You don’t live with no one Are you scared? Noises in the bedroom Does it make you fear? The noises are getting louder Is it a bear? Noises in the bedroom Who could be there? Your imagination is growing growing stranger and weird Could it be a monster? Could it be a killer? Is it just a robber? Enter if you dare Noises in the bedroom Sounds so very queer But yet they seem familiar Enter if you dare Is it just a nightmare? Is this very weird? Do you have a weapon? Enter if you dare
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You swear you heard that somewhere That sound is so familiar You open up the door It’s a video game on the computer
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You Should Have Seen the Basement by Art Paul Schlosser
It was a dark and scary night. The wind blew hard as my car was running out of gas, and looking around, it looked like there was no gas station in sight. I had gotten lost by accidentally turning down a road which I thought was a shortcut. But was this really an accident or fate? I looked at my phone and noticed the battery had died, so Triple A was not an option. I had no idea where I was or what I was going to do when the rain subsided, and the full moon shined on the house like a mansion not too far away. Well, thinking maybe there was a possibility that they had a phone, I thought: ‘What the heck? It’s not that far of a walk.” The house was gothic-looking and old like it might have been built by some German in the late 1800s. I was bored anyhow because my radio wasn’t working, and I was stuck there because my car had finally stalled from being out of gas. I felt fortunate that I had reached the porch just before the storm started up again with thunder and lightning and such harsh winds. There was no doorbell, just a demonic-looking door knocker that creaked when I tried to use it. I decided that the house looked abandoned, so maybe I would just try the door. But the door itself just opened before I even had a chance to touch the doorknob. In the hallway, there were candelabras on the walls, but it didn’t look like there was any electricity. I started to leave because I thought it might be a waste of time, but the storm was pouring hard, and the door seemed to be stuck. Just then, a very pale-looking guy with strangelooking teeth welcomed me and asked me if I would like a glass of white wine from 1871, which he said was a good year for the wine he was offering me. I asked about a phone or a nearby gas station, but I regretted that. Though he was happy to see me, he did not have a phone, and the nearest gas station was 25 or 30 miles away. With the -6-
storm, he didn’t think I wanted to walk in the dark, especially since the road led to a dark forest and the highway was also at least 20 miles away. He offered that I stay in his beautiful but rather old abode. He took me up to the guest room, but on the way, I noticed one room had a very odd-looking piece of furniture that I thought might be a coffin. Well, I know what you’re thinking: I should really get going. I said thank you very much, but I think I will just check my phone to see if it is working. Heading back down the stairs, one of the steps opened, and I slid down this compartment that led to a torture chamber. In the basement where I ended up, the hairiest looking thing came towards me with an ax and said he was going to kill me if I didn’t follow him to the human cage where they put all the humans they were experimenting on. The basement reeked of human flesh and blood and of things previously burned. On the way to the cage, there was a man, or lady, or both, stitched together, being stretched on the stretching device. I asked the hairy-looking person, or thing, or animal, how long they had been living here. And either having been taught English or being human and picking it up, they said they had lived here since birth, which seemed to be more than a hundred years. The basement was lit with huge torches, one on each of the four corners, and by the hairy-looking thing, there was also a torch. On the opposite side of the basement, in the other direction, there was a loud creature that looked very scary. Then, I woke up and realized I had not turned off the scary movie I was watching just before I fell asleep.
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Are You Afraid? by Art Paul Schlosser
Are you afraid or really brave? Do you have fears or just scary-looking mirrors? What are you afraid of? Witches, black cats, goblins, or bloody gloves? Is it a logical fear or just your beer? Our President Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” And FDR had polio and was President When our economy wasn’t that great And the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor So, if FDR could be strong And get a nation through that troubling time Maybe with God’s help, we can be strong too Psalm 27 verse 1 & 2 says The Lord is my light and my salvation Who shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life Whom shall I be afraid? So, here is what happened to Ralph When he had to work late on Friday the 13th Coming home, it was a dark and stormy night Getting off the bus, there was a strange, tall, scary-looking guy following him So, Ralph started walking faster And the scary-looking man started walking faster, too So, Ralph started to run And the scary-looking man started to run too So, Ralph ran faster and so did the scary-looking man What was going to happen? Well, Ralph managed to make it home and locked the door Then he heard knocking, but he didn’t want to answer the door Because he knew it was the scary man At this point, Ralph was scared to death And he started to pray He was also considering calling 911 Then, the phone began to ring -8-
It couldn’t be that guy--he doesn’t know my number? Ralph: “Hello!” Big scary man: “Hi, my name is Sam, the guy outside your door. You left your wallet on the bus.” So, ask yourself: is the fear logical fear? And whether it is or not, trust God to help you through it Psalm 27 verse 1 and 2
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Alone Together by Namya Moffett
