Schüler der 11a schreiben Horror Short Stories nach E. A. Poe
Im Englisch-Unterricht der Klasse 11a behandelten wir das Thema Short Stories. Am Ende der Unterrichtseinheit erhielten die Schüler einen fiktiven Zeitungsartikel, der einen Mord beschreibt. Die Aufgabe war, eine Short Story über die berichteten Handlungen zu verfassen.
Zu diesem Zeitpunkt wussten die Schüler noch nicht, dass der Zeitungsartikel selbst nach dem Vorbild der Kurzgeschichte The Tell-Tale Heart von Edgar Allen Poe geschrieben war. Sie schrieben also eine Kurzgeschichte, die wir später mit dieser berühmten Horror-Story vergleichen konnten.
Drei Schülerinnen haben sich bereit erklärt, ihre Short Stories hier zu veröffentlichen. Sie sind unten in alphabetischer Reihenfolge der Titel aufgeführt.
Die Werke stehen unter einer Creative Commons Lizenz (BY-NC-ND).
- Nothing but lies
by Barbara Lindner - My strange landlord
by Ronja Winkhardt-Enz - The murderous tenant
by Tamara Thiel
Nothing but lies?
by Barbara Lindner
Suddenly the doorbell rang. He got a fright and wondered who it might be. A worried neighbour? One of his landlord’s friends? Unfortunately, the old man was very popular. He had to open the door; there was no choice.
Two police officers stood in front him. Trying to keep control and smiling friendly, he asked them to come in. A neighbour had heard a cry in their apartment and had alerted the police. They just wanted to take a look. He told them that his landlord was having a holiday in the countryside, somewhere, he didn’t know it exactly. Maybe in Scotland, that was his favourite place. Only there, he could enjoy the twilight of his life.
The two police officers looked confused. Sitting in front of him in the living room, they became more and more suspicious. It was obvious that they could hear it. The noise was so loud, his ears hurt. It was the old man’s heart, which was still beating, faster and faster, louder and louder. Directly under the floor, he was lying, just murdered, but still alive. The evil wizard, the devil in person. It was no wonder, that he was immortal, indestructible. It was typical of him!
The first day, the old man had appeared to be an ordinary rich property owner. Only his left eye had twinkled evilly, when he had opened the door. He had seen at once through the lie that he was blind on one side. However, the apartment had been a stroke of luck: a reasonable offer in a good location, isolated and quiet. The right place for him! It had seemed to be a bargain, without a catch.
The agony had begun the next day.
He was losing control. The sound would give him away, if it did not stop now. This nerve-racking situation had to come to an end. There was no other solution. He started fumbling with the floor, scratching the wooden floorboards. It was difficult to loosen the nails with bare hands.
He had always thought torture was something horrible and painful. His methods had been
different. It was pure fear what he could produce. His magic eye had been his secret weapon. It had never lost sight of the new tenant, the new victim. Finding the right time for his next attack, the eye had followed him everywhere. He had felt the gaze in his apartment, in his own rooms, scrutinizing him shamelessly.
The attacks had been the worst, sheer hell. It always began with sudden headaches, like unexpected electric shocks. Maybe this was the moment when he entered his brain. Old pictures suddenly appeared, emerging from out a thick fog of oblivion. Pictures, he didn’t want to see anymore. After that, he always lost control of his body. His legs and arms wriggled, lashing about with his clenched fist, he felt helpless. Often he lost consciousness at this moment.
Later on, he woke up, white foam at the mouth. Sometimes he bit in his own tongue, possessed by the evil spirit. After the attack, the demon always left his body, taking memories and knowledge with him. If he had read or learned something before the attack, it had gone. The sorcerer had seemed to want to possess his intelligence; it was probable that the same had occurred to his predecessors. Soon, he had understood that he would die, that one attack would kill him some time or other.
The tenants before him couldn’t defend themselves against the evil wizard. They were lying in the big garden behind the house. It had given him a fright, when he had seen ten little mounds side by side in the middle of the park. Nevertheless, he had reached a decision at this moment: He would not end up in such a mound!
He had known from the start that nobody would believe him. The old man was a respected
citizen in the little town, one of the oldest and most experienced men, influential and popular. He made himself popular with generous donations to charity and a sympathetic ear. The people came here to ask for advice or help, and not only financial support. In their opinion, he was an old, nice and friendly grandfather, helpful and good-natured.
If only they knew the truth about him, how dangerous and cruel he really was and how
terrible it was to live in his apartment.
But the villagers would never believe a young, foreign man like him. Never! In their opinion, he was strange, he gave them the creeps. They didn`t like him, they mistrusted him. Maybe he was too calm and secluded for them. They had even been worried about the old man when they had seen his new tenant. Therefore, there was no day without a visit. He didn’t know exactly what was so strange about him.
It was not fair that the people were afraid of him; in fact, they should be worried about him. He was thinking of the last attack. His cry during the cramp had alarmed the worried neighbour. It had been terrible. Painful and degrading. Nevertheless, he had woken up with an insight: It had had to stop now! This had been the perfect moment to do it. He had known exactly what to do. The old man had been lying in his bed, sleeping soundly and peacefully. In fact, he really had looked like a good-natured grandfather, but his left eye had never slept.
It had been easy. The fleecy, soft pillow with a picture from his grandchild on it, had been lying upon the rocking chair. He had taken it. Standing beside the bed and waiting for some reaction from the evil wizard (a magic trick or something like this), he had looked at him for a long time. However, nothing had occurred, he had even been a little disappointed. Therefore, he had pressed the little pillow on the sleeping face. The beaming small child from the picture had looked at him, while his evil grandfather had been dying under the pillow. He had woken up suddenly, kicking and struggling helplessly. Only some minutes. It had been easy. He had been proud; he had beaten a sorcerer!
Then, he hadn’t known what else to do. He had had to hide the body. Somewhere in the house. Nobody would ever find him. Under the floorboards. It had been a good idea. The corpse had fit in the hole under the floor. He only had had to saw off the legs and arms. But this had been no problem.
The two police officers looked terrified. They were sorry, but they had to take him with them. The three men looked at the dead proprietor. He didn’t appear to be cruel or evil, just old and dead, and horrified. His magic eye seemed to be a normal one.
The officers were sad, in their opinion it was a huge loss. He had been so friendly, so
peaceful. How could it end up like this?
They shared the same view: It was not fair. The good people always come to a bad end.
Yes. He had been a good man, good-natured and loving. He even had buried his cats in the big garden behind the house. Unfortunately, the attacks didn’t stop. First he couldn’t understand it. There was no explanation, but one day, his psychiatrist turned to a doctor. When he looked him in the eye, the left one twinkled evilly. Of course, he saw at once through the lie that the attacks were in fact epileptic fits.
My strange landlord
by Ronja Winkhardt-Enz
A long time ago my landlord said to me I should go to Mrs. Carter. He said she would help me. Every Monday I go to Mrs. Carter and so today, I also sit there, in her waiting room. I don’t like her very much, because she asks me questions about my life, my feelings and my problems. After one hour of talking she hands me some pills, which I have to take. I know already yet, that it would be like every week.
“One day all that will have an end” said a voice in my head. “I really hope so” I answered her. Before my internal conversation could go on, Mrs. Carter called me in her room. After some greetings I started directly to tell her about my week, because I didn’t want to answer her boring questions.
“My week was like every week Mrs. Carter, nothing changed. I have lived for such a long time with my landlord and my feelings are still the same. He is an old and kind man. Our relationship seems to be perfect. We eat and watch television together – let’s say we live together.” “That’s nice to hear” she said to me. “But he act all that, he’s dangerous, he’s a bad man, he wants to have world power, and you never saw his strange eye. With this eye he hypnotizes you and then you think he’s a normal old man! But I know he’s not good for all of us. Probably he comes from another planet to destroy our world. I have to prevent him from that plan! You have to believe me. Please help me!” I said to her. “Mr. Jarlson, come back to reality, your landlord is a normal person and in no way dangerous! Have you taken all your pills?” she asked me. “I am in reality, you have to believe me, soon he will destroy the world!” I shouted. “Calm down Mr. Jarlson and take these pills now, then you will feel better!” she said friendly.
I going to freak out, I thought, why doesn’t this stupid psychiatrist believe me?
Then I screamed: “Your pills don’t save our world”. I hit the pills out of her hands and ran out of her practice. When I was out of Mrs. Carters house the voice in my head said to me: “Well done”. I ignored her because I didn’t know what she meant, and followed my daily routine. In the evening I came home in time to eat with my landlord. The conversation was short and we ate in silence. When I had finished I waited until he had also enough. While I sat there with him at the table, I felt an inexplicable rage coming up inside me…
When he was finished he looked me straight in the eyes, I was paralysed with fear and I couldn’t move before he looked away. I ran in my room, so he couldn’t see how I felt in panic. As I closed the door my mind went crazy, I sank on the floor, and I couldn’t stop my rage.
I just calmed down, as the voice in my head said to me:”Attention the naughty landlord is coming, I already feel his ugly eye!”, and then he knocked and said through my door:” I go to bed now, take some of your pills and sleep well, good night.” I kept still until he was away.
Why does everybody tell me I have to take these pills, do they think I’m crazy? I thought.
That can’t be…no way, I’m telling the truth. Why does no one feel the danger? Am I the only one? If no one believes me I have to fight against him alone, I have to save the world.
Oh yes, I know what happens if I take these pills now – I can’t act anymore and that’s exactly what he wants. So he can make his attack tonight and all human beings will be wiped out.
Oh my God, I feel it, I don’t have much time, I have to stop this monster! I will make a plan to exterminate him, I thought.
Then suddenly I heard strange voices, they spoke a language I had never heard before. They came out of my landlord’s bedroom. He had to be calling his allies out of the outer space. The voices were getting louder and louder and our whole apartment quake.
I have to act now, I thought. I opened my door quietly and crept through our apartment. It was so loud that I put my hands on my ears. Why does nobody else hear that and call the police? Is it the landlord’s eye that makes everybody deaf? Of course that’s the reason why nobody believes me! I thought. Then I was in front of his bed room. I looked a last time on the nice picture of the countryside, which hangs at his door, then I went in this bedroom.
I cried as I saw all these horrible allies, while I cried, I saw how they went away…
Are they afraid of me? , I wondered. Probably! Because, when I stopped crying, I was all alone with my landlord, who was snoring in his bed. I could feel that they will be back soon, so I only had a few minutes to kill him. I took a pillow and pressed it on his face. I could see his strange eye, I closed my eyes so he couldn’t hypnotize me. I pressed as strong as I could, because he tried to rescue himself. But he was stronger than me, he was nearly free as I saw an angel. He filled me up with new power and I suffocated him. The angel applauded and said: “Thank you so much you are the hero of the world!” “What shall I do now with him?” I asked the angel. “Hide him under the floor!” whispered the angel. I did what he said. With the help of the angel I finished this action quickly. I looked satisfied on the floor as I left the room.
I went into the kitchen to drink a glass of water. After a few sips my mind went clear and I asked myself why I’m sitting in the kitchen in the middle of the night. Before I could give myself an answer, there was somebody at the door. I opened and two police man stood before my door. As I let them in they told me, that the neighbors had heard a cry and called the police. I showed them our apartment and told them that my landlord is having holidays in the countryside. Because when my landlord is away he’s always in the countryside, that was the only possibility why he wasn’t in his bed. Then they started asking me questions.
These questions where typical Mrs. Calter questions, and so I got nervous…
When they now start with the pills I will crack up, I thought angry.
But then there was another reason why I cracked up, suddenly I heard strange and loud voices and I had the feeling that someone I couldn’t see was watching me.
From somewhere I knew these voices, but I didn’t remember where from.
Like in trance I walked to the direction, where this invisible person looked to me.
“Take me out of there” the invisible person said to me. It was the voice of my landlord.
I was so afraid that I broke out screaming, while I ripped up the floor. I couldn’t explain to myself what I was doing. Perhaps there is really something wrong with me…
The Murderous Tenant
by Tamara Thiel
„He did it again“, the young man said. It was nearly midnight and the moon was standing in the sky in all of his glory, it was full moon. Only the haze and some waft of mist covered the moon. The shadows of the trees looked like people running in the dark. „He did it again“, the man replied with wide open eyes.
He was standing at the window in the kitchen from where he had a clear view straight into the apartment at the other side of the quadrangle. „It’s no wonder that all the possessions of the tenants just disappear, when he’s at his weekly ward round through the apartment.“ He was the landlord of the apartments and for a few months he was doing this „ward round„–the point in time when suddenly things of the tenants began to disappear without any trace.
