We’ve greatly enjoyed our monthly contests for our jingkids readers – from October’s Scary Stories Writing Competition to November’s Most Memorable Meals Photo Contest, and now we’re proud to present December’s Drawing Contest, with the classic theme: All I Want For Christmas.

We welcome submissions from all young readers below 18. While multiple submissions are permitted per entrant and may be published on our Official WeChat blog, jingkids reserves the right to pick only one entry per person for the final vote. Drawings will be selected based on their creativity and ability to fit the theme, but the winner will be chosen by a voting process before Christmas.

Get creative! Pick up a pencil, crayon or paintbrush and let your Christmas hopes and wishes come to life on paper (or canvas, your choice!). The sky’s the limit.

Entrants can send in photographs of their drawings and accompanying captions to webeditor@beijing-kids.com with their details (first and last name, age or grade, and email address/mobile number) from now until Dec 23.

The winner of December’s “All I Want For Christmas” Drawing Contest will receive beloved Beijing illustrator and artist Liuba Vladimirova’s latest creation, an unconventional illustrated guidebook full of paintings, personal stories and anecdotes, all of which tell a visual story of Liuba’s experiences and life here in the capital. The hardcover book, valued at RMB 198, is a great souvenir and gift for family and friends this festive season.

Let’s welcome some creative Christmas spirit and draw away!

KEEP READING: Announcing the Winner of the Most Memorable Meal Contest

Images: Pexels

Share a photo of your most memorable meal this year, along with a blurb telling us how it was special, to win a free lunch buffet at Sense a Cafe at China World Hotel as well as a studio photography session with Dave from Dave’s Studio. Let’s take a look at a few shortlisted entries today!

Pictured above: Asha & Isabella Rasmussen (11 & 15 years old)

“We love homemade food, and spending time in the kitchen altogether as a family is how we get quality time. Here we are baking Christmas cookies for the whole neighborhood, which is like one big family!”

Pilaxy Rasmussen, mother of three and jingkids Parent Board member

“A great picnic with friends, furry and human, out in Beijing’s green outskirts. Hear the babbling brook, smell the fresh air, taste the homemade sangria and just let your troubles melt away..”

Cosima Larissa, expat in Beijing

*Even though it wasn’t within the past year, this was such a special memory that we wanted to share it with you the way that Qi Shu, BCIS PTA president and jingkids Parent Board member, shared it with us:

“This was the ‘Welcome to the Parenting World’ dinner provided by Crittenton in Rochester Hills in Michigan. We were so excited and thankful for this amazing arrangment by the hospital to celebrate the birth of our child (Val Wang) and us as new parents. It’s amazing to remember they literally pushed in a standard-sized dining table decorated with flowers, which displayed top-notch steaks and wines in front of my hospital bed. They even played music and provided a professional babysitting service so my husband and I could enjoy our first dinner as new parents!”

We would love to know about your most memorable meal – share your photo and story with us by sending it to webeditor@beijing-kids.com or add Vivienne Tseng-Rush on WeChat. The winner of November’s “Most Memorable Meal” Photo Contest will receive a gift certificate entitling two people to an All-You-Can-Eat Lunch Buffet (worth over RMB 700) at Scene a Café in China World Hotel, as well as a studio photography class with one of Beijing’s favorite professional photographers, who has shot countless jingkids magazine covers – Dave Hanssen from Dave’s Studio!

Thank you to those who have submitted their Horror Stories for the Jingkids Creative Writing Contest! The winners of our contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. Take a look at the amazing Chocolate Pumpkin (available in large (RMB 218) and medium (RMB 98) sizes), Halloween Chocolate Witch (RMB 118) and Clown (RMB 158), as well as their Halloween cookies (individual price RMB 16, pack of 6 for RMB 88) and more in this video below.

Below is one of the entries for the contest. Beware…! 

It was a cold, frosty day when he woke up, every puff of breath showing in the biting air. The end of October had come, and the startling weather woke him up.

He went downstairs for a quick breakfast and hurried out the door to check on his neighbors. There was a queer feeling in his stomach, but he didn’t know why…

The streets were eerily quiet, as if someone was hiding around the corner and would jump out at any moment. He pulled his coat collar closer and walked quickly on. The freezing air wrapped around him.

