The winning entry follows the competition results....

Congratulations to these school finalists:

Carly Morgan

Xanthe Southward

Poppy McPherson

Tyler Taaffe

Amelie Purdie

Scarlet Meldrum

Chloe Guy

Brendon Tran

Brooke Robinson

First place: Poppy McPherson

Runner-ups: Carly Morgan and Xanthe Southward

Wining entry...

Only one box was left in the attic. Although she had been told specifically not to touch it, she longed to. She had to. Unable to resist it any longer, she padded towards it. She was careful not to make too much noise, or risk waking her grandmother. Eagerly, but with care, she peeled back the tape. She had been warned about the box many times. But that would not stop her. She could not take it any longer. Tearing open the box, she found disappointment there. It was empty. Furrowing her brow, she slunk away. She reached for the door handle but found it wouldn’t budge. An icy chill crept up the back of her neck. With a rattle, the windows flew open, then abruptly closed again and locked. She could feel a sinister gaze observing her every move. Beginning to feel panicked, she clawed at the handle this time, and it finally opened. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out of the attic. Something wasn’t right. It was dark; darker than usual. Then she heard it. The name only he used to call her by. That’s when she knew what was in the box.