#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

“Broken archives ” by Katrina Wilson

Submitted to Contest #13

"This is so odd," Ashley said as she checked her call log and text messages for the seventh time.She raked her fingers through her twist out and she just could not understand why Kyle had not answered her calls or text messages. Kyle had been her neighbor for six months, yes he was soft on the eyes, but they were supposed to attend a murder mystery last night. He randomly texted her the night before the show, and told her he could not attend the show with her. He claimed he was sick, but she did not see his car yesterday or today. She assume...

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“Happy Halloween” by Maria Umer

Submitted to Contest #13

I looked outside my living room window tentatively, trying to avoid the eager gazes of the trick or treaters clamoring excitedly in front of every door on my street. There it was again, Halloween – I ought to have gotten rid of my doorbell that night, since it rang every few minutes. I opened my front door with a grim face, held out the bag of candy which I wanted to throw out on the street, and ignored the exuberant faces before me. Feeling sick of opening the door, I decided on a whim to visit my neighbor next door. Mr. Peters w...

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“His Neighbor Todd” by Hermione Daguin

Submitted to Contest #13

Joel woke up with the sun shining through his open blinds. He did not close them last night due to the rain. He loved being lulled to sleep by the sound of rain. He didn’t expect to be awoken by bright lights. The sun hadn’t risen all week. He was pretty sure that a hurricane or something was coming but he couldn’t be sure. He avoided the weather and the news. Nothing that can remind him of the bad things in this world. It was well past 10 am when he finally got off the bed to make coffee. He stretched out his arm and yawned as h...

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“An ordinary neighbour” by Sofia Carlin

Submitted to Contest #13

Taylor distrusted her neighbours. She lived on a quiet street in a middle-of-nowhere town, where you would be forgiven for thinking that people still popped over to their neighbours' house for a cup of sugar. However behind the vertical blinds and neatly trimmed hedges, simmered a mass of secrets and gossip. In an age where maintaining face was everything, nothing could be taken at face value in this town, not even Taylor herself. Taylor lived on a small street which led to a cul-de-sac. Being only 27 years old with short ringleted...

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“Missing Miss Rosemary” by Elsie Bowman

Submitted to Contest #13

Missing Miss Rosemary Oh, no. She could be dead. My little dog Zoey is lying on the floor, face down, looking dirty and raggedy. I pick her up and cradle her in my arms, petting her soft brown fur, nuzzling her under my chin. One paw is hanging loosely from her front right leg. Her fur is matted and sticky. Black stripes mark her leg, as if someone has run over her. Who would do that? I think of all the bad people I know, but could they be that bad? &nb...

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“The Unlikely Accident” by Sanaullah Brohi

Submitted to Contest #13

As I looked at Jammal. He was shivering in the cold. Trying to adjust himself in the dark, cold night of January. We both hide on the side of the highway. I barely saw his covered face in the gloaming. The highway was abandoned. Once this rusty highway was the center of trade and exchange. But now a few trucks pass by at night. We didn’t know what they were carrying but we knew those were full of food and other valuable things. We had a small house comprising of 3 rooms and a courtyard. It was the yesterday morning, I was busy feeding cows...

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“The Tale of Trudy Rutger” by Chelsea B

Submitted to Contest #13

It’s been five years, but I can still remember exactly where I was when I heard about Logan. Everyone in my town does. I was sitting in my senior year history class. My mom was in line at the grocery store. My best friend Callie was skipping class to eat breakfast with her boyfriend at the diner down the street. She was the one that heard it first. We weren’t allowed to have phones in class, but back then, teachers hadn’t quite caught on to all of the ways that kids would sneak in phones. I’d spent most of second period with my phone tucked...

