'Once Upon a Spooky Night' 2026 youth story contest winners

From a headless horse on the hunt to a mysterious Halloween party in Monsterland, young Mat-Su writers are putting their imaginations to work in the Wasilla Public Library's annual Once Upon a Spooky Night story contest.

The winning stories, written by students in first through seventh grades, are filled with creepy creatures, unexpected twists, enchanted treats and eerie encounters.

Some tell tales of survival, others explore the strange and supernatural, and a few offer a chilling reminder that Halloween surprises can come when you least expect them.

The contest was open to students in grades one to 12. Winners were selected by Wasilla Public Library staff.

Below you'll find this year’s winning entries, transformed into digital exactly as they were submitted. Original artwork is also included below.

Settle in for a collection of spooky stories just in time for Halloween!

The Story IS abate the head less horse and the three Girls

By Phoebe P., 5th Grade

Once upon a time there was a girl name Belle and her two friends, Rose and Ariel. One day, they were walking in the forest and talking. Suddenly, the girls heard a screeching sound in the forest. Ariel was terrified. Then the sound started getting closer, closer, and closer. Through the trees, Belle saw the Headless Horse running after them and the girls ran away. They hid from the Headless Horse but he found them hiding in the trees. The Headless horse climbed the tree and are the girl with his neck. In his neck He had bloody sharp teeth all around it. As the girl tried to get out from the Headless horse’s stomach, they tried to kick and punch his insides. In his stomach, it started to fill with acid but Belle Ariel and Rose got out before it filled all the way. They started running as fast as could. While running, Rose siad “Uh Belle, Ariel look behind you!” AS they looked be hind their back, Belle and Ariel saw the Headless Horse was behind them the whole time then the Headless horse ate them again. He filled his stomach with acid again but the girls did not get out this time. They were stuck inside the Headless horse forever. Or so they thought.

The Spooky Halloween Night

By Jaden A., 4th Grade

On a Halloween night in the Mat-Su Valley, when all the kids would go trick or treating, something happened that was strange. You see, this Halloween night wasn’t an ordinary Halloween night. The Halloween night, the monsters came, and do you know what they did? They gobbled up little children. The witches made candy stew to lure the children in. The vampires transformed into bats and flew over children’s heads, looking for worthy prey. The zombies would climb on the house’s roofs and jump on the children as they got candy, to consume their brains. Skeletons were the strangest because they would jump out of the ground simply to scare them. Then after all the trick or treating was over, some of the parents searched for their children. When they found not a trace, they searched with vigor, yet in vain. And this was indeed a strange Halloween night.

The Shriek!

By Anne Z., 3rd Grade

Dear Diary,

It’s Halloween, I wish I was Trick or Treating with my friends, but instead I’m stuck with my old Aunt Gladys.

I set down my diary, I’m about to go to sleep when I hear a shriek! I look up and it was only a bird. Then I hear it again. This time it wasn’t the bird. I look around trying to figure out what it was. I don’t know if I should get up and check outside or just try to fall asleep and see if this is a dream. I decide not to do anything and just go to sleep.

I wake up to a brand new day of school, but I can’t stop thinking about last night. Then I jumped in the bus. I couldn’t stop thinking about that noise at school. That night I heard the noise again! A Shhhhhrieekk! This time I couldn’t stand it- I had to go investigate. I grab my flashlight off my desk. I run downstairs to get my boots and coat on and run out to into forest.

It’s cold outside. I see my breath. All of the sudden, I fall in a hole! There are monsters all around me when I hit the bottom. Instead of the scary monsters that want to attack you, these monsters are kind of cute and cuddly. I am confused- especially when I notice one monster looks like my Aunt Gladys.

It is my Aunt Gladys! I can’t believe it! I say, “Aunt Gladys, what is going on? What is this place?” Aunt Gladys responds, “Lily, is that really you?” “Yes, it really is me,” I say. “So, what is this place?” “The monsters call it Wasilla, but you can just call it Monsterland.” I am perplexed, “What happened? Why are you here?” I think to myself, Is my Aunt Gladys a monster? Or is she just down here playing with them?

I turn to my Aunt Gladys and ask her straight out, “Are you a monster?” She says, “Of course I am, everyone is in this family…including you.” I was shocked to hear that not only was my Aunt Gladys a monster BUT so was I! I was bursting with questions. What type of monster am I? What do I eat? What do I do? I finally sputtered out, “What type of monster am I?”

“You are an Orge!” My Aunt Gladys informs me like its no big deal. I felt disappointed, I didn’t want to be an Orge. I would rather be a witch. I then remember the strange noises from last night. I asked my Aunt Gladys, “What was that shrieking last night?” She replied, “Oh it was just a Halloween party.” “You mean you were having a party while I was stuck inside and not allowed to go Trick or Treating. Are you kidding me?” I said. Aunt Gladys quickly responded, “I’ll explain it all tomorrow, but right now you have to go to bed.?

I climbed out of the hole and started walking home with all these new thoughts in my head. I felt kind of mad at my Aunt Gladys for having a party while I was stuck inside. I also felt excited to learn that I was a monster! Once I got back to Aunt Gladys’s house, I took of my boots and coat and went upstairs. I laid down to go to sleep feeling happy. I would have never guessed this would happen to me Once upon a spooky night.

Once Upon a Spooky Night

By Konrad Z., 1st Grade

Once upon a spooky night, I , Rex, started out on a quest to find the shadow dragon. I walked into an ancient temple. Suddenly I heard a ROAR! A big snake came out. While I was fighting the snake, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the tail of the shadow dragon. I leaped into the hole of the shadow dragon. I creeped to a crack and shot a flaming arrow at the shadow dragon. My arrow sailed through the air first slicing the neck of the snake and then it landed piercing the wing of the dragon. I charged forward. Drawing my sword as I ran, I stabbed the Shadow Dragon in the leg. The Shadow Drag breathed angry purple magic flames. I was hit by the Shadow wyvern’s poison flames. My sword, now alight with magic poison flames, swung through the air. I stabbed the Shadow Wyvern right in the eye. AS it fell to it’s death, it clawed out and ripped at my chest. With a claw mark across my armor, I walked out alive.

Enchanted

By Josie P., 1st Grade

There once was a girl named Malika. Yes, you heard me right. Her name was Malika. It was Halloween night and she was dressed as a ghost. She came across some spooky houses, some of them covered in spiders. One of them even had a slide that went down into a spider pit! She spotted one house that wasn’t too spooky, so she went inside. There, she saw 13 carmeled apples set on the table. Most of them were carmely brown, except one. It was a shimmery, pale pink. Malika loved pink. She didn’t care what shade it was. But THIS one, she’d never seen this fabulous looking shimmery color of caramel before. She tasted it & it tasted like refreshing peach with strawberry. Afterwards, she felt just fine, but what she didn’t know was that the apple was enchanted.

She finished her night trick-or-treating, feeling a shimmering glow inside. When she got home, her legs were so tired that she collapsed into her bed.

In the morning, when she woke up, she realized she was still in her ghost costume. She thought she’d taken it off! When she went to take it off, her arms went right through! She thought, “Is this a dream? Is this a nightmare?! I am panicking right now!!” But it wasn’t a dream. The night before, the caramel apple had enchanted her & whatever costume you were wearing became real. She became a ghost. She was very upset. Then she remembered she’d heard of a magic witch hiding in the Valley. She was known to decorate her house to make it VERY spooky. But sometimes she played TRICKS, like not decorating her house, making it seem very nice & pleasant, like an Old granny witch. This must’ve been who enchanted her! She was worried she would stay a ghost forever.

This is a warning. If your child’s name is Malika, please, please, pretty please go check on them.

Fangs

By Maggie P., 6th Grade

Flap

You look

Nothing.

Snap

Someone, or something

Is there.

You look down,

Footprints.

You run, then,

There they are

Fangs

Fall Hike

By Helen Z., 6th Grade

I was sitting in my room reading a book when my mom walked in. “It’s a great day for a hike, don’t you think?,” she said. “Come on, let’s hop in the car, there’s a great trail I’ve been wanting to try.”

When we got to the trailhead an uneasy feeling came over me. “Are you sure you want to hike this exact trail?,” I ask. “Why not,” she asks, “what’s wrong with it?” “Nothing really,” I say, “just something about it feels off.” “Well then,” she says, “Let’s start the hike.”

We were about a half mile down the trail when I heard a low growling noise.

“What was that?” I say. “I don’t know,” my mom says, “But it certainly wasn’t your stomach.” Just then a ginormous grizzly bear sauntered out on to the trail. It had five eyes, two huge fangs, and only three legs. We started to run. I know your not supposed to run from a bear, but how fast can something with only three legs be? When we finally got to the car I closed the door just before the bear got to me. We sped away as fast as the car could go.

When we’d finally lost the bear, my mom said, “I’m kind of disappointed we didn’t get to finish the hike.”

THE END

The Gibbaring Mouther

By Kincaid Z., 6th Grade

In World War II, I unfortunately, crashed in Vanet, Italy on October 31st, 1940. Yep. On Halloween. After the plane rocketed and smashed into the earth, I fortuitously was able to walk out of the crash site alive but barely. Thankfully, an Italian child found me and was able to provide assistance.

I asked if there was any shelter nearby. He hesitated, as if he was scared of the answer. “There is a shelter nearby but…” he said. “But what?” I said. “But it’s haunted!” The boy yelled. I laughed. “Haunted?” I gaffed. “Boy there is no such thing as ghosts, much less haunted buildings.” He looked at me darkly. “This one is.” He said. “Oh well, I said, lead me to there.” He sighed.

When we got there it certainly seemed haunted. As we entered, I swear I could see faces in the window. But, when I blinked they were gone. I shook my head and walked in. It was a very old fashioned house with portraits and old Victorian rugs. Oddly, there was no furniture. I shrugged and walked up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, I saw the most horrifying thing in the world. It was like a blob of orange slime with eyes and mouths placed randomly all over its body. The mouths opened and closed gibbering uninteligible words. Then, it lunged and devoured the boy! His scream filled me with dread. Next it turned its many eyed gaze on me. It’s many mouths curled into creepy smiles. It leaped and sank its many fangs into my body. I gave a pained gasp and it all went black.

The End.

Dangerous Creatures

By Eleanor G., 7th Grade

dangerous creatures
   in the dark
all it takes 
   is a spark

a drop of blood
   one in the least
gives the dangerous
   creatures feast

a feast for all
   except for one
one that’s pricked
   forever gone

forever gone
   gone forever
unless it’s done
   a great endeavor

to survive a bite
   from a cold one
takes strength of will
   all blood gone

and then to live 
   as a newborn
thirsting for blood
   forevermore