The Dark Figure

by Quentin, Grade 3, 826 New Orleans

826 New Orleans cultivates and supports the voices of young writers ages 6-18 through creative collaborations with schools and communities. Below is a piece by youth writer, Quentin, that appeared in a youth publication of Something Ain't Right is a collection of spooky stories by young New Orleans writers and inspired by eerie images throughout the Crescent City (the most haunted city in America). Learn more about what 826 New Orleans is up to at their website, here.

The Dark Figure

One cloudy day, me and my brother were going to City Park. We saw a graveyard.

“Wanna go to that graveyard?” my brother said.

“No.” I said.

“Stop being a scaredy cat!”

“Fine!” We went into the graveyard. We saw a sign that said ‘TURN BACK NOW’

“I’m not gonna listen to a sign,” my brother said. So, we went past the sign. We heard strange sounds and we saw footprints. We followed them. Then we saw a shadowy hand.

“Run!” said my brother. Something came up from the ground. It ran after us. It had sharp teeth and sharp claws. It roared at us, then disappeared.

“Let’s never go back there.” We agreed.