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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

“Potions For You” by Orenda .

Submitted to Contest #65

(this is super silly and exaggerated, but I had so much fun writing it :')~Bitter winds howled and leaves rustled, floating away in the air. It was so cold, you could literally freeze into the frozen people from the Znarnia. But that didn't bother anyone. The weather had been just brilliant and suitable.Regardless of the horrible weather, people went to work and life went on. It was a custom that every weekend, they'd gather at midnight, circle around the bonfire and exchange stories passed down from their ancestors. Old women would unearth ...

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“A Ghostly Halloween” by 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚝 ~

Submitted to Contest #65

“To multiply a two-digit number by itself, you carry this, and blah blah, blah..” I was in math class, and Mrs.Ingrid was talking about multiplication. I dozed off, because firstly I was in Grade 11 math, so I don’t need to listen to Grade 5 stuff. Secondly, I’m thinking of what I should be for Halloween. Tomorrow was the candy-filled holiday, and I still didn’t really know what to be. My friends had known what they were gonna be since last March; Lilly is going to be Cinderella, Brody is gonna be a clown, and Grace is going to be a zombie b...

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“Witch's Brew” by Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #65

Wendy witch was going to be late again, and she knew it. It was a long trip from the Broomslick hair salon to Wisteria witch’s favorite gathering place on Halloween night in front of those human houses she enjoyed gawking at. No matter how fast Wendy’s car would drive, there was no way she would make it on time for the annual witching hunt. In Wendy’s opinion, she and her comrades were far too young to enlist this year. After all, they were only 600 years of age, and Whitley witch would only come for the snacks, leaving Wisteria to mull arou...

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“F*ck This” by Lina Oz

Submitted to Contest #65

“Sisters, are we ready?” Vanessa hisses, staring at the two other women with narrowed and dark eyes, clutching the spell book in her pale hands. She’s the tallest of the three, with long black hair to her knees and slender fingers; Regina is the thinnest, with icy blue eyes and silvery hair that swirls around her shoulders. Mary Ann is the smallest in both height and stature; she’s a tiny thing, with a small round nose and small red lips and small dry hands. But her brown eyes are large and unblinking.“Yes, sister,” Regina and Mary Ann breat...

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“Sparkly Vampires are Douche Bags” by Lina Oz

Submitted to Contest #65

This is a strictly satirical piece (and my first time writing one). I harbor absolutely no ill will toward Stephanie Meyer. Well, besides that one time she wrote a bestselling saga that spawned five movies resulting in hours of my life that I now can’t get back.///“What’s your name?”“I-it’s Ella,” I stutter, though despite my hiccup in breath, my voice is melodious and dazzling. And seductive, too. But also, virtuous.My fellow peers at the cafeteria table look up at the exact same instant. They blink simultaneously. They all lean forward to ...

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“Ollie's Bucket List” by Joe Sauers

Submitted to Contest #65

Ollie lost track of how much time he'd spent standing at the door with the purple panel, doing his best to attract the occupier’s attention, but hard as he tried, he just couldn't generate enough of a knock to alert the householder to his presence. He had just made the decision to move on to another house when he heard the latches unfasten from the inside. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged lady with big hair and a startling amount of make-up looking down at him, a forced lipstick-smeared smile projected prominently on her face."Hu...

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“A Change of Plans” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #65

A Change of Plans By: Haripriya Today was going to be the perfect day!! NOTHING was going to stop me from spending my Halloween with my best friends! We had our plan all set out already at school. We were going to meet each other at 6:00 pm since school ended one hour early today because of Halloween (at 3:00 pm). Also, the three of us reach home by bus, and the ride takes exactly 20 minutes. Meaning we have approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes to do all our homework. That sounded like a well thought out plan to me. All we had to d...

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“The Winning Coven” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #65

The Winning Coven By: Haripriya "Every Halloween night, the chosen witches' coven meets up, and attempts to connect with the ancient ancestors of the witching families, and gets to make one wish, a thoughtful and wise one, that will affect the entire witching generations past them. But do be warned, for if you make a cruel, selfish one, it will affect not just the other witches, but the witches of the coven too."They heard, as their potions teacher, Ms. Moon, read the following guidelines. The coven was chosen for which 4 stu...

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“Old Salem ” by Maya -

Submitted to Contest #65

They were the real witches of Old Salem. Thousands of innocent girls had been burned, drowned, or stoned in their place, accused of being possessed by the devil. All the while, the guilty hid in plain sight. As carefree children, giggling and skipping wherever they went. Only one night a year could they drop the facade and assume their cursed identity. This afternoon, the shining smile on Iris’s face almost felt real. As she walked through town, cheerfully waving at neighbors, her thoughts drifted off. To tonight, when all young witches ...

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“Life and Lies” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #65

Trigger warning: suicide “Mom will be fine, El.” “No, she won’t! She’s all alone and being alone is very sad.” “I understand your point El, but she likes it alone.” “Don’t be a doofus Melinda, no one likes it alone.” “But…” “No buts. We are going to stay with Mommy tonight.” ****** “Daddy, we’re going to sleep next to Mommy tonight.” Dad opens his third bottle of whiskey, not really deciphering El’s words. He just grunts, and that is enough for El, who pulls my hand and dr...

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“My First Halloween” by N S

Submitted to Contest #65

“The last globally visibly full moon on Halloween was in 1944 during world war 2 and now after 76 years my first Halloween is on the full moon.” – I read in the news article on the web and couldn’t have been more excited. What should I dress up like? Dracula’s partner? But I have no Dracula to accompany me. Perhaps A witch? Nah. Oh gosh! It is my first Halloween, and I want to be my best! Thought Danni to herself. Danni was super excited about her costume and first Halloween. Having grown up in Istanbul and moving to Brasov only last year,...

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“my ugly little husband” by Masha Kurbatova

Submitted to Contest #65

I’m lying in bed, just me, next to my ugly little husband. Aw, I’m being mean, aren’t I? He’s not that bad, just hairy around the neck and soft in the belly, and his face isn’t too symmetrical. But I’ve seen worse. And I’m used to it all, the way his nose folds into his lip, his hair sticks out by the ears. It’s comfortable, comforting, like the horrible wallpaper at Grandma’s house. It’s just that tattoo that bothers me. He sleeps shirtless, so when I’m awake at night, I always see it, a penguin on the left side of his ribcage. He w...

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“Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!” by Raquel Rodriguez

Submitted to Contest #65

The wind howled like a banshee, cutting through the silence of the black sky like a scissor.Boys and girls - even parents - of all sizes flooded the decorated streets.The witches in the house had scared many trick-or-treaters away with their 'creepiness,' blood, and pranks, so they were bored out of their minds now, needing something to do.“Alright, let the-” Amany said, waving a stick in the air and kicking her chunky black wedge heels off. She was forced to the side by an elbow, and a girl who was smiling from ear-to-ear took her place.“Le...

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“On the Tombstones” by Akshaya Sutrave

Submitted to Contest #65

A chilled bout of breeze, the howl of wolves in the night and the moonlight casting shadows on the sidewalk. Nicholas and I were half hidden in the shadows, our clothes rippling in the wind. We exchanged a look that was part fright and part thrilled. “Definite?” I asked, my voice cutting through the silence. “Yes.” Nicholas tried to put on a brave face but I could comprehend his own uncertainty. We began advancing, remembering to remain in the dark, so as not to be seen. There wasn’t a hoot from anybody, and the silence stung my ears. Why wo...

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“One of The Guys” by Maya Zauberman

Submitted to Contest #65

It’s the crack of dawn in the suburbs when Marcus comes to the door, knocking with the edge of his gun on the door. The sky’s red, and gold, with a tiny hint of blue, just like his huffing, clearly cold face. He shuffles his feet on the welcome mat, jumping from one foot to another as he peers through the window. “Hello!” Marcus screams, as loud as an asthmatic smoker could. “Anyone home? I’m the new neighbor!” His voice is gruff and low. Silence. Curtains ruffle in the window, with a nose and a glaring pair of eyes disappearing fr...

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$50

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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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