Outstanding Story - The Spaghetti Monster

“The Spaghetti Monster” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Chiezitamara MAMA-OGBUIKE, RA Internatonal School, Bonny Island, Rivers State, Nigeria.

The Spaghetti Monster

“No, a holiday at the pyramid in Egypt would be boring,” Adam sulked. The Premiums loved holidays, except Adam. Sobbing on the way, Emily, Faith and Adam jumped off the tour bus and they went into the pyramid. They saw a pharaoh’s coffin on their way. BAM! “Stop there,” went a voice. Surprised, they stopped. Had their parents found them? They looked and saw a pharaoh standing on his own coffin.

At the sight of it, Faith disappeared. Celburus, the Pharaoh’s three-headed dog went after them. They had no idea where Faith disappeared to. Suddenly, Celburus touched Adam and he turned into a Spaghetti Monster. “Ahh,” Emily screamed. Then a witch rose up. “No, Faith is a witch,” Emily thought puzzled, to herself.

“Let her be trapped here forever,” the mummies told to Pharaoh happily. Their parents looked for them everywhere. Unsuccessfully, they went back home. But Emily remained trapped.

Later that night, everyone was asleep. The night was windy, misty and cold. Right in the middle of them was Emily, she fast asleep in Pharaoh’s coffin. She woke with a start trying to turn. “They want to kill me,” Emily shrieked. She fainted. The others woke up. Thinking she was dead, they celebrated. She got up and poured water on the witch. She immediately turned the witch to Faith.

One mummy tripped Emily and she tripped the Spaghetti monster. The monster fell and turned into Adam. Surrounded, they held on together. They tried to run but it was hopeless because there were mummy guards everywhere at the pyramid. Emily, Faith and Adam wept helplessly as two other Pharaohs came out to make three coffins. They watched and wept. Suddenly, everyone froze. The door was tightly shut.

“Look!” shouted Emily, “A way out.”

“In the ceiling, really awkward,” Faith answered. Suddenly, an idea popped into Adam’s head. “I know,” he shouted. “We’ll use the ancient stuff.”

They gathered and worked hard for hours and hours. They finally finished. They climbed the ancient stuff. “We’re out. Phew!” Emily said relieved. They slid down the pyramid. They ran as fast as they could until they could not run again. They came to a forest. They didn’t know where they were. “At least we got out,” Emily whispered. “Got out of what?” said a voice. “Mum!” they screamed, “We’re sorry we went off without telling you,” they continued. “We’ll not do it again.” They looked around. “We’re lost,” they murmured. “Help, Help!” they said continuously. “Whatever will we do?” said their mum. Then a force a field went around them. “Mum!” they shouted. Their mum turned into a skeleton. “You won’t get away. Grrr” Emily widened her eyes, looking at something glittery. “Yes, I know.” She screamed, “something is going to have to work.” Adam and Faith looked closer into the skeleton’s eyes and saw what Emily saw. It was a badge that their mother got from the shops.

Suddenly, the skeleton widened his eyes just to see that the three kids were looking at him. “Why are you looking at me?” he asked. They kept perfectly quiet. “Here is what we are going to do,” Emily whispered, “We are going to sneak up to the skeleton at the back of his skull and take the badge.” Adam panicked because he thought that going to the back of a skeleton skull was very dangerous. Plus he was afraid of skeletons. Emily cautioned him, “If we don’t get it now, mum will be a skeleton forever.” Adam got braver and agreed to do it. They went to the back of the skull but then found out their plan will not work because there was something stuck to the back leading to the eyes. Emily stopped. “It won’t work, something is stuck to the back of the skeleton’s skull.” Adam widened his eyes to look at it carefully but what was stuck was a Spaghetti. Adam ate it and became a monster. “Ha ha,” the skeleton laughed.

“It won’t work now.” Emily said. The monster ran up to the girls but then the monster wasn’t really a monster. It was Adam following his own mind. The skeleton ran. The monster ran. It looked like the skeleton was after the monster. The skeleton fell and Faith got the badge before the skeleton could catch her. And the skeleton immediately turned to their mum.

They all went home hoping there were no skeletons and monsters around them or are there more skeletons?