A tiny shove.  That’s all it took for the old, wonky door to swing open.  I dared myself to step inside.  If I wanted to belong I would have to face the abandoned house of Shady Lane.  But was it really worth it?  There was nothing downstairs that I could take back to prove that I had completed the ordeal, but the stairs looked like they would crumble under the weight of a spider.  My life or my friends?  But then I realised that my friends were my life so I closed my eyes and took a step up, my heart thundering.

I scanned the shelves of the bedroom.  If you could call it that anymore.  There were so many strange ornaments that my friends would love to see but I had to find something really out of the ordinary to prove that I really had taken a step into a haunted house.  I reached out to examine a rusty pipe and realised that my hand was shaking.  I couldn’t carry anything back in this state.  But then, as my hand fumbled along a dusty shelf, discovering what seemed to be scratched messages in the wood, I came across… an old bracelet.  My heart fluttered.  This was it!  I squinted at it and could just make out a message spelt out in rubies but I couldn’t read it in the darkness.  ‘I can wear this back to the sleepover,’ I thought.  I slid it onto my wrist.  Then suddenly I was surrounded by a blinding golden light!  I could read the message now – “BEWARE!”  But it was too late…

Thud! I landed with a horrible crunch. My eyes instantly darted towards my right ankle which looked unnaturally out of place. I hauled myself off the ground and surveyed my surroundings. Darkness. My chest was aching and my soul felt as if it was being torn out of my inner body. I closed my eyes, desperately attempting to channel my fearful thoughts. The bracelet! I grabbed it and tore it off my wrist causing it to break and the beads to scatter over the floor. Quickly I scooped up one of the rubies and put it in my pocket-I still needed my proof after all.

“Too late…” hissed a voice. “You are too late!” The light flashed gold again, and I glimpsed a dark figure moving silently towards me. The walls seemed to be caving in around me and re-forming to create a dark, gloomy tunnel that looked like it could take you to the end of time itself.

“Come,” came the menacing voice again. My heart raced. My head throbbed as I noticed light slowly seeping into this mysterious place, inviting me deeper into what would be my greatest nightmare. I gingerly stepped on to my sore foot. Despite the small amount of pressure it was no use. I lowered my body to the ground and began to crawl towards the death trap. The dark figure lurched forward and pulled me to my feet. A strong hand grasped my wrist. I let out a high-pitched scream which echoed and bounced off the walls.

The tunnel seemed to wind on forever. I was half dragged, half carried at a great pace. My breathing was fast and loud, but the figure made no sound at all. The light became brighter. The figure turned to face me.

“It is too late to go back.”

Disgusted yet intrigued I peered closer. I gasped as the figure took off its hood to reveal itself; behind the wounds, the scabs, the eyes, the face…it looked awfully familiar!

“No, no…you can’t be! You’re, you’re…” I stammered.

“That’s right! Little old Amelia!” the figure shrieked.

Instantly, I remembered everything. It was Amelia Bold, the weedy little girl my friends and I used to tease. We used to call her ‘Grandma’ because of the antique bracelet with the old jewels that she wore to school every day. The bracelet! That is the bracelet she wore when we chased her through the forest and unknowingly off the crumbling cliff. We were all too late when we reached the cliff edge; she had already fallen to her death. A sudden wave of fear rushed over me as I realised what she might do.

All at once I was thrown to the ground of the endless tunnels. The second I reopened my eyes, I was overcome with horror as I saw two bright crimson eyes that delved into the very depths of my soul. Completely repulsed, I shuffled back to the arched wall of the hollow tunnels.

“You are the reason I died, now I will be the cause of your death! I want hear your petrified screams!” she bellowed.

It was then that I noticed that every mournful melancholy word she barked resulted in her growing in size and becoming brighter and brighter until she was a blinding light. The only thing I could make out were her fiery, soulful eyes.

With a sudden deafening crack of thunder, the spirit disappeared leaving me utterly alone in the labyrinth of tunnels. I tried to stand up, forgetting about my injured ankle; an excruciating pain, like a flaming dagger, pierced my leg.  All I could do was lie against the wall in absolute shock, thinking about where the spirit had gone. I stared helplessly at my discoloured ankle. Then I heard a terrifying snarl. It was building in volume and coming from the far end of the tunnel…

As I slouched against the wall, I was petrified of what Amelia might do to me. What made that snarl? Suddenly I heard it again, closer this time, louder. I knew I had to run, but how? My eyes welled up at the excruciating pain up my leg. I couldn’t run anywhere in this state. I crawled slowly, like a sloth on the ground, away from the noise. The next thing I knew I found myself standing, hobbling along lopsidedly. Still, it was no use. I was going to die. The realisation hurt me more than my ankle; still I forced myself not to think of it. The snarling was growing increasingly in volume, coming closer at alarming speed.

