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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#117: All Hallows' Eve

October 31st: Halloween — or All Hallows’ Eve, to give it its spookier name. Just an excuse to wear a costume? Or, for one night a year, do spirits walk among us?

The Celts certainly thought so — and many of our own holiday pastimes stem from the methods they used to keep Halloween ghosts at bay. Others, like bobbing for apples, evolved from Halloween rituals for matchmaking and divining the future.

Personally, I prefer to spend the holiday with my nose in a spooky story rather than a bowl of icy water, which is why this week’s prompts are designed to put you in touch with your macabre side. Happy Halloween!

This week's prompts

Start your story with the words “Everything was ready for the ritual.”

Horror – 48 stories

Write about a character who uses a night where everyone’s in costume as cover for something sinister.

Horror – 34 stories

Write about a missing person nobody seems to know or remember.

Thriller and Suspense – 49 stories

Set your story at the boundary between two realms.

Halloween – 69 stories

Write about someone whose busiest night of the year is Halloween.

Halloween – 26 stories

Stories

“Hannah and Harley” by Debbie Tillinghast

Submitted to Contest #117

Hannah and Harley I arrived at the Bristol Harbor dock in the October dusk, as the last ferry for Prudence Island prepared to sail. Hectic Friday night traffic had been further hampered by the thick fog blanket that crept into every nook and cranny, slowing the invisible cars to a winding snake with multiple pairs of glowing red eyes. The swirling damp gray obliterated all but a blurred outline of the boat, and I heard the creaking of the ferry gate as it began to close. The ferry was running behind schedule, but still I f...

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“Fuzzy Borders” by Dan K

Submitted to Contest #117

Sometimes the portal manifested itself in mist, other times in a mirror… Charlie was perpetually on the edge. He regularly woke up before the sun and went to bed long after the moon. He worked on minimal amounts of sleep and often was confused between dreams and reality. He wished he had a totem so that he could tell whether he was asleep or not. The sweet feeling of relief one has when they wake up from a bad dream where you nearly die, anger your best friend, or commit some deadly sin was absent from Charlie’s mind when he “woke up” fro...

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“Boundary” by Chuck Thompson

Submitted to Contest #117

Boundary I watch. And wait. And get excited. Few folks imagine I am here. Fewer know that I am here. None know me and what I really do. Your old folklore describes me as evil, a darkness that invades your world. An unsettled soul damned and bent on destruction of all that is good and light. Such a negative image…. I came to be at time naught. I remember that first blink, instant consciousness. There were an infinite number of us at that first blink. There was light and us; that was it.&n...

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“Death and His Cat” by Franchesca Blackrose

Submitted to Contest #117

Slinking through the darkening night, I watch as spirits dart from house to house, longing to be amongst those they love. Whispers float through the air, wondering who might next despair. Will it be the child who begged to be dressed as Chucky? Will it be the mother dressed in black, pushing her baby’s stroller as her other children run with their friends? Or will it be the grandfather that’s pulling pranks as though it might be his last time? &nbs...

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“Please Take a Number” by Stacey Iannazzo

Submitted to Contest #117

Stacey Hileman Iannazzo Please Take A Number 364 days out of the year, Dave Murphy's job was mostly shuffling paperwork and light maintenance. His office was a sparse barren room in the basement of Hileman and Sons Funeral Parlor. They were a popular establishment for grieving families and Dave had landed the jobs because he had gone to high school with one of the ‘and sons’. He’d been employed by the Hilemans for 3 years and for a job that only really required him to show up, he was paid a very generous salary. He worked the li...

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“Trick or Treat” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #117

Trick or Treat It was the busiest week of the year for him, especially when the last day customers crowded the place in a frantic fashion, grabbing the first likely purchase they could find. They wouldn’t be discerning shoppers at that time. You see, George ran a candy store, a very old-fashioned place in many ways. There was even an old model dial phone beside the cash register. It was in a small building, about twice the size of your average burger truck. It had very thin walls. So much so that when there was hail, it sounded l...

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“Busy Day” by Lin Darroe

Submitted to Contest #117

Well, it is almost that time again ! One more day until we see witches, broomsticks, goblins, ghosts and of course get to enjoy those frightening Halloween movies! I rubbed my hands together , thinking about the candy and the tricks as well as treats! This is my busiest time and my favorite time of the Year ! (As if you couldn't tell)! Oh! You can have your Christmas and Thanksgiving ! And Easter? No Thank You ! I'm also finished with the fourth of July! After all ,Stella is not a fan , she has been ...

