Created at the start of 2012 by aspiring children's author and childcare professional, Melanie Taylor, Little Star Writing aims to improve children's writing skills, encourage creativity and stimulate their imaginations

Created at the start of 2012 by aspiring children’s author and childcare professional, Melanie Taylor, Little Star Writing aims to improve children’s writing skills, encourage creativity and stimulate their imaginations.

This term, the Little Star Writers created a series of short stories and, with Halloween approaching, many chose to write scary, spine-tingling ghost stories with devils, witches, werewolves and evil spirits

For more information on Little Star Writing go to: www.littlestarwriting.com.

The KillingBy Saskia Seddon, 11, The Russell School

My life is a misery. It all started with Angel. I never wanted to be bad. I never wanted to live in utter nothingness. But a surge of hunger and thirst made me the monster I am now. Sometimes I sit at my table, looking at my globe, thinking ‘why?’ but then the terrible surge overthrows me and I take a person and drop them in my monstrous mouth.

Angel said she was going to be my friend… but everything went wrong. At first everything was normal. I was going to school like everybody else. My red hair would fall over my face and I would sit alone, reading. I was the school’s bully victim. Sometimes I would try to join in but every time they would call me ‘carrot top’ or ‘freckle face’ so mostly I wouldn’t bother. Then, one morning she came into my head and dived into my brain…

I want to stop but I can’t. She makes me do it. At first no one believed me so I came here. I don’t know how I got here and I don’t know how to leave. I run as far left as I can. Nothing. Then I run the other way. Nothing. Angel made me kill. At first I refused but the surge overthrows me every time. I only killed old or ill people, but then it became anyone. One time I tried destroying the globe but it magically came back. I never enjoyed killing anyone, but I didn’t mind killing the ones that picked on me. I always felt bad about it afterwards though.

Eventually, I killed anyone. Sometimes whole families at a time. I even destroyed the entire population of Australia in one day. I couldn’t help myself.

I killed and killed until I only had one family left. Mine.

Angel whispered in my ear, ‘kill, kill, kill.’

“No,” I said sternly. But then the surge overthrew me and they were gone. I screamed and shouted. Then I knew what I had to do. I took out my knife and placed it against my heart…

My Haunted DiaryBy Agata Pryjma, 9, Nelson Primary School

This is my diary. My dad says that I’m too old to keep a diary. I’m only eleven! So it’s Saturday – party night! Each Saturday the guests have a party at the ‘Spooktacular Club’. I think it’s pointless but I still agree to be the waitress because I only need twenty more silver coins to get my own pet wolf. I have sixteen already. I can just imagine stroking its silky fur, listening to its soft growling. I’d rather stay waitressing forever than listen to my dad, Count Dracula, shout at the top of his voice…

“For the last time, Rose, you’ll never get a pet wolf!”

I do hate Saturday nights but I guess the highlight of this day is watching horror movies with Dad. I’m not scared. I grew up in a horror movie! My Granny (Countess Crackular) says, ‘Dearie, don’t want too many vampire films,’ and I always respond, ‘Granma, you’re a vampire yourself!’ I almost get sick of her.

‘Mwa ha ha ha,’ I sighed heavily. It’s our doorbell. I opened it effortlessly.

Ribbit ribbit.

“It’s just a frog, Dad!” I said.

“ARRGGGHH!” he yelled.

I felt like my whole world was upside down. He’s barely scared when a slayer comes for tea but he’s petrified of… a frog?

“Wombat, Zaza! Ga Ga Oohh la la!”

“Okay, what?” I asked…

Suddenly, the frog grew into four monsters.

“Welcome to Hotel…”

Dad pushed me aside.

“OW!” I yelled.

“Go away!” Dad said. “We don’t want you here. Go!”

“Dad, they’re guests.”

“No, they’re bullies!”

They sniffed and feasted their beady yellow eyes at me. I started to breathe hard.

“This obviously isn’t a popular hotel,” they groaned. “Let us in or we’ll tell the authorities about you.”

Dad didn’t move.

“Fine,” the monsters said. “Remember, we’ll be back.”

ZAP! They vanished in front of our eyes. Already we got a letter on LetterZap – an ectoplasm terrestrial mail device. It said:

Dear Count Dracula,

We were advised by the four monsters that your hotel is poorly.This is sad, but we will be forced to shut you down.

Yours sorrily,

Simon Spook

I had to make a rash decision.

“Um, Dad, before you bite into me, I want to say I’m so so so so sorry and I’ll convince them to keep us open. I promise.”

So the next day I went to Town Scare and stood on Dracula’s Tower. I went to the very top and caught the attention of the whole town.

“Okay, so. Ummm…” The crowd looked away. “No, no! Don’t go! Look, the authorities want to shut down Hotel Spook.” I took a deep breath. “On the surface, I know it looks like I don’t like it. I am a maid and it’s hard work, but inside my heart I love it! It’s what we live for and deep down our guests love it, too.”

I caught eyes with Simon Spook in the crowd. He was the man from the authorities. He was crying.

“Very well,” he said. “You can keep your hotel open. It’s true, everyone loves Hotel Spook. What do you want for a reward?”

I looked at Dad. “Well, I always wanted a wolf,” I said.

An hour later, I was stroking a puppy, listening to its soft growling. I called her Puppy Gaga (PG for short) and worked happily in Hotel Spook forever more.

The WarningBy Jennifer Hung, 10, Trafalgar Junior School

Violet clung on the cold railing, peering into the dark misty night, which was full of golden twinkling stars. The bright full moon stood as still as a statue. The owls hooted, singing a song for her. The cricket chirped fast as if sending a warning. Rustle. Rattle. Violet didn’t hear anything. A warm welcoming smell of supper drifted into the night, making Violet’s tummy rumble. Just as she walked into her glowing house, a hairy green hand crept around a creaking tree. Violet had no idea what was about to happen…

*****

Violet yawned. She checked her timer. What’s happened? Her clock was supposed to say seven-thirty. It was eleven-forty! How had she slept past breakfast? Her mum was supposed to call her.

“Mum!” called Violet. There was no reply. “Mum!” Violet screamed louder. Still no answer. Violet pulled on a jumper and ran out of her bedroom. She expected her mum to be in the kitchen yelling ‘I’m in here.’

Violet paused. “Billy? Bob? Jessica?” she called. A soft mumbling noise came from the room on the left. Phew, Jessica was still there. Smash! That was definitely Billy and Bob. Jess walked sleepily out of her room as Violet grabbed her shoulder and they both crept into the kitchen. Jessica gasped and Bob started to cry.

“I want Mum!” he said.

Violet invited all of them to the balcony where lush green trees waved about. Billy stared into the distance and screamed. An ancient yellow claw grasped a tree.

“Look!” Billy said breathlessly.

Violet got out her monster book and found ‘Yellow Claws’. Suddenly, a fearless eye struck Billy and he vanished.

“Billy!” called Violet. There was no answer. A shiver ran down her spine. It must be a Vicious Looker – a creature that makes anyone disappear when they look at its yellow eye. Just at that moment, a helpful pixie appeared. She introduced herself. She was called Mel. She held a disgusting mixture in her hands.

“Drink it,” she commanded, handing it to Jessica. Violet stared at Jessica as she gulped the mixture and turned purple. Then, the colour slowly disappeared and Billy began to reappear. Violet hugged Billy happily as Bob ran into the house with him.

With nothing left to do, Violet drank the rest of the mixture. Then, her mum began to appear.

“Mum!” shouted Jessica and Violet.

“What happened?” asked Mum.

“Oh, never mind,” said Violet lovingly. Then, the balcony began to tremble as two claws and a tuft of green fur clung on…

To be continued…

The Big MysteryBy Megan Hall, 9, Nelson Primary School

I felt petrified as I walked up the never-ending staircase, until at last I found a patch of moonlight coming in from one small window. I looked out and saw the moving trucks pulling in. I carried on walking, my ears filling with loud, high-pitched squeaks and banging, slamming doors… except one. One large door stayed wide open. Behind it was a large, dark room with the strong smell of dust and old books. I could hear fear calling me.

As I got closer, a moving body ran behind a bookcase. I stood still, and then turned back toward the door. BOO! Lucy grabbed my legs, ran out of her bookcase hideaway and raced her own legs downstairs to Dad. I screamed after her.

“Come back! You horrible…” but I couldn’t think of the right word. As I stood alone on the landing, the door got closer and closer. But I wasn’t moving. As it moved closer, I could see light darting all around. I could hear high-pitched screams and then I stepped inside the room. The loud ‘bang’ of the door echoed out and I was trapped in my worst nightmare…

‘Wooo, arhhhhh, boooo woooo shwoooo!”

There was a bright white light. I couldn’t get out. My worst fear rushed toward me – giant brussel sprouts. Suddenly, the floor evaporated from underneath me.

I broke down the door and ran downstairs and out of the house. I stopped and looked down. I was TRANSFORMING! I ran to the woods where I became a wolf. Then, I saw something coming toward me with a hand outstretched.

“Hi,” it said. “It’s okay. I’m just like you.”

It was a boy, around my age… or was it? I blinked and there before my eyes was a wolf. Not a cub like myself, but a large adult with his teeth clenched in a smile. Finally, I found my lonely self a friend for life. He said his name was Tom.

We both changed back and I took him to my house (my horrible new house). I took him to my new room but I was careful not to show him the nightmare room. I had a funny feeling that something else bad would happen if I went in there. It had already attacked me with giant brussel sprouts, sent me falling through the floor and turned me into a wolf! No, I’m not ready to take him in there yet and that’s a fact. Like my name is Sky… that’s a solid fact. The only other fact I knew was that I couldn’t take Tom into that room. I just couldn’t explain it. Suddenly, a note fluttered out of the nightmare room. It said:

Dear Skyla Jones,

I am pleased to tell you that you are going to die, along with your special friend, Tom. At midnight tonight you will look into the mirror and…

The letter was torn at the bottom so I didn’t know who it was from. Tom still slept over, but at midnight I couldn’t help looking in the mirror. It started to make a hole in the middle of the golden frame and an invisible ghost came out holding part of the now shattered glass. The shards of mirror were as sharp as blades glinting in the moonlight. The ghost came toward Tom and stabbed the glass into his heart.

“No!”

“Calm down,” said Dad. “Did you have a nightmare?”

I woke up from my terrible dream and turned my lamp on. Tom was gone, but there on my beside table, was a glinting splinter of glass from the mirror. Was it real? Did it really happen? I can’t possibly still be a wolf, can I?