After about ten minutes of extensive hobbling, I fell. I lay propped up against the wall of this endless labyrinth.

“Fine, if I have to die make it quick” I muttered under my breath. All of a sudden the snarling that had haunted me stopped. Maybe Amelia had heard my request and decided to make my death as excruciatingly slow as she could. I extended my arms above my head. I heard a clang ring out. My ring had hit something metal! I found just enough energy to adjust my position. A door handle! I wrapped my hand tightly around it, hauling myself up. I opened the door and was confronted by a flight of concrete stairs. I wanted to sprint up them as fast as I possibly could, but I knew my ankle wouldn’t take it. I was so close to freedom, yet so far.

Desperate, I dragged myself up the steep stairs. This was my chance to escape.  As agonising as it was, I had to get to the top. I had to see what was behind the door.  It was taking every last ounce of my strength. Finally, I came face to face with the narrow door. The snarling returned. Louder. Closer. I turned.  A pair of eyes, as red as blood, stared back at me.

It was Amelia. Her eyes were full of hatred. ‘Run,’ I kept thinking.  ‘Run! Run!’ the voice inside my head was screeching.  ‘Run!’ I heard it again. Even though the throbbing of my ankle was dragging me down, I had to run. Opening the door, I heard her cackle. The door locked behind me.

Silence … except for the loud thumping of my heart.  Was I free? I found myself on the edge of a cliff – the very same cliff-edge where Amelia had fallen to her death. Suddenly, the rocks crumbled beneath me.  I was falling… falling… falling…

‘That’s it,’ I thought. She had defeated me.  How could I possibly survive this? A sudden shock rippled through my body as I hit the ground.  It was as if my bones were being shattered into tiny pieces. Pain engulfed me.  Then, everything went black, as if the sun had turned itself off.

The breeze whispered across my face.  Slowly, I opened my eyes, adjusting them to the blinding light that shone down on me. Where was I?  Lying there motionless, I wondered how I had survived. Gradually, the colour returned to everything, as if someone was painting the world around me.  I could hear familiar voices and looked up to see my friends approaching a house – a house that I knew I’d been in before.

‘No don’t go in there!’ I screamed. Nothing. It was as if they couldn’t hear me, as if I wasn’t there. Why couldn’t they hear me?

A tiny shove. That’s all that was needed for the old, wonky door to swing open…

by Year 6 pupils from Nelson, East Sheen, Bishop Perrin, Hampton Hill Junior and St. Edmund’s primary schools

Chapter 1: A window of opportunity

Jim had always led a fairly normal life for a window. He had a wife called Double Glazing, who he spent most of his time flapping over. His mood had its ups and downs; sometimes he was closed, blinded to the rest of the windows, but most of the time he was open, feeling the sunlight beat down through his newly installed triple glazing. It is safe to say, Jim led a simple life and had no reason to dislike it. That was until the day, the day that should not be spoken of. The day that sent Jim into a rattling frenzy…

It was late afternoon; Jim was feeling shattered, and was grumbling to Double Glazing about Diamond – their new born. He was very concerned that their beautiful baby hadn’t inherited the Glazing family trait – she didn’t seem to dazzle as much as her mother had always done at such a young age. Fretting away he was all too tangled to realise what was happening around him. SMASH! Horrifying questions swirled around Jim’s head in a whirlwind of thoughts. Silence descended. “Double Glazing?” wobbled Jim. No reply. Momentarily Jim turned and saw what would haunt him for the rest of his days – his wife broken. He felt as if his ledge had fallen off, never to be repaired.

Rattling furiously he saw the source of this crushing crime, Josh-the fourteen year old in the family- holding a cricket bat, he was so pale he could have been transparent. Jim was horror struck, and felt closed off from the rest of the world. Dead…DEAD! The word echoed around his triple glazing, and the reality crashed down upon him, suddenly all in one moment, he was a widow. He always will be. Oh, the pane! Jim’s mind was scattered (rather like his wife!) and he was falling to bits.

Jim was feeling glassy eyed; his thoughts were smeared all over the place. Over the sound of his impending doom that was yet to come by the hand of his parents, he could hear Josh.  Although he probably couldn’t hear Jim because he was a boy and Jim was a window.

