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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

“NIGHT FISHING” by Glenn Parsons

Submitted to Contest #272

NIGHT FISHINGNorthern Gulf of Mexico, Fishing Vessel Crimson Tide,40 miles south of Mobile Bay, Alabama, 4 AM The tiger shark had followed the boat for several hours attracted first by the low-frequency sounds that a working shrimp boat created and further reinforced by the smell of dead and dying fish that trailed behind. A twelve-foot female, her sensory systems fired urgent signals into her walnut-sized brain alerting her that food was nearby. Having found no prey in days, she was starving and the 38 pups she carried in her swollen belly ...

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“Not All Men” by Allix James

Submitted to Contest #272

(This story does include some swearing, and hints at inappropriate behaviour - though this is not explicit) The forest crept dark into the valley. It was there I found myself, tucked away in my uncle’s cabin, retreating from the world. A malaise held thick the woods outside, pushing me deeper into my story, the ghost of it ugly in my periphery. I had come to write, to alter the narrative - the incident haunting my mind. I kept a pattern during those days, an order to placate the ruinous thoughts: would write the morning through; pour coffee ...

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“The Gloaming of Bitterness” by Debra Tillar

Submitted to Contest #272

The Gloaming of Bitterness Brora leaned over the balcony wall, taking a slap of wet wind to her face. She held tight to the iron baluster and wondered what it would feel like to uncurl her fingers and let herself fly. The palace courtyard was two stories below and paved with rough-cut flagstone. Some weeks earlier a young servant, suspected of treachery against the Earl, had been dangled over the east tower parapet then deliberately dropped, legs first. He hadn’t died, had been sent in agony by mule cart back to his co-conspirators in Strom...

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“Nightjar” by Kara Lane

Submitted to Contest #272

Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of domestic abuse, emotional manipulation, and physical violence that may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with caution if these topics may trigger difficult emotions or memories.I can’t run—too much noise. The last thing I want is to be caught. I gently push the heavy sheets off, fear lacing every cell of my being. As the weight of the blankets lift from my chest, I feel lighter already. A deep, guttural noise breaks the silence. I see where The Monster lies resting. I free...

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“Dead End” by Angela Ewing

Submitted to Contest #272

Word count: 2743 Dead Endby Angela Ewing I am lost, driving on a long empty road in the Arizona desert in front of a truck that has been beh...

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“Rosepot Reapers” by Weronia Writes

Submitted to Contest #272

“The whirlwind saga of Rosepot Reapers comes to an end! The infamous gang terrorizing Bellemonte since May has been successfully captured and awaits a trial. The story garnered public’s attention last May when three of the gang’s members attacked the Mayor’s son. Criminals left him with a broken arm and a concussion in a stranded property south of the city, having the previous day kidnapped him from his father’s garden as the man was tending to roses. This occurrence brought the group’s antics to the forefront of police as well as the Mayor’...

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“If Thine Eye” by Gail M Feldman

Submitted to Contest #272

It's funny: I came home from Kabul intact and immediately lost my left eye. Five days home, three days drunk, went through a red light. Two little girls and their mother died; I live with that. Thanks to a sympathetic jury, I did no jail time, just had to attend classes, pick up lots of trash and meet with a probation officer, a nice young woman, married, of course, so nothing to do but joke around and be respectful. A year later, with the government still trying to decide whether to pay for a new eye, I stumbled out of my overpriced Brookly...

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“Elbows and Knees” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #272

Sleeping three in a bed, top to tail, was never an outcome that any of us wanted. But the flat was cold enough that whenever we spoke, our breath misted the air as if we were dragons. Benedict tried for a while to sleep in the tin bath, but kept bashing himself on the sides. Besides, he reported that the tin radiated cold, which, naturally, it would do. We never bathed properly anymore as heating enough water was far too much effort and only the first of us to bathe felt much of a benefit. One less thing to argue about when we gave up on bat...

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“Johnny Be Good, Please.” by Tucker Sloan

Submitted to Contest #272

Johnny Be Good, Please.Trigger Warning: This short story contains gun violence and mature themes. John was a stupid name. A family name. A name I was stuck with. I wanted to change it in second grade when a fellow student began calling me Johnny B- after a character he saw in a movie once. “My name is John!” I told him right before I smacked his lower lip. I could hit pretty hard for a second grader. You had bette...

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“The Terrifying Tale of Todd's Totally Spooky Night” by Tina Harden

Submitted to Contest #272

Todd Braverman considered himself the bravest man in Cowardly Creek, which, admittedly, wasn't saying much in a town where the annual Courage Festival involved competitive hiding under blankets. But Todd was determined to prove his mettle once and for all by spending the night in the town's infamous "Murder Mansion," a dilapidated Victorian house on the hill that had been vacant since the previous owners fled screaming about a demonic Roomba.Armed with nothing but a flashlight, a bag of cheese puffs, and his lucky rabbit's foot (which, much ...

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“Mrs. Sanchez” by Sabrina Chacon

Submitted to Contest #272

The way she moved amongst the crowd of students in the hallway pissed me off. She wore dress pants and a blue blouse, with heels that made her far taller than she needed to be. Long brown hair, even browner eyes and a smile that made everyone feel at home all came together to make a woman that I suppose other women envied and most men wanted. I trailed behind her, the students seemingly parting as I passed through so that I touched no one. Whether they knew I was there or not, I had no idea. Their faces all seemed so similar yet so strange...

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“Hyde Mind” by Tavi Oliver

Submitted to Contest #272

The rain pattered against the window, drumming a staunch rhythm in the darkly lit room. In this small, stuffy space, stale coffee and old books hung in the air, with the faintest hint of something more sinister. Alexandra Vine sat hunched over her desk, the glowing, soft luminous light of the lamp casting a radiance over the tangled mess of papers surrounding her. Chaotic, frantic thoughts weighed upon each sheet, a mirror of the storm that brewed within her and the one outside her window. Ever since the accident, Alexandra had fought this d...

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“The Sun Is My Night Light” by Sive Rivers

Submitted to Contest #272

The Zoltar fortune card I held felt as though the machine was mocking me. Remember, yesterday, you could not wait for today to arrive. It went on about being content and happy, and looking forward to tomorrow. Once I left the park, I’d toss it. “That was so much fun! I’m glad you grew out of your fears. Weren’t those haunted houses cool?!” My sister was starting to stumble around. Her boyfriend wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady as we headed towards the exit gates and out to the parking lot. Since I could no longer drink...

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“Chronicling the Ages : A Sanguivore's Reflection” by B. D. Bradshaw

Submitted to Contest #272

Chronicling the Ages : A Sanguivore's ReflectionA comprehensive account of the eras spanning the vivications of the esteemed Lady Lahmia Pavel.Era OneDawn of ImmortalityMy intimate era. This age marks my most profound transformation - the end of my mortal life, and rebirth as Sanguinis renatus, a creature of the endless night. My beloved, Demetrius, has bestowed his most precious gift, sharing his blood, that we may rule these lands together, immortal. The process was agonising, yet necessary, and Demetrius remained at my side through it all...

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“Moonlit Malady” by Arthur Yates

Submitted to Contest #272

*This story features elements of dread, horror, mild gore, and adult language*“The damn dog got out,” Bill muttered to himself, noticing the back door ajar, allowing the frigid night air to invade his kitchen. Fall nights were merciless in the northern mountains of Utah, and Bill wasn’t about to let the sonabitch Winston inflate his heating bill just to chase another squirrel and get those prickleys—Bill's term for burrs—tangled in his fur. Snatching his coat from the arm of the couch, he shot his wife a terse explanation and stormed out, sl...

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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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