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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#272: Fright Night

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsyFright to share your stories (and potentially be featured on our social accounts)!

Spooky season has arrived, and what better way to embrace this time of year than by diving into some spine-chilling writing? I’m constantly amazed by the variety of enthralling narratives we come across in this contest — from subtle, eerie stories with sinister undertones to tales that are outright macabre.

So, as one of the year's most popular holidays approaches, let’s get into the Halloween spirit and conjure up some creepy tales. Grab your coziest sweater and favorite hot drink, and let’s get writing!

This week's prompts

Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Short Story – 112 stories

Start or end your story with someone running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Dramatic – 85 stories

Write a story from the point of view of a ghost, vampire, or werewolf.

Short Story – 144 stories

Center your story around someone trying to resist their darker impulses — and they’ll either succeed or fail.

Angst – 63 stories

Write a story in which the narrator or a character says "Did you hear that?"

Short Story – 84 stories

Stories

“Third Time's a Charm...” by Elaine Monaghan

Submitted to Contest #272

It was pretty common in the 1960’s, for many people to leave New York City, for a better quality of life in the suburbs. Grassy backyards replaced sidewalks and streets, providing a better place for kids to play without dodging cars in the big city. In addition to providing a better environment for one’s family, it allowed people to own their own homes for the first time—something that eluded past generations. Thanks to the G.I. Bill, many who could never afford a house could now achieve the American dream of home ownership.People who left t...

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“Conflict Resolution - A Practical Example” by Keith Vallencourt

Submitted to Contest #272

My then junior-high daughter, Jezebel, fell under the spell of a ninth grade hellion we’ll call “Emma.” Emma had dedicated herself to a precocious mastery of mascara, rock n’ roll, and, worst of all, boys, so naturally we sprang into action to rescue our perfect little angel from Emma’s ruinous clutches. Now, Emma wasn’t the first bad influence we’d had to deal with, but the only tween-size plot left in the backyard was under my wife’s prized tomato plants, which we hated to spoil because they were coming along so beautifully. Plus, we suspe...

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“Down With The Sickness” by Joseph Wilbur

Submitted to Contest #272

It’s happening again. I can feel him again. I’ve even started seeing him in the mirror again. I’m standing there in a steamy bathroom staring at my reflection. A flash of light revealing my face, twisted and deformed. It’s gone again before my eyes register the change. This is not the first time I’ve seen this. Before it was always in a dream. Now I am completely awake. “What is wrong with you” I say to the mirror, half expecting the mirror me to answer. But he just looks back dumbfounded and weary. Eventually I am able to pull myself ...

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“Catharsis” by Aaryan Mishra

Submitted to Contest #272

The weather was inclement now. More inclement than when the house had burned down. He supposed it was something to do with the train station. His eyes wandered past the usual galleries of muted colour; muffled tones of grey cement and pallid blues streaked across great snaking trains. The distinct aromas of creosote and hot electricity that wafted about and always made his nostrils weak. The metallic voice of the female PA announcer, whose robotic monotone played over and over in the minds of passers-by like a distant m...

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“Face thief” by Hanna Brauncajs

Submitted to Contest #272

Allegedly people get put off by the idea of tearing off somebody’s face. But then, which ultimately makes me wonder, why so?Has society succeeded in depriving itself of curiosity? Are we no longer capable of engaging in anything, of not being completely absorbed by the very performance itself? Do we no longer have impulses, does nothing emerge from our darkest, most primal nature? Have we managed to tame those instincts? Have we over-humanized ourselves? Are we legitimized even to call ourselves humans? Or are we already someone – somet...

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“Temptations ” by Sophie Jackman

Submitted to Contest #272

"Hi." I stepped into the jeweler's store, the security guard opening the door and giving me a curt nod. I tried to ignore the sound of my fluttering heartbeat. It had been so long since I had been in a store. With so many things. To steal. I ignored how my eyes started twitching at the thought. You see, I'm a naturally talented thief, and without a doubt, unfortunately that is my one true vocation in life. And girls. Speaking of which, there was a particularly gorgeous one looking at me from behind the counter, her bright blue eyes framed b...

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“Tales” by Film Guy

Submitted to Contest #272

My name doesn’t matter. If you must have one, call me the Storyteller. It’s not my real name but it’s what I’ve wanted to be called for years. And I finally can. I’ve always loved stories. I like making sure there’s a nice beginning, middle, and end. It’s what we all look for in a story. Change and development. And that’s what I’ve loved to do from my childhood to my old age. I look for stories all over. In libraries, in bookstores. I’m obsessed with finding the perfect story, the perfect set of tales to captivate people, to draw...

