THIS ISSUE 'S

FIFTY WORD

STORIES:

Dom Montgomery - 2Lotus Turner - 2Otto Richter - 3Charlie Hough - 3Blake Drew - 4Amy Littleton - 4Jackson Lane - 5Lola Stravoskoufis -5Alice West - 5

8 ENG 1 GOTH I C GA Z E T T EAn Aurora College Student Publication

As part of our study on the convention of Gothic literature,students were tasked with the challenge of using some ofthe conventions we had studied in class to develop a fifty-word story that spooked an audience.

What you read in the following pages is the result. And awarning... some of these tales are sure to raise goosebumpsor make your heart race faster!

WHEN THINGS GO

BUMP IN THE

NIGHT . . .A series of spooky tales.

T E R M 2 2 0 2 1 | V O L . I

Did you know..?Edgar Allen Poe's owndeath was under verymysteriouscircumstances- likesomething out of one ofhis own stories?

I was sorting through old trinkets when I heardthe noise. Crash! I had dropped one of mygrandfather's old glass balls, with a name on thefront for some reason. As soon as it shattered, Iheard a scream from a few doors down: Theneighbour's husband had died.

LOTUS TURNER

The door creaked ever so slightly as he edged it open.He crept into the room ever so slowly, with incrediblecare. This was the night, the night that he would befreed of the monster. With practiced ease he raisedhis arm and brought it down, stabbing.

DOM MONTGOMERY

Did you know..?People tend to readscary stories to triggertheir amygdala- which isresponsible for fight,freeze or flightresponses.

"Daymo," the shadowy whisper of my name chillsdown my spine. "Daymo" the voice repeats. A shudder takescontrol of my body momentarily for a second.That's when it happens. I freeze, as the voicewraps its shadowy whisper around me, trappingme in its spell.

OTTO RICHTER

The room was dark, awfully dark. The longsmooth boards of the floor simply morphed intothe chipped plasterboard that clad the walls andthen ran into the crown moulding of the roof.Shapes were dancing around the walls, like balletperformers on a grand stage, dipping and divingin the candle flame's flickering light. Crash! Andeverything went deathly silent, and so did I.

CHARLIE HOUGH

Blood slowly dripped down the knife, ripped fromthe flesh it had been thrust into. Slowly shecleaned the blood off with her tongue; hermother had always told her to keep things niceand clean. She had tried for so long to do as shesaid. She didn't need to anymore.

BLAKE DREW

He let out a soft sigh, careful to not make toomuch noise. He bent down next to therectangular hole that had once been filled in withtightly compacted dirt to keep in the monster.But now, the dirt was scattered around the graveloosely. The monster had escaped.

AMY LITTLETON

Did you know..?Approximately 50% ofpeople enjoy watchingor reading scary filmsand stories.

My eyes darted to the figure travelling,whispering in the night. My body clings to itself.My blood pumps. I look on and search for theclosest weapon to get me out of this mess. I see itthe bloody red knife but I'm too slow, I screambut no one can hear me. I struggle for a breathheaving and puffing. The knife that I sought, mysaviour, stabs my spleen. My saviour, my demise.

JACKSON LANE

A shadow crept into the chamber. It moved everso slowly towards the old woman. It took a sharpblade that glinted in the moonlight and stroked itover her windpipe. Her screams were silencedwith a pillow and blood dripped onto thefloorboards, staining them for eternity.

LOLA STRAVOSKOUFIS

Stone walls each side of him. His head whippedaround in terror searching for a way out. Butinstead of escape, he saw the body. Beaten andbruised, it gasped, blood spluttering from itsmouth. And just like that it was dead. Now he wastrapped here, surrounded by death.

ALICE WEST