The landlord was an old man of nearly sixty-five years. His facial expression was always grim and crabby, when he furrowed his brow. He was a bitter old man. The only thing which sometimes conjured a smile on his face was his black tomcat, which was always lying on the majestic if degenerated armchair. Because of a dumb accident, like he said, he couldn’t walk by himself anymore and so he had to use a walking stick. Just this moment he entered the apartment of Steven, a student, who was visiting his family for some time. Every week he got an envelope from his parents with some money. The landlord knew this and he knew where Steven had placed it, by watching him a few days before he had left.
Nearly five minutes later he got out of the apartment again, hiding the envelope under his shirt. „I can’t just ignore this anymore“, the young man thought, turning his face off the opposite apartment. „But what shall I do?“. Suddenly someone knocked on his door, knocked twice, then rang for as long as it took him to go and open the door. It was the landlord. But how could this be? He had been standing on the other side just a few minutes ago. He was frightened, like every single time when the landlord was standing near him. Silly, he thought, but he wasn’t able to understand this old man anyway.
„Hello Mr. Miller“, the landlord said, looking him straight into the eyes. Then something curious happened. As the tenant was looking into the strange eye of the landlord, who was blind on one side, somehow everything got clouded for a moment. Then it got normal again and clouded once more, like someone turning the light off and on again. The tenant was hypnotized, hypnotized by the landlords eye.
„Is everything fine, Mr. Miller“, he asked, seeing him holding his hands upon his eyes and shaking his head to left and to the right, up and down. The tenant opened his eyes, but the only thing he saw, was the blurred face of the landlord. Then he heard him saying: „I can come later, if you want“, but it sounded like someone speaking into a telephone, holding a handkerchief over the handset. The door closed.
On an impulse the young man opened the door again and followed the landlord through the whole corridor until he reached his apartment. Watching the landlord disappear behind the door, mechanically he put his foot in the door.
The young man heard the landlord speaking to his tomcat and as it got silent he entered the apartment. Walking through the dark corridor, he saw the landlord sitting in his majestic armchair, the tomcat lying on his lap. There were cobwebs all over the walls and candles, whose wax nearly dropped down to the floor. He was sitting there in front of the peaceful fireplace just as if nothing unusual had happened.
Maybe it wasn’t unusual for the landlord anymore, but an inner voice spoke to the tenant: „You have to do something against it! You are strong! You know that he’s wrong! – You hate him! And the people …“
For a short moment the voice was gone and in his mind appeared all the scenes of the past, all the bad scenes. He remembered the landlord taking him away all of his pocket money every single Saturday when he was younger. He saw the landlord shouting, because he had been running though the freshly mowed grass of the quadrangle. The grass was the apple of the eye for him! He detested children. Every single time when he saw them playing outside on the street and drawing pictures down there with crayon he shooed them away and threatened to hit them if they didn’t get off immediately. The voice in his head got louder and louder and the pictures in his mind began to blur. „Kill him and you will see that the people will be thankful. There will be no one who will ask for him; no one will wonder where he is“, the voice said.
He noticed the pillow lying there in the corner. The landlord was sleeping now. Only his snore disturbed the silence of the night for some seconds, then it was calm again. The tenant stood in front of the landlord now, watching him sleeping, sitting there and looking like an old but content man. This made him angry. All his fear was gone. He didn’t want to think anymore, he just wanted to act. Forced by the voice he went to the corner and took the pillow.
„Now or never“, he said to himself and from the shadow of the armchair he pressed the pillow onto the landlord’s face. The landlord began to move. His tomcat jumped off his lap. He wanted to shout, but he couldn’t. Now the tenant pressed the pillow down on his face even stronger than before. After a while it was calm again and he took it off. He got in front of the armchair again. „Look at him now“, the internal voice said. „Look how content this old man still appears… but he isn’t allowed to“, the voice shouted! „No, he isn’t!“ the tenant replied when he gazed the sword hanging there at the wall on the other side of the room. He ran there, took it and got back. „Now…“ he whispered. „Now we’ll see whether you are still content once I have finished with you.“
The bells of the church rang. Once, twice… and with every stroke of the clock he pulled the sword through the landlord’s body, first through his face and then he worked himself down to his feet. „Sweet dreams“, he said, closing the door behind his back. It was midnight.