Short Stories for Children ages 5 - 14
Julie quickened her pace, although she was unsure of her directions.
Suddenly she saw some bushes moving in the near
distance. She stopped instantly and looked around. Her heart
beat faster.
“Oh no,” thought Julie. “Somebody’s behind those
bushes. Oh, what if it’s old Jake?”
Julie dodged behind a large oak tree and peered around.
She waited. She listened. Her heart beat faster.
“What will I do?” she thought. “I can’t stay here
forever. Oh golly, where am I? Which path should I take?”
She thought for a second.
“I’ll take this one to the right. No way am I
going straight ahead past those bushes!” She started running, faster
and faster, stumbling as she ran.
The wind howled through the tops of the tallest trees.
The thunder rumbled on and big drops of rain splashed around her. She
kept on running as fast as she could. Finally she had to stop, out of
breath. Breathing hard, she looked around. Behind her, about
fifty feet away, she saw something dash behind a tree.
A lump came to her throat, and her hands began to
shake. Her knees were weak. She felt helpless and trapped.
She crouched behind a tree and waited for the moment of reckoning. The
dark woods grew mysteriously silent.
Suddenly, out of the deep silence, she heard a loud
shrill screech like a human’s scream.
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