The Lost Woodsman
6th Grade, 1st Place
by Asa Segars, Gatewood Schools
Once, in a small village snuggled deep within the woods, a legend of a scary figure haunted the locals. They called it the “Ghost of the Whispering Woods.”
On full moon nights, when the trees rustled with a spooky sound, the ghost would come up from the shadows and haunt people. Its form was inconspicuous, a white mist that flew through the twisting streets.
Legend has it that the ghost was the spirit of a woodsman who had met a terrible end while searching for his lost daughter among the trees of the whispering woods. People said anyone who ventured into the forest would have the same fate as the woodsman, forever becoming a part of the ghost’s spirit.
As the villagers grew more fearful, they started leaving the village. So many fled to where there were only a couple families left. The village leader couldn’t leave his home town and didn’t know what to do, so he set boundaries to where nobody could enter the woods.
One night, a young and fearless villager named Sarah decided to test the legend. She wandered into the dark forest alone, determined to uncover the truth behind the ghost. Guided by the bone-chilling whispers of the wind, she followed a gloomy trail.
Deeper into the woods she ventured until, at last, she stumbled upon a hidden garden. In the garden she found a huge ancient tree with roots twisting out of the ground.
The ground beneath her feet trembled. The spiritual ghost appeared, and its dark red eyes locked onto hers. At first she was scared but then she saw sadness in its eyes.
At that moment, Sarah understood. The ghost was not an evil spirit but the lost soul of the woodsman, forever seeking his daughter. He goes out, whispering the girl’s name into the night.
With a loud scream, the ghost disappeared leaving only a gentle breeze in its path. The legend of the Ghost of The Whispering Woods was finally put to rest, and the village was free from its haunting spirit.
From that day on, the villagers remembered the true story of the ghost, and the girl who saved the village.
