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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#215: Monstrous

Monsters have haunted the human consciousness forever. Or, more specifically, for as long as we’ve had the ability to wonder what might be lurking in the darkness. They might have teeth, claws, and an insatiable thirst for blood. But not all monsters are made like this. Some of them look just like you and me, and that makes them all the more terrifying.

So then, what makes a monster? Is it outward appearance or terrible deeds? Where’s the line between monster and human anyway? Because sometimes, the fanged beast might be less of a threat than the familiar.

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone trying to resist their darker impulses. Whether they succeed or fail is up to you.

Dark – 100 stories

Set your story in a haunted house.

Horror – 70 stories

Write a story about a monster trying to become more human. Or about a human trying to become more monstrous.

Thriller and Suspense – 60 stories

You confront the monster you’ve spent many long years hunting. Except they’re not exactly what you thought they’d be…

Adventure – 45 stories

Write a story about someone making a deal with the devil.

Dark – 112 stories

Stories

“Below The Surface” by Peter Stone

Submitted to Contest #215

By Peter Stone "Jennifer, why exactly did we move here again," asked Dennis who for the third time that morning had to close the basement door. The Hobbs were a young couple that just wanted a change from the hustle and bustle of the life they experienced in New York. They both had tried to have children with the past partners but we’re never successful. The thought of going through life without a child was turning Jennifer into a nightmare for Dennis. There wasn’t a day go by that she didn’t look up fertility clinics on the internet. “Jen...

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“House of Mirrors” by Mark Gagnon

Submitted to Contest #215

House of Mirrors The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. That didn’t surprise me because I maintain this Fun House. They designed the mirrors in here to distort people’s images and create confusion as the patrons moved along a dimly lit path. People laughed at their elongated or squatty reflections. They tease their friends about how big or small they look in a particular mirror. It’s all done for a laugh, at least that is what I thought. The Fun House is one of multiple exhibits featured in a traveling carnival that arrived in to...

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“Fire and Ice” by Sally-Ann Hodgekiss

Submitted to Contest #215

This is a game. I am the last piece on the board, and I am wondering why I ever thought of playing.Body heat warms a small space, Eskimos a testament. It was warm for a while. The storm has fled this desolation, but the cold remains, invulnerable.I. Not so.The pain is gone. Like fourth degree burns, the cold is horrific, but welcome because the nerves are destroyed or perhaps indifferent. Emotions are worse than cold, but just like pain, they eventually realise there is no one listening. Fire and ice. Desire and hate. These concepts sit beyo...

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“It Had to Be” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #215

You’d think I would know better. Really. It was a simple thing: just be normal, like everyone else. Enter a crowded room and not wonder about everything.Oh, how I would try! Let’s see. Work hard at not working hard! Absurd enough? Absurdism had nothing on me. Master of Dissembling that I was! Or am, whatever!You wonder if there will ever be enough of me to go around. There wasn’t enough of me for myself. What a thought. Where was me for myself? Going gone done! Sold to the gentleman who had better things to do than think about these things!B...

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“ARMAGEDDON” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #215

ARMAGEDDON The two faced each other across the vast bedchamber of the Presidential palace. The President, himself, hair tousled, pyjamas rumpled, having been stirred from his sleep, was sitting up in bed, adjusting his plump, silk encased pillows so that he could, more comfortably, address the intruder and disturber of his slumbers. “You startled me. I wasn’t expecting you so soon”. “You call. I come. Hasn’t that always been the way?” The speaker, a debonair, bearded man of indescribable age, dressed, head to toe, in black, spoke...

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“The Darkness Within” by Roxanne J. Black

Submitted to Contest #215

And the morning came. The sun peeked over the ancient roofs of Northon House, glowing with pallid shyness as it rose lazily over the first day after the full moon. The sun rose dragging away the shadows of that horrifying night, and although we all knew that the nightmares would never really leave.As the morning came, I squeezed Amy’s hand in mine. I could still hear the screams, ringing like the echo of thunder in my ears and when I briefly closed my eyes—hoping that sleep would chase the ghosts away—I still saw the terrifying yellow, wicke...

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“Dabbling with the Devil” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #215

Satan’s smiling at me. I don’t know why I’m shocked to see him; I invited him here. He looks much more alluring than I could have imagined. He doesn’t have any horns, nor is he red with a pitchfork. He looks like a pleasant man: good looking and friendly but with eyes that are hypnotically evil. He reminds me of a serial killer I’ve seen in a documentary – one of the affable ones you couldn’t help but like, despite knowing the monstrosities of which they are capable. He is easy to talk to, welcoming, cheery – everything that no one exp...