It was getting much colder at night thanks to the oncoming fall weather, so Priya zipped up her puffy black jacket and pulled the hood up over her head. She began taking quick and calculated strides, in order to get to the bus station that was three blocks away from the diner she worked at. Walking to the bus station after a late shift was always a daunting task for Priya and just the thought of being alone at night made her blood curdle. Thankfully her friend Darren was a chef at the diner, and they usually walked to the bus station together at night. Not tonight though. Darren got sick with the flu, and he was gone from work for the last three days. For those three days, Priya was lucky enough to have not worked the night shift but on the fourth day her luck finally ran out. So, there she was with her keys clutched between her palms, one key between each finger, classic defense mode. Her eyes were directed forwards, making sure to pay close attention to her surroundings. Priya hated being so on edge, but she knew that her precautions were extremely warranted, especially given her past experiences, and hearing the horror stories that some of her friends had to face while being out alone at night. She was about a block into her journey when she heard the footsteps start behind her. They were very faint at first, so Priya passed it off as paranoia but still quickened her pace a bit. After a couple more seconds, the footsteps got louder. Priya knew it wasn’t just paranoia, there was someone behind her. With every tap of her foot against the pavement, there was another slightly louder tap that she could hear a second later. Priya’s mind became frantic. “What do I do?” she thought to herself. “Do I run, do I turn around?” But surely she couldn’t turn around, right? Because the second that she did, the situation would become all too real, and the person would make their move on her. Priya had no idea what to do, she felt paralyzed with fear. Her legs were still moving but - 10 -
her ability to process the situation and come up with a safe getaway plan was nonexistent. So, she kept walking, well more like sprinting at this point. It was the only thing she could do, the only thing that felt right in the moment. She didn’t want to turn around and face the reality that someone was following her, someone who could be much bigger and much stronger than her. She picked up her pace again, the change in her pockets clinking together at the fast movement. The footsteps behind her got quicker and louder meaning that not only was the person behind her moving faster but they were getting closer to her as well. Priya had finally had enough and abruptly stopped her sprint and turned on her heels, facing the direction of the perpetrator. But there was no one there. Priya had her key clad hand raised in the air, waving it in every direction as she tried to catch sight of the person but came up short. There was no one in the street, there were no trees or alleyways for the person to take cover in, there was nothing. She was completely alone. Priya dropped her hand with the keys to her side and rubbed her other hand against her forehead, letting out a soft laugh. “Wait till Darren hears about this, he’ll never let me live it down,” she muttered under her breath. “Who’s Darren?” asked a quiet voice behind her. Priya instantly froze, able to hear her heart pulsating loudly through her ears. She slowly turned around to face the voice, throat constricting at the thought of what she was about to face. What Priya saw next scared her more than anything in her entire life. Standing in front of her was a woman. The woman was wearing a long white nightgown, with blood stains smeared down the front and she had a large tattoo of a snake eating itself on the side of her neck. But that’s not what scared Priya, not the blood or the creepy tattoo or even the face splitting grin plastered on the woman’s face. No, what scared her was the fact that this woman standing right in front of her, looked exactly like Priya. From the long, wavy brown hair, down to the mole under her right eye. “What the-” but before Priya could finish her sentence, she felt a prick in the side of her neck and was immediately engulfed by darkness. - 11 -
The Headless Toddler by Emma Wallner
“I HAVE BEEN DECAPITATED!!” The 4-year-old girl yelled as she chased her Halloween costume Watermelon head down the hall. The watermelon rolled straight off the edge of the stairs.
THUNK, Thunk, thunk The sound of the melon echoed throughout the two-story home of a little girl and her parents. One step at a time, the runaway head turned from a new basketball to that of a wet diaper. thunk Her parents were in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs getting ready to take their little ‘Melon Lord’ trick-or-treating, when suddenly, her ‘head’ came thundering down at them. It was more of a hat than a head, for she was convinced that one of such stature would be, well, tall. Unlike her. The little girl followed the watery head gradually down the stairs. Her dad laughed as the watermelon bumped into his foot. He scooped up the watermelon and held it to his ear. Squish “It sounds to me your headless and brainless! Now, what have I told you about losing your head?” His daughter pondered for a moment, her lips squished up under her button nose. “Don’t.”
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“Correct! Now, hear this.” He smiled and shook the watermelon. Slosh She made a face of disgust that made both of her parents want to laugh. “That, if I were a doctor, I would have to inform you about having a major concussion.” Her eyes widened with fear. “Con... concush...tion... Concussion.” “Yep, and that sound you heard in our decapitated head here is the sound of your brains turning into watermelon soup.”
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ARTWORK
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Sleep Paralysis Demon by Kelly Mendoza Viveros
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Twisty the Clown by Noely Bonilla
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Girl Sees World Burn by Alyse Miller
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Rest: Nightmares No Longer Wait for Sleep by Noely Bonilla
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Sorceress
by Aryn A. Faigin
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