The News Christmas Ghost Story | Junior category winner revealed

School has never been something I enjoy, let alone on Christmas Eve.

This was my punishment for refusing to work on the last day and – to be completely honest – I have learnt my lesson.

I never want to come back here and soon my wish may come true.

Despite my urge to gaze out of the frosty window and watch the snowflakes dance in the sky before resting on the pure white floor, I figured, the sooner I finished the simple quiz in front of me the sooner I could leave.

I groaned loudly, disturbing the three girls who were sitting quietly in the corners.

The teacher told me to be silent, so I obeyed and began filling out the first four questions.

ALL ABOUT ME QUIZ

NAME: Theo Ray Sylbak

AGE: 11

DATE OF BIRTH: July 10, 2010

FAVOURITE COLOUR: White

As I wrote the last word on the page my intense boredom was overrun by anxiety.

The silence felt so loud.

Cautiously, I raised my aching head.

Where was Mrs Smith?

Hoping that someone shared my confusion, I looked around the room.

There was only one girl now and she was staring and grinning at me.

How long had she been staring? Where were the other two students? WHY IS SHE GRINNING AT ME?!

I could hear my heart beating in my chest, despite the ringing in my ears.

My breathing became heavier as her smile grew wider.

After what felt like hours, but was probably just minutes, her mouth finally opened.

She only moved her lips, but no noise was needed. You could see that she said: ‘I love you.’

Of course, I didn’t feel the same way, so I left the room swiftly. There was no teacher in the room, she doesn’t know.

I thought that now I was no longer in an uncomfortable and rather unsettling situation I could take a deep breath and relocate myself into a different class. But it didn’t stop…

As I sprinted down the hallways, sliding round every sharp corner, I hoped that the sensation of being watched would disappear; it didn’t.

However, I did start to feel colder. It was like I had stepped outside into the mid-winter chill. I hadn’t, only turning corners.

I briefly stared downwards, did I just see white?

Not wanting to stop, I thought about it while keeping my eye out for more white, snow-like puddles on the floor.

Hurrying on swiftly, my body began to shiver more frequently.

More puddles appeared. It was undoubtedly snow, confusing me every time I saw one.

The farther I went, the colder I got.

My body began to ache causing me to slow to a walking pace.

Every step was agony, The walls were pure white.

Layers of snow crept up towards the ceiling making the walls feel as if they were closing in.

Suddenly, my frozen knees failed me; I collapsed.

No matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn’t allow me to get up.

I curled up in order to stay warm, yet the white frost around the room reminded me of my fate.

My body was in full paralysis. My mouth wouldn’t even open so I could scream for help.

What was that noise?

It took me a matter of seconds to recognise the sound I was just previously making.

The crunching of icy footsteps.

Using all the strength in my body, I twisted my head to face the wandering person.

Were they not cold? Was I going to live?

I choked in horror in an attempt to scream.

It was the girl from back in the classroom. The reason I was here in the first place. The grin was still plastered on her terrifying face.

I finally realised why the teacher didn’t even acknowledge her existence, why she wasn’t cold in the pure-white death sentence.

She was a ghost!

I bent down, my smiling face right next to his.

Why did he look so traumatised?

I mouthed the words I had said to him in the classroom. ‘I love you.’

His face was pale while his body was blue.

I used my gloved hand to close his widened eyes, finally letting him pass away.

I didn’t understand why he looked so scared in this frosty hallway.

After all, wasn’t white his favourite colour?

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.

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