The Lantern of Ravenwood High
On the night of the school Halloween Fair, an antique lantern disappears and a trail of wet footprints appears. Your choices decide whether you uncover the truth behind a century-old legend or let the mystery slip away.
A free Story Adventure for Teens at CEFR B2 level. Topic: Spooky Halloween. Scary story..
Story
- Every year, Ravenwood High holds its Halloween Fair inside the oldest wing of the school, where the floors creak and the windows rattle in the wind. Tonight the hall is full of carved pumpkins, students in costumes and the smell of hot apple cider. Your friend Jamie, who is dressed as a rather…
- The library is open tonight for the Halloween ghost-story reading, but the storyteller's chair is empty and the candles flicker as if someone has just walked past. The footprints stop at a long table, where an old school yearbook from 1923 has been left open. On the page is a black-and-white photo…
- Ms. Okafor listens carefully, although she frowns when you mention the wet footprints. She tells you that the lantern means a great deal to the school because it has been part of every Halloween Fair for almost a century. Then she lowers her voice and admits that Leo, a senior who runs the haunted…
- Mr. Hale is sitting by the archive display in the main hall, and his eyes widen when you describe the photo of Ellen Marsh. He explains that on Halloween night in 1923, a storm cut the power while younger students were still inside the building. According to the old reports, Ellen calmly lit the…
- The haunted house in the gym is a maze of black curtains, fake cobwebs and plastic skeletons, and every few seconds a recorded scream echoes from a hidden speaker. Leo is standing at the entrance in a torn Halloween costume, taking tickets and looking completely relaxed. When you mention the…
- Jamie posts the photo with the caption 'REAL GHOST AT RAVENWOOD HALLOWEEN FAIR', and within minutes dozens of students crowd into the library. Everyone is laughing, filming and pushing to see the yearbook, so nobody notices when the candles go out. When the lights come back on, the yearbook has…
- You decide that the yearbook message is just a clever prank, so you and Jamie head to the Halloween dance. The music is loud, the snacks are good, and for an hour you almost forget about the lantern. At exactly midnight, however, every light in the gym flickers, and through the tall windows you see…
- Jamie grabs the microphone and announces that Leo has stolen the lantern, and a hundred heads turn toward the gym. Leo walks out of the haunted house looking shocked and hurt, and he explains quietly that he has been selling tickets all evening with two teachers beside him. An awkward silence fills…
Vocabulary
- Halloween
Printable worksheet
This Story Adventure comes with a free printable worksheet: 2 parts for students to do after the game, and an answer key for the teacher. It prints at three levels (Support, Core and Challenge); this is the Challenge sheet. Sign in free to print the whole sheet.
What's on the worksheet
- Remember the story · Answer in a full sentence.
- A new ending · Write a new ending for the story.
Part 1: Remember the story
Answer in a full sentence.
- Why are the wet footprints so strange?
- What does the message in the yearbook suggest?
- Why do you hesitate to blame Leo?