There are many ways to write the same story, as the students in class 9 Humanities have set out to prove. Who is the victim and who is the tormentor? And has anybody ever asked if a haunted house has feelings? The shift in perspective can yield unsettling and unexpected insights, even if a cat is always present!
Writers: Cezara Guraliuc, Antonia Man, Ecaterina Pop-Curșeu, Iulia Radu
Drawing by Iulia Radu
The haunted house
By Ecaterina Pop-Curșeu
People came and went. Always alone, I had only ghosts to keep me company, spirits, whispers. They did not run; they did not fear me. I used to wander amongst the gravestones and it was like they were drawn to me. I am glad I have them but still…
Imagine no one ever loving you, never giving you a warm hug, having no friends, no family, wouldn’t you go insane? There was only one person who did not gaze upon me as if I was a monster, but she passed away a long time ago, chased and killed by the same people that now want to take me down too, but are too afraid to do it. I honestly don’t have any clue why.
Her name was Reena. She loved animals dearly. She had a cat that did not like me; she always hissed at me. There was fur everywhere! Reena was a great cook. I always enjoyed watching her prepare the most delicious and fascinating meals and beverages. Ooh, how I miss her! Every fiber of my being aches to have her back, feels like I am or was bound to her somehow.
Now, everyone seems to loathe or fear me but I am unaware of what I have done to terrify them so much. I have been nothing but welcoming and kind to all the people that came to me. Yet, every time they run away in pure terror. What am I doing so wrong?! Why do people see me as an abomination?
Wait! I hear something! Someone is trying to open the door! Well, what can I lose if I try one more time? I guess I will just risk it. In front of me is a boy who is probably no more than twelve. I open the door widely for him to come in. I think he is shivering, but I cannot be sure in the pitch-black surrounding. Finally, he carefully steps inside and, as a good host, I quickly slam the door shut for the cold not to get in.
The boy jumps, scared. Stupid door! I must put some oil on its hinges. I turn on the lights and start a fire to warm up the place. Argh, I should really try to tidy up the place before I receive any guests but they are so rare that I have stopped bothering.
The kid takes a few calculated steps forward as if inspecting something, but a floorboard suddenly creaks and it startles him. Poor thing! To reassure him I say in the friendliest way I can manage: “Come, come, little boy, don’t be scared!”
Unfortunately, after not speaking to anyone for so long, my voice comes out as a breathy and hoarse whisper. Apparently, it was so horrible, that, as usual, I sit there watching the kid run out the door as fast as his little legs can carry him. Of course, another failed attempt at making a friend!
Tears are filling my eyes and start spilling on the dusty carpet. Why can’t I be normal?! Is there any cure for my sickness? Should I keep trying? Or should I finally let go and accept it? Accept that I am just a haunted house, robbed of its witch, forever alone in a graveyard…
The haunted house
By Iulia Maria Radu
I still remember the horror that rushed through my entire body as I found myself in the strange and unwelcoming forest, with no way of calling for help. I rushed along the path that was winding through the massive trees, which only made me feel even more uneasy, and eventually found my way to a house that appeared ancient. I sighed from exhaustion before collecting my thoughts.
”Maybe I can check if anyone is home. Someone might be kind enough to help me,” I whispered to myself, ignoring the possibility that this could only make my situation worse. After all, would any normal person choose to live in the middle of the haunted forest? I held my breath and hesitantly headed towards the entrance. Now that I had a closer look of the house, I noticed a cat watching me from the first floor window, so that led me to assume someone must be living in there. Right?
I knocked on the door, and was instantly met with a terrifying, loud cackle coming from behind it. Although that had already creeped me out, I somehow knew there was no way for me to turn back now. The door opened, and I saw countless eyes staring at me from inside, like they were trying to say ”Come in, come in, we promise not to hurt you!” Not like I would have believed them, anyways. A second later, the eyes were gone, now replaced by complete darkness. I was alone again.
”Oh, great! What am I supposed to do now?” I wondered in despair. That was when I heard the sound of floorboard creaking coming from inside the house. It made me shiver in horror. Still, I decided to peek behind the wooden door, and what I saw is something I will probably never forget.
Long, black, tangled hair and a grin that only grew wider and wider across her face, a real witch was standing before my eyes. She had noticed my presence. ”Well, well, what do we have here? Are you lost?”
