Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Posted in Dark on Jul 7, 2023

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✍️ 87 stories

“The Weighing of the Coward.” by Cecilia Englishby

Submitted to Contest #206

Shiver Kari stood frightened, alone and silent as ever in the center of a dais. Dressed in simplistic black robes reaching down to her ankles, hooding her face from view; not a sound could be heard. The entire world felt devoid of life and she wanted to run, but her body wasn’t responding to her commands. Clouds; a thick shade of grey with the characteristic smell of earth mingling with metal greeted her. She permitted herself a glance at her surroundings. She was standing within the town’s newly built amphitheater; just the latest in Sh...

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“Black Cat Night” by Amy Ingram

Submitted to Contest #206

This story contains references to injury and death. The cat was black with a darkness that had no texture, a cat-shaped hole in the known world, an absence of light as dense as those moonless nights when you climb out of bed and can’t see to maintain your balance, let alone walk the few impalpable feet to the bathroom. In the stygian face two olivine ellipses burned with intent. The cat glided, other-worldly, across the road and silently absorbed itself into a laurel hedge. Not a leaf stirred to mark its passage. Even the street sounds still...

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“And then, everything shattered.” by Hosea Guy

Submitted to Contest #206

The wind, on the bitter morning of the last day—Day six thousand and two hundred, approximately—was as cold as the snow was fresh, and the songs of the trees were mournful. The sun was a muted lamp amid the thick, violet clouds, the sort of clouds you find in daydreams; they were a swirling river, alive with thunder and driven by the wind, and they flowed among the tops of those sad trees and the top of the water tower, gleaming in the distance. The raw, early worl...

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“Aurora Magna” by Cindy Strube

Submitted to Contest #206

Aurora MagnaSomething…? surging through her body brought Celia to consciousness with a jolt. Her eyes flew open, meeting the pitch blackness of pre-dawn hours. She lay still, feeling her pulse jump in her throat. There was no sound but Finn's regular breathing. Celia tried to reason with herself: Might it have been the vestige of a dream? Or a phantom perception?She inhaled deeply, let it out slowly, closed her eyes. Panic subsided. She started to drift…“Er-er-ER-errrr!” Clyde. His shrill alarm carried through the surrounding silen...

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“Hunter's Moon” by Marco Damiano

Submitted to Contest #206

The air was thick with the taste of ash; a low-lying, nearly impossible-to-place tickling at the back of one’s throat. A slight annoyance that nevertheless made every moment a chore. Jonas trekked on regardless, knowing under normal circumstances that he should raise his bandanna or at least turn up his coat to try to protect his throat and lungs. Hardly matters, he thought to himself. It’s not in the air, it IS the air. Stopping to rest his legs, Jonas looked up. The proof of his point hung in the grey sky, staring down back at him. ...

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“Seine or Insane” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #206

Tiffany heard the repeated F - bombs exploding all around her - almost one hundred times in rapid succession like a fireworks finale - and was somewhat shocked to realize that she was the guilty culprit of these epitaphs usually foreign to her own vocabulary. She clapped her hand over her mouth to physically muffle the sound since she couldn't force her brain to make the outburst stop. When she finally wrestled control of herself, she smiled ruefully and wondered what the punishment would be ...

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“The Sundering Dawn” by Autumn Rose

Submitted to Contest #206

“Think back.”Light flashes rhythmically between bright and dim, presenting two entirely different rooms. It's a dimension hopping trick and being a part of it on this end is unsettling; but I think I prefer the yellow-tinged and rusty metal walls to the white sterile looking ones. I struggle hard against the straps that bind me to an old shredded up hospital mattress.I really thought–tears and spit block my airway and I choke–I really thought that I had escaped. I was so close to home. So close to forgetting these awful memories. I don’t wan...

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“Melted Medals” by Andy Sheng

Submitted to Contest #206

The wrinkles on my grandfather’s speckled forearm rippled as the furry neon sphere left the center of his palm. Against the great blinking mural of glittering cosmic dust and distant shining speckles, the ball became a planet, its white stripes reflecting the starlight as it sailed past the marbled red planet and its silver moon. It eclipsed a faraway orange star—the Sun, Grandpa called it. “You mean a sun?” I once asked him. But he kept on insisting that it was the Sun. To him anyway. “Quit askin’ so much,” he said. Finally, t...

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“The Tall Ones” by Casper Sparks

Submitted to Contest #206

The sun burned rosy as it sunk into the tree line. Flecks of red and gold light glimmered through branches and splashed on the forest floor. James looked at the little pools of sunlight, watching a team of ants scurrying to carry a last scavenged morsel to the nest before nightfall. It was his second day camping in the woods. He still wasn’t used to the quiet. The only sounds were bird calls and his own voice echoing off the trees and rocks surrounding his modest camp. Ever since he was laid off, he felt like the forest was calling to hi...

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“Extracurricular” by John Rainwater

Submitted to Contest #206

[This story contains mention of drug use, has implied violence, and mention of a sexual relationship with a power-dynamic] I have enough trouble feeling like I belong in a cafeteria during the day. I couldn't help but pause seeing the rows of empty tables in this dark cavernous hall, the largest single room of the building. I wasn't out in the open yet, I was still at the threshold leading into this area. I didn't have an excuse for being here, but there was no way to get to the upper floors of the school without crossing it. I peeked my...

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“Moonlit Whispers ” by Sharalynn Dickerson

Submitted to Contest #206

In the outskirts of a small town, nestled in solitude, stood a single house, isolated by miles from its nearest neighbor. Celeste and her two children Lilly and Jack embarked on a weekend getaway, seeking solace in the arms of nature. They set up camp on the property of a dear friend, finding refuge within the confines of a cozy camper. Celeste, Lily, and Jack, the secluded house, and the mysterious nights begin here, and will etch a mark upon the tapestry of their lives. Suddenly, Celeste gasped and held her breath, prompting her childre...

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“One Star” by Priya Francis

Submitted to Contest #206

Thomas Joel ★☆☆☆☆ The Mayveiw Hotel was one of my first public stays alone. It was unsanitary and grimy, but I managed to cope with long saunters outside. The commute to work (I was on a business trip) was one of the peaceful things I looked forward to. Along with my grievances I thought this place was surly better than others. I was proven wrong I’d like to begin my story with the uplifting part. Or should I say the only reason I gave the place one star. Although the quietness was appreciated, I did think it was a bi...

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Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 87 stories

“The Weighing of the Coward.” by Cecilia Englishby

“Black Cat Night” by Amy Ingram

“And then, everything shattered.” by Hosea Guy

“Aurora Magna” by Cindy Strube

“Hunter's Moon” by Marco Damiano

“Seine or Insane” by Vesta Bartholomew

“The Sundering Dawn” by Autumn Rose

“Melted Medals” by Andy Sheng

“The Tall Ones” by Casper Sparks

“Extracurricular” by John Rainwater

“Moonlit Whispers ” by Sharalynn Dickerson

“One Star” by Priya Francis

🌟 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: