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She almost cried. "Mom?" she asked. She smiled a little, but hten her face got sad. "You have to go," she said. "This house is a trap for kids who miss things too much." The house started shaking and all the bunny cages flew open. Dust flew everywhere. The shadow of Cupcake's mom pointed to the door. "Go now, Cupcake, and take your friends."

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The Girl and Her Mother by Fatima, age 9

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The Girl and Her Mother by Fatima, age 9

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"One dark night, a little girl and her mom were walking toward their house. They heard a strange sound behind a tree, and when they turned around, it was a witch. The girl ran quickly to the house, and outside they heard her making noises like a little child. Wolves were howling, the wind was blowing, and ghostly voices could be heard."

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My grandfather told me that a couple of years ago, in a ravine near the house, they heard a cry that sounded like a woman. It was La Llorona going down the ravine. The fear was so great that my grandfather and grandmother got goosebumps, and the dogs barked and whimpered in fear from under the bed.

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As I started walking away, I saw a blur of black in the distance—a shadow that made the old man's smile fade instantly. "Verminbane," he whispered, just before yelling for everyone to take cover. I was so focused on running, I wasn't even watching where I was going, and soon came face to face with Verminbane. It roared loudly, spraying drops of saliva onto my face, mixing with the sweat dripping off my chin. It opened its mouth and everything went pitch black.

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The Unknown Ghost Ballerina by Alin Ramati, age 9

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The Unknown Ghost Ballerina by Alin Ramati, age 9

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"But when Lily peeked inside, the piano was playing by itself. A shadowy figure wearing an old white tutu. As Lily stepped closer the ghost dancer's eyes glowed like tiny candles. The ghost floated closer. "I was once a dancer here. I never got to finish my last ballet recital," she said softly. Lily's heart pounded but she took a deep breath and said, "So maybe we can finish it together." So they danced, Lily and the ghost spinning and leaping until the clock struck 1:00am.

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The Man and the Skeleton Woman by Giselle Figueroa, age 10

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The Man and the Skeleton Woman by Giselle Figueroa, age 10

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"Once upon a time, there was a man on his motorcycle. His name was Carlos, and Carlos came across the Skeleton Woman. The woman smiled at him when he saw her, and then the woman went to the phone, and the phone rang at his mother’s house. When they went inside, they saw only skulls, bodies, and skeletons everywhere. A very loud noise was playing in the background."

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The Legend of Shapeshifter by Devin Robinson and Aria Morataya Torrijos, age 9

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The Legend of Shapeshifter by Devin Robinson and Aria Morataya Torrijos, age 9

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When the girls returned to the haunted house, the door creaked loudly, and Chloe led Phoebe deep inside where they found blood and bones everywhere. Then Chloe turned around and gestured to a chair, saying "sit" in a deep raspy voice Phoebe had never heard before. When Phoebe sat down, clamps held her arms, and Chloe transformed into a wolf, whispering: "Surprise, I am the shapeshifter, Phoebe, and welcome to my house!"

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Never Stay Awake on Christmas by Josue Joel, age 9

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Never Stay Awake on Christmas by Josue Joel, age 9

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"Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack. He was a bad and disobedient boy. On Christmas, his parents sent him to bed early, but Jack did not listen. He stayed awake until midnight and saw Santa Claus — his face covered in blood, with fangs and a knife."

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The tension in the cabin was thick, and right on time, at exactly 3:33 a.m., the old rotary phone rang once. Mateo took a deep breath and lifted the receiver, trying hard to sound confident when he asked, "Hello?" There was only silence for a moment, and then a rough voice, as if speaking from underground, whispered: "You shouldn’t have answered."

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The Black Notebook by Misellis Robles, age 10

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The Black Notebook by Misellis Robles, age 10

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That night, Andrea heard soft knocks on her bedroom door, and when she opened it, no one was there. She saw the notebook lying open in the hallway with a new name written in fresh ink: "I’m already here, Andrea." Even after she threw the book into the fireplace, the next day the knocking returned, much louder.

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The Boy Who Saved Halloween by James Gordon and Leo Drossart, age 10

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The Boy Who Saved Halloween by James Gordon and Leo Drossart, age 10

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Then the power went out in all of the city. Jake had two days to restore the electricity and to catch the culprit. Luckily he remembered the username of the account, mysteriousprson_203. Jake friend requested him and waited to see if he accepted. Jake wasn’t sure if the mysterious person was in the city. Jake asked and apparently he lived in a city about an hour away. Now, that makes his plan a bit harder.

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Deadly Night of Halloween by Enzo Jenkins, age 10

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Deadly Night of Halloween by Enzo Jenkins, age 10

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The night was a black void, with a terrifying fog that slithered like a snake on Forsaken Road, where an eight-foot creature faced a killer known as Bloodshed. The two horrors, one born of nightmares and one made by them, engaged in a battle where the man raised his jagged blade in the dying moonlight. After the bloodshed, Halloween became a tomb, ruled by death, silence, and the never-ending whisper of fog.

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When the Clock Struck Midnight by Journey Clark, Sloane Robinson, and Eve Zamir, age 10.7

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When the Clock Struck Midnight by Journey Clark, Sloane Robinson, and Eve Zamir, age 10.7

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"Michael’s parents were very worried. They loved him and didn’t want to see him suffer every Halloween. They tried everything they could think of, from doctors to priests, but nothing worked. Every year, at the stroke of midnight, his eyes would turn red, and he would start laughing like a maniac."

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The House on the Hill by Susan Chaves, age 10

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The House on the Hill by Susan Chaves, age 10

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"On top of a lonely hill there was an abandoned house that seemed to have a life of its own.
The broken windows looked like empty eyes staring at anyone who passed by, and the main door creaked with a painful moan.
A group of friends decided to explore the house despite the villagers’ warnings.
As soon as they entered, a chill ran down their backs — the house seemed to be watching them.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps upstairs. Scared, they looked at each other."

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"There was a shadow that was big and terrifying. My friend and I decided to explore, so we went into the house. We saw a dangerous shadow, and I said, ‘Run, there’s a shadow behind us!’ We ran and ran until I woke up in my bed — but my breathing still hurt, like I was trapped in the dream."

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"Once there was a man who went in the forest and he found a mysterious house. It was late into the night, so he decided to head back, but he was really thirsty. He went in and had a cup of water. It tasted weird, he thought, but he went to bed. In the morning, as he heard a scream, he ran over to the house to see the water was actually blood. That was the last note he left before disappearing forever."

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Kai the Killer by Cesar Zambrano Vasquez, age 11

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Kai the Killer by Cesar Zambrano Vasquez, age 11

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His sadness turned to fury as he looked up at the plane above, his eyes glowing blood-red and his veins bulging. He roared so loudly that the ground cracked beneath him, and he smashed the plane into the earth. When the clock struck midnight, nothing happened—he would stay a monster forever, and now he wanted revenge on all of humanity.

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"It was nighttime, and the children had gone to their great-great-grandmother’s funeral. They went for a walk through the cemetery and after playing for a while, they fell asleep under a very strange tree. When midnight struck, they began to hear strange noises — hundreds of zombies were coming out of the graves, walking toward them. Suddenly, a hand reached out from a nearby grave trying to grab one of them."

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The Shadow of the Mountain by Laura Contreras, age 11

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The Shadow of the Mountain by Laura Contreras, age 11

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Walking home in the dark, my grandfather and I were stopped at a fork in the road by a white figure that didn't walk, but glided. When the moonlight hit it, we saw a face with no nose, skin as white as milk, and eyes that were round and motionless. My grandfather screamed, "That is NOT your aunt!" and we ran for our lives.

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The Abandoned House in the Swamp by Graciela Gauleca, age 11

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The Abandoned House in the Swamp by Graciela Gauleca, age 11

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"In the depths of the swamp, there was an old abandoned house that people said was haunted. No one from the town ever went near it, and those who did complained that the ground never felt right. One dark and spooky night, a group of friends decided to explore the house. They approached it with flashlights and walked carefully so they wouldn’t make noise. As soon as they entered, they felt a cold breeze and saw blood."