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“To Say "I Love You" One More Time” by Jessica Brown

Submitted to Contest #13

Cold. Dark. Silence.These were my first senses. Slowly I regained consciousness; my fingers twitching, my legs bending. I could hear my heartbeat in my head. My eyes fluttered open and suddenly all I could see was white. I soon adjusted to the bright sunlight, and, looking up at the blue sky above me, from where this assault was coming from, I began to become aware of my surroundings. The sunlight streaming from above flooded down through the clearing in the trees and washed around me, setting everything alight in one continuous blaze. The d...

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“A Rude Awakening” by Ellis Nash

Submitted to Contest #13

It was just like any other Saturday. I woke up without my alarm pestering me, which was always a lovely feeling. I got up but didn’t bother to get dressed since I had slept in my regular clothes. I had been so exhausted from work last night that I came in and immediately went upstairs and collapsed on my bed. I fell asleep within minutes, and I didn’t even have a chance to think about whether I should change out of my work uniform. I wondered if I would look weird going out in my uniform but I smiled at myself. My mum always told me not to c...

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“Killer Day” by Rose Lee

Submitted to Contest #13

As I left my house this morning, I felt oddly invigorated, like nothing could stand in my way. I bounced down the stairs and headed up the street to catch the bus. My morning routine was right on schedule. Until this very moment that will change my existence forever.I get to the bus stop and look around at the other patrons waiting to board the bus. No one is returning my gaze, but that’s hardly unusual so early in the morning. As I step towards the bus door, a lady in a black leather jacket steps directly in front of me. Before I can say mo...

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“One Wish” by Emily Renoff

Submitted to Contest #13

Her heart began to race, her hands began to sweat. The world felt as if it was shrinking beneath her feet and above her head. She quickly turned and ran home out of embarrassment as fast as she could. She whipped the front door open, rushed inside, ran up to her room and slammed her bedroom door so it would shake the entire house. As she sat down to read a book she heard faint footsteps walking up the stairs as each step creaked and dust flew out into the open air. There was a quiet knock and the door opened slowly. “Blair” said her mo...

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“Handed Neatly and Politely” by Anthony Basko

Submitted to Contest #13

He was sitting there, alone, reading. The cover of the novel was ripped off. The first page was almost ripped off as well. It looked as if it was held on by just a strand of hair. He stood up a little, but something in his mind made him sit back down. The novel was a mystery to him. He couldn’t stop finding new pages that he kept accidentally skipping. He found the novel next to a towel. A very filthy towel. An orange, dirt covered, stained towel. The book had scribbles and notes on the inside, and the title and author were not present. It w...

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“The Ignorance” by Bethany Clone

Submitted to Contest #13

"Can you tell me the way to the store?" I asked someone in terror. "I'm new to town and I'm lost." The person I was talking to didn't stop. He kept walking down the street. That was the third time this has happened to me, and I'm beginning to get afraid. "Ma'am! Can you help me!" I ran up to a lady in wealthy looking clothing. While running up to her, I crashed into a man who stepped outside his house. &n...

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“Old sins have long shadows ” by Cheryl Fulton

Submitted to Contest #13

I awoke that day feeling not quite myself, I couldn’t put my finger on it. I didn’t want my usual cup of coffee. But I did retrieve my newspaper from the front walkway, as I bent over, I realized I’m not hurting from my arthritis I suffer from especially the first thing in the morning. I feel great I thought, maybe that’s what that feeling was when I first woke up, I’m renewed? I waved to Mrs. Popik across the street, she mustn’t have seen me for she didn’t wave back. I was going to yell a greeting to her but thought do I really care? N...

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“Two unusual trick-or-treaters” by Ruth Kendall

Submitted to Contest #13

It was on a very cold Halloween night years ago in a three level older home that was rumored to be haunted in a very small community of the Midwest.We had the bottom half with two other renters above us.I was well prepared for the town's children that evening with bowls full of candy and a porch light that welcomed so many trick-or-treaters that I had to turn the light off well before 9:00p.m.The next few hours were spent watching a few Halloween classics while enjoying the last few candy bars I put aside for myself.At midnight a loud knock ...

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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.