Coquitlam and Port Moody public libraries partnered with The Tri-City News to present the Scary Story Contest, which asked Tri-City young people from 11 to 18 years of age to write a terrifying tale in time for Halloween.
Dozens responded and local librarians read all the entries, narrowing them down to shortlists of half a dozen stories in each of the two age categories (11 to 14 and 15 to 18 years); the winners were chosen by a Tri-City News judge.
The first-place stories are printed below and all the stories are available at www.tricitynews.com.
"Let Us Out"
Mika Goli, 12, Port Moody
Iwake up sometime in the night, with the urge to get a drink of water. I check my watch, midnight, and climb out of bed.
I stumble down the stairs and into the kitchen, finding the light switch and flicking it on. I grab a glass from the cabinet, but pause when I reach the sink.
What is that, some sort of smudge? I rub at it with my shirt, frowning when it doesn't come off. I lean closer, trying to identify it, then yelp, dropping my cup, barely registering the crashing sound it makes upon hitting the floor.
There's something there, moving, some sort of creature. No, not one, there are dozens of them, each larger than the last, all mouthing the same phrase. Let Us Out?
I come to my senses with a jolt, and realize that I am in bed. Must have been a nightmare, I think, getting up and trudging out my door.
A piece of glass is immediately shoved in my face.
"Anything to say about this?" my sister says, waving it dangerously close. "Someone broke it last night, and it was probably you."
I peer at the object in her hand, then gasp upon recognizing it. I dropped it in what I thought was a dream. But if it's real, then what else is? I shove her aside, and run to the kitchen, eyes darting frantically, trying to spot the creature which I hadn't dreamt up.
Nothing. Even if something had been there, it was gone now. I sigh, catching the attention of my sister, who followed me when I made a mad dash for the sink.
"What's the matter with you? You're, like, berserk today."
"Nothing," I say, "I'm pretty sure it was just a dream."
Smiling, I plod over to the bathroom. I splash my face with water, then look up, barely managing to hold back a scream. They are back, legions of creatures whose cavernous mouths hang open, fangs on display, jaws literally reaching the floor, whose soulless eyes stare and stare.
The mirror fogs over, and words appear, as if written by an invisible hand. Large, shaky letters spell, LET US OUT. Then a monster throws itself against the glass, and the mirror shudders, rocking from side to side on the wall. The rest of them follow suit, mouthing the same phrase. Let us out, let us out, let us out.
I've had enough, and hit the mirror repeatedly, shrieking and gibbering until my hand is a gory mess and the mirror is reduced to bloodstained shards. I look at the pieces, and grin, because they are gone.
My euphoria is short-lived, however, because I look into the glass door of the shower, and they are back. I groan and pull my other fist back to break this too, but then I notice something different.
The monsters don't seem to be in the mirror anymore, it looks almost like they are right behind me
OTHER FINALISTS
Second place: Spontaneous Tissue Rejection by Emily Liang, 14, Coquitlam
Third place: Image Attached by Mary Cabaluna, 14, Coquitlam
"IN THE FREEZER"
VANESSA MANSFIELD, 17, PORT MOODY
When I awaken, I notice the ground moving underneath me. I'm lying on a conveyor belt, headed for a rectangular opening in the wall.
I jump off. There are others on the belt, but they look unconscious. Panicking, I spot a door across the room and race towards it. I open it a crack and see two figures walking down a corridor. When they are gone, I rush inside and enter the nearest room.
A blanket of darkness and frigid air washes over me. I pause. There is no sound save a low mechanical hum. I tentatively move forward, arms outstretched.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four.
Something large and icy grazes me. It moves forward and then swings back. I hop out of the way and run past it, but I crash into more of them. Yelping, I drop to my hands and knees and crawl rapidly back to the door.
The floor is sticky. I'm shivering with cold and fear and my heart is slamming against my chest. I crawl faster.
Suddenly, the door opens, almost knocking me in the face.
Standing before me are the two figures I had seen in the corridor. They look like a man and a woman, except they are nine or ten feet tall, their limbs impossibly stretched, their features freakishly magnified.
Then I notice the blood on my palms.
"I thought I heard something," says the man, his mouth contorting into an evil smile.
"How did you escape?" demands the woman.
"W-what are you?" I say, ignoring her question. "What are you doing to us?"
The man gestures behind me.
Turning my head, I see what I had bumped into before - large slabs of meat hanging from hooks in the ceiling. Human meat.
"Our planet's sun is dying, and we need food," explains the man. "Humans are quite the delicacy."
Vomit rises in my throat.
"Enough!" barks the woman. "Take it to the cutting room to be processed."
"Or we could eat it now," the man says, his fleshy tongue snaking through his long pointed teeth.
"No! The Masters forbid it."
She touches his arm, but he shakes her off and approaches me. I jump to my feet and sprint away, glancing back to see him barrelling after me while she tries to restrain him.
But he is too strong and fast.
He pounces on me, pinning me to the floor. The woman punches him but he drags her down beside me.
She goes berserk, screeching and gibbering as she claws at the hand around her neck. With a single flick of the wrist, the man throws her across the room before casting his luminous yellow eyes onto mine.
"I've never eaten a live human before," he says, grinning. His lips peel back, his mouth stretches open.
I peer into the cavernous black hole and scream.
OTHER FINALISTS
Second place: Untitled by Miranda Wallace, 17, Coquitlam
Third place: The Real Monsters by Jun Park, 16, Coquitlam
