Set your story at the boundary between two realms.

Posted in Halloween on Oct 25, 2022

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.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 69 stories

“The True Horror of a Poltergeist” by Alex Fish

Submitted to Contest #117

[cw: swearing (one "b" slur), unsettling themes, possible gaslighting, predatory behavior, body horror][while the following story is based on true events, names and other indicative details have been deliberately changed.]"You just have to remember that it isn't real," Doctor Wilson said. I sighed. I hated to admit it, but she was right."Then what should I do?" I asked. "I mean, what would you do in a situation like this?" Doctor Wilson paused. "Just ignore it," she said finally. "B-but- but-!" I stammered. "But what abou...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Someplace Just South of the Moon” by Todd Crickmer

Submitted to Contest #117

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” Alan kept repeating to himself as he gazed out across Biscayne Bay from his twentieth-floor balcony. The shadows of the high-rise condominiums that line the Miami shoreline were beginning to stretch out across the bay as the sun slowly settled behind him. He took another sip of his gin and tonic and winced as it was much more bitter than he expected. The clouds out over the ocean were slowly turning from white to a soft tangerine as the last rays of the setting sun slowly settled on the opposit...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Outside” by Zoyd Radbury

Submitted to Contest #117

I don’t know how long I watched myself sleep that night. My face looked different than it did in the mirror. I can’t say in what way, it just did. I wondered what I was dreaming about. Probably the usual stuff. I didn’t wonder why I was floating a few feet above my own body. Not for a while at least. I can’t say how long. There I was, dreaming, probably about struggling to put on a pair of socks. The socks thing is a surprisingly common motif in my dreams. I never have much trouble putting them on in the waking world. I struggle wi...

7 comments 7

Read story

“The Well” by Brandon Redding

Submitted to Contest #117

The WellIt feels like it’s been raining for days. A stubborn mist smothers the sky, blotting out any semblance of the sun. It’s been like this since he’s been gone. For weeks the weather has served as a good excuse not to come here. That, and the fact I don’t believe in this place. But with each passing day, its pull draws me closer. I can’t put it off any longer. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in our sleepy, little town who doesn’t know the legend of the well...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Please Help, I've Lost My Friend” by Sharon Farnsworth

Submitted to Contest #117

Please Help, I’ve Lost My FriendI raced into the elevator tapping fingers as we went down to the first floor. I rushed into daycare saying hello to everyone on the way in and on the way out. I gripped my boy’s hand as we ran through the parking garage trying to beat as many drivers as we could.My briefcase and pocketbook slid back and forth on the passenger seat as I drove up the ramp while winding the...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The Unhallowed Horseman ” by Jude S. Walko

Submitted to Contest #117

Content warning: horror and some goreIt was a particularly rainy All Hollow’s Eve, just on the outskirts of Tarrytown, New York, a sleepy little hamlet nestled in the Catskills of upstate.There at the covered bridge, just on the outskirts of town was the boundary between two worlds. One being the here-and-now earth dimension most of us are familiar with, and the other being the netherworld part of the multiverse where the Unhallowed Horseman resided.Many had heard of his tale. A particularly astute scholar by the name of Washington Irving ha...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Deadman speaking” by Mikeal Oakley

Submitted to Contest #117

Malcolm sat on his bench dressed in thick warm clothing, drinking a cup of hot tea, listening to music in his ear buds. Peace, no stress, no hallucination, just peace of mind. He sipped his tea, when he noticed a glowing string out on the fire escape. Malcolm's eyes followed it up to his lap, he picked it up and tugged on it, feeling it loosely around his neck. It tugged back, and he was encircled in warmth. Something he usually felt when Tala showed her face. ‘Go,’ a hush voice said, ‘Momma, wait for you at the tree.’ Malcolm could only...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The Kids from the Woods” by Daniel Roueche

Submitted to Contest #117

“Where’re your parents at?” Brendon asked the small boy standing in front of him. The boy, who couldn’t be any older than seven, looked at him like Brendon was speaking a foreign language. “You lost?” he asked. The boy remained a statue. His tiny frame barely visible through the large trees of the forest. ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Murder of Crows” by Debra Birdwell Winkler

Submitted to Contest #117

A MURDER OF CROWS by Debra Birdwell Winkler The morning was bright and sunny, an unusually warm day for Halloween. I was on the way to work in a long, white sparkly dress, carrying a crown to match, when two children called me a princess. I smiled and waved as I left the bus. Halloween was too dark and dreary for me. But it was my birthday, so I always dressed as a happy character rather than a witch or goblin. This was a joyful day and not an evil one, for me. I was still unmarried which my grandmother considered a travesty. After numerou...

