The eerie haunted house laid miles upon a never-ending field of corn, wheat, and hay. A glowing moon glimmers through the ominous darkness of the night. Screams of horror can be heard faintly through the stillness of the frigid air. A young boy anxiously waiting in line was enthusiastic about the haunted hayride. He stood alone, he had hastily snuck out of his home without his strict parents knowing. In the distance, the boy saw a well-worn out wagon that hauled dozens of soulless bodies at a time, through the indistinguishable path that was filled with distorted clowns, monsters, and skeletons. The haunted hayride brought fear to the innocent, young boy. 

As the once-enthusiastic boy hesitantly approaches the entrance of the haunted hayride, a set of nerve-racking chills rush through the boy’s body. He had never experienced the horrors of the haunted hayride. He could not tell if his uncontrollable shivering was from the sub-zero temperatures or from the unnerving feeling that sat with him. His stomach began to violently twist and turn, as he slowly began to regret every idea of coming to the hayride. As he waited in front of the entrance, the sounds of screams bombarded the area. A numbing feeling of anxiety rushes through his thin, slender body. Then the screaming suddenly stopped. The boy’s weak heart dropped, as he heard the words, “You’re next.” 

The boy nervously sat down and felt a sharp pain as the splintering wood dug into his body. The musty smell of the rotting wood, along with the unsettling feeling in his stomach makes the boy on the verge of throwing up. A dissonant creak was heard and the gate immediately closed. Everyone was packed like sardines into the miniature wagon, making it impossible for the boy to maneuver. The only thing that the boy was able to see was a flickering torch, only bright enough to see the faces of the people who were on the wagon. All that was heard was a loud thud, as the wagon began to move towards the inevitable darkness. The thin wooden wheels of the wagon constantly squeaked, and the wagon began to rock back and forth. The boy anxiously waited for the ride to end. He began to regret his decision, as the uneasiness of his stomach continued to worsen. All of the sudden, he felt a sharp pull on his leg. He turned around and was met with the distorted face of a clown. The boy’s heart skipped and he gasped with fear. He tried to pull his leg forward, but his leg would not budge. Followed by the clown were the images of monsters, zombies, and ghosts, and all that was heard was a series of never-ending screams. The boy pleaded for the ride to reach the end as his chest began to tighten, and he felt as if he was gasping for air. Near the end of the ride, his vision begins to dim and is unable to move. He could barely see a sliver of light shining in front of him. He collapsed on the ground and his lifeless body was dragged off the wagon. 

From that day on, the boy vowed never to go to another haunted hayride again.

 Quan Hoang