#221: Ghostly
With Halloween fast approaching, I find myself thinking about the different kinds of spooky stories we like to tell each other. Year after year, thereâs one particular topic I gravitate towards when in search of a thrill: ghosts. Whether theyâre friendly or vengeful, these haunting spectors represent more than just our fears and anxieties around our own mortality. Theyâre also symbols of the collision between the past and present, and the ways what has been can tangibly affect what will be. Itâs no wonder, with the universality of these themes, that ghosts feature in folklore from all around the world.
This week, as the veil between worlds continues to thin, letâs dive into that liminal space between life and death, and see what it has to offer us.
đĽ Winner
âClearance Aisle Libationsâ by Bay Colt
âď¸ Shortlisted
âA Ghost's Testimonyâ by AnneMarie Miles
âUnreliableâ by Scott Christenson
âShuckedâ by RJ Holmquist
âAfter the Fallâ by Laurel Hanson
âPurgo Inc.â by Aaron Galassi
âslug/saltâ by Danielle Barr
âThe Space Between Linesâ by Jesse Glover
âafterLIVEâ by Claire Marsh
âLittle Sister, Little Sister â by Diamond Keener
âBella Ciaoâ by Eric E
âFeastâ by Carol Stone
This week's prompts
Write a story from a ghostâs point of view.
Halloween
â
138 stories
Write a story about someone who is haunted. Whether by a ghost or something else is up to you.
Halloween
â
145 stories
Write a story about someone trying to raise the dead.
Halloween
â
50 stories
Write a story where ghosts and the living coexist.
Halloween
â
72 stories
Set your story in a world where contacting the dead is as easy as making a phone call.
Halloween
â
35 stories
Stories
âClearance Aisle Libationsâ by Bay Colt
âPhoning Melindaâ by Kevin B
âA Ghost's Testimonyâ by AnneMarie Miles
âUnreliableâ by Scott Christenson
âA Ghostly Discourseâ by Tom Skye
âVanishing Pointâ by Howard Halsall
âShuckedâ by RJ Holmquist
âOver My Dead Bodyâ by Jonathan Page
âRacing Shadowsâ by Rebecca Miles
âWorst First Vacationâ by MichaĹ Przywara
âYour Words â by Danie Holland
âThe Waiting Roomâ by Chris Miller
âJust a Call Awayâ by Lynn J
âThe Spooky Boogieâ by Daniel R. Hayes
$250
Prize money
440
Contest entries
155
Stories
Ended on 23:59 - Oct 27, 2023 EST
Won by Bay Colt đ
Title: Clearance Aisle Libations
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!