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“Last Time” by Debbie Wingate

Submitted to Contest #272

Deranged killer Michael Meyers couldn’t look like a wimp. When Ricky turned on his pocket-sized flashlight, he hoped no one knew it was him under the mask. He couldn’t believe he let Rachel talk him into meeting at the cemetery. They’d decided a month earlier, when they both became teenagers, this would be their last time trick-or-treating. Rachel insisted it be a memorable occasion.It was already memorable for Ricky. He didn’t like being alone in the dark, and the broken streetlight in front of the graveyard made it spookier than it should ...

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“Little Ash Girl” by Amy Lynn

Submitted to Contest #272

Little Ash GirlChapter 1 There was a slight breeze blowing across the barren wheat fields on either side of the winding gravel road on that long ago day. I felt it in my bones, though it wasn’t a cold breeze. I wonder now it was a warning of what was to come. We feel the wind, but we seldom listen to it. Perhaps we should. The wind has been places and played witness to things that are far beyond the reach of our imagination. It knows what has come before and perhaps it also whispers of things to come. I recently graduated from NYU with a de...

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“Trick-or-Treat!” by Jonathan Clark

Submitted to Contest #272

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!I paused the movie* and my wife and I turned and smiled at each other. This was our first Halloween where we decided to embrace the full stay-at-home experience: the kind where you ditch the parties and usual Halloween chaos with friends and participate in the life of the neighborhood by passing out candy to trick-or-treaters. “First customers,” I said with a grin. A low, involuntary groan escaped my lips as...

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“ "Dream House"” by Carolyn Teel Saletto

Submitted to Contest #272

"Dream House" Day 1. Alice Braddock sat bent over and stiff at her computer, her eyes strained to see through her corrective lens as she compulsively chews gum. She examined the latest financials for Braddock Retirement Home or BRH, as it was known in the small waterfront community of Blaine, WA. To the left of her computer sat a silver framed picture of a young Alice, her parents standing solemnly by her side. The slightly faded black and white picture was a constant reminder, a knife that still cut into her side as she typed awa...

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“Organ Grinders” by Arthur McNamee

Submitted to Contest #272

CW: This story contains references to human dismemberment and the use of the term "gypsy." Reader discretion is advised.Dr. Henry Moreau started his day by listening to the same awful music being played outside. An organ grinder trolled the congested Boston, MA streets; looking for eager patrons to listen to his soothing melodies, cajoled by his cute Capuchin monkey’s dance, and possibly make enough money for a bite to eat. It wasn’t as though the song being played was an awful choice.It wasn't . It was because it was being played so badly a...

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“The Tin Box” by Keith Nicholls

Submitted to Contest #272

The Tin Box I was in the market for a new place to live and had an appointment with my realtor to check out a condominium in mid-town Memphis. As I pulled into a guest parking spot in front of the condo building, the message alert on my phone chimed. The name on the screen was Watts Realty. I read the text, “Sorry Paul, running a little late…be there by 2:45, 3 at the latest, I promise.” I was not surprised that Marcia Watts was running late, again. I glanced at my watch. It was twenty minutes after two. To kill time, I decided to che...

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“Phantasm” by Dominick Johnson

Submitted to Contest #272

Sherry Steele didn’t have many friends, nor did she want many. Tonight, she will regret that decision. The day started with the tapping of a leaky faucet in her kitchen at 10 a.m. She lived in a “humble” 500 square feet apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan, near the Bronx. It was a near ancient building in New York terms; so when she was rushing out the door and noticed the leak, she wasn’t surprised, just disappointed. She was going to be early to work for the first time in ages, and now she had to notify them that she would ...

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“Gothic Short Story” by Will Melendez

Submitted to Contest #272

In Anchorage, Alaska, in the Forest of Death, Malcolm, his family, and their dog are on a camping trip for five days. They arrive at the campsite a little after ten in the evening, getting the tents set up and ready to unpack their gear and bed down for the night. Ares, Malcolm’s son, takes their dog Zeus, on a late night stroll through the forest. Zeus gravitates to a large pine tree and answers his call of nature; Ares, not wanting to see his dog relieve himself, stands a few trees away playing with a baby toad when he hears the sudden sc...

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$250

Prize money

488

Contest entries

175

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 18, 2024 EST

Won by Mortimer Ridgewood 🏆

Title: Drone

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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