500 Words 2024/25: read a finalist's story from the 5-7 category

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This story was chosen as a top 50 finalist for 500 Words 2024/25.

Remember, spelling, punctuation and grammar are not taken into account for a 500 Words story, therefore all the top 50 stories have been published how they were submitted.

Krillodon and The Ghoul’s Woe by Phoebe A.

Far back we go, into glorious history, until, STOP! Ah, yes, this is it. We arrive at the woeful tale of four penguin hybrids named Arina, Rianos, Turina and Octiranos. Arina was a penguin crossed with an orca, Rianos was a penguin crossed with a squid, Turina was a penguin crossed with turtle and Octiranos was a penguin crossed with an octopus. These powerful, mighty creatures had a dream. A dream to make one of the most formidable schools for sea creatures.

It all began on an ordinary day in an ordinary sea, when suddenly an idea popped, like magic, into Arina's head. She started to draw until she had a blueprint of a…school! What, what? A school? You say? Ah no, my friends, this was not any old school. It was a HUMOUNGUS SCHOOL. This was the start of Krillodon.

Arina hurried off but she tripped over a stone! AWKWARD! As I was saying, she hurried along and shared the blueprints with her friends. Rianos said, "It's preposterous!", Octiranos said, "It needs to be bigger, "the minimum", she continued, "should be (big breath, guys) 1000,900,409 feet." Insane! After that, they all started on the 1000,900,409ft colossal school.

In the dead of night, when the hybrids were sleeping, Rianos awoke. He thought he could hear something, so he crept along silently, avoiding any unstable objects that might make a loud sound but then, BANG! A loud noise filled the air, spreading through Rianos's blood and bringing a chill through his bones, making him shiver all the way down his spine.

Around the corner came a thin, pale face, emerging from the misty, gloomy corner of the half-built library. The being or, should I say, illusion glided from the dust towards a terrified Rianos. The spirit whispered, in a soft voice, "Come to me," repeatedly. Rianos didn't want to, but the spirit's voice was so intriguing, he could not control his feet. He began to walk forwards ever so slowly. Her cold breath wrapped him up like icy giants' fingers, tightening like ropes around him. It was too much. He closed his eyes, let the frost turn him into a statue and he passed out before he fell forwards, into the ghoul.

In the morning, Rianos felt stony-hearted and like he had been pushed through a block of ice. He felt aloof and remote, he felt stiff. He was distant with his friends and only thought about hatred and unfriendliness. When Arina did a run-through of the school timetable, he said that he better not embarrass herself in front of their students and grumpily shuffled off. When Turina asked if he was alright, Rianos only muttered, "Mind your own business!". Octiranos said that Rianos was cold-blooded, stand-offish and inhospitable, and that he had probably eaten a thesaurus. Rianos was hurt. He did not want his friends to hate him but anger and hatred bubbled and frothed inside him.

He fled that night…

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