“Ring ring ring!” He rang the doorbell.

Nobody answered.

There was a ringing in his ear by the time he finished ringing his whole street’s doorbells.

Everything was silent.

He returned home, cautious but still calm.

There could be many reasons for the quietness, he thought. Other streets could be busy with noise.

That’s when he saw a note on his door that he hadn’t noticed before: “We have all left. You are the last man on earth.”

His mouth went dry. His heart drummed. His head throbbed. The world tilted.

They had all left. They left without telling me…

The last man on earth made it to his kitchen table and collapsed onto a chair.

Finally, he was able to straighten himself, starting to think things over.

Suddenly, he was filled the sense of emptiness around him, a conscience that nobody would ever be there anymore. He tried to deny his crazy thoughts, but he knew deep inside that he was the last man on the earth.

Then, there seemed to be thousands of eyes—evil, glowing eyes of darkness, staring at him. It is even worse than the feeling of sleeping alone in a dark, dark room. A shudder went down his spine. He tried to shake out the feeling, but it continued to haunt him.

“Ring ring ring!”

The doorbell rang.

By Rayna Ma (15 years old)

The winner of this month’s jingkids Creative Writing Contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France.

KEEP READING: Jingkids Creative Writing Contest Entry: Steak

Images: Pexels

Thank you to those who have submitted their Horror Stories for the Jingkids Creative Writing Contest! The winners of our contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. Take a look at the amazing Chocolate Pumpkin (available in large (RMB 218) and medium (RMB 98) sizes), Halloween Chocolate Witch (RMB 118) and Clown (RMB 158), as well as their Halloween cookies (individual price RMB 16, pack of 6 for RMB 88) and more in this video below.

Below is one of the entries for the contest. Beware…! 

A new city. A new house. A new family. Max’s life had changed forever. Her mom had found a new boyfriend. And today was their first day moving into his house. Max didn’t know how she felt about Brendon, he seemed fine to say the least, but he was a discrete and peculiar person—one that needed things to be exact—especially when it came to his diet. But tonight, she had to sleep well; tomorrow would be her first day of school at Raven Melville High.

Friday, October 21st. 7am. Early mornings have always been Max’s least favorite thing. She abhorred everything about them—the frigid air, the ceaseless bird chirps, and the stale toast. All except one thing: doing her hair. Her most prized possession was her two ivory white hair bows; they made her feel distinctive and confident. Ever since she could remember, her mom would clip these adorable hair bows into her lustrous black hair.

School was everything Max had expected—lectures, homework, nothing special or particular. Once the bell rang at 3pm, she dashed out of the classroom and into the girl’s bathroom. Max felt sick. Really sick. To the bottom of her soul. She felt like something was attached to her like a magnet—something that would follow her till the end. But she could not explicate any of this—it was too complex for a thirteen-year-old. Kneeling in front of the toilet, she vomited out everything she had eaten that day. Max was an empty vase.

The frigid winter air trickled beneath her skin and pinched every muscle in her body. She could feel the presence of someone. Something. Abruptly, her stall door creaked and flapped open violently. She heard the low breathing of an eerie, unfamiliar sound. With sweat trickling down her pale, innocent cheeks, she turned around and looked into the mirror—it wasn’t a reflection of herself.

A black, slender figure looked back at her. It crawled out of the mirror, towards her. And this creature was a nightmare, her nightmare—millions of tiny, red dots, formed the crispy, dull skin of the jet-black, tough-shelled creature—these dots reminded her of the time she struggled from hives; her tropophobia screamed death within her. Its legs were composed of six furry spider legs, and the eyes, were two scarlet, burning embers piercing through her skin, looking into the depths of her soul. The arms were composed of two black, venomous snakes that slithered chilling “ssss.” Its bald head reminded her of cancer, something that she was intensively, extensively, and anxiously afraid of—she knew it was incurable. And worst of all, its crooked lips formed a smile that she would remember forever—it extended all the way to its eyes, ripping its lips further and deeper.

