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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#65: Spooky Season

What is it about Halloween that we find so deeply appealing? Is it the excuse to dress up and pretend to be something other than ourselves for a few hours? The exploration of all things creepy and macabre, of subjects normally too taboo to engage with? Perhaps it’s just the abundance of all our favorite candies at the same time.

Whatever the reason, there’s no denying the allure of this thrilling and chilling holiday. And while many people’s Halloween celebrations will need to be very different this year, there’s no reason why we can’t still enjoy a bit of spooky fun!

Whether you like horror, the creepy aesthetic, or just overloading on candy, this week’s prompts have plenty of inspiration to get you into the Halloween mood.

This week's prompts

Start your story with two characters deciding to spend the night in a graveyard.

Novel – 320 stories

Write about someone’s first Halloween as a ghost.

Halloween – 206 stories

Write about a group of witches meeting up on Halloween night.

Halloween – 135 stories

Write about a vampire or werewolf who moves into a quiet suburban neighborhood.

Vampire – 160 stories

Write about someone taking a child trick-or-treating for the very first time.

Kids – 87 stories

Stories

“Trees” by Erin Crawford

Submitted to Contest #65

Slowly, the woman arose from her bed, rubbing the sleep from her swollen eyes. No time to dawdle and her steps from her bed to bathroom were as quick as she can make them be. Each movement is planned. Every breath is noted. Everything is a task, from washing her hands to brushing her long silver hair. She thanked the Goddesses above, however, that she was still able to do even the most mundane things related to living. She remembered it was Halloween and the little ones would be by, dressed up in the cutest costumes ringing her doorbell! T...

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“'Till Halloween” by Cal Carson

Submitted to Contest #65

I’d give it ‘till Halloween. The stars are alight, its milky light shining down on us, lighting our paths forward. “Faethylle, pull up! Get out of the trees!” I ignore her. Exuberance crowds my mind and each tree that I dodge sends a thrill like a thousand tingling spiders through me. I weave effortlessly through the rainbow Eucalyptus trees, a thread through their fabric. “Fae,” Elliot pleads, high above me. “If you come up here I’ll buy you a box of jelly doughnuts from town!” I laugh, pulling out of the...

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“Creeping Along” by Charles Wasilausky

Submitted to Contest #65

One day, Vince, an athletic boy of twelve and his friend John were having lunch at school. "Do you have any big plans for tonoght," John asked. Vince, who just took a bite of food, chewed, swallowed, and responded, "I don't. My parents are wanting to go visit my grandfather's grave this evening. It will be after football practice." "Are you up for a challenge," John asked, with a grin across his face. "Sure, what is the challenge," John responded. "Let's spend the night in the graveyard. We can visit a lot of people tonight," John said. "Bes...

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“A Rosy Revalation” by Natalia London

Submitted to Contest #65

A woman appeared. Her pink purse was by her side, and her glasses were hardly noticeable and tiny. She had seen multiple children dressing up in costumes. It took every ounce of her not to scold them about it. Most of the children wouldn’t understand, she told herself. But when she saw the teenagers, both dressed in outdated witch attire, she was enraged. Venefica didn’t intend to scream at them over the inaccuracies of their clothing, but she found herself doing so anyway. One said it wasn’t a big deal. The other was calling the police.&nbs...

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“A Visit with My Best Friend” by Arizona Foster

Submitted to Contest #65

It was a familiar, homey scent that reached my nose first and made my eyes flicker open with hope. Could it be true? Was I back home with my favorite person in the whole, wide world? I looked around cautiously, unsure of what would greet me first. I felt like I had been in a haze of sorts. Things weren’t quite as I remembered them. Nothing I knew as a cat made any sense lately. Not that I could articulate what I experienced recently; I only knew it wasn’t like it had been during my time with Bianca.B, as everyone so lovingly referred to...

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“The Trickster's Treat” by Ramon Martensen

Submitted to Contest #65

‘Aren’t you cold?’ I ask the little girl who’s walking next to me. Her diadem wobbles with every step she takes. She insisted on being a princess even though her mother had told her that it might be a bit old-fashioned. She didn’t care. It was her fantasy from the first trick-or-treating she had to miss, and she was not about to let go of it. ‘No, I’m not cold at all,’ she answers. Her cheeks seem to glow with excitement as she looks at all the children haunting the streets. Floating orange and red flickering lights seem to send laughter i...

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“A night at the graveyard ” by RABI CHATTERJEE

Submitted to Contest #65

The surrounding was filled with festivals. Everyone in the neighbourhood was planning for something. There was an excitement in everyone. Some planned to travel, some were preparing for a long trip. Some were planning to go for cruise holidays, and some got holidays to finish their personal jobs. But the most important thing was when Prashant shared his idea of spending a night at a graveyard on Halloween's day with Amal. It was really a childlike idea. Everyone was shocked. Well, they must have been because of Amal's tremendous fear about t...

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“Desertion of Frost” by Mel Shield

Submitted to Contest #65

Hoarfrost coated coastal grasses crunched heavily under weary feet. Neither of the men took any delight or satisfaction from the sound, with rhythmic blasts of breath pluming through the air announcing their laboured march. Countless hours they had trekked, plodding along beaten tracks, through wilderness and, most recently, atop the broken cliffs of the North East coast. Fatigued, yet determined, they had continued with no set destination or pit-stop in mind. Until, within the last hour, or so they surmised, moonlight cast a beacon for them...

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“Do it for the views” by Vameerah Darren

Submitted to Contest #65

“What’s up guys! Welcome back to ‘dareswithLandon’ today we are doing something crazy!” I clicked the stop button on the camera and walked over to where my guest for this video was waiting. I set the camera up and started recording again, “For this dare I’m bringing along…” I swung my arms to the right and she jumped into frame, “What’s up everyone!” I smiled, “My sister Miriam!” I pulled out my phone and made a show of scrolling through comments, even though I already knew what we were going to be doing. “Oh! Today’s dare is...

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“Wanda the witch's first Halloween” by SOFIA MCQUISTON

Submitted to Contest #65

Once upon a time in a small town located in the deep forest of Salem, a little witch was eagerly awaiting her first Halloween. "Ding Ding Dong..." The little girl was racing to the door to greet her friend. "Hello Serene! Ready for our first Halloween? I'm very excited." said Wanda the little witch. The group gathered their cat-shaped candy bags and headed out the door. The first house was a beautifully decorated house with a spider painted doorbell. they ringed the bell and waited for the candy to appear. "trick or treat?" the girls smiled ...

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“Nosey Neighbor” by C Britt

Submitted to Contest #65

"Three weeks." Frank peers through the blinds at the neighbor's house. "They moved in three weeks ago, and I still haven't seen anyone come or go from that house." He lets the blinds fall back into place and starts to pace. All the while, he continues to bemoan the situation. "Three freaking weeks. What are they doing over there? Why are they so secretive? No one lives that secretively unless they're up to something." The dust bunnies and spiders that were privy to this monologue didn't bother to point out the irony of the old he...

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“The Three Witches of Castle Falls” by Gabe Finch

Submitted to Contest #65

Halloween night in the town of Castle Falls is always one of the biggest events of the year, and this year should not disappoint. As darkness fills the night, children dressed as their favorite princess, witch or wizard, superhero, and ghastly ghoul begin infiltrating the neighborhood in search of the next door to knock and scream out “Trick or Treat!!!” for the delight of the next holder of candy and treats. The people of Castle Falls are a festive bunch and they take pride in celebrating their holidays, and it is not uncommon for...

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“The First Halloween” by Monica Chaddick

Submitted to Contest #65

Mona was almost as excited as Spencer was. Scratch that. Mona was more excited than Spencer, because Mona knew what was going to happen tonight and Spencer did not. Mona reached into a bag and removed a little pink bucket with dancing unicorns all around it. Next, she removed a pink body suit and tights. Reaching in again, she pulled out a tri-colored rainbow tail, a headband with little pink ears and a gold horn, and some make-up. &nb...

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“Hollows Eve” by Temnit Meshesha

Submitted to Contest #65

The carved pumpkins, hardly frightening costumes. The vibrant fall leaves, kids giggling nearby after taking more than one candy out of a bowl. It’s finally here. Halloween.I'm still fond of my trick or treating days. Dressing up as superheroes with my friends, a simple vampire alone. I can’t believe this time I will be going with my first child.We walk for a few minutes trying to find a good house, the ones with loads of decorations on the lawn. We settle on one with fake spiders on its fake webs. “Go on,” I say, nudging him forward. H...

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“Puppy’s First Trick-Or-Treat” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #65

It’s October 31st and I think if I take him trick-or-treating, it might help. Unless the fire’ll go with him. But, it’s October 31st, so we’ll give it a shot. I hope we don’t find any of his worshippers. Please God. It’s nighttime, so the maniacs have dwindled. So, I get his dog leash (he’s a dog, not a god), pillow cases, I get our three kids and the puppy (we still don’t have a name for this son-of-a-bitch), and head out the door.&nb...

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$50

Prize money

908

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 30, 2020 EST

Won by Joshua G. J. Insole 🏆

Title: Bridgemoss Guardians

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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