We asked area students to concoct a Halloween story of 700 words or less that started with this spooky introduction: “When I went to Room 101 for after-school detention, I didn’t recognize the teacher who was there waiting for me …” We received nearly 200 entries from participants that were divided into three divisions: elementary, junior high and high school. Read more of the winning entries.

Here is the High School Division runner-up:

When I went to room 101 for after-school detention, I didn’t recognize the teacher who was there waiting for me. Just seeing him gave me chills down my back. His nose was very big and bulky and it almost overflowed his face. The strangest thing was that the few hairs he had on his balding head were jet black. Before I could finish taking in his profile, his deep masculine voice spoke to me.

“Sit down, shut up, and don’t even talk. Whatever you do, no sleeping! I’m so sick of you kids thinking you can do whatever, well …” he rambled on and on and by the time he finished I was seated. I was more tired than ever.

I starred blankly at my book and before I knew it I was practically eating it. I was so tired. My face had fallen to the desk and before I knew it I was out cold.

My eyes squinted open and my body was hurting from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. I looked around and realized that the room has gotten much darker than before. I got goose bumps as I shivered. For some odd reason, it felt like the same chilling October weather outside was inside. I always hated Halloween.

I turned around to look at the clock; my eyes widened and my throat dried. It was eleven o’clock at night. I tried to swallow, but all there was to swallow was air. Air that was filled with my desperation and my inner-self being paranoid.

I bolted for the door and swung it open. It swung open so prompt and tough that the small section of window in the door shattered. It was a piercing sound to the silence. Silence at dark was the most terrifying thing.

I ignored the shattered glass until I reached the main school doors. I checked each of the glass doors for the chance to escape, but there was no success. Then, I heard my name in the same deep masculine voice as earlier. It was him.

“Cecile!”

I tried to scream, but nothing came out. I felt as if I was in one of those nightmares where you can’t scream, can’t talk, and there’s no way out.

“Cecile!” The teacher screeched again, but there was no way I would talk to him. Cecile! Come here. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” I finally looked at him just long enough to see the anger in his eyes. He pulled out a long piece of sharp glass that looked like it was from the window I shattered earlier. “No one sleeps in detention,” he said so calm and gentle, which seemed to contradict my consequences.

I looked over my shoulder to see outside. It was the opposite of how it was inside the school. In the school, it was very murky and gloomy, and outside it was like a red October. I noticed a lot of people, so I pounded on the glass doors, but no one heard me. Not one person glanced in my direction. I tried screaming, but nothing came out. I felt as if there was a huge tarantula that clinched its way into my throat and wouldn’t leave.

The teacher was within seconds from me, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. My legs felt as heavy as 50-pound bricks. It felt like the harder and faster I tried to move, the more my legs and feet sank into the concrete floors. I felt like I was in quicksand.

The teacher was right next to me after the huge flash of lightning. He raised the piece of glass to my throat and I knew it was over.

I flew out of my chair. It was just a dream. I had never been so relieved. I was so happy, at least until I saw it was eleven o’clock at night. I looked around and there was no sign of the teacher. I raced to the door and pushed it open. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the glass shatter. Then there was that same silence as before. The same silence at dark.

– Rylie Taylor is a freshman at Sante Fe Trail High School in Carbondale.