The Annual Rottingvale Halloween Cup
By Thomas Clatworthy (Alive).
[This story was originally written by my son, Thomas, aged 11. It was a submission for a Halloween writing competition run by his school. It didn’t win👿 As Halloween ‘25 dawns, I hope this brings you a smile. Stay spooky! 💜 Georgina]
On a dark and stormy Halloween night, players from Bones United and Zombie FC met at Rottingvale Graveyard for the Annual Rottingvale Halloween Cup. The news spread far and wide, and every monster, ghoul, ghost, vampire, witch and many more were there to watch.
From his viewpoint in the trees, our commentator, Macabre Shiver, got ready for the game ahead. As the mist cleared and the moon shone down, the match referee, Doug Upp, summoned the players to line up.
And as the players appeared on the pitch, Macabre Shiver began his commentary.
“Welcome, everyone, to this, the 600th playing of the Rottingvale Halloween Cup. This year, our two finalists come from Bones United, currently topping the league, and Zombie FC, who are currently 4th behind Weir Wolves and Vampire Rovers.”
“And, yes! I can see the players beginning to appear on the pitch now. Here comes the defender, No. 3 Chopper, for Zombie FC and alongside him is his goalkeeper, Stucker, who is enjoying a run of 15 clean sheets this season. And for Bones United, the starting line-up includes the league’s top scorer, Skullkin and the keeper, McRibs, who saved two penalties in the semi-final shootout to help Bones United reach the final.”
“Before the referee blows the scream to start the game, let’s get a final word from our pitchside man, Howler Freak. What’s happening down there, Howler?”
“Well, Macabre, I can see Dribbler will start on the bench for Zombie FC, while United will start with the out-of-form Rattling. Bones have won the toss and play will shortly get underway. This should be a close game.”
“Thanks, Howler, and yes, play is underway.”
“And there’s an early tackle by Slider on United’s Bony. And, oh dear, yes, Referee Upp has had to stop play because the United player is spread all over the pitch. So there will be a short stoppage while we wait for him to be put back together again.”
“And play is back underway. Bony has moved over to the wing now and is replaced in defence by Skinny, who is not a natural defender.”
“Bones United have the ball, which this year has been provided by Jack O’Lantern Pumpkins, and are playing forward with Deadison.”
“Deadison passes to Skully outside the box. Skullkin is waiting by the penalty spot, but Skully passes to Rattling, who shoots. Oh, and it’s a wonderful goal, which may go down as an own goal against Sludge, who has lost a leg in the chaos inside the box.”
“VAR (Vampire Assistant Ref) has checked the goal, which will stand, unlike Sludge, who has been substituted for Dribbler on account of him having only one leg.”
“And there’s the halftime scream. Both teams retreat to their dressing tombs with the score at 2-2 and the game finely balanced.”
“And we are back. Referee Doug Upp signals play to begin, and Zombie FC get us underway. The ball is with the Zombie player, Chaser, who at this moment is actually being chased by the United combo of Rattling and Skinny. Chaser passes one defender, then two. He shoots! It’s a goal, and it took the head of the keeper, McRibs, clean off! Let’s hope it can be put back on, as Bones United are running out of substitutes. The score is now 3-2 to Zombie FC.”
“What have you got to tell us, Howler?”
“Well, Macabre, that shot came in so fast it was difficult to tell which was the ball and which was the keeper’s head!”
“We have resumed play here at Rottingvale with only 5 minutes left on the clock. Bones United need another goal to take it to penalties. United have the ball with Deadison. And there’s the equaliser. That’s really poor defending from Zombie FC, who seemed to have been distracted by the appearance of several Werewolves in the crowd.”
“There’s the final scream, and referee Doug Upp signals the teams to prepare for a penalty shootout to decide the winners.”
“Zombie FC will go first with Chaser against McRibs. He steps up to the ball, and...scores! The ball seemed to pass straight through McRibs. 1-0 to Zombie FC.”
“Skinny steps up to level the scores for United. He shoots! And he hit it so hard it has stuck Stucker to the back of the net. 1-1.”
“So it comes down to this final penalty, and with the scores at 6-5 to Zombie FC, Skullkin must score to keep their hopes alive, or should that be dead? Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. He’s running up now. Oh no! Just as he struck the ball, his foot flew off! The ball didn’t move, but his foot sailed past the keeper and into the back of the net! I don’t think that will count!”
“And there we have it. Zombie FC are the winners of the 600th Annual Rottingvale Halloween Cup. The United fans are not happy. They are invading the pitch. It’s carnage down there!”
‘“From myself and Howler, thanks for joining us for what has been a thoroughly entertaining match. It’s time for us to go, and quickly. See you next year.”
And so our story ends. As the witching hour comes to a close, the mist blows through the graveyard once more, and all is quiet. By morning, there is no sign that anything happened here, except for a bony foot sitting alone on a grave marked “Al B. Back.”
The End