Pumpkins are carved, bats are in the belfry, and Halloween is mere days away.

It's time to announce the winners of the 14th annual Courier's Ghostwriters Contest.

Our readers voted for the winners at our website, www.wcfcourier.com. After a panel of judges selected five finalists in both adult's and children's categories, we posted them online and allowed readers to vote for their favorites.

Thanks to readers who took the time to write and enter their tales.

We also appreciated your comments, encouragement, kind words and suggestions for our contest. Teacher Peggy Hanfelt says her Experiences in Writing class at Waverly-Shell Rock High School had a great time coming up with endings. "I tell my students that this is an opportunity to apply what they have learned in a 'real world' situation." At Hansen Elementary School, Bonnie Noonan says her sixth-graders were motivated. "This was a fun project which needed little promoting. Students jumped right in, outlining, developing their characters and planning their plots. No matter the results, we had a great time writing for your Ghostwriters' contest."

Noonan caught the enthusiasm and wrote an entry for the adult category.

Some readers expressed disappointment that their entries weren't among the chosen few and others didn't like any of the finalists. Most people enjoyed reading the finalists' entries and casting their ballots.

The lucky winners who finished the children's' tale were: 1st place, Tyler Backes, Raymond; 2nd place Angel Callan-Pollock, Cedar Falls; and LeAnn Weber, Waterloo.

Fiendish readers who won bucks for completing the adult story were: 1st place, Mariah Andrews, Cedar Falls; 2nd, Erin McCoy, Waterloo; and Kevin Hansen, Cedar Falls.

Winners received $100, $50 and $25 respectively.

CHILDREN'S CATEGORY

1st place

Then the lights turned on and Freddy was gone.

"Freddy," called Tessa, looking as though she wanted to run out the front door. There were footprints leading down some stairs to Hannibal's basement.

"Let's get out of here!," exclaimed Tessa.

"No," said Jason, as he tried to hold in the laughter because he knew the prank was on Tessa.

"We have to find Freddy," said Becca, hiding her grin.

They started walking down the stairs, Jason and Becca acting along to the joke. After a while, they found a room with all sorts of strange, creepy dolls in it. Some were missing parts such as arms or even an eyeball. It freaked the kids out, but it was much worse at one end of the room. There was Freddy, hanging by a string from the ceiling, his eyes rolled to the top of his head and bugs crawling all over his body.

Tessa screamed. Becca and Jason knew it was all a trick and that Freddy was not really dead, but when Becca went to give Freddy a high-five for scaring Tessa so badly, Freddy did not slap her hand. Becca and Jason's smiles turned to looks of horror was they realized Freddy had actually been murdered.

All of a sudden, a chain saw started up behind them and they screamed and started running, with Hannibal right behind them. They turned a corner and went up the stairs.

"We're going to make it," thought Jason as he saw the front door.

They opened it, took a step and fell. The welcome mat slipped out from under them and there was screaming and darkness.

Submitted by: Tyler Backes, Raymond

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2nd place

This wasn't part of the plan, he thought to himself. As he shook free from the hand, "Hey, what did you do that for?" Freddy asked.

When he turned around, he couldn't see anything or anybody, for that matter. "Jason! Becca! Tessa?" he called. "Ha-ha, guys, OK, joke's over. Come on, it's not funny."

Just then he bumped into something. He put his arms out to try to feel what he had just run into to. It was a person.

"Freddy, is that y-y-you?" called out a voice. Becca turned her face so she was looking into Freddy's eyes.

"Yeah, what's going on. This wasn't in the plan," Freddy said. "Where's Tessa and Jason?"

"I don't know. They were right behind me a second ago, and Hannibal is gone, too," Becca said in a soft voice. She knew, though, where they were.

"I'm going to go find them. Stay here," Freddy said as he walked off. He heard Becca run. "Where is she going," he thought as he walked up the stairs. Creak, creak, creek, step by step, then he heard it. "Freddy, HELP!" Tessa! He heard her, he had to get into that room. "Freddy, Jason, Becca? This isn't funny. I don't like this, guys." Tessa was freaking out.

"Tessa, hang on, just hang on. I'll open this door. Get away from it."

"Hurry, he's in here, Freddy. Hurry! HEL --," he heard something. This wasn't supposed to happen.

He opened the door and what he saw shocked him, then made him angry. There in the middle of the room, stood Hannibal, covered in blood. He screamed. Afraid. Then, from behind the door, jumped Becca, Tessa and Jason. "We got you good, man!"

And with that, they walked away, laughing.

Submitted by: Angel Callan-Pollack, Cedar Falls

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3rd place

Freddy shrieked, not knowing where he was. Then a ghostly figure appeared in front of him. "Why do you dare disturb me?" said the ghost.

Freddy yelped, "Jason, Becca, Tessa, I'm freaked, you can stop now!" The ghost cackled an evil laugh. "Prepare for your worst nightmare!," said the ghost, hauntingly.

Freddy fainted right there. Then he awoke in some enclosed, tight place. He pushed his way out and discovered he was in a coffin. Freddy felt dirt had been caving in. He thought, "I've been buried alive!" Freddy noticed his coffin wasn't the only one. He peered through the coffins. Freddy found all his friends lying there, covered in blood.

