In early October the Austin Daily Herald asked readers to get into the spirit of Halloween and submit their own scary story, poem or picture. To up the ante, we made it a contest.

In the time since that first shout out, we received several fantastic pieces to share with you, the public. The three submissions featured below are our winners of a $10 gift certificate to Perkins Family Restaurant. The other entries, posted separately, won two weeks of the Austin Daily Herald.

Thank you to everybody who took part in our spooky little contest, and we hope that the readers will enjoy them as much as we have. Winners can stop by the Herald, 310 Second St. NE, to pick up their prizes.

Peter King submitted a piece of original art called “Halloween Mummy,” a winner in the art portion of our contest.

Eight-year-old Kimberly Folsom submitted this chilling tale of zombies and the danger of staring at them  for too long. It also had a very appropriate ending.

“Halloween Scare”

One day a girl was trick or treating house to house. Her mom said to be back by 9 p.m. and told her to remember to wear her watch. It was 6 p.m. when the girl set out to get her candy, but no one was walking yet so she went walking some more to see if her friends were already on the good side of town.

She finally saw some people walking. When she passed them, she heard they were talking about brains. So she decided to follow them. So she followed them the whole way long. Before she knew it, it was 7 p.m. She was somewhere. She was lost. She didn’t figure out where she was going because she was trying too hard to listen to what those people were talking about. Then she started to see green faces when they turned around. It was creepy!

Softly, she cried, “Zombies.” The whole time she was following a bunch of zombies. They were walking up to her, staring at her right in the eyes. Two hours later it was 9 p.m. and she was somehow walking home.

Her mom said, “You are late!”

The girl walked into her room and looked in the mirror. Her face was green. She was a zombie!!!!!!! They had turned her into a zombie by staring straight into her eyes. Her mom walked into her room and said, “You know, I do not remember you dressing up like a zombie for Halloween.”

Dun, dun dun…….

The End. 

And our final winner in poetry was a gothic tale of the vampire from David Wiseman II.

“Vampire”

Moonbeams glow softly on a window pane

Dancing on droplets of a recent rain

Illuminating the beauty of a nighttime world

Thirsting for water leaves come unfurled

But He thirsts for a different feast

One to help quell the beast

That lives within and torments him.

Gnawing at his mind and soul

He pushes on searches for his goal

An easy prey within his grasp

a predator stops and with a laugh

He sinks his fangs into the flesh

So soft and sweeter with every breath

He feeds until nothing is left

His prey now drained and then discarded

His soul feeling darker than when he started

He slinks away into the night

To spend the day out of the light

Sleeping away from the shining sun

To awaken in the dark of night

And once again begin his fight

To satisfy the beast within

He closes his eyes and starts to grin