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Games and Riddles

Halloween Telltale

Solve the story hide 'n seek.

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Gen X and the Undying Love for Classic Halloween Candy

Coming October 6

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Even Dum-Dums know where to get good Halloween candy.

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Halloween Short Story Writing Contest (Closed)

We're thrilled at the number of submissions we received for our one and only Halloween Story Writing Contest. This opportunity inspired over 30 men, women, and teens to write about their favorite Halloween memories or craft creative stories at all levels of scariness and suspense.

Congratulations to our first- and second place story winners, Jasmine Berry and Renate Smith!

Thank you to all participants, and kudos to the clever creative writing teacher in Texas who used this contest to inspire students at Plano East Senior High to write an impressive amount of original funny, spooky, and gory Halloween stories.

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First Place Story Winner:

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Jasmine Berry

Georgia Peach

The kitchen now was filled with the aroma of sweet peaches and spicy cinnamon from the cinnamon peach cake in the oven. Boy, I couldn't wait for that cake to be finished!

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Renate Smith

Misconceptions

To be utterly honest, I must say that disguises have failed me miserably. I put my faith in conjuring up costumes and it has driven me to disaster and near insanity. The first misinterpretation came when I was merely ten years old.

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C. Turnage, PhD

The Old Foamy Adventure

Every city has its own urban legends. Jarian and Epsel, two middle schoolers from Cleburne, Texas who were aspiring detectives, had heard of Cleburne's goatman a thousand times if they heard it once.

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Kim Pletscher

Chuck's Night Out

The brisk wind swept across the cemetery, leaving a trail of gold and orange leaves streaming down from the trees. The cemetery was darkening as the harvest sun was slowly slipping out of the sky to be replaced with the ghostly face of the full moon.

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Chelsea Robinson

Fantôme

When my family bought our house, my realtor told me the legend of the lake. I commented on its beauty and she pulled me aside while my parents explored the house. I had wondered why the house had been on market so long when the surroundings and furnishings were so appealing.

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Andrea Samuels

Matilda's Halloween Dreams

Matilda woke up to the sound of leaves tumbling down and crackling to the ground. She wiped the sleep off her eyes, sprung out of bed and scurried downstairs. From the kitchen window she could see the whirlwind of leaves and excitement of Halloween calling her name.

James DeBord

Too Big for Halloween

"Get off my porch! You older boys should know that Halloween is for the little kids, now get outta here!" the old man yelled at Jimmy.

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Cat Rigon

Hotel on the Mountain

The building stood atop of Mount Mouniatis, it was built in the art deco style but the facade was moldy and crumbled to reveal a dirt wall. We were going to live here, this disintegrating old hotel. They planned to renovate it, and restart the mountain hotel industry.

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Michelle McLellan

Pride's a Sin... Didn't You Get The Memo?

As we rounded the corner, we caught sight of some people standing three houses down who were clustered together and talking very quickly at one another. Three middle-aged women, whose costumes appeared to be those of ghosts in white dresses, were facing down a witch, a ninja, a rabbit, and their parents.

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Stefanie Wass

Halloween Hoopla

Second only to Christmas in retail sales, Halloween now involves elaborate front-porch decorations, complete with scarecrows, ghosts flying from tree limbs, and spooky, spine-tingling music.

Allie Hoggatt

Wrong Door

We had looted about half of the neighborhood by nine-thirty that night and I was shoving candy in my face left and right, and since I was the oldest out of my siblings and cousins I regulated the candy trade.

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Rachel Chesnut

All-American Halloween Scare

"Okay Nina!" I said with increasing enthusiasm, "Now, swing the bat and try to hit the pumpkin!" I do believe that some of my instruction was lost in translation and she began to wildly swing the bat to and fro until, with a distinct crash, she shattered one of four fluorescent lights in my garage and we were plunged into darkness.

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Linda Ash

The Dark Street

We rang the bell. The door opened. We were greeted by a man of indeterminate age, thin, with a younger face, but mousy, slightly graying, long and frizzy hair. He had round glasses. Old hippie and drugs came to our minds. We said, "Trick or treat."

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Lexie Jacobson

Once Upon a Halloween

I parked my car and went up to the door covered with Halloween decorations, and rang the bell. I stood there waiting for almost five minutes and nothing happened. I began to get anxious and a little creeped out. This was not the day that I wanted to be standing out in the dark.

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Mariangeles Masegosa

"Boo Halloweenie! Who are you supposed to be?"

I have always liked playing around with bright colored clothes, wigs, face painting, etc. I used to make my own costumes for festivals at school, as well as my brother's and sister's since our mom did not enjoy that stuff too much.

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Amber Mallory

Running

We pulled up to a big house, already decorated with an assortment of cars. CJ opened my car and pulled me towards this strange house. We were blasted with loud music, full of bass, upon entering the house.

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Caitlyn Dowdy

Halloween Happening

The room interrupted to suggestions in the form of dares. "I dare you to eat all of them." That would have been eight of the fun-sized little candies. It would have been quite a feat considering I just gorged candy while walking back to my house along with everyone else.

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Danielle Chapman

Clown Stitches

Running as fast as I could I tripped and fell to the ground. A rock lodged in to my elbow. The clown was right behind me when I got back on my feet. I tried to run again, only to find myself getting knocked unconscious.

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Meghan Andrewartha

A Halloween Scare

My mother was notorious for pulling silly pranks on me but she knew I was scared of the dark. When she didn't answer I sighed and began fumbling around the kitchen for a flashlight. I found my prized item as a knock sounded on the kitchen window. "Mom! Is that you?"

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Kayleigh VanHecke

Adventure to the VanDrullens'

The VanDrullens' never came out of their house; no one ever saw them. There was a mystery that hung like bats over the whole city. I glanced at Jessica and then at Adam. We all nodded at each other. Bolting up the sidewalk, we stopped short in front of their door which was dark and menacing.

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Lauren McQuiston

Academic Nightmare

School hallways are really creepy after hours. They smell like a musky combo of formaldehyde and mothballs. Maybe the Biology teachers forgot to dispose of the rotting flesh from today's lab units. My steps reverberate off the walls, echo all around me and burry themselves six feet under.

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Kevin Cummings

An American Halloween

A crowd of anxious onlookers began to gather around Leslie's limp body, while the uniform houses kept their silent sentry posts watching everything. As shock gave way to curiosity a faceless adult, whose little policeman was ringing a stranger's doorbell appeared taking Veronica by the hand.

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Jordan Tatman

High Ceilings

I distinctly recall the color of the ceiling in the Parkland Hospital waiting room.

As I waited for my mother to get off work each Saturday night I'd lay down on one of the couches in the waiting room and try to make pictures out of the spackling on the muddy yellow ceiling.

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Matt Eckhardt

It Hurts to Be This Good

My face was soon bloody, I could see only out of my right eye, the other was swollen shut, I could see this on a broken piece of glass on the concrete paved floor, in this dark green room. After an hour of this bloody torture and ridicule, all I could think of was if my mother was looking for me.

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Tanner Litle

One Crazy Night

Tommy could barely contain his excitement. He wasn't excited about the fact that if he dressed up and walked around knocking on doors he would get free candy. He was a senior now and his excitement was reserved for the Halloween party he would be throwing.

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Cameron Cook

Just Desserts

There was a house down the street that always had a pot of edible gold in it every year. You were only supposed to take one of the delectable beauties, but our plan was go big, or go home.

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Chance Rose

Horrifically Frightening Tale of Interests

"John," the malicious seadog steps out of character, "why don't you ever dress up for Halloween anymore? I've seen the pictures of when you were an alien and Freddy Krueger. You looked kind of happy." There was no more spirit in his face, just a thirst for answers.

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Brandon Mcallister

A Night of Terror

After that we walked through many more rooms with dragons, had a corpse thrown at us, and even crawled through a coffin. At a certain point we came into a room with a witch and a very tall and creepy man. They asked us for the password.

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Scott Miller

Twist and Turn

The maze looks similar to last year, but you know it's not. Every year the maze is set up different, but the house looks the same. Cobwebs cover the furniture and walls. Everywhere you turn there are black fuzzy spiders.

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