“You!” he shouted, glaring at Josh, and he begun to devise a plan in the smart head of his.

Chapter 2 Jim meets his old school friends

Jim had wondered for a long time now about what to do. Nothing seemed to make sense. He needed something really clever to make fourteen year old Josh sorry for what he did. After what had happened to his (now shattered) beloved Double Glazing, Jim felt as broken-hearted as ever.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea whizzed through his mind. It was so utterly fantastic that Jim, being a humble window, astounded himself. Glazing with excitement, Jim was sure his plan would pay Josh back for smashing his wife.

Way back, when Jim was at Casement Community High School, he had been part of a close group of friends: Storm, Wind, Magic, Prophecy and Skylight. Skylight was Jim’s best friend who coincidentally lived in the same house.

“Skylight!” Jim called in his piercingly high-pitched voice. “Skylight! Are you there?”

“Yes, what is it?” a distant voice replied kindly.

“Did you see what happened to my wife?” Jim questioned mournfully.

“No but I heard shattered glass.”

Jim told Skylight the whole story.

“I didn’t realise that smash was Double Glazing, oh how sad!” sobbed Skylight.

“I have a plan. Remember our marvellous old friend Magic? She could transform Josh into a window so he knows how it feels.” explained Jim.

“Wait! In high school, Magic said that the transformation spell was a dual spell. She could only turn Josh into a window if a window is metamorphosed into a human being,” Skylight remembered anxiously. “Which window would you swap?”

After thinking for a while, Jim came to a paneful decision: Diamond.

“I always felt that she was not fit to be a window. Maybe this will be an opportunity for her to have a better life.”

Chapter 3: A Paneful Dilemma

Jim had been pondering over his decision for a while, and although Skylight had been constantly reassuring him, he was not sure if he should go through with it… or how he should go through with it.

“Skylight, do you remember where Magic had been installed?” he asked hopefully.

“Wasn’t it in Glass-go?” thought Skylight aloud.

“Oh, that house on Sealing Road… I think so – that name does ring a bell.”

Jim and Skylight (now knowing Magic’s exact location) thought about how to contact him, though without any luck so far.

Hopeless.

They decided to call up on Wind who lived in the house opposite theirs. Wind had always been the lustrous one – always in with the Window-vine. He was the talker among the group and if there was one individual capable of communicating with Magic, it was him.

After consulting Wind, Jim became a lot more optimistic about their plan. Thanking Skylight, he closed up to do some thinking about the next stage of their plot. That was when he realised. NO! He had forgotten to talk it through with Diamond! How would he break it to her? Dear, you must become a human… No, maybe: sorry Diamond but you’re going to have to give up your window life and switch with a human. Would that work?

The result came the following day when Jim was polishing up. Wind reported that Magic would write down the method of the spell in the next fogged up window – their cunning plan had been successful so far; the only part left was to show Diamond all the benefits (even though he was pretty sure she would agree).

Chapter 4 The plot thickens

Jim knew that he had to convince his daughter Diamond that their plan was beneficial to her – after all, she wasn’t a successful window but she could succeed as a human. As the stars twinkled in the velvety, midnight sky above, Jim and Skylight hatched their plot. After an exhausting night of planning, they knew they had come up with a perfect solution.

When the family left the house the next morning, Jim called to his daughter in his crystal clear voice: “Diamond my love; I have a truly exciting proposal for you!”

Diamond had often been ignored by her father; however, on hearing his excited voice, she rapidly opened her blind and listened attentively.

Panestakingly, Jim unfolded his and Skylight’s devious plan. “So you see, you’ll be able to move from being a window on the world to being a part of the world. Isn’t that an amazing opportunity?” he concluded. Diamond, who wasn’t too bright, agreed readily to her father’s scheme and the wheels were set in motion, the panes began to slide into place.

Later that day, the windows in the house began to rattle as the wind howled ferociously outside. Gradually they began to mist up and the stage was set for Magic’s spell to be revealed. With a bang, the front door closed and Josh came storming in flinging his school bag along the hall aggressively. Jim saw all this and smiled:  little did Josh know that his life was about to change forever – no more indoor cricket, no more careless shattering, just a life spent gazing out as the world passed by. Alone.

