Escaveche - A Student Feature Short Story
Oct 17, 2025 | by Anna Morsella, 6th Grade Student
Written and Illustrated by Anna Morsella
Tale Concept by Ezequiel Morsella
Forward by Classroom Teacher, Claudio Salusso:
Anna was carrying Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. This was last year, the first week of school as we entered the 5th grade. “Such a refined taste,” thought I, “a book about life, death, memory, and the bittersweet experience of coming-of-age.” She was just about 10, and we talked about science fiction. A prolific, careful reader, Anna asked at the end of the year for a summer reading list, with science fiction books, please. I compiled a list while sharing with her that my all-time favorite science fiction writer is H.P. Lovecraft, bar none, adding that she may be too young for Lovecraft. No, I want to read him, she replied. So, I lent her Lovecraft’s bible, The Necronomicon, a brick of a book. By the end of the summer, she has read the whole book. A few weeks into the school year, Anna now in 6th grade surprised me with her own science fiction story, Escaveche, with her own illustrations. Now, dear reader, it is your turn to delve into the magical, sinister, and unearthly world of Anna’s debut story. ~Señor Salusso
Escaveche
“Well, this house seems pretty fit,” the house inspector noted.
A family of four had just started settling down in Mill Valley. And apart from a creaking wooden post, the house was in very good shape.
The family that moved in had a son and a daughter. The son, Henry, was eight years old and was obsessed with playing guitar. The daughter, Charlotte, was seven years old and was very mischievous. Snooping around the house was one of her many bad habits.
The father of the family was exceedingly proud of his pick of house. However, little did he know, something strange was bound to happen.
“By the way,” the inspector said, walking out the door, “when I was checking out the crawlspace, I found a pile of bones.”
“Did they belong to a mouse?” mother asked.
“No, bigger than a mouse.”
“How about a cat?” father tried.
“Bigger than a cat. I’m almost positive that it belonged to a skunk. So I just left them there,” he said this with a shrug. “Oh, and one more thing? You know what they say about skunks, don’t you?” he paused. “They bury their own.” And with that he drove away.
As the family started to grow to love their new home, trouble was occurring in their back yard. Every night a skunk snuck into the yard and clawed at the screened vents that led to the crawlspace. The skunk did the same the next night. And the night after that! Every single night the skunk came back, clawing at the vents.
After a while, father became fed up with the skunk’s behavior and reinforced all the areas the skunk snuck through.
However, the masked bandit was persistent. But, after a few more layers of thickened wire and taller fences, the skunk ceased to come back. And for a while, the house was peaceful. Days came and went, flowers bloomed and everyone mostly forgot about the skunk. Mostly.
That is, until, a stranger came and knocked on the door.
“Why, hello!” mother said to their mysterious visitor.
The visitor, a man, had a stiff upright posture and was wearing a black hat and suit with a white line down the middle of both. He was also carrying a cane, the top ivory and the bottom ebony.
Something about the man was eerie, and just from looking at him you would think something was amiss. The visitor shook mother’s hand, and, with a knowing smile told her his name, Escaveche.
The little girl, who just happened to be there, tugged on her mother’s flowing skirt.
“What kind of name is Eseevechee?” she asked, trying to pronounce his name correctly.
“Now, Charlotte, don’t be rude,” Mother scolded her. Then she smiled apologetically at Escaveche. “Please forgive
her. She’s only seven.”
Escaveche waved it off. “She meant no harm. I have noticed that you are new to this neighborhood. I thought that I might say hello.”
Henry ran to the door. “Who are you talking – OH! It’s Escaveche.”
Escaveche blinked. “Henry, I didn’t know that you lived here.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “You know each other?”
Henry looked offended. “He came to school the day you were absent! There was a rat problem in the walls, and we were given free period while he worked. He’s the person who made tiny pinwheels appear out of thin air for the whole class!”
“Ohhhh. He’s the person that you were telling me about.” Charlotte exclaimed. Then she pouted. “That’s no fair. I want tiny pinwheels!”
Henry turned towards Mother. “Please oh please let him come inside. I want to show him my new room!”
Mother blinked, unsure what to do with this news. “Um, okay. He can come in.”
And imagine father’s surprise when he found Escaveche sipping tea in the main room. (Father was in the bathroom the entire time.) At first father was suspicious, but Escaveche proved to be nice and polite, if a bit strange. Still, father couldn’t help muttering to his wife, “Don’t you find Escaveche a little bit abnormal?”
Mother stared at him for a second. Then she laughed.
“Ha ha ha! Even though Escaveche is a bit weird, there’s nothing alien about him. Henry adores him, and besides, look how good he is with the kids,” she motioned towards Escaveche.
“Would you like a gift?” Escaveche asked the kids as if on cue. Before they could answer, he held out a clenched fist. When he opened his hand, almost like magic appeared two black-and-white bouncy balls!
The children gawked in wonder. Then the children, being children, grabbed the balls and started bouncing them.
After a while of play, Charlotte stuck up her nose and sniffed the air. She crept over to Escaveche and sniffed his suit. “You smell like matches!” she declared after a moment of thought.
Escaveche fidgeted with his neck tie. “Oh, I…I lit a match today.”
Charlotte put her hands to her hips.
“What did you light with your match?” she asked suspiciously.
Escaveche looked around nervously. “I lit a candle. Yes! A candle!” Then, eager for a subject change, he asked Charlotte and Henry if they would like another gift. This time, the gifts were two black-and-white roses. The children breathed in the heavenly perfume of those flowers. Then Henry started waving around his rose as if it was a baton and Charlotte started dancing with hers.
“Speaking of flowers, may I see your garden? Escaveche asked this casually, but too casual to be normal.
“Of course!” father said, not catching Escaveche’s slip. While showing Escaveche around the backyard, father noticed how Escaveche kept peering down at the vents. Still, father let it go.
Right before Escaveche left, Henry came running to Mother and Father, panting. “Can Escaveche – gasp – come every day?” Henry asked through breaths.
“Of course,” Mother assured him. She glanced hurriedly at Escaveche. “If that’s fine with you.”
“Absolutely.” He answered. “In fact, I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
So Escaveche kept coming back night after night, and never without presents. However, he only came to their house around 7:00 P.M., right when the sky started to turn purple.
“Why do you only come at night?” mother questioned him after a while. “Why can’t you come in the day?”
“I prefer the dark.” he assured her. Escaveche continued, “Did you know that I’m an animal and pest expert?
“I do remember Henry mentioning something about that,” Mother recalled.
“Well, if you ever need any one to inspect your house, you can call me. Here, take my card.”
“In the world!?” father and mother exclaimed. (Father just arrived.)
“Yes, frankly, I am. And if you would like, I could inspect your house for free.”
“Yes, please!” mother said the same time father offered to consider it.
That night, father had something to tell mother. Privately.
“Remember when we had the skunk?” father asked. Mother nodded. “And I blocked the skunk off,” father waited for mother to nod again. “So the skunk never came back. But then Escaveche comes and…well, don’t you think he kind of looks like a skunk?”
Mother thought for a moment and then said gently, “Honey, it’s impossible for an animal to turn into a human.”
“You’re right, it’s absurd,” father agreed slowly. “But I don’t think we should let him inspect our house.”
“Why is that?” mother argued. “He’s really nice and we should let him inspect.”
She sighed when she saw that he wouldn’t be swayed. “Fine. How about we wait a few more days so you can see how he is. And then we can decide.” Father agreed and they both decided that the matter was over.
But Father couldn’t let go of his suspicions when, a few days later, Escaveche asked nervously, “Um, when are you going to privilege me to inspect your house?”
“Soon,” father promised.
That night, father couldn’t shake the feeling that he had to do something. So he went downstairs and entered the crawl space and found the pile of bones. He wasn’t able to lift them without grimacing. But since everyone was asleep, he had to be discreet and quiet.
Father then silently crept towards his office where he found an empty old shoe box. He dropped the bones win the box and then tried to decide which color to paint it. Black, he chose, with a white stripe down the middle.
The next day, when Escaveche came back, father said to him, “Escaveche, I was looking in the crawlspace and found something that you might want.”
Father handed him the box. Escaveche carefully opened the box. When he saw what was inside, the corners of his mouth turned up, a small smile.
Then he went back to his nervous self. “I just remembered that I had an appointment. I must go,” he stammered.
“But what about our house?” Henry asked, confused. “Aren’t you going to inspect it?”
“It looks fine to me,” Escaveche insisted. “Besides, I don’t think you’ll have any animal problems.” And with that he rushed out the door.
Mother, father, and the children ran to the door to say farewell, but when they opened the door, they didn’t see Escaveche. The only thing they did see…was a skunk.
“Hey! What’s that on the skunk’s back?” Charlotte and Henry cried out.
The family reached their heads out and when they did, they could see it clearly.
On the skunk’s back was a box, painted black and white.
The End