'The Dare' by Kaetlin Henderson
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- 3/29/2011 |
- 10:00 am
Categories: Big Brain Club
The following is a short story that was originally published in The Big Brain Club at Preston Middle School, a collection of creative writing that was produced entirely by 6th, 7th and 8th grade students at Preston Middle School in Fort Collins, Colo. The book was published as part of a partnership between the school and The Big Brain Club, who also donated new
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The Dare
by Kaetlin Henderson
6th Grade
As I stepped into the house I knew it was haunted. Damp and molding walls closed around me as I began to walk around. Cracks in the windows – that looked like aging spider webs – had sun shimmering off of them but even still the rundown house was as silent and dark as a ghost town. I shifted my gaze to the other room: a neglected kitchen. There were still parts of the kitchen tile, and cockroaches roamed across the counters searching for uninhabited cabinets and food.
“Why did you get us into this?” my little sister, Star, asked, her eyes telling me that I was going to regret this sooner or later. I sighed and looked outside to see the group of people watching us and making sure that we do this dare or else we’re in trouble. I looked her in the eye.
“We have to do this or else we’ll be treated as outsiders for the rest of our lives.” I saw her roll her eyes but I ignored her, stepping further into the house. Listening closely I heard the thumping of the rain hitting the roof and the smell of rotten wood. Then there was a yelp from behind and I spun around, afraid that something had gotten Star.
“I’m okay! Just a piece of broken glass,” she reassured me, trying to act grown up but I saw the pain in her eyes.
“Would you be more careful?” I scowled her a look that said, Mom won’t like it if you come home with blood all over your hand.
“I’m not careless!” Star yelled at me defensively. “My hand won’t be all bloody though, right?” Her big and round amber eyes had tears in them and I felt my heart soften.
“Of course not, I’m sorry I yelled at you.” I tried to console her but I knew she wouldn’t believe me. Star smiled sadly at me.
“Okay, but let’s hurry up and get back home.” I smiled back at her and faced the decaying attic stairs in front of me thinking about what we had to do to get into the popular club: Go up to the attic, get a loose floorboard, and show it as evidence we’ve been there. I stepped onto the stairs leading to the attic and they creaked under my feet, and I felt like I was going to fall any minute now.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Star whispered to me. She stepped onto the steps by me and my heart pounded. Were the stairs going to collapse under our weight?
“Yes, if we hurry,” I whispered back and walked to the top of the molding stairs. A door stood in front of me, with a hole in the side, leading into who knows where. I reached out for the doorknob and I felt cold pain go through my hand and I recoiled in fright.
“Are you okay?” Star ran up to me, concerned.
“Yes, but we need to get inside the attic!” I tried the door again and it opened. An odd smell crept out and I heard Star sniffing back tears.
“Are you alright?” I asked her and her tears started pouring out and she ran into my arms.
“I just want to get home!” She managed to say between huge rounds of tears. I looked inside the darkness of the attic and sighed. “I think we’ll have to wait until we’re dumb to get into that stupid club,” I said as I slammed the door shut.
“Really?” Star sniffed and wiped her tears away. “We don’t have to leave. I can come with you to get one of those floorboards.”
I smiled and took her hand. “No thanks, I’d rather be at home without nightmares.”
We walked down the creaky stairs, across the molding floor, and outside into the fresh and open air. I was blinded by the bright sun and I blinked trying to recover my vision. We were so happy to get away from that place that we didn’t even hear the names that the popular club called us.
“Scaredy Cats! We knew you could never make it!” they cried, but we just kept walking home. Our home was only a few blocks away from where the haunted house was and it didn’t take long before we stood in front of our door.
“Are you sure they won’t come and TP or egg our house?” Star asked me, uncertain if she should ring the doorbell or not.
“Wouldn’t that be funny?” I laughed nervously “I know we’d get in big trouble though.”
“Yep, you sure are right,” Star answered, laughing nervously with me. “I just hope we didn’t take too long at that old house.”
I knocked on the door and our mom opened it smiling at us.
“You guys sure are early from school!” I glanced at my watch and gasped. It was only 2:30! School usually gets out at 2:45!
“Well our last period teacher let us out early to do homework so we decided to come see you!” Star quickly said, smiling, and slipped past our mother and up the stairs trying her hardest to hide her bloody hand. I followed her, smiling at my mother and went into Star’s room.
“Hey, Nancy,” she asked as I closed the door behind me. “Do you think that school will be different since we quit that club?”
“Maybe.” I smiled and left her room. “Just maybe.”
The next day at lunch time I sat at a lonely table thinking about what Star had told me last night. Was school going to be different since I didn’t have the popular club as friends anymore? I must have been staring into space because I heard someone yelling my name.
“Hey, Nancy!” A girl from a table nearby me called to me. “Want to come sit with us?” She gestured to herself and her friends and I smiled. Maybe school is going to be different.
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