Magic’s spell slowly began to reveal itself and Jim felt mounting excitement. He and Skylight began to chant the strange words of the spell. Beside him, Diamond felt a strange tingling in her panes. A noise like the sound of breaking glass echoed around the house. Jim opened his curtains wide and stared in fascination as a blinding flash filled the air. Where Josh had stood a moment ago, there was…

Chapter 5: A less paneful end

… a new but rather poorly fitted double glazed window and standing in the garden was a dazzling young girl that looked nothing like the window, Diamond. This was the ‘new Diamond’. She had lovely long blonde hair and glistening green eyes. Around her neck she wore a shiny blue necklace with a locket containing two fragments of splintered glass – one from her beloved father, Jim, and one from her much loved, now shattered, mother, Double Glazing. Diamond tentatively opened her eyes and glanced at her reflection of a human version of herself – from head to toe. She wondered if what she saw could be possible – could she have turned into this beautiful girl?

On the contrary, Josh was feeling absolutely distraught. He was frantically opening and closing his blinds, curtains and lastly – himself. Tears were cascading like a waterfall over his pane. This was starting to irritate Jim, but once Josh had calmed down, Jim was able to explain to him just why he had been transformed from a fourteen year old boy into a rather awkward looking window.

After an hour of explaining the many delights of being a window – keeping an eye on everyone’s comings and goings and only needing a wash once in a while, being just two of these, Josh began to see the benefits. Jim looked down on him and smiled. He had had his revenge – no more cricket and no more broken windows!

Time passed and both Josh and Diamond had become accustomed to their new lives. It was going very well for Diamond, but it wasn’t going quite so well for Josh. However, reading the book ‘How to Adjust to Your New View’ helped him. Diamond became a renowned actress and won an Oscar for best actress in ‘Room with a View’.

If you are wondering about Double Glazing, then worry no more. Miraculously, an expert glazier fixed her and added some very stylish purple and blue stained glass panels which were the envy of all. Jim was delighted to have her back and Josh? Well, Josh grew to be a highly respected and admired member of the local window community and, without doubt, had learnt the error of his ways.

by Year 6 pupils from Stanley, East Sheen, Heathfield Junior, Hampton Hill Junior and St. Edmund’s primary schools

Don’t ask me how it happened. Don’t ask me what happened. All I know is this: on December 4^th my parents and I were looking forward to visiting my brother for the first time since he started at Lillian University in the heart of the countryside. As we set off on the train and sat eating our packed lunch together, I thought it was going to be a normal day but I was wrong!  It took a while to reach Lillian but finally we arrived.  I shook my feet to free them of pins and needles, and then happily hopped off the train. A little bench made of splintered hazel-coloured wood with a wrought iron frame sat on the platform so I took a seat and waited for my parents to follow me off the train.

But they didn’t. I blinked, no one did. Because they were gone.  In that small second that I’d closed my eyes, they had vanished! The hustling, bustling passengers were gone. Those people waiting to get on the train were gone. Anxiously I peered around. The train stood majestically; it was painted half cool cream and half mysterious claret. I stared at the doors which I had just left. They gaped open like vicious animals ready to gobble me up. I shivered. Not a nice thought, eh? Slumping back on to the old wooden bench I wondered what in the world had happened, was it a crude prank? Was it a secret surprise? So far either of those ideas seemed likely.  I looked down at my watch; we were supposed to meet Jason, my brother, by 3:30 pm at the latest. As I did so, something caught my eye scratched on the wooden seat of the bench.  It looked like some kind of message.

As I stared intently at the peculiar markings, I quickly realised that they were indecipherable.  Each letter, if that’s what they were, was written at an odd angle and some even resembled numbers. Yet somehow, deep inside me, I knew that this was a message meant for me!

Cautiously, I traced the outlines with my finger tip. Smooth like an ancient stone; yet surprisingly cold, the symbols passed beneath my gaze. The very moment my finger left the wood, the markings danced in front of my eyes, rearranging themselves into a sentence.  In total disbelief, I muttered the words now before me, “Where are you Ellie, I’m waiting.”  My heart jumped and a wave of nausea hit my stomach. Who would know my name? Who was waiting?

Now dizzy with panic, I scanned the platform as tears welled up in my eyes.   What was happening to me?  It seemed impossible that such an ordinary day could turn out so wrong. Pictures of Mum and Dad floated into my head, their faces smiling through my tears.

Then suddenly, I remembered why I was here. Jason! Of course, the message must have come from Jason. Almost laughing with relief, I turned to read the words again, but the bench was now completely smooth. Not a scratch. Not a mark. I ran my hand over the surface; rubbing it until my palm was sore. It was almost as if someone had come and scrubbed it clean.