The lights went red. Dark red. Thick, black blood slowly oozed out of the corners of its lips, dripping onto her hair. Its arms stretched, and extended to touch her face. Sharp, slender black fingers were reaching for her. Calling for her. But she was immobile—too stunned to make the slightest movement. Quivering, Max squeezed her eyes shut, drowning in cold sweat.

10:35 pm. Max opened her eyes. She was sitting in her room doing homework. Confusion. Confusion. Confusion.

She felt as though she was forgetting something vital—she could not remember what she had last done. Feeling famished, Max tip-toed down the stairs and made a PB&J sandwich. While she was bringing it up to her room, she could see something black ooze out of her sandwich. The two slices of bread formed an immense mouth, one that could swallow her head whole. She froze, a numbing coldness ensuing. And the plate shattered on the floor.

2:13 am. Max awoke to the stench of something rotten. Sewage? She pondered. A faint noise was calling for her. Desiring her. It grew louder and stronger. Max followed the noises down the stairs and into the basement.

Red. Rouge. Scarlet. Dark blood—death kind of red—filled the room. She knew then and there that there was no escape. Looking around, it was hell. A multitude of dead bodies piled up on the ground—slaughtered with the many weapons hung on the lifeless walls. Then she saw him.

The killer, the demon, the monstrosity—walking towards her with heavy, slow steps as he tilted his head, smiling that rigid smile that pierced through her soul; she could hide nothing. She could hide nowhere.

The creature came so close to her that its breathing was louder than her own. Thump, thump, thump. Max’s heartbeat relentlessly as he stared at her delusionally, saliva dripping from his slit mouth. He. Was. Hungry.

Max shook, knowing that she would only live thirteen short years. She should’ve cherished them more. She didn’t want to die so soon—there were so many things she hadn’t experienced yet.

She whimpered helplessly as cold sweat trickled down to her feet, and her face was icy milk pale. Her eyes glistened in the darkness of the red dungeon—her death place.

The black figure hovered over her and tilted his head back. Max watched with terror as he stretched his mouth a meter wide: his, sharp, torturous red fangs were ready to slaughter her. Max saw a tattoo on his left wrist—B.Z. And that was it. He inhaled her whole.

8:53 am. Saturday, October 22nd. A fragrant, savory scent lured Max’s mom, Sandra, into the kitchen. She was heart-warmed at the sight of Brendon’s breakfast—steak. Ravenous, she quickly took a bite of it. It was surprisingly tender. She took another bite—something was off about this steak. Then she took her final, triggering bite: an item that was circular and stretchy caught her attention. She spat it out, her blood freezing. There, in her steak, were two white bows stained red. “I like my steak particular,” Brendon Zandburg whispered coldly in her ear.

By Molly Zhang, 15 years old

The winner of this month’s jingkids Creative Writing Contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France.

KEEP READING: Jingkids Creative Writing Contest Entry: Tricked by a Treat

Images: Pexels

Thank you to those who have submitted their Horror Stories for the Jingkids Creative Writing Contest! The winners of our contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 for the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. Take a look at the amazing Chocolate Pumpkin (available in large (RMB 218) and medium (RMB 98) sizes), Halloween Chocolate Witch (RMB 118) and Clown (RMB 158), as well as their Halloween cookies (individual price RMB 16, pack of 6 for RMB 88) and more in this video below.

Below is one of the entries for the contest. Beware…! 

Ding-dong, ding-dong, “Trick or treat!” we yelled. “Come in,” said a woman dressed in black like a witch. “I’ll be back in a second! Take a seat and please try my cookies. There is one for each of you!”

“Why not?” said Louis, as he picked one up and shoved it in his mouth.

“If Louis can eat one, I’m going to eat one, too!” Elisabeth said, as she picked one up and started chomping on it.

“I don’t want one. Someone can eat mine.”

“Then I’ll gladly take it!” mumbled Louis.

I like Halloween and I like cookies, but something felt too real about this place. I looked down at the floor and noticed some blood. I knew it was fake, but somehow, I felt it was real! I wanted not to think too much, but as I looked around, I noticed letters that were scratched into the wooden floor by fingernails. They spelled H-E-L-P! I stood up and ran straight to the door, tried to open it, but it was locked! 

Just then the lady came back and said, “Good, I see you have all had the cookies. Right? Now, I can send you to the kidnappers!” Suddenly a bright round circle like a portal appeared as the old lady made some odd movements, swinging her arms around and mumbling strange words. “Ha ha! As long as you ate the cookies, the portal will allow you to teleport. And now…in you go!”

My friends started to float toward the portal, but I didn’t! The portal closed. My friends were gone, and I was still there! “H…h…how is tha…that possible! I thought you ate a cookie!”

“You were wrong, liar!” “Let me out now!” I shouted in rage!

“Oh, no I can’t. Um, but, if you can figure the way out of the house, then I will let you and your friends go. But if you don’t get out, you will be trapped in here forever and your friends will never return! But you are lucky because I will be a good person this time. I will give you a second choice, which is… eat a cookie and join your friends!”

“I will choose the first choice!”

“What?! I thought you were going to give up, but who cares? Now you said it. It is all your choice, so don’t be disappointed when you lose!” “So now, without hesitation, let us start this fantastic show!” Just as the lady pulled out a wand and spun it in her hand, the room turned up-side-down and began to swirl and spin, and then it finally stopped.

I looked around me, there was a big, old, dusty closet, a broken desk with cobwebs all over, and ripped walls as well as a wooden floor with some pieces of wood sticking up.

I walked toward the closet and opened it. There were four bottles of unknown liquid, a rusty nail, and a large door in the back of the closet. I brought the nail to the door, stuck it into the door’s keyhole, and twisted it around. Suddenly the door opened, and inside were a sink and a table. I walked to the sink and looked inside. Above the sink, there was a system of pipes with four faucets with red handles, all in the vertical position. The shape of the handles made me think of the bottles in the closet. I remembered that there were two bottles that were standing upright and the other two were lying on their sides. I immediately turned the faucet handles to mimic the bottle positions by turning two of them around to the horizontal position. Water flowed in and a key was somehow floating on top of the water! I took the key and looked around. I couldn’t find a door until I looked up and saw one in the ceiling above a spinning ceiling fan. I had to find a way to stop the fan and climb up to the door.

I walked to the table that I was hoping to find something on, and saw an old pamphlet titled “Fan Manual”! As I opened the book, I saw…nothing but white pages with no words or pictures on them! When I was about to give up, something caught my eye on the shelf in a corner of the room! There were some bottles of medical liquid! I thought back to school, where we learned that criminals use lemon with a little bit of water to write secret messages that can’t be seen unless you pour a special medical liquid over the writings and heat it up! So, I walked up to the bottles and tried each one to see if it was the liquid I wanted. Finally, as I heated the liquid from the last bottle, a sentence appeared in the book. I got the rest of the instructions and turned the fan off!

I found a ladder, climbed up and put the key into the door, and opened it…it worked! “Yay!” I spun around where a portal appeared and dove into it, thinking that would get me out and save me and my friends!

In an instant, I was brought back to the old lady’s living room, where a golden key was lying on the table. I picked it up with excitement and ran to the door, but as I was about to open the door, the old lady appeared and blocked my way! “Not yet, kid. Not so quickly!” “Take this! And this!” As the lady frantically swung her wand around, big pieces of stone fell from the ceiling! I ran toward the fireplace and found a sword on the mantle. I took a sword and swung as the stones started falling above me. Amazingly, each stone I hit busted up into pieces. As I destroyed the stones, I made my way to the old lady who looked shocked! That gave me confidence. I approached her and was about to swing my sword to chop off her head, but large vines wrapped around me and held me in the air! “This is it, kid! Your life ends now!” The old lady pulled out a knife, and headed toward me laughing! Just as the knife touched my shirt, my friends jumped out of the portal and pulled the old lady to the floor, and cut the vines to free me!

“Phew!” Louis, Elisabeth, and I said together, “Happy Halloween!”

By Victoria Wang, (Grade 5, Dulwich College Beijing)

The winner of this month’s jingkids Creative Writing Contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France.

KEEP READING: Jingkids Creative Writing Contest Entry: The Beast You Know

Images: Pexels

Thank you to those who have submitted their Horror Stories for the Jingkids Creative Writing Contest! The winners of our contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. Take a look at the amazing Chocolate Pumpkin (available in large (RMB 218) and medium (RMB 98) sizes), Halloween Chocolate Witch (RMB 118) and Clown (RMB 158), as well as their Halloween cookies (individual price RMB 16, pack of 6 for RMB 88) and more in this video below.

Below is one of the entries for the contest. Beware…! 

A girl. Unaware of the world around her, locked in between a reality only existing within the walls of her mind.
3 am. The real world has shut down, yet her world has just awakened.
Walls have ears.
Doors have eyes.
Trees have voices.
Beasts tell lies.

The girl who hides hears the whispers of the beast who poisons her. She knows what awaits.
A man, of whom the thought makes her shiver, yet she is obsessed over the certainty:
He needs her as much as she needs him.

The girl gets up hastily from her bed, yet stops at the small mirror resting on the side of her heavily accumulated stack of books.
She was an avid reader, a dreamer. Despite her lack of interest in most of the real world, books gave her hope. She was not the only one crazy enough to imagine life beyond what the eyes meet, what the scientists discover, what the news reports.
She takes a step forward and grabs hold of the mirror.

Mirror, mirror on the wall  
Was I always meant to fall? 

She flinches as the mirror falls to the floor, shattering into the million pieces of her heart.

You equal the beauty of Roses white  
and dying light.  
The Silver’s sweet forgiving bite  
He would tell her.  

She’ll ask why.
She’ll ask how.
Despite her pleading.
No answers found.

I visit him every night
I bring him flowers and sing him my songs
there was a time when only he and I got along
before I would run away, but he’d always be there
I’d push away with all my might, but I could never leave his stare.
I would struggle and beg.
Please, not yet, I have life to live.
Let me go.
Let me be.

Finally I’d walk closer
but he would keep his distance.

I didn’t struggle or beg.
Instead, I waited for his visit.
And his visit came and my tears followed,
but better to willingly give than to have torn away.

I no longer chase him and he no longer chases me.
No longer does he breathe down my back because I give him the attention he needs.

Every night he and I greet.
Every night, I can feel hell’s heat.
Or one night I know I shall lie
when the last night comes to pass I shall surely die.

The girl then grabs hold of the single narrow window within the walls of her room and casts herself out.

Suddenly she encounters a familiar shadow.
A shadow with a slender, evil smile luring her into its dark demeanor.

Oh friend, where have you been?  
Have I not been faithful ‘til the end? 
 
Oh how I’ve missed you  
my dear old friend.  
Oh how I’ve longed for this end.  
Why the silence? 
Why the gentle pull? 
Will you finally now utter a single word? 
 
Obsession is why I sing.   
Addiction is why it did not sting.
 
I’ve talked and talked without reply  
Before you used to stare into my eyes.  
But then you took a seat next to mine  
And looked to see what I had divined. 
 
Aimed to understand what I could.  
And blessed with what could not be understood.  
 
For this I did not sting.  
For this my ending  
Was not for naught.  
For to embrace  
Death is the final lot. 

She runs, she trips, she falls,
She’s gone.

Beware the rain.
Beware the snow.
Beware the man
You think you know.

By Anna Cassmer Ling-Vannerus (Grade 9, Western Academy of Beijing)

The winner of this month’s jingkids Creative Writing Contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France.

KEEP READING: Jingkids Creative Writing Contest Entry: No One There?

Images: Pexels

Thank you to those who have submitted their Horror Stories for the Jingkids Creative Writing Contest! The winners of our contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 300 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. Take a look at the amazing Chocolate Pumpkin (available in large (RMB 218) and medium (RMB 98) sizes), Halloween Chocolate Witch (RMB 118) and Clown (RMB 158), as well as their Halloween cookies (individual price RMB 16, pack of 6 for RMB 88) and more in this video below.

*Below is a short story submitted by a young reader whose age does not meet the minimum requirement of our contest. Hence, her entry will be published to encourage her courage and creativity, but will not be considered for the contest.

The sounds continued – screams of pain, of fear, coming from inside the forest. Jacob woke in a sudden, but his nightmare had just begun…

It was October – the weather was cool, which was excellent weather to go camping. Jayne, Jacob and their parents went camping in the countryside in a forest. That night, they all heard a scream of pain and crying. The weird sound continued for a long time. The family decided to leave the terrifying forest.

They got in the car and tried to drive out of the forest but they could not find the way out. All the paths they took led them to a hospital, no not a hospital but a hospice. They drove around but continued to see the building. At last, they were too tired and fell asleep in the car. BANG! The car hit a tree and flipped over.

When they woke up, they were no longer in the forest but in a hospital. A doctor and a nurse came in one by one. Then, a policeman came to ask about what happened. Of course, the policeman did not believe their story.

That night, the policeman’s words whirled in Jacob’s mind. The policeman said, “The hospital in the forest you were talking about was demolished a very long time ago…”

By Tiffany Zhao, 10 years old

KEEP READING: Jingkids Creative Writing Contest Entry: No One There?

Images: Pexels

Thank you to those who have submitted their Horror Stories for the Jingkids Creative Writing Contest! If you have a story or poem to share, you can still send it to us before Oct 28. The winners of our contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 700 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. Take a look at the amazing Chocolate Pumpkin (available in large (RMB 218) and medium (RMB 98) sizes), Halloween Chocolate Witch (RMB 118) and Clown (RMB 158), as well as their Halloween cookies (individual price RMB 16, pack of 6 for RMB 88) and more in this video below.

Below is one of the entries for the contest. Beware…! 

Someone was following him. He descended the flight of stairs into the dimly lit basement and quickened his pace. There were footsteps in the distance, gradually getting louder. He turned around, nervous. No one there. He felt a cold wind sweep by him like someone was whispering the frosty air by his ears. A shivering chill went down his spine, and goosebumps spread over his skin. He broke into a sprint. He jumped in his car and hit the gas. He had been feeling like this ever since he moved into his new house four days ago.

When he reached home, he drove into the already open garage. It was raining heavily. He carefully stepped out of the car and looked upwards expectantly. When there was no response, he jumped around. Still no response. He sighed and headed for the light switch. The newly installed bulbs had motion sensors along with them, but it seemed they weren’t working. He flicked the light switch. On. Off. On. No response. Must be a blackout. The rain was quite heavy. He took his phone out and turned the flashlight on. A bright light lit up part of the garage, blinding him for a second before he angled it away from him. At that moment, he thought he saw a silhouette in the corner of his eyes. He turned around. No one was there.

As he rushed into the house, the door closed with a loud SLAM! He instinctively jumped and turned around. No one was there. Must be the wind, he thought. He touched the cracked, uneven walls of his house. The house had been bought for a cheap price at an auction, and it had been abandoned for at least five years. It also had a garden and a large oak tree. But the house had a dark history. Rumor had it that the owner filed for bankruptcy after his business failed and his wife had left him, which led many to believe the house was unlucky. He was not superstitious about such things, so it didn’t bother him.

He rummaged through some of the unpacked boxes laid randomly on the floor. He pulled out a cup of instant noodles and filled it with hot water. He grabbed a spoonful of noodles and stuffed them in his mouth, famished. Chewing the noodles, he spits them out all of a sudden. Since when did noodles have the texture of hair? Is it expired? He mumbled to himself in annoyance.

He heard footsteps coming from the attic. Sneaky rats. I’m calling pest control tomorrow he thought to himself. He ignored it, until he heard a BANG! He grabbed his phone and hurriedly rushed up into the attic. The window was ajar and there lay a painting of what he believed to be the couple who previously lived in the house on the floor. He quickly closed the window, and a rat scurried out of seemingly nowhere, startling him and making him drop his phone. Regaining his composure, he picked up the phone, only to see a shadowy figure at the corner of his eye. He turned around, but there was no one there.

I really need to relax, he thought. He took a cold shower. Lying in his bed, he began scrolling on TikTok. He was unexpectedly directed to a documentary about haunted houses. He was intrigued and watched it. He laughed it off. There are no such things as ghosts. These people sure have wild imaginations. Not long into the documentary, he began to doze off.

