~Milo Davis, Class of 2025

My brother, Dan, and I lived in the small town of Melville, North Carolina with our parents. On a hot day in August both my parents were invited to go to my mom’s best friend’s wedding in California. This meant that my brother and I would go to Maine to stay with my uncle for a week and a half.  Even the idea of this was extremely exciting to my brother and I because my uncle had everything a 12 year old boy could possibly want, a pool, a big backyard, a huge house, and most of all a big screen TV with cable and an xbox.  So late in August we got into my uncle’s Jeep and drove off in a long two day ride to Maine.  

Once we were there, we jumped right into the pool and then played some Minecraft.  Late that night my brother and I were just about to go to bed when my uncle called us downstairs. He told us to sit down and asked us if we would like to hear a scary story. The concept of staying up later was exciting to us so naturally we agreed. He told about a scientist who used to live in the house who made a human into a monkey like creature who roams the forest waiting for revenge.  I pretended that I wasn’t scared but I had trouble getting to bed that night and by the way my brother thrashed and turned I was sure he was equally scared.

It all started when someone left the window open.  It could have been my brother, it could have been the maid it could have even been me.  My uncle walked into the room, saw that the window was open, and lunged to shut it. 

“Did they get in?” he screamed.’

‘What?” I said, 

“Thank god” he panted. The oddities continued when I came downstairs that night only to be confronted by a wide awake uncle with a shotgun pointed to my head.  

I screamed and he said sorry and I ran up the stairs to tell my brother what had happened.  As I reached our room I did not see my brother but I did see an open window.  I heard a scream from the woods and ran downstairs to tell my uncle.  He said that there was no way he was going outside and that if I did I was crazy.  I then ran to the door and got my shoes on. Crazy, probably scared, definitely deserter, no.

As Billy Joel once said “You may be right. I may be crazy, but it just may be a lunatic  you’re looking for.” 

This quote was exactly what was going through my mind as I wandered through the woods. I eventually came to a clearing where I found Dan’s torn and blood covered pajamas.  In a bush nearby I heard rustling.  I looked deep into the bush, I saw the silhouette of a monkey like creature.  

As the story came back to me, I ran. I heard more rustling and looked up only to see more of the creatures. I ran faster and faster.  I could see the house in the distance. In my haste I tripped over a root. I fell and looked up to see the creatures closing in. I started crawling but I knew I wouldn’t make it. I looked up one last time only to see one of them on my chest.

It grinned, revealing a set of sharp teeth covered in fresh blood.  

Anyone who was listening would have heard a scream…

And then silence.