The document is a collection of short stories written by students in response to the prompt "Once upon a time there was a little girl/boy...". The three stories explore themes of fear, loneliness, and isolation. The first story is about a girl named Ruby who lives alone in a mansion and lures children to their deaths. The second story is about a boy who is shunned by his town and swears revenge. The third story is about a little girl who is afraid when visiting town with her grandmother and wants to return to the isolation of the mountain where they live. At the end, the teacher expresses concern as a mother about why teenagers write about such themes of fear, loneliness, and aggression.

1. Pupils‟ stories
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS
A LITTLE GIRL/BOY…

2. I have given my students this beginning and they had to finish the story as
they wish.
Read what they wrote.
Are you surprised?
It was not what I have expected for sure.

3. Once upon a time there was a little
girl. She had long, blond hair and
grey, almost white eyes. She looked
like a doll and everyone was afraid of
her. Her name was Ruby. She lived in
a huge mansion out of town. Alone.
She had no family, only her dolls.
Rumors say that one day a girl went
to see Ruby and she never came back
home. The next day people from
town went to look for her, but they
found only a doll that had the same
face as hers.
STORY 1

4. Ever since, no one went near Ruby‟s house.
It was Christmas. Ruby‟s mansion looked fabulous. “Silent night, holly night,
everyone here will die…”, Ruby was singing. She was going to the river across
the street. There was snow but Ruby was wearing only a pink dress and no
shoes. She had a knife in her hands and there was blood on it.

5. Eric, a young boy around 15 was walking in the forest. He lived in a small
house nearby and got up because he saw a shadow near the river.
„Hello. Is anybody out there? Helooo.‟, Eric shouted. He looked closer and
saw Ruby. Eric heard a noise. It sounded like broken glass. It was a window.
The boy saw bright light coming out of the mansion. The door opened. It was
the missing girl! She looked like a doll. Many other boys and girls come out of
the house after her.

6. „They are all dolls. And they are alive‟, he thought. His heart was beating so
fast, he felt like it was going to explode. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Eric
turned around and saw Ruby. Her eyes were red, her teeth were sharp, and her
dolls were behind her.
„Looks like we have a new soldier for the army. Get him!‟, Ruby yelled.

7. Once upon a time there was a boy.
He was alone and he lived in the
forest. People were afraid of him.
One day the boy went to town but
the children ran away from him
because they were scared. People
called him „The devil‟. The boy went
back to the forest, he was very angry
and he swore to make them suffer
one day. And now, if someone go in
that forest, never comes back.
STORY 2

8. Once upon a time there was a little girl. She
lived in the mountain with her
grandmother. They were alone. One day
her grandmother decided to go to the town.
The little girl was afraid of the town. She
hadn‟t seen any other people. After all, they
went to town. She was very surprised-
many people, streets, shops. She was afraid
of buses and cars. Her grandmother bought
some delicious things and beautiful clothes,
but the little girl didn‟t enjoy them, she
wanted to go back to the mountain.
STORY 3

9. Well?
Fear, loneliness, aggression, isolation. Why do teenagers write about such
things?
I am bothered as a mother and teacher.
What about you?