#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

“The Ghost on Church Hill” by Elisient Vernon

Submitted to Contest #13

The old brick house with its gabled roof and stained-glass windows had been converted into a church building. The church was on a hill. A narrow path bordered by wild ferns led up to it from the main street. It looked quite odd among the few cottages scattered here and there in the tiny community of Meadow Valley. Travelers passing by often stopped to take pictures of this Gothic looking church in the middle of ‘nowhere’. Right behind the church building was a cemetery where members of the church who died were buried. Rumors had it that...

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“A Night at Mama Marie's” by Caleb Fogler

Submitted to Contest #13

Like the sound of a homemade ice cream maker on a hot summer day, the tires of the old white truck churned along the gravel driveway. Pete had gotten off from his shift working at a nursing home in Nashville and immediately got on the road. He was headed to visit his family in Tampa for Halloween and didn’t want to waste any time. He had been driving for many hours and somehow gotten lost off the main highway. As he tried to determine exactly where he was between Clio and Dothan, AL; he came across a once Victorian home turned hotel and deci...

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“The House on Russel Piver Dr” by Kerry Horne

Submitted to Contest #13

Evelyn, is a single mother of three. Linda was 16; Douglas was 15, and Samantha was five. Each year, she takes them apple picking at the Orchard near Mansfield. This year, she wanted to go the extra mile. “For an entire weekend?” Linda groaned. “You mean, like spend the night?!” Sam exclaimed before leaping in to her mother’s arms. “Oh boy!” “But what about Adam?” Linda asked Douglas rolled his eyes. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to be rid of you for a few days.” he replied. Linda elbowed him in the rib cage before he could get away....

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“A Tale of Masks” by Henry ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ - Rudman

Submitted to Contest #13

It was supposed to be fun. Fun was the main objective. Fun is all that I wanted to have. But boy were we off. My parents booked a hotel for the Halloween weekend to see my cousins. My family is very large, my grandfather has 4 brothers who all had kids. We were going to see my uncle who has three kids. All of them are older than me, which is just like all my brothers. My oldest brother is the C.O.O of a tech company. His name is Owen. My second brother is in college and he is a major in emerging at Stanford. His name is James. My olde...

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“All The Right Answers” by Colton Leverett

Submitted to Contest #13

All The Right AnswersA dark place. Somewhat, a sacred place. Is anyone ever safe? A question asked by many. The only way to answer is by not answering. Some questions are best left a mystery. The death of a loved one may mean the awakening of another. Or not. Life can be very confusing. You never know what might happen. Or what won't. Confused? Confused is just another word for curious, and curiosity is the gateway to answers. Curious? Read on for All The Right Answers. "Must we be here?" Janine said. "I mean, it is cold and dark and frankly...

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“I was there” by Shells Walter

Submitted to Contest #13

Sally has always been a friend. I moved here sometime ago after I got my new job as a freelance contractor. The job didn’t pay a lot but it got me to California quicker than I expected. The first person I met in San Francesco was her. She lived next store to me in this two bedroom small apartment. Every time I was there it was decorated different. Her reasoning was that everyday was different why not be different as well? It was who Sally was and who I wanted to be. *** It didn’t take long for me to settle in after the first day I was...

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“Nightmare on a Tin Backsplash” by L.L. LOEDECKY

Submitted to Contest #13

The incessant beeping of Eden Clarke’s alarm on her two-month-old, first of its kind, smart phone rang. Eden woke from her from a pleasant slumber. Invigorated by the feeling of elation and adoration from her inspirational dream featuring her newest catchphrase, she sighed as she rolled over on her name-brand online only mattress, paid for by sponsors and fans of her, to shut off the ringing coming from her phone. As she opened one eye, she saw she had a message amongst the barrage of notifications from social media sites, blogs, and vlogs. ...

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“Who Was That?” by CY Croft

Submitted to Contest #13

Adjusting his collar for the fifth time, he cleared his throat. He had moved to the neighbourhood months ago and had not really greeted his neighbours except for the occasional wave. He was not the sort to go up to a stranger and just introduce himself. It was weird and he disliked touching hands. Because germs. Mama had taught him that germs were bad and had given him all sorts of vaccines since he was young.Although she had passed years ago, he kept going for the annual vaccine for influenza. He was proud that he had never taken any sick d...

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“THE FACTORY” by Alyssa Shields

Submitted to Contest #13

A half a cup of sugar, Mason thinks to himself. He's never made a batch of cupcakes before, and his mother insisted he help, despite his concerned words that he wouldn't even know where to begin. "Just follow the instructions exactly, and it will turn out fine," his mother had said. Mason grabbed two glass drinking cups from his mother's cabinet and dunked one inside the sugar bag, filling it all the way up to the rim. He poured half of its contents into the other glass until they were exactly even, then dumped one into the large ...

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“'The Stabbing', by Kaleb Bennett (Though of in B/W)” by Kaleb Bennett

Submitted to Contest #13

“This is…” K R S S Pro-duc-tion Radio ANNOUNCER: From your local broadcast radio, KRRS Radio presents…’The Stabbing!’ Cold spews of trumpet, and the slow burn violins introduce the theme ANNOUNCER: Directed and written by Harrison Plainview, produced by KRSS Radio. Now, please welcome...Harrison HARRISON: There is a chill calm outside the homes of many. Still air ...

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“The Mulaney Paradox” by Scott Clarke

Submitted to Contest #13

On a cold, rainy morning there are a few places no one wants to be -- the DMV, an outdoor wedding, and above all else: work. Personally, I’d rather be enduring the festivities of some chick’s, “big day”, or trapped in line behind the counter waiting to pay a ticket I definitely deserve than spend another day wrapping a tie around my neck and faking smiles from behind a desk. But, alas, here I sit. Seconds passing by like hours and coffee table conversations sounding like Freddy Krueger using his chalkboard scratching post. Today, I was ...

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“Spirit Too Alive” by Lachlan Cameron

Submitted to Contest #13

The smell of fresh cookies wafts around my one story house, making the place seem warm and comforting. The timer on the over goes off and I pull my thick blond hair back into a ponytail, stepping around my sleeping dog as I rush to turn the heat down before the neighbor's Halloween cookies get a little crispier than needed. I slide my hands into oven mitts and open the stainless steel door, heat fogging my glasses up. I set the pan on a rack to cool and rub my lenses clean on the fabric of my Harvard hoodie. Quickly, I ice the fresh cookies ...

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“A rendezvous across time” by Gursmeep Kaur

Submitted to Contest #13

There is no such thing as coincidence. Everything in this world revolves around two basic concepts of the cosmos- the lie and the truth. Life is a lie and death is the truth. And until we enter the realm of the latter we all are simply trapped inside a lie. Sometimes we witness things which are hard to explain. Things which are beyond our understanding. But then we have to embrace them and move on. After all, it's all just a lie and anything can happen here.30 October 2019- It was raining that day. The day it all happened. The rain was unexp...

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“The Vanishing of Amanda Reiss” by James Bell

Submitted to Contest #13

When the school bus finally arrived in front of Amanda’s house, she felt a wave of excitement come over her. For the first time, she was overjoyed to be the last stop cause it meant she could go see Drew, her bestest friend in the whole wide world. “Well, ain’t you a little ball of energy!”, said the bus driver, noticing her skip from the back of the bus and jump out onto the pavement. “Careful sweetie! Wouldn’t want you to get hurt now” “It’s okay, Ms. Brown. I’m alright!,” she assured her. “Drew didn’t come to school today, and...

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“Thy Neighbor” by Sean Platts

Submitted to Contest #13

The fiery sky begins to boil away as the sinking sun is cooled by the coming of night. It’s gettin’ colder, I can feel it in the breeze. No more warm summer nights, I reckon that autumn has now settled in. It ain’t as good as summer, but I can’t complain—life is simpler this time of year. Martha don’t think that, though. She comes barrelin’ out of the house, makin’ the whole front deck tremor. I shout at her to be careful—this old house can’t take much more of her wild fits. But rather than consider what I have to say, she bellows: “Earl! Wh...

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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.

Stories

“The Ghost on Church Hill” by Elisient Vernon

“A Night at Mama Marie's” by Caleb Fogler

“The House on Russel Piver Dr” by Kerry Horne

“A Tale of Masks” by Henry ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ - Rudman