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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

“Witches Brew” by Sunnie Indigo-Flynn

Submitted to Contest #65

Kevri and Kyrie Jacobs held tightly to each other’s hands, walking quickly down the slick pavement away from their house. They straightened out their long purple skirts, smoothed out their hair, and then knocked on the tall, looming door of 73rd Mooney Street. The door creaked open by itself slowly, and the girls entered the house, closing the heavy door behind them. They headed from the entrance hall into the living room, where a large group of people that the girls didn’t recognize had been forming for the past few hours. They were followe...

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“Thirteen in Number” by Debbie Teague

Submitted to Contest #65

“Where is Ariel? We cannot start the meeting until we have thirteen, she knows that.” “Ariadne, she will be here, she assured me. Perhaps she was delayed with the elders. Stay calm sister.” Twelve were gathered in an old manor house on Salisbury Plains in England, seated around a large wooden table. The chairs were evenly spaced, and each had leather cushions on the seat and back. Thirteen large candles were lit: one behind each chair. On the center of the table a circle of salt and thirteen leaves (represe...

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“A Witchy Meeting” by Crys De

Submitted to Contest #65

Demenor, a young witch who was not aware that he was a witch. His mother, Damiya never wanted him to know that he had powers. Damiya, when she was younger her own mother pushed her to embrace her powers. As a child Damiya was extremely excited to have powers. Damiya could clean her room with the snap of her finger, she could get candy just by thinking about it, her powers seemed limitless. What child would not love having powers? What Damiya was not told, and the very thing she was trying to keep her son from, was the war between the g...

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“Serendipity” by Iriana Jackson

Submitted to Contest #65

The autumn leaves painted the ground an auburn orange with a dash of red as the crunch beneath my fur platforms amplified nature. My entrance into the yard was welcoming as the howling wind greeted me into the premises of my childhood home. The only house on the block that screamed Halloween with decorations. Rotten pumpkins were scattered throughout the yard with a trail of lollipops leading towards the front porch. A sudden wave of nostalgia struck me with floods of memories and deep emotions surfacing within as I stiffened in awe. I froze...

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“Hallows Eve ” by Leonidah Ariga

Submitted to Contest #65

HALLOWS EVE. l was in a room with a group of people I did not recognize sitting in a circle. Somehow I did not feel out of place. A girl stood clearing her voice to draw attention from us. Her blonde hair, pale complexion and blue eyes captured my gaze. "Our identity have been comprised. The town knows of our existence and they want blood. They have already killed one of us. We need to act now to ensure our safety." She spoke and the rest of us agreed. A chant begun. I could not make the words as we continued to chant even louder. A spark of...

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“Allana’s Vengeance” by Ali Anthony Bell

Submitted to Contest #65

It’s October 29th, 1640, in East Lothian, Scotland, and 10 year old Allana is combing the forest looking for mushrooms by the light of the full moon. There’s extremely little to eat; the times are hard to say the least, but Allana is used to going hungry. She remembers the drought 3 years before and the famine that followed. Her eyes start to water as she remembers her father Gallagher, and how he had lost his life courageously defending his family from the raiders who came down from the Highlands.As she’s stooping down to pick some mushroom...

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“Which Witch is Which?” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #65

It was Halloween and a full moon; the perfect night for Julie and her friends to have a little get-together. This is what she had been practicing for the past year. As an amateur practice of the dark arts, there was few opportunities to gain the power that this night was able to offer. She planned for this exact moment over the past month and she had acquired everything that she needed except for two things and these were going to be collected later that night. Julie made a few calls and discussed the plan for the night with each of her cov...

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“The Broken Mirror” by Ingrid Debona

Submitted to Contest #65

There was a stench in the garden. A deathy kind of stench to be more exact. It smelled like something was very dead and very not intact anymore. Or so he thought. He followed his nose and it led him to a cat which was, just as he had suspected, very dead and very not intact anymore. “Dogs..” he muttered to himself.It was a nice neighbourhood. It wasn’t a modern neighbourhood, nor was it historic. It was a mix of both. But it was nicely looked after. Manicured lawns, nice flowerbeds, nicely painted walls, fancy pets and the latest lawn orname...

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“The Vampire on Maple Street” by Victoria Hartman

Submitted to Contest #65

Sara walked through the suburban neighborhood of brick houses to take flowers to the neighbor that just moved in. The maple trees lining the neighborhood were brightly colored in the fall season. The old cobblestone sidewalk was hard to walk on because of the unevenness. The house was a dreary color of gray with bright red curtains hanging on the interior of the windows. The old wooden steps almost fell through when Sara stepped on them because of how old and rotten they were. When she rang the doorbell it did a kind of broken ring then brok...

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“Vessels” by Amanda Kelly

Submitted to Contest #65

Raven aimlessly stumbled along the dirt path, rivers of tears flowing out of her bulging eyes. The salty teardrops beaded down her blemished cheeks, making paths through the dirt. The young girl crossed her eyes to see her bulbous nose, loathing every inch of it. Her frizzy grayish hair was unevenly cut and matted with dirt. Raven’s bushy eyebrows furrowed in pure anger at her appearance. She ran her purplish tongue along her crooked, yellow teeth, more tears springing to her eyes and run...

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“NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #65

Letter to: Next-Door Neighbor Mr. Bellamy Like any street in my town, your town, it is your town too I suppose, being that you pretend to live here. It is a nondescript place I suppose, a speck in the universe, and yet, it is my speck. I came here by accid...

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“If You Could Live Forever...” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #65

After the old man across the street died, his house went up for sale. The sign came down after the first day. For three weeks landscapers made the neglected lot respectable while crews toiled inside the house. Carpeting, drywall, and fixtures were hauled off as it was stripped to the studs. A steady stream of deliveries brought electrical and plumbing fixtures, wood flooring, appliances, drywall, and lumber. Early in the morning the day after the crews left, a moving van arrived, followed by a short, muscular African American woman in jean...

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“Mrs. Bevins and the Mango Tree” by Felicia Fontaine

Submitted to Contest #65

I somewhat regret the many times I embarrassed my parents over the years. I just sensed they cared about “looking” like a perfect family, and I notoriously flipped their apple cart every chance I got. My parents were not strict, just super conservative - which I viewed as a more permanent punishment. Stiffer than any scolding or privilege they could ever take away. They were incredibly routine, meaning you could predict everything they did and said.We had the same thing on Mondays - Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks and Kraft macaroni and cheese. Ate ...

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“Torn apart” by Lerato Shaan

Submitted to Contest #65

"Xavier, what are you doing? You are not in your right senses?" Lolita asked."I'm leaving Lolita for a while." Xavier said packing his last per of clothes."you do you know that alpha will kill you, if he find out that you had run away?" Lolita asked."I don't care, Lolita you have your mate by you side. It's easy for you to just say what you want. No one can understand what my wolf and I feeling." Xavier said, grabbing his car keys and his phone."I may not understand anything, but you are the Beta of the redmoon pack. You can't leave just lik...

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“Vamp In The Hood” by Monica Chaddick

Submitted to Contest #65

Vinny had decided it was time for a change. He had lived in the heart of New York City for many years, and he just couldn’t take it anymore. There was too much crime, too much drug use, too many drunks, too much homelessness. People were dirty and disgusting and unfriendly. He had had enough. Vinny set out to find a nice, quiet suburban neighborhood to settle down in. He wanted a simple life. He wanted to be able to make some friends and have them over for ...

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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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