Hi Everyone!

All evidence to the contrary, I have not disappeared from the face of the earth!

Okay. That may not be quite true. I was holed up with my assistant judges, so we may have appeared to disappear.

While we were agonizing over choosing finalists, I wrote you a little ditty. You may sing it to the tune of Jingle Bells 😊

Moonlit Halloween.
Time to play a goblin game.
Pumpkin “ball” in hand,
Ready, steady, aim.
Three quick tiptoe strides,
Then roll that gourd just right.
What fun to smash down corncob pins
On Goblin Bowling Night!

Oh!

Strikes and spares,
Bets and dares,
Chills and thrills galore!
Prizes for whoever
winds up with the highest score!

And on THAT terrifying note, guess what?

We finally have your finalists finalized for you to vote on!

Woo hoo! Even a herd of turtles is faster than that was! 🤣

It goes without saying that there were SO MANY fabulous entries, and we found something to love in all of them. You are all so talented and creative. You blow us away every time. Having to choose only 12 is always excruciating! In fact, it was so excruciating that we didn’t quite manage and there are a baker’s dozen listed. The ones we picked were, in our estimation, the best all around in story, kid-friendliness, Halloweenieness, language, meter (for the rhyming ones), and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, proofreading etc.), and of course, included all the required words (surprisingly, not all the entries did – several did not included ANY of them!) and were 100 words or fewer.

If you didn’t make the finalist list, I don’t want you to feel bad! It doesn’t mean you didn’t write a good story! It’s VERY hard to tell a great story in 100 words. There is a LOT of competition. Only 12 (er, 13) make the finals, so if you didn’t you are in excellent company. And don’t lose heart. A lot of you will be on the Honorable Mention Lists in a few days. The judging is always the part I find most difficult 😊 There are always so many more I want to choose… But a contest is a contest, and so we have to try, to the best of our ability, to select the cream of the crop. I’m sure, despite our best efforts, there may be some we didn’t choose that you think we should have, and some we did choose you think we shouldn’t have. But we really tried to make good choices. We looked for originality and that little extra something that makes a story stand out.

And for those who didn’t make the cut, you still practiced your craft, wrote good stories, met writing requirements, wrote to a deadline, and increased your writing experience. You produced good work that you were brave enough to share in public. And you hopefully have a strong basis to build on that may allow you to expand and polish your story into a magazine piece or a picture book when you’re not constrained by the contest parameters. So bravo, and congratulations to everyone!

The 13 oh-my-goodness-did-we-agonize-over-these! 14th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Halloweensie Contest Finalists are listed below!

Please read them all, choose your favorite, and vote for it in the poll below by Tuesday November 19th at 5PM Eastern.

Please feel free to share the link to this post on social media – the more readers and voters the better! Every one of these entries deserves to be read by as many people as possible. But I ask that you please not troll for votes! The contest is supposed to be based on merit, not a popularity contest based on who has the most followers or can talk more people into voting for their story. If you are a finalist, please do not say you’re a finalist or mention your entry by name or number. Encourage people to come read and vote, and let them make their own decisions. As judges, we make our selections blind. The names are all removed so we make our choices based solely on the story so we can remain unbiased. In fact, as of this writing, I still don’t know who wrote the stories on this list. You can bet I’m going to go look right after I post!

So read, enjoy, vote! 😊

1 – GOODY GOBLIN

In twilight’s moon on Halloween,  

a goblin crept to stalk, unseen.  

He’d blend with children dressed this night,

for frisky fun and his delight!

He’d sneak up slowly… Steal a sweet—

their candy was his treasured treat.

Tiptoe, GRAB!

His heart beat—fast.

This thrill of mischief was a blast!

Demonstrating expertise,

in Goblin’s wake, a chilly breeze.

And then at midnight, he would flee…

to the forest pixie tree…

His magic faded with the dawn,

A wink, a blink, a little yawn…

A goblin gone. He’d disappear…

‘Til Halloween—again next year.

2 – JACK-O’-SORTA-LANTERN

Alright, kid. Tiptoe a little closer and listen up.

It’s Halloween, so we have one chance to get this right.

A chilling thought, but we’ve got this.

Now… give me an eye.

Careful…

Good!

Now another one, exactly the same as…

Woah! Too big! Too close!

Sigh. That’s alright. They aren’t exactly the same, but they’ll do.

Time for the nose.

Make it long and pointy, like a goblin’s.

Good… that’s it… STOP! Too long! Gah. Oh well.

Last but not least… Fangs!

Two should do.

Wait, I said two!

Fine. Seven it is.

Ta-da! Call me Jack-O’-Sorta-Lantern.

Nobody’s perfect!

3 – GOBLIN-FUN!

My night of tricks and treats is done,
Tucked safe in bed, I’ve had my fun.

A bony shriveled hand grasps mine,
And icy chills run down my spine!

My tender skin grows hair and scales–
Sharp spikes sprout from my fingernails!

The goblin cackles, “Join my crew,
Till dawn you are a goblin too!”

We creep and tiptoe through the night,
And give the town a ghastly fright!

We moon-dance round a goblin-ring,
Crunch goblin-yummies, howl, and sing!

At dawn, the sun blots out the moon–
“My goblin-fun’s done way too SOON!”

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

4 – DRELLA’S HALLOWEEN TREAT

Autumn wind chilled Drella’s goblin bones.

With a meager basket of forest eats, 

she headed home –

but lamplight and laughter 

drew Drella to a street

where on tiptoes, 

she peeked

over a hedge.

A parade of ghosts, ghouls, and . . . 

“Great costume!” 

Drella jumped.

“Goblin, right?” 

Drella nodded.

“C’mon!”

By a witch’s warm hand, 

Drella flew –  

up porch steps and down

where three magic words 

bestowed candied treats. 

Soon baskets filled, lights dimmed, laughter stilled.

“That was fun!” 

Drella nodded.

“See you next year!” 

Drella smiled.

Wrapped in moonglow, 

Drella trotted towards home – 

her full basket swinging, 

her goblin heart brimming!

5 – BUBBLE, BUBBLE, GOOD-BYE TROUBLE!

I needed to know if the rumors were true,
can things disappear in a magical brew?

Ignoring the chills and my goosebumpy fright,
I crept through the woods on that Halloween night.

In a clearing of trees, I could see a large pot,
where goblins were stirring some foul-smelling rot.

I patiently waited for moonlight to dim,
tiptoed past ghosts and peered over the rim.

My quivering hands held the source of my trouble,
if seen by my parents, my problems would double.

I reached past witches, gremlins, a ghoul …
and tossed in my awful report card from school!

6 – A GOBLIN’S HAUNTED HOUSE

Instead of trick-or-treating this Halloween, goblin siblings Gloom and Grim were determined to brave their town’s haunted house. Chills ran down their spines as they approached the entrance.

“I changed my mind. Let’s leave!” 

“Gloom, be brave. We must get through. We said we would this year!”

The two held hands, tiptoed inside, and SCREAMED–

“RAINBOWS! RUN!”

They rushed to the next room.

“GLITTER! AHHH!” 

They turned the corner to find a room of sunshine, flowers, and butterflies.

“NOOOOO!”

They had enough and found the emergency exit.

“Next Halloween we’ll make it to the end.” 

“Definitely!”

7 – SALESMAN FOR THE GOBLIN SHOW

Spectral friends— come one, come all! 

Hottest ticket of the fall!

One night only: Goblins dance! 

Goblins tiptoe! Goblins prance! 

Get your tickets! Going fast! 

Chance to meet and greet the cast!

Who am I? You’d like to know?

Salesman for the Goblin Show?

Once I was a darling child

Stolen by three goblins wild.

Taken from my home unseen

On a chilly Halloween. 

Eighteen years gone by in vain,

Never to return again. 

Stifled screams of stolen youth,

Shackled to the ticket booth. 

Forced to work in moonlight’s glow:

Salesman for the Goblin Show. 

8 – GOBLIN CAKE

Have you tried a goblin cake? 

They are difficult to make!

You must start on Halloween,

Mixing glitter, pink and green.

Add a dash of fish’s fin,

stirring quickly with your chin.

Chill the mixture over night,

til’ it turns a ghostly white.

Next, you’ll pour it in a dish,

spin it twice, and make a wish.

Cover gently with a broom,

then you’ll tiptoe from the room.

Check it in a day or so.

If it’s finished, you will know!

When you go to have a snack

it will try to bite you back!

9 – JUST DESSERTS

It’s Halloween, and this fun-size Snickers is in it to win it. The “picked first” prize is mine. ALL MINE!

Ding-dong! We jostle for the best position, glittery wrappers rustling. Oof. If I had elbows, I’d jab that Reese’s right between the e’s.

A goblin tiptoes up. “Treat-or-treat!”

He picks Almond Joy . . . and tosses it back. Sniffs Kit-Kat and drops it.

Then, he grabs ME.

So long, suckers!

If I had a tongue, I’d stick it out.

The goblin unwraps me. Ooh, it’s chilly! His mouth opens wide.

What’s going on? I won, fair and-

C-H-O-M-P

10 – WANTED: CAT

Oh, how absurd! Whoever heard?

A witch without a cat! 

But mine has gone and run away – and vanished with my hat. 

Well, I’m no fool – I’ll catch that ghoul 

before it’s Halloween. 

(or else I’ll be the biggest joke this town has ever seen) 

Through chilling gloom, I fly my broom

as goblins cackle, “BOO!”

Then just beyond the pumpkin patch I hear a tiny “mew!” 

And there’s my cat — inside my hat – 

with kittens all a-bed!

I tiptoe home. I guess this once… I’ll take my dog instead. 

11 – THE SCARF AND THE SCARECROW

“Scarlett, where ARE you?” my parents call from outside the maze.

How long have I been lost? Has trick-or-treating started?

“Here! I’m—”

A chill wind whisks my voice away.

I turn right.

Dead end.  

I double back.

Ugh.

That scarecrow with a goblin’s grin.

Again.

I must quit circling.

Twilight descends.

I wrap my red scarf around a stalk.

There. If I pass it again, I’ll know to turn around.

I search, listening for my parents.

For anyone.

What’s that?

A shock of red.

Again?

My scarf dangles from the scarecrow’s glove.

Panic tiptoes up my spine.

I run.

12 – THE GOBLIN PROBLEM

I have a goblin problem

You simply won’t believe.

He came last year to trick-or-treat,

but then he wouldn’t leave! 

He ate up all my candy. 

It gave him smelly breath.

He tip-toed through my room that night

and scared me half to death! 

He’s always causing mayhem!

This goblin won’t sit still.

No warmed-up milk or chamomile 

will make this goblin CHILL!

So here is my advice—

If you haven’t noticed yet.

I strongly do not recommend 

a goblin as a pet!

13 – THE WALLYDRAIGLE

The Wallydraigle hung his head.
“I can’t scare anyone,” he said.
“The goblins compliment my drool 
And Franky thinks my warts are cool.”

On Halloween at Freakout Fest,
Old Wally tried to wow each guest.
He gargled lice and shredded rope.
But did he scare one creature?

         Nope.

The Wally’s eyes filled up with tears.
Two jets of steam shot from his ears.
He gnashed his teeth and pulled his tail.
Then let out a bone-chilling WAIL!

The goblins scattered left and right.
And Franky tiptoed out of sight.
The judges cried in dazed surprise,
“The Wallydraigle wins first prize!”

PHEW! So there you have it! Good luck choosing just one of those amazing stories!

Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by 5PM Eastern Tuesday November 19! The Winners and Honorable Mentions will be posted on Wednesday November 28!

I can’t wait to see who you all choose as your winners!

Tune in Wednesday!!! 🎃🧙‍♀️👻🎃