Set your story at the boundary between two realms.

Posted in Halloween on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 70 stories

“Sleep Story” by John Merino

🏆 Winner of Contest #117

"Now blessings light on him that first invented this same sleep: it covers a man all over, thoughts and all, like a cloak; 'Tis meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. 'Tis the current coin that purchases all the pleasures of the world cheap; and the balance that sets the king and the shepherd, the fool and the wise man even. There is only one thing that I dislike in sleep; 'Tis that it resembles death.”- Don Quixote“I have to practice staying alive and preparing to die at the same time.”- Christ...

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“The Night Creatures” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #117

Jessie and I never saw the van that killed us that night at the crossroads. It flew out of the darkness like a predatory raptor swooping down on its prey. An anxious resident who’d heard the crash called the emergency services. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived to discover the other driver had abandoned his stolen vehicle, leaving us unconscious and trapped inside our mangled car. The paramedics performed defibrillation as we raced to the hospital, however after all their efforts, they declared us both dead on arrival.#I’d passed my drivin...

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“With Four Words” by Tommie Michele

Submitted to Contest #117

She stumbled into the shop with eyes wider than the chasm between life and death.I could come up with a better metaphor, given time. The chasm between life and death is not as wide as many assume.I should know. I run this place.Some do not believe it exists. Some fear it. Some call it Purgatory.All are misguided.She stumbled into my Apothecary not long ago. I've been keeping an eye on her since she crossed the doorframe and the bell above rang out with a lonely tone. I remain silent, of course. Waiting for the clients to come to me is easier...

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“The Demon of Tricks ” by Courtney Moore

Submitted to Contest #117

The Demon of Tricks sits at my door.He says he loves me, but I don’t know anymore.The screaming down the hall has put mine to shame.I know he has others, and I am most tame.“Hardly tame, love,” he laughs, pacing the space outside the gates. Shadows push against the thick material, but never cross. Sounds and smells, of laughter and decay, are the only pieces of him allowed through. “But you are my favorite,” the raspy voice purrs. His swift steps come to a halt, and the gates creak again, as he peeks into the room beyond.White hair is sprawl...

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“The Curious Story of Life and Death” by Jessica Payne

Submitted to Contest #117

“You do this every year, Alison. Every year that veil comes down and our realms collide, I find you in the same spot, same table set up and a new game ready to start.” The chair creeks as she slides it out and sits down. A smile grows on the angelic face across from her, moving a piece forward two spaces, “Well, it’s the only way I get to see that devilish grin of yours, Lady Marian.” She extends her hand out to show its’s their move. “Please, I haven’t been Lady Marian in a rather long time. Why the formalities after all these years?” S...

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“Two Bodies” by Emily Blackbay

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #117

Trigger warning: body horrorIt began when, as a small child, I noticed a cut on my forearm the size and shape as the tip of a cat’s tongue. I had been scaling a cluster of tall rocks on the beach’s far end. Out of sight my mother slept peacefully, the pitched tent of a beauty magazine shading her face. Blood welled inside the shallow puddle of the cut, and as I instinctively put my fingers to stop the flow, peeled the skin off my forearm in one long strip. There was no pain, and the wind blew my cry of shock out to s...

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“The Battle for B'Droom” by Amanda Fox

Submitted to Contest #117

The morning dawned cold and bright over the valley. As the sun crested over the western hill, it illuminated a lone knight, the formidable and intimidating Sir Mason, on horseback, his red and gold bear crest stark against the cloudless skies. The bear knight’s soldiers emerged behind him, the sun to their backs, creating one solid silhouette of impending warfare.Gallant and beloved Sir Noah, on the eastern hill, blinked against the rising sun. His army stood at his back, silently menacing, an array of soldiers and mounted cav...

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“God's Knowing” by Prithviraj Suryawanshi

Submitted to Contest #117

This is incredible.To his left was Earth. It had a shimmering cerulean glow about it which starkly contrasted its pitch-black cosmic backdrop. Henu couldn’t see even a single star, standing in front of the Gate, and that sent a chill down his spine. His home, which was immense and humbling, could now fit in his hand. Henu wondered if he crushed it would he rid them of their suffering.He stood transfixed by the beauty of his world for a long time. With time comes perception, and with perception comes the truth. Henu squinted when he saw an or...

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“Invasion” by John Lynn

Submitted to Contest #117

Invasion As Aubrey Bailey slowed to enter the town of Ballyfrack he was pleased to see a hotel sign lit by an overhead street light and made up his mind there and then if there was accommodation available he would stop for the night. The meeting with the solicitor had taken far too long which meant he’d been caught up in rush hour traffic along the canal, then there was a big tailback because of roadworks followed by a ten mile an hour tractor that wouldn’t move over. So now he was running almost two hours behind schedule, it was already ...

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“Purely Selfish Poltergeisting” by Mack Gage

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #117

Erin was a speck of dust on the map back home, trapped in the holographic border marking the edge of Human space. All around her, specks of dust were still exploding. When she thought of home Erin meant West Virginia. Of all the places left on Old Earth, West Virginia might have changed the least. It was still poor. Still a backwater. Still hell, for a precocious young woman like her. If a person could still be precocious when they were dying, and young after they’d been to war. Home wasn’t the Olympus and it never would be. Throug...

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“The Unquiet” by Caroline Eddy

Submitted to Contest #117

“This is kind of ballsy,” Davis McKenna said with an unkind smile. Eve frowned, arms crossed over her blouse. She’d always hated. “I prefer unorthodox.” “Uh huh,” Davis sniffed. His eyes drifted to the next chair over, where Henry sat still save for an anxious bouncing leg. “And you’re sure about this?” “You’ve heard Eve’s answer,” Henry said in a clipped tone. “So are you going to let us get a move on or are you gonna stand in our way for another quarter hour?” “Just for that, I should say no.” “Then say no, Davis. Quit wasting ti...

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“The Dance of Corpses” by Writers Pond

Submitted to Contest #117

She sang, and he drank it up greedily. Never before had he felt so… complete. The feeling scared the life out of him. What if he lost it? It would be like losing an arm or a leg. Like never being able to walk again. A chill ran down his back, and he shook his arms a little as if to check that they were still there. The hum of the city grew more and more distant as the forest swallowed him. The images of the people who needed him swam in the back of his mind. Their hungry eyes, begging. He forced the pictures away, and let his legs float f...

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“All Hallow's Eve” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #117

October thirty-first, Halloween. The one night of the year when the ethereal and material realms come so close their boundaries collide. The one night people should stay indoors, surrounded by a circle of salt and warding symbols, praying that the wickedness did not find its way into the safety of their homes. Yet for the five, it was the one night in the year they got a break from being themselves. Five kids stood on the edge of a sidewalk late at night, staring down an empty street. Lights shone from most houses, laughter, and music comi...

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“Hel” by Shiloh Ord

Submitted to Contest #117

Trigger Warning: Mentioning of death. Parentage is and has always been an important factor in who you are and who you will become. For some, having a "high-class" father would give them comfort and riches. However, for myself and my siblings that is not exactly the case. Living in a deep cavern, with dripping water and cold rock and dirt floors is not something one would expect with our parentage. Feeling like a hidden secret as your mother and father come and go as they please, not allowing you out of your own desolate space. That's ...

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“The Village of Samhain” by Mira Night

Submitted to Contest #117

Samhain (sow-in); a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season, the origin of the holiday known as All Hallows' Eve.It is cold, tonight. The wind sweeps raindrops and flame-coloured leaves over the street, the air is filled with the brightness of lanterns and chatter. Trick-or-treaters dart joyously from door to door. I can see them well from my perch. My, it is a sight, all of those costumes. A little red fire fighter splashes through a puddle beneath me, calling to his mother with excited impatience. I love kids. I might have ha...

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Ended on 23:59 - Oct 29, 2021 EST

Won by John Merino 🏆

Title: Sleep Story

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Set your story at the boundary between two realms.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 70 stories

“Sleep Story” by John Merino

“The Night Creatures” by Howard Halsall

“With Four Words” by Tommie Michele

“The Demon of Tricks ” by Courtney Moore

“The Curious Story of Life and Death” by Jessica Payne

“Two Bodies” by Emily Blackbay

“The Battle for B'Droom” by Amanda Fox

“God's Knowing” by Prithviraj Suryawanshi

“Invasion” by John Lynn

“Purely Selfish Poltergeisting” by Mack Gage

“The Unquiet” by Caroline Eddy

“The Dance of Corpses” by Writers Pond

“All Hallow's Eve” by Harken Void

“Hel” by Shiloh Ord

“The Village of Samhain” by Mira Night

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with the words “Everything was ready for the ritual.”

Write about a character who uses a night where everyone’s in costume as cover for something sinister.

Write about a missing person nobody seems to know or remember.

Write about someone whose busiest night of the year is Halloween.

Contest #117

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

228

Contest entries

153

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: