Monthly Archives: November 2017

Harbour at Halloween… a ghost story by Lemur24

After moving house for Dad’s job, I had been told a few strange legends about the harbour. I, David, am naturally curious about these tales and about Dad’s late-night job: I try anything to get him to take me. I fetch his battered blue and white sailor’s coat from the old days; his sailor’s hat — from the old days too; and his dusty old lamp, hoping for a response which is more than, “Thank you. Please help your mother.”

Every year, my curiosity increased and, on this certain Halloween, I couldn’t wait a single day longer to find out. I wasn’t concentrating on anything at school: I was getting things like 0/20 on my spellings and 0/100 on my times tables test; I didn’t get any break or lunch because I had to catch up on my work. I was concentrating so badly, nothing I even said made sense.

Begging my mum non-stop all day, I waited until I was finally allowed to go trick-or-treating. I knew my dad was working so I raced to the harbour. I didn’t quite know where he worked but I was pretty sure it was the harbour. Running as fast my legs could carry me, I ran until it was in my view. I was beginning to consider turning to go back home but I decided I wouldn’t. Nearing the harbour, I silently tip-toed because I didn’t want to be seen. I saw a man. It was my dad…

My brain was yelling,
“Go back! Go back!” as my panic grew but I stood up to my fear and took another step. It must have been too loud as Dad sharply swivelled around. He whispered,
“David! Wrong Choice!” as he seized me by the arm. No matter how much I squirmed, I couldn’t get free.

My dad whistled a tune I recognised and a ship emerged. I could just make out the two words, “DARK APPOLLO’. As soon as it had appeared, I could tell it was haunted: a green substance leaked from the stern; no driver; eerie noises. The harbour was covered in slime as it touched it.
“You’ll have to come on board son,” my dad whispered.
Shutting my eyes tightly, I hoped that it was a dream. I couldn’t believe how bad it had got in a day.

As I awoke an hour later, I guessed it was a dream. Where I was sleeping felt exactly like my soft, comfy bed. Cautiously, I opened one eye, then the other. Although I was on my bed, I was obviously not in my room. Out of the window, I caught a glimpse of sand and plenty of water. Hoping it wasn’t the ship, I ventured closer to the window and, in the process, got stuck. As I turned around, I noticed a chain tying my wrists together. Climbing out onto the top deck, I noticed I was drowning. Knowing I had to get down, I knew I was not prepared.

Staring downwards, I looked for the hatch; it was locked. The tangled chains grabbed at me but I expertly dodged them. Seeing a beautiful glow, I swam, remembering to stay aware of my surroundings. Quickly, I snatched the key but a chain caught me. All the chains swung me around as if playing catch. They accidentally threw me overboard. I seized my chance. Swiftly, I swam to the lower deck, opened it and jumped inside. The trap-door clicked shut — I was safe.

Hoping it still worked, I checked my watch. It hadn’t even been a minute! I knew it worked as it was ticking away. I had had enough for today, I thought, so I decided to go to sleep for the second time on this awful boat.

A few hours later, I awoke. On the foot end of my bed, I noticed a book. It was the book of legends my father had given me. My hand grabbed it, Carefully, I flicked through the legends until I read, “DARK APPOLLO LEGEND”. Scanning through it, I read the part, ‘How to destroy the boat’.

Twenty minutes later, I had a new plan.

I put a life-jacket on so that I could survive. (As you may have suspected, I couldn’t swim.) Carefully, I read the ‘destroying the boat’ part again and followed every action. It worked. Slowly but surely, I floated up. As I did it, I recognised my mistake…

My mistake was that I had freed the souls; I knew I would be killed. As I arrived home, I saw a sign out of the corner of my eye. It read ‘DESERTED HOUSE FOR SALE’. My family had died…

I went to the police station to find out what had happened to my family. I saw a WANTED poster. It said, ‘Smuggling children onto a boat, CAPTAIN PETE EDWARDS’. It wasn’t my dad but as I noticed that, I wondered how he knew my name. Next to it was a MISSING poster. It said, ‘For our beloved David’. They had all missed me.

****

Although it seemed like only 50 seconds to him, fifty years later, on Halloween, David died with a headache and, at the foot of his bed, was the book of legends his father had given him…

Posted in Ghost stories, Literacy, pupils, Year 6 | 1 Comment

The Horror of Indanuary… a (scary!) ghost story by Eagle5

Tonight’s very scary and mysterious story comes from Eagle5… Be warned!

Curious Harry was 10 years old today on 1st January, 4:00am 1942. Every year on that date, he would hang around Stone Bridge Harbour gazing into the endless, deep blue ocean. He had done it every year. Why? I’ll tell you why.