3 comments 3

Read story

“The Tall pine and the Pond” by Robyn Jackson

Submitted to Contest #117

The rain drops slapped the water's edge to a rhythm no one could imitate. Sitting beneath the Tall Pine listening to the sweet music nearly sleeping though soaked to the bone, Jack was relaxed. His mother would kill him if she found out where he was. This pond, large and oval in shape, is said to be the graveyard of many men. Jack chuckled at that, as dark a joke that may seem he doesn't think that this place would be such a horrible place to die. On clear nights the stars reflect right back into the sky and no tree branch dares block th...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Walked The Line” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #117

(TW-Sad, Disturbing)JustineThe darkness does not overwhelm my mind. Righteousness overtakes fear. Questions confound thoughts. Allowing my mind to enter this space creates a deep sense of completion within the soul. I am ready to test yet another life, in whatever form it should take. Staring up. Just up. My arms in full reach, my fingers flirting with the line.Mary and Joanna“Mary, Mary,” Joanna implored, did you not see that train coming? “I saw it, I just wanted to beat him out. I didn’t want to have to wait for 150 freight cars...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Evil Having a Human Experience” by Baby Grace

Submitted to Contest #117

Beauty, that is all I have ever seen superficially. I guess as a Christian woman I can tell you beauty has strayed me away from God more than I would like to admit. I will tell you a secret kay? You couldn't imagine the beauty I have seen traveling around in this world, but looks are nothing its when you have a moment with the beauty to see how their mind operates. I have never had my mind so blown away by a woman with beauty and smarts, the delicate matter at hand was that she wasn't delicate at all, I was. You must be thinking how? I know ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Rude Awakening” by Cannon Taylor

Submitted to Contest #117

Imagine, if you will, nothing. If you are like most people, you are picturing a vast expanse of endless black. If you consider yourself to be an individualistic person, you may be imagining a white void instead. Either way, you’re wrong. “Nothing” has no color, size, nor recognizable form. By “nothing,” I do not mean a lack of visual stimulus; I mean a lack of sense itself. There is nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to smell, nothing to touch, and certainly nothing to taste. Furthermore, you are unaware of this lack of senses; in fact...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Passing Veil” by Jenny K

Submitted to Contest #117

(Possible trigger warning. Contains obsession, control, and death)“There you are.”A rough yet soothing voice woke Jesse with a start, causing her eyes to adjust faster than they actually could in the darkness of her bedroom. She’d been in a deep sleep, her body dead weight in the center of her plush bed, refusing to move despite the urgency that rushed through her core to do so. The sound of the voice had been crystal clear, vibrating through her ears, but the room remained still and quiet. Through the skylight above, her blurry eyes fought ...

5 comments 5

Read story

“One of us” by Georgia Papp

Submitted to Contest #117

My dear, If this letter reaches you, it is from beyond the veil. Forgive my humor. As you know, I was never a fan of the written word. Words set down gather power of their own, grow roots and spread far beyond their creator’s reach. Losing control like that is what frightens me the most. Still, you asked me two questions that I wish to answer before stepping outside my door tonight. Downstairs awaits the Circle of the Veil. One. You asked me when I first glimpsed through the Veil. The answer lies deep within my childhood, a memory I have ra...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Horror – 48 stories

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

Horror – 34 stories

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

Thriller and Suspense – 49 stories

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

Halloween – 26 stories

Contest #117

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: All Hallows' Eve

$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

153

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 29, 2021 EST

Won by John Merino 🏆

Title: Sleep Story

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Set your story at the boundary between two realms.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 69 stories

“The True Horror of a Poltergeist” by Alex Fish

“Someplace Just South of the Moon” by Todd Crickmer

“Outside” by Zoyd Radbury

“The Well” by Brandon Redding

“Please Help, I've Lost My Friend” by Sharon Farnsworth

“The Unhallowed Horseman ” by Jude S. Walko

“Deadman speaking” by Mikeal Oakley

“The Kids from the Woods” by Daniel Roueche

“A Murder of Crows” by Debra Birdwell Winkler

“The Tall pine and the Pond” by Robyn Jackson

“Walked The Line” by Noelle C. Lee

“Evil Having a Human Experience” by Baby Grace

“Rude Awakening” by Cannon Taylor

“The Passing Veil” by Jenny K

“One of us” by Georgia Papp

🌟 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

226

Contest entries

153

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: