Center your story around a childhood fear that – as much as you try to shake it – still resonates in adulthood.

Posted in Angst on Oct 25, 2024

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✍️ 92 stories

“Locked Away” by Arlin Dixon

Submitted to Contest #274

Everything is fine. I’ve locked her in the attic. That’s what my mother told me one night when I shot up in bed, soaked in sweat, desperately trying to escape my dream. I often had bad dreams when I was little. Shadows reaching through my bed, faces in the windows, monsters in the closet. All I knew was that if I screamed loud enough my voice would make it out of my dream. Mom would open the door, letting the nightmare escape, and I’d be okay again until morning. Except this night was different. She stood at the door blocking the...

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“Take Your Mask Off” by Elise Marquez

Submitted to Contest #274

How can a child be so afraid that everyone around them was given a guide to life that they seemed to miss out on. Well that’s how it feels. As a child, everyone told me the way I acted was incorrect. I feared that at any moment, someone would catch me for being different from other people. I can’t read between the lines like others can. I sometimes forget what to do in social situations. I say the wrong thing. As a child, I feared being disliked. I feared doing or saying the wrong thing. I masked the parts of myself that others might n...

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“The Window at Cannery Row” by Oliver Skywolf

Submitted to Contest #274

Genevieve Stone arrived in Carmel-by-the-Sea and contemplated a return to Cannery Row. She checked into her hotel room, dropped her bags and glared at the view from her balcony. A fog fluttered with affection. Genevieve’s phone vibrated as she glanced and saw her friend’s name on the screen.“Hello? Hey, Shanel. I just got to my room,” Genevieve said. “Gen! Glad you got there safely.” “Yeah, it was bit of a drive. I’m settling in, but I think I’ll go explore for a few hours. It’s beautiful here, but I’ll def catch up with you guys t...

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“Forever” by Al Griffin

Submitted to Contest #274

Our house was small by today’s standards. Single car garage, two bedrooms, one bathroom. The long, narrow living room and dining room combination left little walking room. The couch, easy chair, and obligatory coffee table filled one end; a scarred dining table slouched in the other end. This doubled as the third bedroom when the sleeper sofa unfurled across the pinch of open floor. We moved into 741 N. E. 35th as I entered the third grade. It was a short walk across the street to Dewey Elementary. Both parents found jobs at the State Capita...

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“The Web Program” by Christian Hanson

Submitted to Contest #274

A spider. Why did the logo have to be a spider?Isaac minimized the window on his computer to put the image away. His heart slowed down to its normal rate. This job was perfect. He was 6 months out of grad school with no other job prospects. The Arachne Institute is the premier company for computer programming. They made software for various projects, including video games, phone apps, websites, utility management, and even some secret government projects. Their tagline is “Weaving Software to Challenge the Gods.” A week ago, Isaac was p...

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“The Dark, The Dark, The Dark” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #274

I’ve always felt it when the lights were off. Not physically, I mean, not like a hand on my shoulder or fingers curling in my hair. I’ve felt it the way you feel someone standing behind you in line at the grocery store or at an ATM, the filling of a space you aren’t looking at, don’t want to look at, looking at it is redundant because you can feel it like it’s breathing on your neck. It’s not though, just like it’s not jabbing long, sharp nails into the small portion of your back when you pass by the light switch. You don’t feel it as ...

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“Stories of Thalassia. Story 2: The Drowner” by Tarja Mo

Submitted to Contest #274

The fishing net pulled Lian toward the water. He gritted his teeth, using all his strength to haul it onto the sharp rocks, but it wouldn’t budge and seemed to drag him.“Lian, watch out!” his father called, stepping in and effortlessly pulling the net ashore. Lian stumbled, momentarily losing balance, but his father’s steady hand anchored him. The man chuckled, handing the net back to his son.“Don’t worry. You’ll get stronger,” he reassured, ruffling Lian’s hair before heading back to the boat. He left Lian alone to sort through the catch.Li...

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“A Fever” by Masha Kamenetskaya

Submitted to Contest #274

It came with the end of the winter, with the second, and last, peak of the nasty flu that kept me in bed for three straight weeks and, as puny as I was before the illness, I became translucent. My mother later said that the texture and color of my face resembled the chicken broth that I was fed.The second, and last, fever peak came hard on me. It was one of those events when the walls started to move, tilt and dance. When the ornament on the wallpaper turned into a gigantic hole that wanted to suck you in. Then, there is this mome...

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“Dem Dam Dogs” by Chuck Suave

Submitted to Contest #274

"I've never liked dogs," I told my therapist.Here I was, a forty-year-old man and I was in counselling because a couple of dogs barked and lunged at me. I was literally scared shitless by it. I couldn't go on like this and needed help.Rewind several years to me as a young child. My most vivid memory was of me, my brothers and Mum out for a day at the park. A dog was running around barking and jumping up on folk. I was a bit scared so I tried to stay away from it, however, it sensed my fear and started running towards me. I shouted to my mum ...

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“WHERE THE WILD THINGS AREN'T ” by Frances Goulart

Submitted to Contest #274

WHERE THE WILD THINGS AREN’T “Tell me again about this night terror of yours, Aidan …How do you describe it? ““It’s simple. It’s real simple, doc. I just can’t look under the bed, never, not after the sun goes down. ““Because there is a monster there? You know that is a very childish fear. And you are 30 years old now. That makes you a grown-up.”“You don’t have to remind me, doc. You are the only one I can talk to. The only one who will listen.”“Well, okay, let’s talk about it. Again. Tell me what you think is under the bed?...

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“The Old Hag” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #274

I have always been inclined to fear the unknown which is found in the darkness, both as a child and then later in my years as a grown adult. Such an inclination was most likely the direct result of my mother’s dabbling in the supernatural and paranormal while I was a very young child. I can easily recall my nights spent in bed when I was a child, lying with eyes wide open as I surveyed the room to be sure no other was there with me and praying for sleep to overcome my restless body and come quickly. The real creature of fear, however, with a...

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“The Shadow” by John Richardson

Submitted to Contest #274

He turned off the highway and slowed his car as he funneled on to the main street of the hometown he had not seen in twenty years. All of his formative years were spent here, from grammar school, through middle and high school. Like most of his friends, he graduated high school, and left for college. He had looked forward to seeing his friends during Thanksgiving break, but during the autumn of his freshman year, his father took a job that landed them on the other side of the country. From then on, summer breaks and holidays were spent ...

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“Monsters in the Dark” by Mare Ephrathah

Submitted to Contest #274

I hate the dark. Evil lurks amongst the shadows. As a child I thought the evil in the shadows were monsters. Now as an adult I still believe it’s monsters, but they don’t have fangs or sharp claws. They don’t have a smiling mouth of razor-like teeth. These monsters are nothing more than mere men, waiting for an opportunity to strike an otherwise oblivious victim. Water from this afternoon's rainstorm seeped into the canvas of my hightops. A slight chill howled through my thin jean jacket. I shouldn’t be out here. A familiar unease crawled up...

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“From Powerless to Powerful” by Mary Richards

Submitted to Contest #274

Then, she awakened in the middle of the night inside the platform tent. The flaps were down, but not tied to anything, leaving the corners and the front free to undulate with the nighttime breeze. For a moment she was confused. Not sure where she was. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she remembered. Alone in a tent full of other girls. All alone. She pulled her sleeping bag around her and tried to catch a whiff of home, where she wanted to be. Not at this place, surrounded by girls who did not seem to see her. She was invisible. Closing her...

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“THE MONSTER” by R.P. Heaven

Submitted to Contest #274

"I’m so glad I have company…It was starting to get too lonely in here" a male voice echoed as if from another world. My head was splitting in half with pain. I opened my eyes slowly trying to figure out if it was just another one of those nightmares. The ones with the monster. If they were nightmares at all… I looked up. It was dark, completely dark. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was lying down on a freezing damp floor so I tried to stand up, holding my head with one hand. My whole body was sore and stiff with cold, my knees weak. I l...

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Center your story around a childhood fear that – as much as you try to shake it – still resonates in adulthood.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 92 stories

“Locked Away” by Arlin Dixon

“Take Your Mask Off” by Elise Marquez

“The Window at Cannery Row” by Oliver Skywolf

“Forever” by Al Griffin

“The Web Program” by Christian Hanson

“The Dark, The Dark, The Dark” by Cade Holter

“Stories of Thalassia. Story 2: The Drowner” by Tarja Mo

“A Fever” by Masha Kamenetskaya

“Dem Dam Dogs” by Chuck Suave

“WHERE THE WILD THINGS AREN'T ” by Frances Goulart

“The Old Hag” by Cindy Calder

“The Shadow” by John Richardson

“Monsters in the Dark” by Mare Ephrathah

“From Powerless to Powerful” by Mary Richards

“THE MONSTER” by R.P. Heaven

🌟 Similar prompts

Center your story on a character filled with love and fear in equal measure.

Write a story that includes the line “Fate is resourceful.”

Use a personal memory to craft a ghost story.

Write a story where a creature turns up in an unexpected way.

Contest #274

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

404

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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