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“I Make My Own Waves” by Melissa Van Rensburg

Submitted to Contest #215

What lengths would you go to make your dreams a reality? I had grappled with this question for some time. But not anymore, because I now know the answer: I would do whatever it takes. I had done what was required so that tonight, I can bask in a surge of pride, my fingers tracing the glimmering award next to me, tangible evidence of my hard-won achievement. As I was listening to the speeches ramble on, I thought back to how different my state of mind had been just a few months prior… Every time I received an email from my publisher, a ...

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“The trestle bridge murders” by Sofia Prado

Submitted to Contest #215

“Take my soul….” she whispers, out of breath as she lies motionless on the damp ground. He leans down and touches her lips with his. They remain breathless until she brings her cracked lips together once more. “Now give it back.” He screeches as blood trickles down his side. His shirt quickly saturates in red while he frantically wipes his wound. She watches him writhe in the dirt. He looks at her with pleading eyes, but she stands and walks away, leaving him alone in the field. “Another one last night,” he said with a grimace,...

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“Hostility House” by Ari Loden

Submitted to Contest #215

tw // verbal, emotional, and physical abuseCarol jerked awake. The sudden movement caused her dog, Hamster, to topple from the foot of the bed.Her husband shifted. His voice, tired and bearish, was low. “God, Carol, what is it?”Her own voice, panicked and high-strung, contrasted his. “You didn’t hear that whispering?”“What whispering?”“It was right in my ear! Mike, that wasn’t you?”“No. Did it sound like me?”“Well… no. I guess not.”“See, wasn’t me. No whispering. Only sleeping. Or trying to.”“Where’d Hamster go? Hamster!” Carol called.“He’ll...

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“Caliban's Bargain” by Gary Phipps

Submitted to Contest #215

Chris had always been a cautious man, careful not to slip into the abyss of risks or uncertainties. He had his life planned out like a meticulously crafted blueprint—until the terrible day when everything went south. An important business venture had failed miserably, taking with it his life savings, his reputation, and worse, the trust of his family. Just as he was contemplating the shattered pieces of his life alone in his home office, there was an abrupt knock on his door. It was 12 p.m., an odd time for visitors. “Who the hell is here ...

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“Catching the Westbound” by Gregg Voss

Submitted to Contest #215

Near Glasgow, Montana Left foot. Right foot. Breathe. Then run like hell. Only my legs won’t move in any other direction but toward that old man, sitting there in his lawn chair behind an off-white clapboard farmhouse, the extinguishing flame of the westward sun behind me lighting up his hazel irises. &nbs...

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“Pulling Back the Shroud” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #215

A full night’s sleep had become virtually impossible for Jeremy Stuart since he moved into the apartment above the Barcom & Sons Mortuary three months ago. Of course, one would expect trouble resting in a building housing the remains of the dead, and possibly their spirits. Jeremy’s sleeplessness, it seemed, stemmed from much more than b...

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“MISDIRECTION IN A HAUNTED HOTEL” by Andrew Hixson

Submitted to Contest #215

I don’t know why I stayed at this hotel. On the first night, I was the only guest. But when I retired to my room, I felt a presence. Despite the humid temperature, I felt cold and snuggled under the duvet to keep myself warm. I heard creaking sounds and footsteps outside my door. I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just the old building settling. But the feeling of being watched never left me. Unable to sleep, I explored the hotel. I walked down the corridor and came across a slightly ajar door. Curiosity got the better of me, and I push...

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“Hades' Dustbin ” by Paula Mcewan

Submitted to Contest #215

Hades’ Dustbin 1 This is Hades’ Dustbin. It holds the exit from Hell’s Gate. These are its guardians; Olly and Frank. They secure the gate. Well, that was the idea anyway. In her youth, Security Officer Olly, had been the proud owner of a lustrous Fire-Red mane. Now in her middle years, Burnt-Orange clumps grew between her broken, stubby horns. She had also developed a disconcerting resting snarl-face along the way: Frank, or Francis! when Olly had really had enough of him, liked to spend his Hades’ Dustbin nigh...

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$250

Prize money

387

Contest entries

135

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 15, 2023 EST

Won by Danielle Barr 🏆

Title: What Kind of Mother

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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