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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#13: Spooktacular

This Thursday is Halloween! And you know we couldn't let October 31st go by without giving you all a batch of spooktacular writing prompts.

 

But don't worry if your tolerance for the scare factor is low: whether you're a fan of spine-chilling fiction or prefer stories about friendly ghosts, there's something in these prompts for everyone! 

If you want to do some Halloween reading after you submit your short story, here are some great resources to help you find the perfect, spooky read.

 

🥇 Winning story

“Queen Cymbeline” by Zilla Babbitt

The island reeked of fish; scattered guts and oozing blank eyes littered the black beaches, and the mountains smelled of bubbling, potting fish intestines. The sky was continually dark with the smoke from the fires beneath the cauldrons, and the water had a thin film of scales and oil, all in the bays and quaysides round the island. In the deepsea around the island, the fish that were still alive avoided the inlets and told tales among their young that a bloodthirsty monster lived on the isle, with a mouthful of s...

20 likes 16 comments 16 WINNER 🏆
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This week's prompts:

Write a story about someone spending the night in an old Victorian home-turned-hotel on Halloween.

Holiday – 51 stories

You go to visit your neighbor. When you ring the doorbell, a stranger appears and tells you that your neighbor has been dead for ten years.

Thriller and Suspense – 57 stories

Write a story about someone who sees a black cat cross their path... for the tenth time that day.

Mystery – 41 stories

You go for a walk and accidentally bump into someone. They feel the bump, but the person can't seem to hear or see you.

Thriller and Suspense – 60 stories

Write a story about an eventful evening of trick-or-treating.

For Kids – 41 stories

Stories

“Queen Cymbeline” by Zilla Babbitt

The island reeked of fish; scattered guts and oozing blank eyes littered the black beaches, and the mountains smelled of bubbling, potting fish intestines. The sky was continually dark with the smoke from the fires beneath the cauldrons, and the water had a thin film of scales and oil, all in the bays and quaysides round the island. In the deepsea around the island, the fish that were still alive avoided the inlets and told tales among their young that a bloodthirsty monster lived on the isle, with a mouthful of s...

20 likes 16 comments 16 WINNER 🏆
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“A New Life” by Cam Croz

I never thought that the most important day of my life would turn out like this…A trip to the store.A friend.A wig.A party.

10 likes 2 comments 2
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“Katie” by Marte Van der linden

I rang the doorbell to Katie’s house and a woman in a blue dress opened the door. You can always tell whether grown-ups are parents. Parents look friendly and comfortable but also a little bit ragged around the edges. This woman was not like that. Everything about her was neat and tidy, with sharp creases in her clothes and smoothed angles on her body. She glanced left and right before looking down. “Oh, hello!” She made her voice go up a little bit at the end and when she smiled I could count her teeth. “Can Katie come out ...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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“The moon in my hands ” by Nicole Plaia

I woke up with cotton stars sticking to my arms. A patch of desiccated currants waiting to be cleansed. I am twenty years old, and wearing my own blood as a mask. I sank beneath my moon stained quilt and slept. To sleep I had to swallow pill after pill, and at some point I felt nauseous and lightheaded with electric eels ricocheting from ankles to knees.I thought I was older yesterday. When I finally stood up to leave my bedroom I heard the tv mumbling in the living room. I listened without moving, and then stepped into ...

6 likes 3 comments 3
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“One time thing” by Theodora Simões

Dead, he said. His words carried the usual weight of someone who is not used to death, someone who maybe fears an unsettling reaction from the receptor of those grim news he had to deliver; after all, the only thing scarier than the absence of emotions is their very display. I wanted to laugh, really, tell him to not be so frail and hesitant, it is nothing but pathetic. Yes, Lucas has been dead for years now! Shout it! Proclaim it! Do not be faltering, looking at me as if I was the poor man who got the news too ...

6 likes 3 comments 3
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“I Am the Groundskeeper” by Joshua Insole

1The knife doesn’t slip in easily, I have to really force it.  2During the summer months, the hotel is bustling with life. People from all over the country holiday in our little slice of heaven. People from other countries come to pay us a visit, too. Our fields are green and expansive. Our mountains – albeit small – instil a sense of peace and wonder in the hea...

6 likes 4 comments 4
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“A spoonful of sugar” by Hailie Durante

The smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon brought me from my hole of a room as the sound of "Monster Mash" emitted from my mother's old radio. My mother was a lonely woman, divorced from my father when I was eleven years old. Now, I was sixteen and dragged into the horrid activity of decorating she had done for every holiday, every year for the past five years. Decorating was the only vice she had. "Oh, Mia!" My mother exclaimed, garish red lips spread into a grin. Her hands were covered with orange goop, encasing her fingers l...

4 likes 4 comments 4
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“Chrysalis Factory, a Heart, a Death, a Ghost” by Zilla Babbitt

Anam sat down on the dusty ground and pulled her knees up to her chest and rubbed her temples with her fingers. She felt so hot, so tired, so sick. Her chest heaved and her head spun and she knew she needed air. Anam needed to breath before she threw up.She darted a look at the foreman.He was yelling at poor Mary again. That Irish girl never knew which bobbin to spool when, and it was costing Mary tears and blood. Final...

4 likes 2 comments 2
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“Old Man Murray” by Glen Evans

"Raisins! What kind of people give out raisins on Halloween?" protested Mark."People with no taste, that's who! Next year we're definitely skipping that house" replied Donny."Without a doubt!" agreed Travis.The three boys had been friends since first gra...

4 likes 6 comments 6
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“The Man In Black” by Colton Leverett

The Man In Black The black man, man in black, senses he will lack. People see, the horror of he, when they pat him on the back. No fortune will tell, what all will go well, but trust me. Don't Fall For His Spell! In a dark park, such a lonely place, the sun fall, at it's pace. With a big sigh, and a rough frown, the female child walks the town. As darkness fills the air, she once again sighs with a stair, and realizes that someone had once been there. After time go on, the girl was drawn. ...

4 likes 2 comments 2
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$50

Prize money

286

Submissions

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 01, 2019 EST

Won by Zilla Babbitt 🏆

Title: Queen Cymbeline

Winning stories will be featured on our website and in our weekly newsletter. For more information, please consult our terms of use.

Submissions will be approved and published within 7 days of the contest closing.

Please keep your submission between 1,000 - 3,000 words.

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