Here's a ghostly poem written by GL reader Katherine for our 13 Days of Halloween Ghost Story Contest. Let us know what you think and be sure to check each day for another ghastly tale!

The shadows licked the walls as Carly shivered under her blankets, holding out a small reading light like a sword, slicing through the darkness. Her dishwater blond hair quivered and her cloudy blue eyes watered. The wind whined softly outside her gaping window. Rushes of cool night air swept into the room, the occasional leaf landing gently on the icy wooden floorboards. A dog’s howl echoed in the distance. Carly knew that it must have been miles away. No one owned dogs in the gated community she lived in.

Carly had heard the singing again. She had awoken, the shrill voice ringing in her ears. It was a beautiful, tortured voice, and it was calling to her in her dreams.

Hugging the blankets to her small frame, she attempted to wipe her mind blank, forget the words haunting her thoughts. A new sound alarmed her. The trees outside of her window were rustling with the few leaves they had left. It’s almost here, they seemed to whisper excitedly. That’s right, Carly thought. I’m going to be six soon, and big six-year-olds aren’t scared of anything, right?

“Momma?” Carly called as she entered the deserted hall the next morning. She was met with stony silence. Nothing happened when she knocked on the door to her parents’ bedroom. The door was unlocked. Not a sound crept from the door hinge, as it swung open to reveal a made bed that looked like it hadn’t been slept on in ages. She rubbed a finger over the tabletop confirming her suspicions. It was covered in dust. As if no one lived there. As if she hadn’t had a tea party with her mother on that very surface only two days ago.

Carly glanced around the room once more, and something lustrous caught her eye. Her mother’s precious full length mirror was positioned in the middle of the room, facing Carly. Hadn’t it been across the bedroom, by her mother’s dresser when she had first entered? Still, the temptation of such a beautiful object drew her in, and she suddenly found herself to the left of the looking glass, stroking its exquisite detail. Peering into the speculum, she inspected her reflection. The reflection removed its hand from the mirror border at the same time Carly’s did, and shifted its weight as Carly did.  Suddenly, Carly gasped.

Carly’s hair was straight as a stick and dirty blond while the figure looking through the glass possessed golden ringlets from its head down to its hips. While Carly’s face was speckled with freckles, the face in the mirror resembled that of a porcelain doll. The figure wore a sky blue dress with a high waist and a cream colored sash. Bemused, Carly stood in her Barbie pajamas and stared, absolutely still.

The reflection’s mouth twitched.

Carly ran. She bound to her room, and hastily pulled the sheets over her head. This is just a dream. This will all go away soon. She hoped.

“Carly,” The whisper came from beside her bed. Carly hoped that if she stayed still, the thing would go away. Silence ensued.

“Carly, your Mother is here.”

Carly peeked out from under the covers.

A shining face smiled back at her.

“No need to be scared.” Its lips moved in perfect formation, creating a clear sound that echoed through Carly’s mind. “I’m May.” The smile grew wider and wider until the face seemed to stretch past its own borders. Carly just shook her head.

“Get out. I’ll call the cops,” she threatened, her voice shaking.

May giggled.

“Come with me,” May insisted, and gestured for her to follow. The figure led Carly down the hall and through the screen door, to the back yard. The wind whipped in Carly’s face.

May pointed at the oval pool in the middle of the yard. “You can die the way I did. We can play together once you’re like me.”

“Jump,” May ordered as she shoved Carly over the poolside’s edge. 

Carly tried to grip the concrete with her toes, but gravity ensured her plummet through the water. Slowly, she sank to the blue-green tiles, darkness enveloping her world.

“You’re one of us now.” 

Carly recognized the voice of her mother. She opened her eyes. Her mother and May were there together.

Got a ghost story? There's still time to enter GL's 13 Days of Halloween Ghost Story Contest! Each day through Oct. 31, we'll be posting our favorite original ghost stories

written by GL readers. Will yours spook our socks off?

ENTER NOW! Email your story to youwroteit@girlslife.com or click the blue SUBMIT YOUR OWN button below.

by GL Reader | 2/1/2016