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“Departures and Arrivals” by Deanna Badgley

Submitted to Contest #117

Content Warning: DeathBy 12:01 am the lines were already backed up farther than infinity stretched.I followed Sharlene to my booth with the little gate that would open to let them through. I didn’t know it would be like this. I had heard stories of the crowds, but there were so many waiting. I started to feel panic creeping in, but Sharlene turned around and looked at me and I choked it down. It was obvious by her whole demeanor that she didn’t take any crap. I figured if I showed any apprehension, she’d probably fire me on the spot. She had...

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“The Real Doll” by Anica Bush

Submitted to Contest #117

“Amanda! Are you almost ready to go?” “Yeah, I’m ready,” Amanda replied to her mother. Amanda was eight years old, and her favorite night of the year was Halloween. Every year Amanda’s mom, Liz, would take her costume shopping exactly one month before Halloween. Amanda hopped into her mother’s black SUV. The interiors leather seats had cookie crumbs and blue sharpie marks engraved into them. Amanda had had her heart set on a costume where she would match a doll. Liz doing her usual research on the best costume stores found an elderly man wh...

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“RED AND GOLD” by Mike Williams

Submitted to Contest #117

RED AND GOLD The trip had been bumpy. The lights of New Orleans were a very welcome sight. It was just about a year ago since Jim Henderson had accepted the position of Goodwill Representative for a major American oil company in Dallas, Texas. “I am beginning to get tired of the fundraisers,” Jim said to his wife, Louise. “Honey, this one is special, and a bit different, as well,” she replied showing her own support. “New Orleans is in need, and Mardi Gras is about t...

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“Crossing Over” by Lucy Garraway

Submitted to Contest #117

She opened the door and the smell of stale beer knocked her backward. She adjusted the vinyl cat ears on her head and rubbed her nose, smudging the black paint she'd haphazardly applied before rushing out of her apartment. She wondered to herself, Why am I here?That's when she heard a familiar voice, "Meeeeow! I love the black cat look, Dani. Very classic," the woman called out as she approached. Danielle nodded as she took in the woman's costume. She was clothed in a prim chartreuse satin dress with a matching jacket, but her hair was ...

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“Angel of Death” by Caitlin Curtis

Submitted to Contest #117

It was finally that time of the year. A smile tugged at my lips as I sheath my knife to my thigh. I look up at my reflection, picked up my eyeliner, and applied it to my eyes. When I lean back, my smile overtakes my face. Perfect. I stepped back from the mirror, smoothed down my corset top, and turned to the side, admiring my sleek black jeans. My eyes shimmer as I look over my wings, black as night. I hear footsteps and turn as the bathroom door opens. A head with slicked-back hair pops in, with eyes clear as the ocean and a smile wicked as...

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“Seraph Vs. Diabolus” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #117

He felt it raging throughout his body. He knew that he was going to have to fight again. Fight for the one thing that he treasured more than anything his soul. He knew that he was coming again. He comes every year and only once a year. He glanced at the calendar and the date was circled in red marker. He knew that he had to get ready for war which would rage inside of him. People called him many names. He was known as the Prince of darkness, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Iblis, the angel of death or most commonly known...

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“Skully's Halloween” by Cristina Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #117

Skully was a skeleton. He was tall, skinny and nothing but bones. You know, like I said, a skeleton. His life wasn’t very interesting. He waited. That’s all. He waited. He lived in a little cottage in the nicest cemetery in the city. At least Skully thought it was the nicest. It must be. It was all graves and dirt. Some of the graves were open. Most were closed. There were nice headstones spread out. They all had mold and spiderwebs. It was beautiful. The headstones always had fun little writings on them. Forever in our hearts… Devoted mothe...

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“House Haunting on Halloween” by Raegan Wise

Submitted to Contest #117

All Hallows Eve, a perfect night for revenge. Halloween, a night that represents candy and fun to some and demons and witchcraft to others. While the children and adults alike walk around the neighborhoods in costumes varying from rotting zombies to pretty princesses, teens sit in their basement, summoning ghosts and performing rituals, thinking they are too cool for trick or treating. Which is exactly what makes this night the perfect night for revenge. We have been planning this for months. We all knew that popularly obnoxious Finn woul...

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$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

153

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 29, 2021 EST

Won by John Merino 🏆

Title: Sleep Story

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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