The Haunting Hollow

Armed only with a camera for a school project, they seek to document a forgotten world, but what they discover is far more terrifying than mere rusting rides.

I leaned against the tree, trying to catch my breath as I stared at the old, rusty Victorian gate. The black steel gate creaked loudly as I pushed it open, like I was breaking into a secret world. The cold air wrapped around me, amplifying every small sound in the stillness of the night. This was The Hollow, a theme park shut down two years ago for reasons unknown to the public. I pulled out my camera and tapped the start button. If it wasn’t for my school project, I wouldn’t be here�"at night, alone�"documenting a park that could easily be mistaken for a haunted house.

 

I walked past the empty ticket booth and ventured deeper into the park. To my right were swings, benches, and trees; to my left, the Scrambler and a faded carousel. A river divided the park in two, connected by an old bridge. I approached the carousel, its horses chipped, faded, frozen in time. Gently, I touched one, feeling the paint peel beneath my fingers.

 

“Can you imagine how this place looked when it was alive?” I whispered, my voice slightly echoing in the silence. I ignored the Scrambler�"it looked too eerie in the dark�"and pointed my camera toward the ominous-looking bridge. It seemed to be on its last legs, old and unsteady, but I crossed it anyway.

 

Ahead, I saw the Ferris wheel, the Wave Swinger, and other rides, their forms shadowy and distorted. The roller coaster stood in the distance, its twisted tracks disappearing into the fog. This part of the park felt... strange. The grass was black and plasticky, as if it had been burned. The Ferris wheel stood half-crumbled, its  frame barely holding on. Fallen light poles littered the ground, and a few trees were either bare or completely burned. The air was misty, fog wrapping around rides like a blanket.

 

building up the  courage, I approached the roller coaster. Its tracks were missing in places, and all the paint had long since faded. “Looks like there was a fire here,” I muttered. “Maybe that’s why the park shut down.”

 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 

Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me. My heart jumped into my throat. I ran towards a tree, pressing my back against its trunk. Through the mist, I spotted a figure�"a man�"in what looked like a guard’s uniform. I couldn’t see him clearly through the fog, but my heart pounded. Was he a guard? And if so, what was he doing here?

 

“Nononono,” I whispered under my breath. I knew I was trespassing on government property, but I figured it would be fine since it was nighttime. Maybe someone had seen me sneak in and called security. But that didn’t make sense�"there was no one at the gate when I entered. My camera was still recording, catching every moment.

 

Then, the figure turned around. A gasp escaped my throat as I stared at the  creature. His left side was burnt beyond recognition, the skull exposed , the wax like skin peeling off in chunks. His right eye hanging  from its socket, and his right hand, thin burned skin sticking to the bones, held a flashlight. His left arm was entirely gone. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t human and it was staring right at me.

 

adealine rushed through my blood stream swtitching the fight or flight mode so I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, back across the old bridge. But in panic, I tripped, slamming into the ground. I stood up to my feet and looked behind me. The man�"no, the *thing*�"was close, slowly crossing the bridge,  small steps. His flashlight was gone, replaced by a flaming stick.

 

I was shaking. My legs jell o, and I had lost my flashlight during the run. i only had my camera on hand . I started taking slow steps back, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could outrun him.The creature came closer .My legs were trembling, every muscle begging me to run, but fear held me still. As he stepped onto the bridge, the wooden boards creaked under his weight.

 

Suddenly, his grip on the flaming stick losen. It slipped from his hand , clattering onto the bridge. The fire quickly caught, spreading fast , buring  the wood beneath him. I watched as the fire ran up his body , his ugly boney face twisted in rage

. He reached out with his boney hand, trying to grab me. His fingers touched my arm, cold as winter, and I felt a chill shoot through my body. His grip tightened, and for a moment, I thought I was done for that this was the end. The fire had spread fully  to his body now, but he still held to me, trying to pull me in the fire with him .

 

“No!” I screamed. I stumbled backward, gasping for air, then turned and ran toward the gate. Behind me, I could hear the flames and the creature’s scream as he was consumed by the fire. I didn’t stop running until I was out of the park, , my heart pounding in my chest. The second I passed through the rusty gate, I fell onto the groundtaking in as much air as i could.i ran as fast as i could to my home and slept in the fear of the creature

The next morning, I woke up drenched in sweat last night still in my mind as i pulled out my camera and rewatched the video

When I reached the part where the creature appeared, the screen went black for a second, and then... nothing. The footage was gone as if it never existed as if the creature from last night didnt existed.

I dropped the camera, my mind in confusion . Whatever happened in The Hollow that night wasn’t just some made up imagination. But the evidence was gone. All I had left was the memory... and the smoke that had filled the sky as I ran for my life.

 

Reviews

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

not very far from where i live, is an abandoned theme park called Nara Dreamland... which i may have broken into once... anyway, this was a cool story.