I could barely open my mouth, and when I tried to speak no words would come out. To my surprise, the witch approached me, not using any evil spells against me. She grabbed my hand without hesitation and led me through the darkness that the forest held. As she walked by my side, I started to feel safer and safer. Her presence was not as frightening anymore. At some point, she disappeared, and for a second I was overtaken by panic. Where had she gone? How would I find my way home now? Had I gotten tricked by the witch I had put my trust in? But, when I looked more carefully at what was in front of me, I realised I had made my way out of the forest. I was home and alive.
Sometimes, I still wonder why that witch chose to help me when she could have just killed me for bothering her, but I am and will forever be grateful.
The Haunted House
By Antonia Man
On a chilly autumn evening, in the month of October, in an enormous mansion up on the hill where light never shone, there lived a witch that all children feared. There were many stories that were told about the mischievous eyes, the evil laugh or about other children that had dared to walk on the witch’s propriety and had never come back, either being forced to serve the evil lady or being eaten by her atrocious pet.
She didn’t like to have many guests, but as it happened, on that particular night, a strong and loud knock was heard from the door. With nothing but anger, she opened it, but darkness was impenetrable. Why had she suddenly gone blind? A few moments later, as she pulled herself together, the witch realized that she had blacked out. What could have happened? She hadn’t fainted in years, at least not since she had stopped using rat poison in her potions… these were the thoughts that wandered in the witch’s head.
Suddenly she realized…she wasn’t at home anymore…she was on the ground, but in the middle of the woods! The thick branches had covered the full moon and a dense fog was starting to cover everything around. Or was it all in her head?
The witch got up quickly and prepared to run as fast as she could back to the house. When she finally got to her senses, the witch realized that she was surrounded by four walls and a roof…She was home…
There weren’t many times that the witch had been puzzled, but this was certainly one of them. She blinked twice in confusion and everything went back to normal. No more fog or branches, the moon had disappeared. She was at home, at the front door…And there weren’t many things that the witch feared, but one of them had haunted her for the past centuries: ‘the unknown’. The house that she lived in used to be part of ‘the known’, but now…everything had changed.
She couldn’t handle her fear anymore so she decided to move away. The power of the house was too much for her to handle and she understood that her past would haunt her until the end of her days.
The Haunted House
By Cezara Guraliuc
“ You were stabbed in the neck, miss”, he said, as she touched her neck to figure out what was happening to her.
Beth, a 22 years old woman with a beautiful bright face, blue eyes and curly red hair was walking through the yard of the grey building. She was a simple person, that kind of person who radiates joy in front of a sunrise. As she was walking through the yard, something didn’t sit right with her. It was an eerie smell, like clotted blood mixed with the smell of a corpse. There was a disquieting loneliness which could not be described or explained. An ominous howl could be heard far away, nearby the abandoned house, which belonged to somebody in the neighbourhood. The establishment was separated from the forgotten house by a fence, a fence that had a massive hole in it. Beth was determinated to solve the mistery of the house.
The dwelling was unsettling, she could feel eyes on her, but no one was there… It was a spine-tingling feeling. She entered in the house, stepped on the creaky wooden floor, followed the bloody smell and tried to find the source of the smell. The girl walked down the hallway and she felt a phantasm behind her whispering in her ears. Beth was too scared to turn around so she kept going. In front of her appeared an old lady. Everything about her was so eerie, she eas, in effect, a spectral appearance. She started to laugh. Her evil laugh was sinister and bellowed through the hall. After the laugh she started to say something, but Beth didn’t understand what it was. The closer she got, the more her words began to be understood and made sense. The old lady repeated the same words over and over until she got close enough to reach Beth. “ Don’t worry honey, I don’t want to hurt you, I just want to bash your brains in” she said and she held out her hands to Beth.
As she heard those words, the girl started to run as fast as she could to leave that haunted house. When she thought she had managed to escape, a cold, grey hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. It was the old lady. The last thing Beth saw was the the old lady’s hand holding a knife.
“ You were stabbed in the neck, miss”, he said as she touched her neck to figure out what was happening to her. Beth was too exhausted to open her eyes and she just lay there.
“ Tell me, how could you hide from a murderer who lives under your skin?” said the paramedic.
