#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 – 46 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 Transition” by Laurentz Baker

Submitted to Contest #13

I found out in the most interesting way that I died. My plan was to stay in all weekend. The first time for a while. I was simply going to watch the college football triple-header, but then I realize I have nothing to drink, no pizza, no chips nothing for breakfast or lunch next week. No point starving in the process. It’s an early October weekend, but not too cold. I throw on some shorts and head out. And who do I run into? Literally, run into. Lake Montgomery.I hadn’t seen her in years. I was looking into the freezer section at the grocery...

2 comments 2

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“Variety” by Jessica C

Submitted to Contest #13

Richard Miller was average; middle aged, mediocre shape, slightly balding. He was not married nor had he ever been, and he lived in a modest two bedroom Cape Cod on a street called Oak in a town known as Pleasant Hill. Richard had a good job-one that he could tolerate at least, teaching ninth grade English at the local high school. His students were mostly attentive and never gave him a great deal of trouble, except for that time that they found out his first name and used it more than once in a sexual context. But ...

2 comments 2

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“Home for the Holiday” by Melanie S.

Submitted to Contest #13

I was sixteen when I first realized the aching in my heart that I had for him. He was an enigma to me, a mysterious figure. I was never able to get him alone until that one night - the rest was history. It had been three months since I had last been home; he was all I could think about. Memories of him kept me awake at night, kept me daydreaming during classes. In the bars, I watched my friends slink their way up to men, their eyes glimmering - but I could not bear to even look at another man. It was him - and only him - on my mind. ...

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“Behind the Pine Door” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #13

BEHIND THE PINE DOORI’d always liked Virginia – Ginny, as she preferred to be called. We weren’t the sort of neighbours who were constantly in and out of each others’ houses. We needed our own space and respected each others’ privacy. But she was a comfortable and considerate neighbour, and I liked to think she thought the same about me. I knew she thought my garden was messy, and I wasn’t too keen on her excess of decking, but it never turned into an issue. At Christmas she had a beautifully decorated real tree and ...

3 comments 3

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“A spoonful of sugar” by Hailie Durante

Submitted to Contest #13

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 like a lurid c...

5 comments 5

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“The moon in my hands ” by Nicole Plaia

Submitted to Contest #13

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 the kitchen where I b...

4 comments 4

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“The Haunting of Haddon Hall” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #13

The Haunting of Haddon Hall “Does the hotel have a ghost?” an old lady asks hopefully. I listen with interest. Haddon Hall is a beautiful building that used to be a family home back in the Victorian era. It’s only recently been turned into a hotel after spending years in a state of disrepair. The tour guide consults her notes. She’s a severe looking woman with hair scraped back into a tight bun and spiky shoes that clatter on the restored parquet floor of the large reception hall. “Well, you know we can’t promise any actual sightings ...” s...

2 comments 2

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“A black cat in a dark room” by Agathe Burrier

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #13

It was a slender, graceful animal, with large green eyes and a small pink tongue in its triangular-shaped face. It was grooming itself when I turned the corner, delivering soft, measured licks onto its shining fur. But none of that mattered: it was a cat, and it was black. That only was important.I do not believe in coincidences. Right as I was making my way past him, the cat got up and crossed my path, all smooth motion and unstoppable omen of the providence. It did not even trouble me that much; sometimes bad luck is just that, a black cat...

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“One Time Too Many” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #13

“It just happened again.” I look up from the delivery schedule I’m studying and glance at my coworker. “What?” Josh stares back at me, a frown wrinkling his brow. “I saw another cat. Another black one.” He gestures out through the windshield of the truck. “Scampered across the street right in front of me as I was coming back from the drop-off.” I glance in the indicated direction, but all I can see is the rain, sheeting down out of an overcast sky, coming down so hard that it nearly hides the building that line the street. “Okay. And that’s ...

2 comments 2

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“A POSITIVELY Spooky Evening ” by Lauren Pagano

Submitted to Contest #13

It had been a little over two years since Sarah and Robert had begun trying. At this point Sarah considered herself an expert in compartmentalizing the sorrow she felt every time another negative test found its way from her hands and into the seemingly bottomless trash of all her maternal dreams. The insensitive chattering from friends and family that had once rattled her to the core was now simply an incessant buzzing she shoved to the back of her mind to the best of her abilities."Oh when are you two ever gonna have children?" all the aunt...

2 comments 2

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“A VERY SPECIAL GUEST” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #13

A VERY SPECIAL GUESTJennie Dobson prided herself on not being one of those people that hotel owners and employees dreaded. Her Auntie Jean had owned a guest house for many years, and had plenty to say on the subject of “people who complain for the sake of it”. She was a reasonable person, and had no problem at all about legitimate grievances and requests. Many people came back year after year. But that wasn’t the kind of thing she meant. She had sold the guest house five years ago now, and more than once had said to ...

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“The Afterparty” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #13

The mansion was immense, a construct of towers, turrets, and gables linked by mansard roofing, crowned by a railing of black iron. The walls were dotted with windows, a hodgepodge of arch, lattice, and porthole, from small circles to long, narrow rectangles. The exterior was liberally decorated with ornate scrollwork, trimming every edge and border. A sweep of broad steps led up to a large porch, its roof supported by tall columns. The whole place was a masterful study in Victorian architecture, something ...

0 comments 0

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“A TRAIL OF LIES” by Gokul Nair

Submitted to Contest #13

"Impossible.""Ma'am, I swear I am telling the truth.""Do you expect me to believe that Miss Emerald- a lady who I met many days ago -has been dead for ten years?"I glared at the man standing in the doorway. "Let me in. Now."He blocked me. "Not until you tell me who you are."I dropped the bag I had been carrying, ruffled through my jeans pockets, and brought out my driver's license. "Here."He was a lanky young man, and he wore glasses. He scratched his rust coloured untidy hair, and peered at my license. I studied him as he came up closer. Th...

1 comment 1

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“The day my life changed” by Efrat Rosen

Submitted to Contest #13

November 11th, 2575"I can't believe I'm late…" I murmured as I tried to walk as fast as I could with my heels.I stopped myself before a red light. I wanted to scream for it to change. Just when it turned green, someone bumped me."Hey, watch where you're….!" The youngster in front of me looked angry, but…For some reason, he stopped the sentence. I wanted to punch him."Aren't you the one who should be apologizing?" I told him."Wait a minute…" he looked confused "I did bump into someone, didn't?""That's not funny, young man. Apologize! I'm even...

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“Where Mr. Joe-Bob?!” by Deanna West

Submitted to Contest #13

Every year, especially around the holidays Mr. Joe-Bob has his home decorated Soo nicely according to whatever holiday it was at that particular time. Him and his wife, Mrs. Sally Mae have been married for nearly 40years. They met when they were middle school as the best of friends. Their relationship didn't become serious until college. They ended up getting married after their 1st years of college... Only 18 and 19 years old young in love, yet ambition for the life they wanted to share together. They worked as creative writers for the youn...

1 comment 1

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$50

Prize money

224

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.