Harry didn’t want to go to school because his teachers would just make him feel bad: they would just say,
“Another year wasted Harry! You are so thick!” Then he saw a hidden path. The adventurous boy followed it until he found himself in a small harbour. He looked at his watch — it was 4:00 am. First, the tragic noises came. Now he was ten, he was more used to them: a scream of horror; a bang of pain, a squelch of terror — none of them scared him anymore. Peeking over the harbour wall, the tortured boy watched the still water closely. A mysterious boat emerged. The ship was clearly haunted: torn sails; unstable creaky floorboards; a glowing blue substance spreading by the minute. Harry felt bored of watching the ship from behind the wall so he felt the need to get closer. Closer and close he went until…

The stupid boy fell right into the trap of Indanuary. A faded, ghostly man had gripped him so tight that he could barely breathe. There was only one way to escape: his power! Never had he had to use this power before, but the time had come. This malicious man would no longer be alive — at least that’s what he thought…

Getting ready to unleash his power, Harry realised that, if he waited until he was inside the Indanuary, the whole of it would be destroyed!

The interior of the ghostly ship was dark and gloomy; he was starting to get a little nervous. Above the cramped space was a minute hole; that’s where he’d aim his shot. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go! His fingers tingled, sparks flashed then whoosh! The blue and silver lightning blew out the hole. Harry was free!

Carefully, but quickly, Harry swam to shore. If he hit one more time, the ship would be destroyed once and for all. However, Harry was unaware that the ghost had been trapped there in 1909 by Sir. Robert Davids; everyone thinks that it’s a myth but this proves it’s real.

This time, Harry went from 3. 3, 2, 1! Again, his fingers tingled and sparks flashed, then whoosh! Indanuary was destroyed! For a moment, there was a celebration —until the ghost appeared.
“Ma ha ha ha! You idiot! Fell right into my trap didn’t you boy? I’M FREE!” he claimed.
“What have I done?” shouted Harry. “What have I done?”

One year later

The young boy still lived in horror ever since because, every day, he’d watch the news in the morning and, every time, there would be someone dead. The story would always be, ‘went to bed then they were dead’.  Harry finally decided that he didn’t deserve to live. On the 1st January 4:00 am he went to Stone Bridge Harbour and, with a dagger in his hand, he killed himself….

(Indanuary is ghost for 1st January!)

Posted in Ghost stories, Literacy, pupils, Year 6 | 1 Comment

Grandad’s Ghostly Tales by Toucan16

“Sammy! They’re here!” called Jill as an excited knock filled the air of the cosy room.
“Hello Grandad!” shouted Alice and Luke, charging carelessly into the lounge. Every Saturday morning, the children would visit their grandad begging for a story. Perched on the edge of the sofa, they listened intently to their grandfather as he told them fascinating tales…

“So then. In the depths of Timeouth, there was a young homeless boy living on the streets. He was searching frantically for scraps of food for supper. With little clothing, the boy was cold: blue lips; shaking hands; hunched over. Still adjusting to homeless life, it was difficult the young boy as it would be for anyone without a home. He trudged across a misty harbour with only the gleaming moon shining upon him to light his path to safety.
Suddenly, a peculiar-looking man grabbed the hungry boy’s arm firmly.
“Ya’ll don’t wanna be out ‘ere in the dark young lad. What’s ya name?”
James stuttered,
“Er, James, sir. I was just hoping to find food for the evening.”

The air seemed to get cold: trees swayed in the breeze; warm breath streamed up the air; frost, like a blanket, covered the town. The uneasy mood made the stubbly hairs on James’ neck stand on end. Then a haunted boat arose from the water. It smelt a bit fishy. Arora…”

“Sammy! Stop scaring them!” interrupted Jill furiously.
“I’m not.” chuckled Sammy.
“Please carry on Grandad. Honestly! We’re not scared!” exclaimed Luke.
“Anyway, where was I?” continued Sammy.

 

“Floating on top of the dark waters, the shop awaited its next victim. The curious boy was determined to explore. Escaping the man’s tight grip, James ran away without taking a glance behind him.
“Wait! Get back here now!” called the dazed man.

Cautiously taking a chance, James ran into the mysterious boat, hoping he’d lost his pursuer. Under the bed was James’ hiding place.

‘Bang!’ The door he’d left wide open was tightly shut. Not daring to breath, Hames watched as fresh footprints were made in the dust. But, no feet could be seen, After a while, the frightened boy’s eyes were closed; they weren’t going to open any time soon.
The light was bright through the shattered windows. Something wasn’t right. Then James realised the bed was tipped upside-down. He had been found by someone — or something.

Brave enough to look about, James followed the dusty footprints leading him to an ancient chest. He opened it. Inside was a book which was also very old: tattered seams; mountains of dust; worn leather. Feeling pressured to open the book, James delicately brushed its coat of dust away. Opening the book quietly, James read ‘Treasure hunters were on the seas during a terrible storm. They were all washed overboard. Now their spirits will remain on this ship forever and whoever enters shall never see the light of day again.’

James shut the book with an almighty thud. The words were stuck in his head.
“Is it true?” James asked himself, hoping for an answer.
“Yes. Unfortunately, every word is true I’m afraid.”
James had noticed a transparent figure, listening in.
“It happened to me twelve years ago.”

Just then, the boat shook and water was filling the room as the ship submerged onto the sea-bed.”

“Wait! What happened to James?” Alice cried, sounding confused.
“Well. Some say he died when the ship went back underwater; others think he’s still alive and stuck on the boat. Now, like the legend says, his ghost is trapped on the boat forever.”

The wind was blowing hard and an old newspaper became stuck on the window.
Its headline read, ‘Local homeless boy, James Smith, disappears!’…

Posted in Ghost stories, Literacy, Year 6 | 1 Comment

The Ghost ship by Iguana24

It was a Tuesday night when a small boy called Tom was walking to his friend Josh’s house as he normally did on Tuesdays. Suddenly, he witnessed a dark, green unnatural glow surfacing from a puddle. The closer he got, the more he thought he was doing something wrong. From the corner of his right semi-brown eye, he gazed upon movement and, before he could turn his head, he was unconscious.

When he awoke, he was sitting before a bar table opposite an old man. The old man had was most untidy: crumbs in his white hair; mud up his long, skinny arms; rotting yellow teeth.
“You are gonna come with me smoothly or I’m going to have to use brute force.”
Tom had stopped to consider the options when the church bell slowly chimed 10 pm. The old man started to murmur quickly now,
“Quickly now. We haven’t got all day now have we?”
“I-I-I don’t know sir,” Tom answered back very fast.

The old man dragged Tom to the harbour and stood grasping a lantern in his right hand and Tom in the other. Tom glared at the old church on the edge of town. It was now 10:27 pm.
“Only a few minutes left now boy,” exclaimed the old man.

Out of the mist emerged a ship. It was clearly haunted: ripped sails covered in mould; a ghost-like aura shrouding the boat; black substances emerging from all corners of the ship. Tom yelled out in horror but no one was around to hear him…

“How are you Mat?” emerged a voice from inside the cabin.

“I’m fine. How are you Commoror?”
“Better than great.” A ghostly grin found its way on to the face of the horrible woman who was speaking.

“Climb aboard child! Welcome to the Black Stallion!” enthused the lady who seemed to be being referred to as Commoror. Millions of floating substances formed the shape of five pale bodies. As each ‘man’ said their name, Tom suddenly felt like he would never see his home again…
“Tim Tradebottom.”
“Jeff Oddbod.”
“I’m Frank Mystery.”
“Combaias Pumuca.”
“And I, I am Will Stern – bravest of them all!” He then seemed like he had remembered something: he turned to face Cummoror’s eyes that had been burning into his back.
“I am the bravest here!” reminded Captain Commoror.
Suddenly, Cummoror threw money at the man and, before long, snatched Tom. The fierce crew sailed away, clutching Tom tightly when, unexpectedly, the boat tipped over but not into the ocean; it was like a flip-side of the world – the ‘upside-down’.

The journey went on for a while with little food or water. Beyond the snow-capped mountains, a pink glow welcomed the morning sun.
“Land at 6 o’clock!” yelled Frank.“We’re here!” Cummoror called as the morning sun lit up her eyes. As they journeyed further towards the cursed palace, Cummoror continued, “Welcome to Halalarge!”
“This is where you will mine for gold,” said Tim Trodgebottom. Tom then refused but got forced out of the haunted boat. Anxiously, he turned his head to see another boy who told him his name was Holl Tombaias. Tom and Holl were to work together for three years with two hours sleep per night.

Tom and Holl soon became friends and one day (Day 25) they decided to trust one another fully and hatch an escape plan… So, they searched. Instead of sleeping, they searched. For a way to go.

On Day 29, they saw something… some kind of animal… a squirrel maybe? If it could get in, then they could get out! In fear of being caught, they silently followed it… After 52 minutes of stalking their prey, they saw it… the Void – some kind of portal. They called it ‘Operation-get-into-the ghost-portal’ (or O.G.I.G.P. for short).
“Oi! You!” called a familiar voice.
“It’s William. If we get back to the mine now, he may not have seen our faces,” whispered Holl as they ran as fast as they could. As they turned a corner, Jeff Oddbod was there clutching his right fist in his left hand.
“Turn and run!” commanded Tom but it was too late: they were already surrounded.

Both unconscious, the two boys were carried to an unknown location by the pirates and left tied up with only one bottle of water between the two. Tom doused himself with the water making himself just able to slip out of the ropes and, without hesitation, he set Holl free too.

They walked up to the cellar door and slid it open. Then, the two mischievous boys saw the void. Without his mind being in control of his body, his fleshly vessel acted and leapt off the edge of the wooden plank and into the void. Holl soon followed.

Back in the human world, they knew that no one would believe them so they each went their separate ways, keeping in touch and occasionally meeting again. Tom went home to be hugged by his mother. Holl had no home as he had been gone for two years before Tom so Tom’s mum let him stay in the comfort of their home. The next day, Holl and Tom ventured to the harbour… Luckily, there was no ghost ship. A flicker of light found its way into Tom’s eyes and they went on with hope.

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Anthony Horowitz, Alex Rider Point Blanc


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Sam Angus, The House on Hummingbird Island


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Demon Dentist by David Walliams


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Awful Auntie by David Walliams


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Matilda by Roald Dahl


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Going Solo (A review by Mongoose29)


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