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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about someone confronting their worst nightmare.

Posted in Dark on Nov 29, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

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✍️ 62 stories

“The Reflection of Him” by Iphisevera Moss

Submitted to Contest #279

TW: [Mentions/Hints of Sexual Abuse, Self-Harm] Solleiyana couldn't sleep. Her thoughts swirled like the restless spirits she'd seen in her sleep, tethered to the prophecy that had named her daughter, Yaaraelith, The Mask of Malice. The words had left a bitter taste, a foreboding she could not shake. Barefoot, she moved through the cool marble halls, and torches lining the walls flickered weakly. Then she heard it—a whisper, playful and fleeting, like a giggle. She stopped. The sound came again, from a room up ahead. Her lips curved into a s...

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“Fear switch” by Daniela Tote

Submitted to Contest #279

My eyes were wide open now, pupils dilated, and blood freezing in my veins. I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest to get away from it all—since I couldn’t. It was as if I had encountered Medusa and was turned to stone.  I guess if you think about it, the last feeling you’re left with forever when you realize your entire life will amount to nothing but a petrified, cold figure is exactly this...  Fear.  Pure fear.  The kind that makes you realize there is no escape, no chance to do anything to help yo...

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“From the Sky to the Sea” by Nichole DeLoach

Submitted to Contest #279

**Please note that this story contains the following: death** “Hey,” A distorted and hazy voice rang out. The word floated in the dark like a smoke trail from a dying cigarette. Opening her eyes slowly she didn’t know where she was. “Hey,” it said again. This time it was accompanied by a nudge. Squinting in the dark space she could scarcely see anything.“Hello?” she called out. Her fluttering heart seemed to pause as an echoed laugh rang around her.“You’re awake!” the mysterious speaker cried out. Its voice was deep and distorted, sending ...

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“Tuesday, 2001” by Sarah Martyn

Submitted to Contest #279

TW: mentions of suicidal thoughts and actions, and historical retellings of a traumatic nature. 5:59 a.m. I wake up on a regular Tuesday to grab a subpar bagel and black coffee as the sun is rising. I won’t drive out of the way for the good stuff, though I want to. I’m too tired usually for that. Tuesday is almost worse than Monday. It just feels so far from the weekend, and it usually has no special events or purpose behind it…just the grind. My current grind is corporate. I won’t be here forever, but for now it pays the bills. The offices ...

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“The Clown House” by Anne Carroll

Submitted to Contest #279

It was a crisp and late October evening in Arvada, Colorado, and the town's annual Halloween festivities were in full swing. The scent of caramel apples and popcorn wafted through the air, mingling with the laughter and screams from the nearby haunted house attraction. The most infamous of these was the Clown House, which was part of the Frightmare Compound, a house filled with terrifying clowns and spine-chilling surprises. This attraction had been around for decades, and those brave enough to take their chances emerged with tales of terror...

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“The Wait” by Evelyn Currie

Submitted to Contest #279

Who would’ve thought 5 years ago I’d be standing at an old stone in the ground telling myself I’m talking to you? Since your death, this has become a ritual for me: every Sunday, new flowers, new clothes, and new regrets. I know we tell each other everything but how do I explain the pain that sits in my chest every day of my life? I just hope you found peace before your death and I don't want to ruin that for you. So yes, I will sit here and lie to my best friend because if I were to tell the truth then I’d say I don’t know how I’m supposed ...

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“THE LAST COMMUNIST [Un mise-en-scène]” by Willem Foss

Submitted to Contest #279

(Warning: Bad words, politics, violence)[Outside, carrioncrows and sparrows gale out their evensongs, ancient honeyed melodies now become obsolete bitter-birdsweet lichsongs for long-dead Father Winter. An evergreen Yulemonth clambers over the corpse of November with the red-eyed fervor of a fascistic sucker-peasant serviceman, dragging its bloody tobroken body up over a bloody tobroken battlefield and skittering down amongst the trenches, servilely crawl-marching a mouth-foaming triumph for Summer Tyrant-King’s victory over all other yearti...

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““Sayemontess: The Beginning” #ReedsyUnknown” by Tucker Sloan

Submitted to Contest #279

Trigger Warning: This short story contains Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Gore, Violent Content, Some Language and Mild Drug Use.Sayemontess: The BeginningI was born in the galley of a ship that headed towards Sayemontess, a castle that had been long forgotten by the locals. No one dared to go near it. Well, except for us. My mother told me when I was four that the wind was violent, and the clouds grew darker by the minute. A storm was brewing right above our heads, but we made it into Sayemontess by the grace of God just before the storm hi...

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“When Love Becomes a Nightmare” by Andra Ignat

Submitted to Contest #279

What happened?The sound of rain gently tapping against her window woke Aria, but the sensation within her was what really reflected the storm. The world seemed to hold its breath every morning, waiting for something to break—waiting for the moment when everything would fall apart. The relentless weight of the same question had chiseled away every inch of her heart: Why wasn’t she enough?This is not how it was intended to be. She had always thought of love as something distinct, something complete, something that made you entire. She knew bet...

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“Alone in this World” by Lucy Showgren

Submitted to Contest #279

Introduction My name is Suzie. And my life is pretty simple. I wake up at 5:00, do my makeup, do my hair, sometimes take a shower, get dressed, brush my teeth. You know. Normal 16 year old girl behavior. I'm also not really scared of anything. Well, except for my biggest phobia of all. It's going to sound silly, but let's just get it over with. I'm terrified of being alone. Not like being alone in my third story room, but much worse than that. Not having anyone. That's the kind of alone I'm talking about. No family, no friends, no people to ...

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“The Mythicus” by Fiona Southworth

Submitted to Contest #279

As I sat in the therapist's office looking down at my hands in my lap I told the story again. I was forced to attend therapy as part of my “recovery”. I had done some bad things. I had adjusted my dark glasses, straightened my beanie and sat up a little straighter to compose myself and smirked. I warned the therapist this would be a hard story to hear. I began.~~I am a lot older than I look but you would never guess how old I am. I went to university to study history and legends but my expertise was in myths and legends. I am from ...

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“Brotherly Love” by Kory Goldbeck

Submitted to Contest #279

(This story contains sensitive triggers such as Mental Health, Physical Violence, and Substance Abuse.) Another bottle shatters against the wall, the whiskey mixing with the filth of the floor. My apartment reeks of sweat and mildew, but all I smell is iron. It's the same everyday. I wake up with blood on my hands and black tar on my face. My hands shake as I scrub vigorously but it never goes away. My face has become a fleshy mold of what it was. They say sorrow is one of those things that only happen when sadness happens, but I believe it...

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“Running From The Carbon Toilet” by Natalie Wood

Submitted to Contest #279

RUNNING FROM THE CARBON TOILET As I rose from the boat, my head was pounding. I heard, "How did you get here?" Did someone send you?" I had no idea who or where I was. I immediately noticed how thin and pale everyone looked—I was much healthier than they were; I could feel my strength, and they looked emaciated. They wanted whatever I had; I was just unsure what that was.  A woman approached me; she said her name was Helen. She told me I was on the coast of Somerset, New Jersey. The water had traveled into Middletown, Monroe, and Hunter...

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“A Fathers Blessing” by Kristie Ely

Submitted to Contest #279

I feel the chill of my childhood tears creep down my spine. So many vulnerable memories begin to rise to the surface. Only be stabbed down with the chilling icicles of reality. His face is faded yet real. Seen but unseen. Has it really been that long?I struggle to get out of my head as I reach the door to enter the police station. Thoughts swirling in an unclear melody of sadness, tears, and old heartbreak. The door is cool to the touch as I press my hand against it. Slowly opening inward. I stumble across the entrance. Still unabl...

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“Lola” by Amy Jean Kern

Submitted to Contest #279

(Warning: Mentions of suicide, mental health, and substance abuse) She was the most popular girl. On the streets.            A girl who could charm any man that strolled her way. A girl whom the other girls wished they could become. A girl with luscious brown hair and quick feet. A hip-hop R&B artist who loved rap more than anything else in the world. She was a girl on the top of her game, waiting for her big break. Everywhere she walked in her Brooklyn neighborhood, all the resident...

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