One day while I was baby-sitting my neighbor’s children, the phone rang. “Hello,” I said. “Hi. How is the dinner? Good. O’ can Mike and Tim play outside? OK. Thanks for calling. Goodbye now.”

Once upon a time, the sky was radiant with golden sunlight. The fluffy pillow like clouds made the beautiful day seem even brighter and life-like. All the children were playing in the calm streets. They all played a game of street hockey. The parents all sat on the deck watching and drinking ice tea. There wasn’t a care in the world to them.

At night all the houses were lit except one. It was an old murderer’s house. He was called the Dreaded Pencil Murderer. He had been sentenced life in prison. He waited for the next time he got out of his cell so he could try to escape. The next day he gets out of his cell and walks into the lunchroom to eat. He finishes before everyone else and walks to the exit gate. The guard yells at him. “What are you doing out here? Get back inside.” “No,” replied the murderer. A split second later the pencil murderer stabbed two fine-pointed pencils into the guard’s sun-beaten neck. As the guard screamed in agony, the killer twisted the pencils around his now blood soaked neck. As he twisted, a sudden pop rang through the empty court yard. Then he grabbed the keys to get out and walked out the door.

The next day the Dreaded Pencil Murderer’s escape was on every channel. It told all of the information that was needed if you were to see the murderer. The description was all over the town. It was on the gas station’s glass doors and on the light posts. His height was 5’6”, blue eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a dirty white shirt with blue jeans. He was last seen in Cherry Town.

“Cherry Town!” That’s where I am!” said a little old lady. As she went to bed wearily that night, she checked and locked every door in and on her house. As she got ready to get in her bed she heard a sudden pounding on her door. As quickly as she could, she jumped in her bed and sunk down into her old feather mattress. As she was straightening the quilt on the bed, she heard the crashing of each door and a shouting, but she couldn’t make out what he had said. Then it stopped for a while. It was quiet all around. Then she heard footsteps coming up the steps. Then they stopped. The door came down with a crash. The steps got closer and then the covers came off. The shadow got closer and closer. Then he turned on the light and said, “Wanna buy some pencils? They’re only 25 cents each!”

— Colin Perkins is a Tonganoxie Junior High School student.