Tales from the other side… of campus
The Legend of Ms. Eleanor Thompson
Within Santa Monica High School, established in 1891, whispers about the past circulate frequently. Legend has it that Ms. Eleanor Thompson, one of Samohi's original founders, roams around the halls. Students say they can sense her presence when they feel a chill in the air or step in a rain puddle that they swear wasn't there a second before. Many students have reported seeing some sort of figure in a long, dark, flowing dress, lurking near Barnum Hall.
Those who have caught a glimpse of her describe her as sorrowful and that her presence feels most strong during rehearsals for school plays — in her time, she loved seeing the arts of young, inspired actors. One evening in the fall, not long ago, a small group of students stayed behind late to prepare for that year’s school play. In Barnum Hall, the lights kept cutting out and an eerie chill swept through the area. A young girl, Rosemary, noticed a beat-up journal on the ground with pages flipping back and forth. When she looked closer, she saw it belonged to Ms. Thompson.
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Art by Raha Ghoroghchian
As Rosemary anxiously read aloud, the words in the journal revealed Ms. Thompson's aspirations for her students in the arts. Suddenly, a voice whispered, “Continue, child.” A chilling breeze passed over them and students froze. Their glances racing to one another, the students were compelled to honor her words and finish their rehearsal. As they ran their final scene, a flickering spotlight emerged, shining on an empty chair in the front row. When everyone cleared the stage, Rosemary took one last look at the seat. She swore she saw Ms. Thompson's deathless grin gleaming back at her.
A Haunted Night Alone
I step into the pitch-black nighttime air, another evening of test corrections with Ms. Colburn done. As I walk down near Barnum, I stop with shock when I realize the Exploration Building has disappeared. From its former location, I hear a spine-chilling piano hymn from a building I’ve never seen before, drawing me closer to its call. As I walk in front of the building, I see a sign reading "History Building since 1913" plastered on with red streaks akin to blood.
Inside, the air is icy cold, making my breaths flow above me. Doors creak open at every step I take—my heart races. I shiver in my jacket as the sound plays once more, but this time it’s louder — as if I am finally face to face with what is causing it. Lights are flickering on and off with every second and heat builds as flames start to stir above me. The repeating hymn plays even louder. I feel something looking at me, and a chill races up my spine. Too scared to turn around, I run down the stairs, looking for any way out. With every exit door I try to open, I realize that I’m locked inside, the piano now playing at a forte.
As music echoes down the stairway, notes ringing in my ears, a figure-like person steps out at the end of the hallway. Everything is dead silent — there is only the whistling wind filling the air between us. I lose all feeling in my limbs as a panic overcomes me, and I wonder if this might be the end of my story.
The figure mumbles something I can't quite hear. It floats into the light, revealing its true self: a ghostly figure with shaggy brown hair, dark sunglasses, and a black leather jacket. As it floats toward me rapidly, I recognize the figure. Its mumbles become clear: "Get your head in the game…" Everything clarifies; with horror, I recall the legacy of this building as a filming location for one movie in particular.
It dawns on me that I might lose my life to the ghost of Zac Efron, straight out of "Seventeen Again".
The Lost Yearbook Mystery
As Tiffany Valentine runs into the journalism room,a beat-up box filled with old yearbooks immediately catches her eye. Curiosity takes over her, and she uncovers books dated as far back as the early 50s. One seems to hold more memories than the rest — handwritten goodbyes and photographs taped over pages all dedicated to one specific senior, Sally Daniels. Flipping through the pages, Tiffany decides to search for Sally to return her precious yearbook.
However, she encounters Daniels' police file stating a record of her death — a mysterious case that was never solved.. Determined, she sets out to discover the truth of Sally Daniels; her investigation leads her all around the Samo campus as she looks for any clues that may help her get closer. Suddenly, she stumbles upon a stone reading "Time Capsule for Class of 1954." Breaking it open, she discovers a tape, which she connects to her computer. A video plays…
“This is a message for the class of ’54. I have Sally Daniels as my hostage and she will pay for what she did at Samohi. She has broken the bonds of the underground club ‘Vampire Quire’ and will forever be in debt to those at Samo for the murder of principal Lazarus Everald. We are unaware of our plans with her, but trust us when we say, she will never again see the light of day.”
Jaw on the floor, Tiffany panics about the discovery of this video as she runs outside the building in hopes of finding someone she can confide in. Shaking off the shock, she begins to ponder who the mystery man could be. It hits her: she's seen this man before but can’t remember where.
The next day, she walks into first-period English with Mr. Koehler, and stops in utter disbelief as his voice triggers the memory of the night before. He is the man in the video in charge of the disappearance of Sally Daniels. When Tiffany goes to question him about his past in Europe, Mr. Koehler seems amused by her sudden interest but dismisses all suggestions of foul play on his part. As Tiffany begins to leave class, she swiftly turns back, looking at Mr. Koehler chuckling, with the reveal of his fangs and red glowing eyes looking back. But before she can walk out, she sees a picture set on his desk with him and a subset of students she recognizes from the police's cold cases of missing people.
Standing among the other dead-eyed students is Sally Daniels.