Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Posted in Dark on Jul 7, 2023

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✍️ 87 stories

“I hate going to work” by Jayson Monday

Submitted to Contest #206

I hate going to work. It all feels so pointless, wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep. Why even bother repeating? It sounds stupid like my entire life has just been on this one big loop for as long as I've known and I've never been in the driver's seat. It doesn't matter though. I'll change tomorrow. I pick up my keys, my wallet, and my work uniform before I remember I forgot my phone on my bed. I run upstairs and open the door, my room devoid of light aside from the morning sun peeking through my window. It was devoid of ...

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“A cowboy in Wonderland ” by Lize-Mari De Bod

Submitted to Contest #206

The landscape was ever changing as usual. The three moons hung in the sky like an omen. Dust and rocks crunched under my unicorn's hooves. There was a pile of shoes. Unusual, because it is a bit early in the year for fairies to collect shoes. Here and there was a little dried out bush. In the distance the mountain range framed the nothingness. The giant frames where gold with coils. To look at the serene view was quite relaxing, but I think I am just tired of riding for hours. Time stood still, but has already sped past and the sun was...

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“The Empress's Passage” by Rudy Senecal

Submitted to Contest #206

I took off running at the sound of the screams. I knew it was a small child just by the pitch of it. It came from a fallen building. The scream echoed out of a horizontal window with an edge of broken glass that was dark as night. A gateway to hell beckoning me forward, the screams of the damned within. A royal must know the pain of the loyal, lest they forget what service costs. I kicked the edge of the window and squeezed through, another ...

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“The Karma Pit” by M W

Submitted to Contest #206

Janey woke up on the ground. She slowly got up. She wasn't wearing anything, and her skin looked very pale. She felt neither warm nor cold - she felt very little of anything actually. She could smell sulfur in the air. The ground looked like a mixture of dirt and sand. The lighting was the most unusual thing. She could only see about 30 feet or so and it became darkness past that. As she walked around the light followed her almost like a spotlight was shining straight down on her....

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“What lives beneath” by Lynel Black

Submitted to Contest #206

Fred had not been sleeping well of late, and it was playing with his mind now. And there was a lot of quiet time alone for it to play. His whole world was now just him and his 2 wheeled companion Wylma, and the open road. It had been just under a week since Fred had crossed by ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn. A week dogged by a medley of misfortunes which were getting the best of his mood, not to mention the constant drizzly rains intent on giving Fred the worst possible impression of the Baltic. It was 6pm, and Fred had just left Valmier...

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“The Convergence Factor” by CJ Shutt

Submitted to Contest #206

The dials lit up as the keystrokes sounded like raindrops landing softly on the roof. The digital display was covered in dials, gauges and other monitors, taking into account many different data samples. He stood at the desk furiously typing looking for that one breakthrough that could propel him into the answer he so desperately sought. The levels and displays whirled and changed as he entered different factors and computations. The gauge he was most interested in was one with three lines, blue, red, and green. As he changed his inputs and ...

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“Hapizizidal” by Wolfric Remington

Submitted to Contest #206

As I drove down the interstate, it looked like rain was on the way. I tried the internet radio, but all that remained was a buzzing sound. The quality was too lifelike and unsettling, so I quickly turned it off, leaving me in silence. GPS maps had stopped working some time ago, so I had a map on the passenger's side. I should be seeing the town of Meliponia's exit, but all I can see are signs for Honeydale. I guess I'll exit and ask a local. I pulled off and drove, unsure of where I was going. After a bit of driving, I came across a farmhous...

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“A Final Echo” by Mahaksh Dalal

Submitted to Contest #206

Something woke up. Something, that hadn’t entirely realized that it was someone. First becoming aware of the bitter, iron-like taste of its, no his, mouth, he heaved a cough and splattered blood over the titanium of the casket that seemed to envelop him completely from all sides, bringing about utter and complete oblivion to his vision. For the first time in years, no surely longer, he thought, he was aware of the oxygen entering his lungs, giving him life, mindful of the coldness of the casket underneath him, the warmth of the air around hi...

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“Socks for the Toeless” by Sam Jacobsen

Submitted to Contest #206

The house that saved me is haunted. At night a something moans, and this night never ends, so the moaning never stops. I was too tired the first night to notice, but by the third I was pretty fed up with it. At the top of every hour (I think, but don’t really know for sure anymore) the moaning is drowned out just a little by some poor woman screaming and being torn apart. She’s invisible, but I know she’s somewhere. There are chains too, which rattle in the basement. But...

