My class have been writing stories for the Radio 2 500 word competition and this was my attempt.

I’m worried about my sister.

Now I know that’s a fairly normal statement for a nine year old to make, so perhaps I should add some detail. I’m worried about my sister killing me.

I’ve had 5 nights now of being too terrified to sleep in case I get my throat ripped out. I’ve even started eating mouthfuls of coffee powder just to stay awake.

My suspicion started a week ago. Overnight my sister developed a hatred of garlic. It’s always been a bit of a joke in our family, Jenny and I love garlic while mum and dad can’t even stand the smell, so you imagine my confusion when she began choking on a lasagne.

I’d have ignored the garlic business (and her refusal to wear any clothes that weren’t black) if she hadn’t begun to turn pale at the same time and flinching every time the curtains were opened. Our family- well, mum and dad, don’t really tan well, but Jenny has light brown skin like me and it looks weird to see her suddenly pale.

I tried to speak to mum, to hint that hanging upside down from a bar in her bedroom was not normal behaviour for a 14 year old, but I got nowhere.

“It’s just a phase darling, teenagers often get into the whole Goth thing. Your father and I used to get up to some very strange things when we were Jenny’s age.”

Mum’s ‘never mind’ attitude annoyed me at first, but frustration soon turned to anger. Why couldn’t she see what was going on? And why, when I took a mirror from school to prove Jenny no longer had a reflection, did she shout at me for bringing stolen goods into the house!

But last Tuesday night proved I was on my own. Jenny had been off school again and apparently was so tired she’d slept all day. I was less than pleased to be woken after midnight by Jenny’s bedroom windows banging open. Feeling groggy I walked over to my window and as my eyes adjusted, I saw Jenny leap outwards, her onesie flapping as she plummeted down into the cold night. Like a stone she fell and then transformed into a creature with black leathery wings which swopped over the fence and disappeared.

My screams must have woken mum and dad, but to be honest they often stay up late so I wasn’t sure, anyway, Mum soothed me and kept telling me I’d had a bad dream, but I couldn’t believe it. Only when she took me into Jenny’s room to show me her lying, arms crossed over her chest, did I calm down. I knew I wasn’t going to be believed; even if I pointed out the drop of blood at the corner of her mouth.

So tonight, I must stay awake and try to catch up on sleep later. Maybe I’ll try again tonight when we have tea, Dad says he’s got something special in mind to eat.