#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.

100 Best Horror Books of All Time

All of the Best Stephen King Books, Ranked

And Then There Were None: The 10 Best Agatha Christie Books

33 Best Vampire Books to Sink Your Teeth Into

The 50 Best Suspense Books of All Time

Guide to Southern Gothic: 10 Dark Must-Reads

This week's prompts

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

Halloween – 45 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 – 49 stories

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

Mystery – 40 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 – 52 stories

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

Kids – 37 stories

Stories

“Ill Omens” by Vishakha Singla

Submitted to Contest #13

Swish!Keres, with a swift motion of her eyes turned towards the brick wall. The same soft, plush black tail flailed around for a second, and then vanished, like a feather in the wind. This was the tenth time now. She had grown so accustomed to this ritual, it almost felt like she was waiting for the next brick wall, just to try and see another lurking black cat.But as she yet again craned her neck to get a better view of the disappearing feline, a strange thought floated into her head. The previous brick wall around which she had spotted ano...

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“A Twisted Fate” by Madelene Holm

Submitted to Contest #13

Tick, tock, tick, tock. The clock on the wall is about to strike two in the afternoon. I had been busying myself with sorting out my outfit for the evening. It’s the 31st of October, Halloween, and I’ve been invited to a Monster Ball by my friend Aiden, he is a complete Halloween nut-job. I went all out on the outfit for tonight and have spent way more money than I initially planned to, but the dress is amazing and it’s worth it. It is a proper Victorian styled burgundy red dress, with creamy white decorations. The buttons are black and it c...

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“The Cave” by Maya W

Submitted to Contest #13

Crisp. Calm. God, I loved fall. The sky was cloudy, but everything had such brightness to it. The orange and red fallen leaves crunched under my feet as I walked down my favorite nature trail. Ii held my camera in my hand with the strap wrapped around my wrist, ready to snap any quick photos I could. My earbuds played my favorite artists as I looked about, enjoying the scenery. So many brightly painted trees. A wind blew and I suddenly saw something move in my peripheral. Ii turned to find what it was, hidden behind a large oak. A cat. Anoth...

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“Misfortune Like a Boomerang” by Brianna Webster

Submitted to Contest #13

Kiara and David walked out of their favorite restaurant after a dinner date when a black cat ran by right in front of their feet. “Not again!” Kiara exclaimed as she stopped in her tracks. David instinctively stopped beside her and opened his mouth to ask a question. Before he could make a sound, a lightning bolt hit the street sign at the corner, causing it to fall right where they would have been standing. They both screamed and rushed back into the building. A waiter nearby made sure they were okay and told them they could sit down until ...

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“Coincidence” by Rebekah Christensen

Submitted to Contest #13

The first time, it was nothing more than a strange coincidence. She didn't think much of it. It was just a cat; it didn't mean anything.She didn’t even stop to look at it, just continued along the sidewalk. She had long ago perfected the walk of not too fast and not too slow. Fast enough to seem like she belonged, like she had a purpose, but slow enough so as not to appear as if she were running from something, as if she had something to hide. She didn't smile at anyone, but she didn't frown at anyone either.She stu...

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“Golden Eyes” by Emily Fortin

Submitted to Contest #13

I paced toward the end of the street. The rain beat down upon me, and I could already sense the beginning of a cold. My teeth chattered and I clung to my papers, trying to protect them from the storm's grasp.I still had another two blocks to go before I reached my house. I had gotten off work twenty minutes ago, and not being able to afford a car or bus ride, I braved the downpour.Now I hurried home, my thin fall jacket soaked and my hands grasping tightly to the soggy work that I had spent days working on.Thunder shattered the atmosphere. T...

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“Once Were Friends” by Tim Mcguire

Submitted to Contest #13

I drove down Aberdeen Avenue slowly, I hadn’t been here in a long time and was just looking at all the changes that took place in the 15 years I had left. An old house made to look new, a new house already destroyed by fire. I was randomly in town visiting from Florida when I got a call from an old friend, Jay, somehow he had heard that I was in town and would happy if we could get together. I was reluctant at first, we had had a falling out way back in the day, which was my fault all the way, but he put m...

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“I Really Liked That One” by Misbah K

Submitted to Contest #13

"Fix your face, Leeko," Janet puffed. I reached for my face wondering what was wrong with it."No, your other face," she sighed, reaching for my costume, pulling at the attached headpiece. I was a T-rex for Halloween this year--full-body costume that left my face sticking out from the neck. Waiting now on Benji's front porch, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable in my costume choice. And very much like a child. Maybe this was a little too bold. A little too funny for me to pull off. I wondered about different ways to change into something else ...

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“Evanesce” by Serenity Fain

Submitted to Contest #13

Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to live a different life? I did too. I wanted a life of adventure and suspense, somewhere I can explore unnatural things. That one curious thought I had got me where I am today. On an early October morning, specifically the day where every young kid dresses up and goes trick or treating, and where haunted houses are everybody's go-to. Today is Halloween. The autumn breeze filled my lungs as I rose from my bed, sliding my feet into warm slippers, and trailing down the stairs, to a warm cup of coffee an...

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“The Truth” by Sudha Viswanath

Submitted to Contest #13

THE TRUTHRaphael was busy arranging the documents required for the raid that he was to conduct the following day. An undercover agent working with the police department, Raphael had been deputed to carry on this raid on a gang that apparently was selling unauthorized stuff. The leader of the gang however was a very well known figure in...

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“the power within” by Kristie Peery

Submitted to Contest #13

March 1988, the day started out as usual Mya May wake up to the sound of banging outside her window she rolled out of bed to see what was making such a ruckus, the window was fogged with an icy layer of frost she rubbed the window with her sleeve to reveal a small areas to look through the ruckus was coming from the neighbors house they were in the process of renovating, the house that once sat empty for many years was being made into something better. Mya May through on her house shoes to greet her new neighbors. As she approached the...

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“"Laughing Out Loud in Your Sleep"” by Latonya Valentine

Submitted to Contest #13

Since the passing of my friend Freda Ray..it always perplexed me that she went to her Mother's house. Laid on the living room floor. Went to sleep and never woke up. She and her Mom had never been on the best of terms all through her childhood. As a matter of a fact she had gotten emancipated from her Mother's custody when she was 15. So at her repass I got a chance to meet all of her fathers daughters. It had never came to my mind that there were so many version of Freda Ray walking this earth. All of her sisters looked like her in differen...

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“Invisible” by Paige Nickerson

Submitted to Contest #13

It was the same old normal routine. Kate’s alarm blares from her phone. She turns over, annoyed, and slams her pillow into her nightstand, knocking everything off. Today was a day Kate had been dreading for awhile now. She was going to take her exams. Kate was not the best in college. Instead of studying, Kate was off partying and being social. “If I don’t pass these exams, I’m losing my scholarship…Mom is going to KILL ME.” She whispers to herself. She throws her backpack over her shoulder and grabs her coffee. She ran out the door, almost ...

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“Becoming” by Alexis Andrews

Submitted to Contest #13

I felt nothing. I could see nothing, hear nothing. Then suddenly I could. Breath invaded my lungs as my eyes were forced open to see the vibrant colors of the afternoon. I didn’t know where I was or how I got here. I was in an old wooden cabin that smelled of linen and pine. Out the window lay a forest on one side of the house and on the other was a small village. The house was vacant, then I heard voices coming from outside. I went to go investigate, I reached for the door handle but I couldn’t I could feel it but it seemed as though I...

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“What goes bump in the night” by Keiran Trembath

Submitted to Contest #13

Shutters bang.Doors slam.Voices echo down the darkened corridor. Words spoken in English that send fear and horror rippling through the body. ‘What’s happening? What is this?’Light ebbing from the bottom of a door, with shadows being casted from those just behind it.A hand reaches forward and opens the door. Silence where voices once echoed.Six figures look. Six figures advance. A door slams shut behind. Glance.Seventh figure?Seventh figure holds a lamp.Brings it down.Too Quick. Too Soon.Darkness.Eyes open.Gasp.Surrounded by seven figures we...

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$50

Prize money

223

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 01, 2019 EST

Won by Zilla Babbitt 🏆

Title: Queen Cymbeline

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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#13: Spooktacular

This week's prompts

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

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.

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

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.

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