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“Realities” by Nibras Mirza

Submitted to Contest #206

Guide to Urdu/Kashmiri terms used in the text:· Angrez ki aulaad (Urdu): An Englishman’s child (used to indicate that someone is acting entitled to be treated with privilege)· Phupho (Urdu): Paternal aunt· Noon-chai (Kashmiri): Translates to salted tea; a traditional pink hued, salted tea from the valley of Kashmir.“Nabeela? Nabeela? Nabeela?!”“WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!”Nabeela finally threw the bed covers aside with violence matching that of ...

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“The Sleepover” by Marc R. Micciola

Submitted to Contest #206

The walkway was covered in fallen leaves from the giant trees on either side. Pale, dirty stone fences bordered it, leading all the way to the front porch. Statues of large cats sat on stone pillars at the beginning of the staircase that led up to the flagrant archway held up by four slim columns. The archway was covered in old vines and leaves, much like the rest of the towering mansion. From the roof of the first floor to the peaked rooftops of the third floor, dirt, grime, and dying vegetation covered the dark blue of the mansion. In betw...

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“Carriage 3-8-1” by Blake Tori

Submitted to Contest #206

The train carriage rattled as it entered the narrow tunnel, darkening the windows and forcing the flickering urine-coloured lights to fend off the encroaching gloom. The window frames shook as the old carriage swayed across ancient rails, buffeted from side to side by the tumultuous vortices swirling around the darkness. Tunnel lights lit up the windows at steady intervals, breaking up the gloom and casting feeble hues along the ancient, mouldy brickwork as the train sped past. Inside, tarnished-yellow intercom speakers hung from dis...

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“The Hunter Within” by Jordan Lowery

Submitted to Contest #206

I stand paralyzed on the ominous threshold of the House of Mirrors. The cacophony of whirring rides and blood-curdling screams slices through the air, their chilling echoes seeping into the marrow of my bones, leaving them quivering.Or perhaps it’s not just the external forces that cause my bones to tremble, but the primal surge of anxiety and terror clawing its way through my veins as I muster the courage to finally face him."You don't have to do this, you know," Ryan reasons.He's right, and deep down, I don't want to. But it's been a painf...

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“A Desperate Deadline” by Amanda Leigh

Submitted to Contest #206

Aletheia just kept staring at her phone’s conversation history, paralyzed with indecision. “Hi, Dolly, you're booked for tomorrow at 8AM.” “Dolly, your appointment at All Smiles Dental is coming up.” “Press C to confirm texts to receive gym membership information for Dolly.” Dozens like this. It seemed that in the past two weeks, someone had repeatedly given out Aletheia's number instead of their own. Doctors, friends, even food delivery—all of them called her, assuming she was Dolly. At first, it had been exasperatingly hilario...

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“Guilty” by Tamara Bock

Submitted to Contest #206

Barbara didn’t know how she had ended up here, kneeling on a cold cement floor in a shadowy factory with a ceiling obscured by metal fans that moved in large, languid circles, casting blades of darkness over her. And why was she dressed this way, in rags with her hair matted and sweaty? She was supposed to be suited up for court, in her daily armor. Perhaps she was in some sort of trouble. She looked up. A man in a close-fitting blue business suit approached her. What a beautiful pink tie, she thought. He was middle aged, slim and wel...

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Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 87 stories

“I hate going to work” by Jayson Monday

“A cowboy in Wonderland ” by Lize-Mari De Bod

“The Empress's Passage” by Rudy Senecal

“The Karma Pit” by M W

“What lives beneath” by Lynel Black

“The Convergence Factor” by CJ Shutt

“Hapizizidal” by Wolfric Remington

“A Final Echo” by Mahaksh Dalal

“Socks for the Toeless” by Sam Jacobsen

“Realities” by Nibras Mirza

“The Sleepover” by Marc R. Micciola

“Carriage 3-8-1” by Blake Tori

“The Hunter Within” by Jordan Lowery

“A Desperate Deadline” by Amanda Leigh

“Guilty” by Tamara Bock

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone facing their greatest fear.

Write a story that contains a flashback of a nightmare.

Start your story with a character seeing something terrifying.

Write about a character in a situation where they have to be brave for someone else’s sake.

Contest #206

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

373

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: