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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

“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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“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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“Finders Keepers” by Randolph Pierce

Submitted to Contest #215

Being a good, loyal member of the parish served by the local Catholic church, Spencer Wood again found himself coming forward to help when needed. In his late 50s, while life was presenting more challenges related to the inevitability of growing older, Spencer felt he was capable enough in regard to his mind and body to make a meaningful contribution of his time and energy. The tray full of bills, sorted by denomination, each stack held secure with a triangular metal clip, stared up at ...

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“We rented a killer cabin....” by Tricia King

Submitted to Contest #215

The heavy knife clattered to the tile floor. Rochelle’s hands and clothes were covered in thick, dark blood. The once yellow cardigan began dripping the surplus of blood from its sleeve onto the kitchen floor with a low dull slopping sound. Rochelle’s pink and white floral dress was in ruins, and her kitten heels left little triangles and dot shapes in blood as she crossed the kitchen floor. Without even rinsing her hands, she grabbed a rocksglass from the drainboard of the old country sink. She plinked a few cubes of ice into the glass fro...

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“The Stranger in the Coffee Shop” by Mary Richards

Submitted to Contest #215

The urge to kill, to harm, to maim, had always been there. As long as he could remember, Jake wanted to hurt things. When he was younger, it had been birds and unsuspecting cats. His mother had been horrified by his behavior and she sent him away, to a place that could pray the evil out of him. It worked for awhile, but the desire to harm was creeping in again. Only this time, he wanted more. *** Carissa hauled her bag, containing her computer and notebooks everywhere she went. Today the plan was to work on her novel at the little coffee sho...

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“Smiling Turmoil. ” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #215

In the shadowed depths of a grim and eerie city, there dwelled a man named Eddie Harris, a soul tormented by the relentless pull of his darker impulses. His existence was a tenebrous tapestry, woven with threads of both virtue and vice, and it was in the subterranean labyrinth of the subway where the sinister symphony of his inner turmoil played out. One fateful night, as Eddie descended into the bowels of the metropolis, the haunting voices inside his mind seemed to materialize in the desolate tunnels, as if whispered by the very specters...

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“Muse” by Andy Darby

Submitted to Contest #215

I can feel the wind blowing down the tunnel. That warm breeze that announces the arrival of a train. The smell of metal and grease mixing with the scent of humanity. The train slides noisily out of the darkness and stops at the eastbound platform opposite. She is there on my platform. She always stands in the same place every day, just in front of the Tube map and about halfway towards the track. I have watched her every morning and the longing has grown day by day, week by we...

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“Burning Desire” by Dora Bona

Submitted to Contest #215

Smoke, my faithful assistant and constant ally, has enveloped the apartment. Acrid black plumes roll and swirl around you like unbroken stallions, but they can't be tamed. Even with your breathing apparatus you will need to get out of here fast, or you’ll be overcome. *** Growing up, I was considered good looking, in a pretty-boy sort of way. I didn’t like the term at first; it sounded almost demeaning. But I soon realized that some labels can be useful, and should not be taken for granted. Socially, I learned fast by studying th...

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“The House on Elmendorf” by Buddy Calvo

Submitted to Contest #215

Jack Klee had been a friend of the family for as far back as I can remember. He wandered in and out of our lives ever since I was a child, usually around the holidays and summers. Jack would drift across the state and beyond, but he always seemed to make it back to us and we were always happy when he did. He would say his time with us was therapeutic and just what he needed after a season of traveling. He was a white man, tall, light brown almost blonde hair. He always wore the same outfit, a large, brimmed Panama hat, blue denim type button...

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“Hide & Seek” by Ryder Blow

Submitted to Contest #215

The clock struck twelve and chimed out an eerie trill of notes. The song that played on the clock sent shivers down my spine. Each note slightly out of tune and overlapping with one another in some sort of chaotic melody. 'Midnight has come, the moon has risen. The time is neigh. The rules are simple,' I heard a voice boom out throughout the dusty old house. The walls looked as if they were falling apart, the flood boards curled and peeling up. 'Just don't get caught. Have fun.' Each syllable was just as long and drawn out as the last to add...

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“The Manor of Hell” by Christyn G.

Submitted to Contest #215

The night was engulfed in a brewing storm, as the daunting house shrouded in darkness. A whirlwind of flickering blue and red lights cast eerie silhouettes within, dancing through the wide-open front door. In the distance, thunder rumbled, and the footsteps ascending the porch steps caught the attention of a man with a buzz cut. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, and he stood by the door, swiftly turning his head at the sound of his name.“Detective Saar, you need to see this,” a middle-aged police officer urgently informed him. Detec...

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“The Haunted Ride” by Christine Van Zandt

Submitted to Contest #215

September 12, 2023 Historical Fiction Horror Middle School The Haunted Ride By Christine Van Zandt 1,262 words 1976 Benjamin Clyde Miller did not believe in ghosts. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about California, but, for the first time that Ben could remember, he had a room of his own, in a home that wasn’t rolling down the highway. He’d crisscrossed the US with his dad who worked at one carnival or another, until finding this job operating the legendary Laff in the Dark. “Are you ready to meet our ghost tomorrow?” Dad asked, sprawled...

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“What Gets Left Behind” by David O'Mahony

Submitted to Contest #215

It was a hard thing, being dead. Watching the rise and fall of the seasons without the heat of the sun on your face or the chill of a winter storm. Seeing the world change in flashes and cutscenes but with time standing still. Growing attached to the people living in your house (he always thought of them as lodgers) only to find them suddenly grown or gone. Most of all, Art just felt so very, very tired. Whenever he manifested, it was with a feeling of immense sadness, and with the basement door at his back. He could go anywhere in the...

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“Grass” by Josh Vogt

Submitted to Contest #215

Belmont was a town from the movies, but the movies just hadn’t found it yet. That’s what people would say. Three stoplight downtown kinda place. Football at the high school on Fridays was required attendance. Everybody - all the adults, anyhow - worked at the factory. Either that or one of the shops.You move in, they bring you pies. You move out - well, you don’t. There’s no reason to.But Belmont had its legends. That’s what you’re asking me about, right?It’s typical. For one, they always brought a goat onto the field before the Tigers games...

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“Far Too Far Down” by Jake Fordyce

Submitted to Contest #215

Aubrey’s first thought upon seeing the house was how desperately lonely it was, like desert rain. There was nothing else as far as she could see between the mountains on each side of the valley, and even the mountains seemed to be trying to lean away from the house. Four people, a house, and a nervous moon peeking out from behind its dark cloud quilt. Her second thought was how small it was. She watched it approach for miles, waiting for it to grow into one of the large, foreboding manors that she had come to expect from these yearly trips. ...

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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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