Freddy was trapped in the cave-like room. He almost started to cry when he felt someone was behind him. The ghost whispered, It's your turn." Freddy grabbed the nearest object, a bone. The ghost seemed as if he wasn't afraid of the bone. It was holding some sort of beheading machine. Freddy gasped, "I didn't mean to disturb you, I only wanted to scare my friend!"

Then the ghost took Freddy by the neck and was about to behead him. Freddy sense there was someone lurking near. "HELP!" he shouted. Out of nowhere, all of his classmates and Hannibal, appeared. They seemed as if they had all been under a spell. Freddy noticed they had red eyes.

When Freddy felt like he was taking his last breath. They all screamed, "Happy Halloween!" Freddy stood there, shocked. This had seemed so real. From that day, Freddy was terrified of Hannibal Balicann.

Submitted by: LeAnn Weber, Waterloo

ADULT CATEGORY

1st place

The figure switched on the light. There stood a little boy.

"Ha, ha, scared you!" He taunted. The boy was about 6 or 7.

"What's your name, young man?" Kelley asked, trying to regain her composure.

"You know what my name is, silly -- betchya can't catch me!" Before Kelley could protest, the boy ran into the darkened house.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Kelley could no longer see the kid, but heard his little footsteps banging up the stairs.

"No way," Kelley muttered, glancing warily up the rickety stairs. She'd seen enough horror movies to know that running up the stairs was a big no-no.

Suddenly, Simon Lebon's voice stopped. A clock bonged somewhere in the depths of the old house. The hour had come.

"Hey, kid, are you OK?" Kelley yelled up the stairs. An eerie silence answered her.

"Malachai!!!!!" Kelley froze as she realized the scream was vibrating in her own throat. Only it wasn't the kid's name. It was a sick joke.

Kelley whirled around and scanned the room with her flashlight. A wave of realization rippled slowly through her. It was her old house -n exactly as it looked on that horrible night back in 1984.

It was her annual Halloween slumber party. She and the other girls had just finished watching Children of the Corn.

"So, like, Kelley, you wanna scare your little brother?" Jen M. had asked wickedly.

Kelley broke into a cold sweat as it all came rushing back -- Trevor walking into the pitch-black ocean of cornstalks, the girls' piercing screams, first mocking, then hysterical when they heard the menacing hiss of the combine.

"Trevor?" Kelley murmured. Suddenly, he was at the top of the stairs.

"I'm lost and I'm found," he whispered, his round eyes shining. "Now, it's your turn."

Submitted by: Mariah Andrews, Cedar Falls

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2nd place

A blinding light spilled out onto the porch as the figure stepped toward her. Kelley squinted as thousands of glittering sparkles flickered and moved with each step it took. She wanted to look away but felt oddly drawn to what looked like millions of tiny diamonds illuminating the cold, dark night.

"Who's there?" she called out, her voice distant and faint. The music grew louder, pounding in her head.

Kelley's eyes began to adjust to the light. Behind the figure, a large crowd had gathered, a sea of spandex and sweatbands. The crowd jumped, they clapped, they cheered, they marched in place, and sang along. Kelley felt her eyes widen. She sucked in her breath and gasped in horror.

The figure had its hand on her shoulder. She could see everything clearly now. A sequined tank top, tiny striped shorts. "It can't be," she whispered to no one. A perfectly coiffed head of curly hair, freakishly athletic calves accented by thick white socks.

"We're Sweatin' to the '80s, Kelley!" The figured exclaimed. Its voice was fueled with so much pep and sweetness it made her teeth ache. "And I'm on the hunt and after you!" The figure pointed at her and winked, a high-pitched laugh escaping from its smiling lips.

With that, Kelley turned and ran with lightning speed down the lane, away from the house. She would take her chances with any danger lurking in the night, as nothing could be quite as scary as being an eternal extra in the newest Richard Simmons workout video!

Submitted by: Erin McCoy, Waterloo

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3rd place

No. 4

She stepped backwards to escape the blood-red hooded figure and tripped. Hear head hit concrete, and Kelley plunged into unconsciousness.

When she awoke, she could taste the weather-worn rope that bound her mouth. The blackness of the darkness around her seemed to swallow her alive.

A door opened and something huge lunged. The intruder's heavy breaths were panting in her face. "Hungry like a wolf. Hungry like a wolf," blared loudly from beyond the door. Sharp fangs began gnawing at her face. The fangs thrashed up and down, and she felt something warm dripping. "Juices like wine … " Then in an instant, the rope around her mouth dropped to the floor. The fangs were now behind her biting relentlessly at her wrists. The ropes loosened.

The wolf-creature motioned Kelley to the door to escape. But it was too late. The red-hooded figure re-appeared.

"Who are you?" Kelley demanded.

"They call me Red. I've been on the prowl -- been on the hunt for that wolf for nearly 200 years. See, he's the one that ate my Granny that fateful day I went to see her in the woods. I know, it's a grim story, but now that you've helped me find him, it's my turn to be hungry like the wolf …"

"You're Little Red Riding Hood?" asked Kelley.

"Yep. And you're going to help me kill the big bad wolf."

Kelley couldn't -n the wolf had saved her life. She instead tackled Red, and the wolf tore at her neck as Kelley escaped.

The wolf fled Red's lifeless body, pouncing toward Kelley, triumphantly licking her face.

"Now who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" Kelly laughed as she rewardingly scratched behind his ears.

"You should be," slyly spoke the wolf, as his jaws slowly expanded over Kelley's now horrified face.

Submitted by: Kevin Hansen, Cedar Falls