Suddenly, a cold tingling sensation went down his spine. He felt someone grabbing his neck. He looked up and saw a ghostly figure looking down back at him. Their eyes had a pleading look as if they were asking for help. He was jolted awake, and he flung his arms around frantically. He tried to scream but no words came out of his mouth. His heart was palpitating at the speed of light, his face was as pale as a human’s could be and looking around. No one was there. Must be because of the scary documentary, he thought, wiping the sweat off his brow and going back to bed. Can’t believe I’m the one with the wild imagination now, he thought, chuckling.

The next day came. He woke up, body aching, and headed downstairs. The moment he walked to the kitchen, an unfamiliar object entered his peripheral vision. He turned his head around towards the garden, where he saw a figure sitting by the oak tree. Furiously, he stomped out of the kitchen into the garden. “THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” The person didn’t respond, as if they didn’t hear anything. As he got near the tree, the figure, which from close up he recognized to be a woman began crying, clutching her head. Goosebumps spread across his skin. Looking closer, he recognized the woman as the woman in the painting, the wife of the previous owner of the house.

He toned his voice back and asked, “Do you need help?” Still more crying ensued. Writhing in pain, she wailed, “My head! My head! Stop stepping on my head!” Looking confused, he looked around him, before setting his gaze on the ground. The dirt was uneven and moist as if something was buried there. However, the heavy rain last night caused some of the dirt to clear. He kicked the dirt around him. Below him, a brown skull with a misaligned jaw stared right back up at him. “AHHH!” he screamed, frantically jumping back. He looked back up at the woman, but she was gone.

He felt like fainting and the world around him was spinning. He rushed into the house, and picked up his phone, hands jittering. He tried to call the police, but before he could, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. A menacing whisper came from behind his ears. “You were never supposed to be here.” His vision faded into darkness, and he slumped lifelessly onto the ground.

By Jaydon Khaira Chieng Jun (Age 12)

The winner of this month’s jingkids Creative Writing Contest will receive a gift certificate worth RMB 998 to the fabulous afternoon tea at Beijing’s 5-star Rosewood Hotel, as well as one-of-a-kind Halloween pastries worth over RMB 700 from our generous sponsor Comptoirs de France. It’s not too late to submit your entry to webeditor@beijing-kids.com with all the required details before Oct 28!

KEEP READING: Jingkids Creative Writing Contest Entry: Oli’s Short Story

Images: Pexels

Undying fame. A plug for your school. And most important of all: a big pizza party for you and your friends. Sound up your alley?

Then get your creative juices flowing and be the next big pizza box artist for Gung Ho! Pizza.

The Gungsters are launching a new kids’ menu on June 1 and to celebrate they are throwing a competition for students in Beijing to design their next pizza box.

Imagine the thrill you’ll experience when people all over Beijing receive their pizzas in boxes decorated with your own creative efforts (and your school’s logo). If that won’t get you into the MFA program at Yale, nothing will.

The contest has two two divisions: one for Under 12s and another for kids 12 to 18. One winner will be selected in each division, and their work will be used for Gung Ho’s Large and Medium pizza boxes for three months over the summer season beginning in late June or early July.

Gung Ho Marketing Manager Rich Akers is also hoping the art teachers of Beijing will help motivate their students to go for it. "If a talented student from your institution wins, we’d be happy to feature your logo on our box next to the winning design," he notes.

Some of the critical details:

The Theme: Summer in Beijing

The Colors: Black & Pink on white background

The Minimum Size: 20cm x 20cm

The Deadline: June 14, 2015

Pink and black are Gung Ho’s colors, hence the color limitations. It goes without saying that the design should be perfectly square so that it can be reproduced on square pizza boxes.

Artwork should be submitted to rich@gunghopizza.com.

Gung Ho has a long tradition of supporting local artists via its pizza boxes, as anyone who has ordered from one of their three locations knows.

Artists are handsomely credited on every box, so you’ll make your mark not just with your art but with your name and bio as well.

Here’s a few of the designs that have decorated pizza boxes in the past, to get your creative juices flowing:

 Images: Courtesy of Gung Ho! Pizza