In total confusion, I grabbed my bag and slowly walked down the platform towards the exit.  If the message had come from Jason I had to try to find him. What if it hadn’t? Well… I didn’t really want to think about that.

Shivering slightly as the bitter cold nipped my nose, I jerkily plodded down the grubby, concrete stairs. As my winter boots met the glossy ice that masked the pavement, worrying thoughts struck my mind. This place seemed forsaken. I trudged into the village high street. Did I have the chance of meeting someone? Inside every shop window were the words, “Where are you Ellie? I’m waiting.” A sudden ray of light shone into my leaking eyes. What was it? Was someone following me? Was I not alone? This was no time to interview myself; I had to get closer to where I thought Jason was.

Further on, I came across an electronics store; a countdown was printed onto every screen. Hopefully it was for New Year, but sadly I knew it really wasn’t. After everything that I had seen, an urge of determination ran through me. Finally Lillian University was standing before me, its grand pillars almost showing off. I needed to find Jason – it was 3:00. I had half an hour to find him, but where to start? I guess I hadn’t thought my plan through properly. I just needed to explore.

Echoing from room to room, a booming voice filled my ears. It roared: “Ellie, time is running out, I’m waiting.” Then I remembered the countdown. It sent a shiver down my spine. What did it mean? What was it for? I scampered to the English room (my brother loved English). One by one the books on the desks opened to a page with newly highlighted letters, they spelt ELLIE! I ran to the exit, however, it slammed shut.

Behind me, a familiar voice announced: “I’ve been waiting for you, so glad you were able to come!”

No escape.

Locked doors.

Me, alone.

I could tell that this shadowy figure was not Jason.

Who was it?

Not daring to move, I stood silently, hoping for mercy. The dark, looming figure was getting closer but, for some reason, I was completely relaxed in its presence. The shadow turned around slowly, tilting her head upward so to be seen. She looked exactly like me in every detail: the auburn hair just below the shoulders, the bitten fingernails, the chapped lips due to the harsh winter. The only difference was that she was transparent. Was she real or just a figment of my imagination? Before I could collect my thoughts, she lifted a long, bony finger and silently pointed to one of the bookshelves at the far end of the room. A thick, black leather-bound book dropped to the floor from the top shelf. Straight away I knew that the book was somehow a way to solve all this.

With much caution, I trudged nearer to the book. When I was close enough, I read the single word that was etched, in silver, into the spine.

“ELLIE!” A voice boomed inside my head, “READ THE BOOK!” 

So I slowly heaved the ancient book off the floor and turned to the first page. I turned to the next page and found my name written in big bold italics. Fear melted over my face as my name disappeared in a flash! Immediately in its place a small key appeared, and beside it spelt the words STOP THE BOMB NOW! Stop the bomb? Pondering on why I should do it, questions buzzed around my head, as a picture of a huge bomb exploding across the countryside was trapped inside my head making me shiver with horror.

The key! I picked it up. It was small, yet surprisingly heavy, and made entirely out of solid gold. All of a sudden, a shimmering light shone from somewhere deep inside, illuminating a small keyhole. It seemed to be about the right size for the small key now resting in my sweaty palm. The keyhole was old and rusted. Strangely, the keyhole was embedded in the book. The key slid in effortlessly and turned with a loud click. Almost instantaneously the whole bookcase moved ever so slightly. When I looked closer it was a huge door to a secret annex. Eagerly, I swung the huge bookcase open, deep down already knowing what I would find inside.

There, there it was. That absolutely horrid ticking countdown, but behind it I saw a bomb on the concrete floor.  With my heart thumping in my ears, I moved towards the display. Since I had removed the key the book had revealed an eight digit number.  My hands were shaking vigorously as I typed in the code.  I hit Enter… Silence filled the room.

Again I remembered the oddly shaped key, cold and solid; life sucking almost. It slid into the keypad without effort, turned and… I was back on the bench at the railway station with my parents. All the passengers were back as well and they were all taking as if nothing had happened at all. Mum asked if I was okay because I looked really pale. She took me by the hand and led me to where Jason was stood by the exit. Jason, who should be in an English lesson! Letting go of my Mum and Dad’s hands, I sprinted to him, wrapping my arms around him holding tight. I mumbled under my breath, so as not to let him hear, “You were nearly gone forever.”

by Year 6 pupils from Stanley, Sheen Mount, Heathfield Junior, Hampton Hill Junior and Lowther primary schools