Write a story where ghosts and the living coexist.

Posted in Halloween on Oct 20, 2023

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✍️ 69 stories

“A Ghost's Testimony” by AnneMarie Miles

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #221

After the living and the dead decided to merge worlds, the supreme court was flooded with appeals. With “coexist” being a hot topic in the first half of the 21st century, most people thought it would be a great idea to create a union between the two worlds. They thought they’d get their loved ones back; they thought they’d get access to generational wisdom from their deceased elders back, and perhaps, some old family recipes could finally resurface. People could only think of the missing pieces in their lives that they wanted to finally have...

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“JACK O'LANTERN: The story behind the legend” by Shirley Medhurst

Submitted to Contest #221

This is the true tale behind the legend of Jack O’Lantern. But before I begin, I’d like to share with you, if I may, a few little-known facts about Halloween.Nowadays, many people believe that this is an American concept, although there is no mention made of it in U.S. history until after the arrival of over two million Irish migrants escaping the great famine at the start of the nineteenth century. Since then, many of the age-old customs the Irish brought with them have been modified including the carving of Jack O’Lanterns. Traditionally i...

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“The Spooky Boogie” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #221

(CW: Violence, crude humor)Halloween is a holiday that everyone knows well because it’s the only time humans and spirits can co-exist. Every year on October thirty-first, the dead rise from their graves and walk among us. The demons crawl out from the shadows because the holy light holds no sway, and even the monsters come out to play.At first, there was bloodshed on both sides, but it didn’t take long for humans to adapt to the annual phenomenon by dressing up in silly costumes to blend in with the evil entities, and oddly enough, it worked...

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“A Ghostly Discourse” by Tom Skye

Submitted to Contest #221

Thomas and Giles were sitting at the kitchen table preparing for Halloween night. Though the boys were unaware of his presence, Arthur sat at the table listening to his two grandchildren.“No, the holes in the sheet aren’t the eyes, idiot!” Thomas exclaimed.“Well, what are they then?” Giles asked. “Is this more comic book knowledge?”“Listen. The reason a ghost looks like a sheet isn’t because they are white and wavy. It’s because they are invisible. They drape a sheet over themselves so people can see them.”“Ah, so the holes are like spying h...

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“The Waiting Room” by Chris Miller

Submitted to Contest #221

A pot noodle is not an acceptable breakfast for a homeowner, but the cat’s got conjunctivitis and there might be a nuclear war. The diesel shudder of the crowded bus made a cocktail shaker of my nervous gut and my vibrating seat was mixing up the dirtiest of martinis. It took a super-human effort not to add a bellyful of rehydrated beefy noodles to the oily hair that spilled over the back of the the seat in front of me. The number thirteen mercifully puked me out before the consequences of my lifestyle choices were exhibited before the jury ...

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“Run, Forest, Run” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #221

Run, Forest, RunI blink. Once, twice, three times. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, hold for a moment or two before opening and rubbing them with clenched fists. But to no use. It is still before me. Have I been asleep? Am I dreaming? No, I am sure I have not been. Had to fight the urge to sleep but I have stayed awake.I turn on my flashlight to dispel the pitch blackness. Nothing there. I flick the light off again because the last thing I want is to lose all the battery charge. There it, or he or she, is again. Large as life. Clear as--- wel...

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“afterLIVE” by Claire Marsh

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #221

Three, Violet dragged her tongue across her top front teeth, last chance to remove any stray lipstick. Two, she straightened her posture, ‘shoulders back and bust to the judges,’ her mother’s pageant mantra clanging in her ears. And…“Well, hello there, you’re so welcome to afterLive, now let’s spend forever together! I’m Violet Misstep and this handsome devil is my co-presenter, and dearest friend, Benjamin Golightly.” Leaning across just enough to flash some well-scaffolded cleavage at camera one, she placed a hand on his arm. It was always...

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“The Space Between Lines” by Jesse Glover

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #221

Every morning for 72 years, Len’s analog alarm clock beeped its staccato rhythm at precisely 5:00 a.m. He’d fold over the covers, careful not to wake Mary next to him, shower and don his suit for the day. Pants, shirt, tie, belt, socks and shoes in exactly that order.He steeped his tea for four minutes. No shorter, no longer. Add just enough honey to round the sharp edge of the bitterness. His toast popped and he cut the crusts off just so before sitting at the table and opening the newspaper, the world's messiness spread before him in colum...

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“Phantom Farm” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #221

Norma peered out from behind the antique lace curtains, brittle and yellowed with age and nicotine residue. She suddenly wished she would have paid more attention to the upkeep on the second floor of the old farmhouse, silently fussing over the grimy windows, well-worn panels and dust covered sills. No one spent much time in those modest rooms, used primarily for storage over the past ten years or so; not since her nieces and nephew moved to the west coast and stopped spending summers and holidays on the farm. Now, the tiny space will be the...

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“The Echoes Of Everglow ” by Chris'She'a Edna E.

Submitted to Contest #221

In the bustling city of Everglow, where the echoes of centuries past danced amid the neon-lit streets, a young artist named Amelia discovered herself teetering on the edge of an abyss, her nerves quivering with the weight of undiscovered truths. Her canvas, once alive with vibrant hues, now bore the ethereal brushstrokes of a spectral hand, leaving her grappling with a reality that wavered between the tangible and the intangible. Amidst the flickering city lights, Amelia’s restless soul sought solace in the abandoned theater nestled on the...

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“Below and Above” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #221

Brecti smiled warmly at her father when he came to collect her, his ever-present scowl deeper and darker than usual. She, on the other hand, had perfected the art of warm smiles--scowls were for men, smiles were for women. "You ready then?" he barked. "And so it begins," whispered Hitieli in Brecti's ear. Brecti ignored her. Ignoring the ghosts was a skill one developed over time, especially when they chose to remain invisible. "Yes, father," Brecti said, and Hitieli screeched with laughter at Brecti's docile tone and calm expression...

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“Permanent Address” by Kathryn Kahn

Submitted to Contest #221

Hannah Abbott-Duarte, recently deceased, was arguing with her husband at the front door of their long-time home. “What are you still doing here, Fred? I thought you would have ascended a long time ago.”“Aren’t you glad to see me, Hannah?”“Well, of course, honey, but I didn’t expect you to get stuck here. I mean, there’s a sick thing in my family about haunting this old place, but you don’t have to. You weren’t born an Abbott.”“They gave me a job, Hannah. Didn’t you notice I was still around?”“But ten years, Fred? What job could have been so ...

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“VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #221

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED For a few brief minutes, Hannah was able to look back on the emerald green vista of her homeland and breathe the cool, clean Irish air before she was herded below to her quarters in the hold of the John Knox, the ship that was to carry her and three hundred more of her country folk to the promised land of British North America.Like most, she had slaved to raise the two pounds needed for her fare so that she could join her mother, brother and sister who had gone before her, six months earlier. They had promised to write a...

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“Noises in the Dark” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #221

It was early October when the Thompson family first arrived in Gooseberry, a quaint old town that was centuries old. James Thompson, his wife, Mary, and their son, Jacob, moved into a nineteenth century Queen Anne Style home at the edge of town. It had been abandoned over a decade ago, so James was able to buy it up at a price that was well below market value. ...

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“Fidogeist” by Bethany Brown

Submitted to Contest #221

My husband David is wrong. It’s pure coincidence that everything started while we were watching Hocus Pocus. What does he know about it anyways? He was on a business trip. Threatening music surged as Sarah Jessica Parker sat bolt upright. I gasped and Livie jumped, her popcorn flying. I laughed and went for the broom, missing our furry vacuum Leo who had passed the week before. I kept saying what a mess a new puppy would make, but I was weakening. When I reentered the bonus room, the popcorn had disappeared. “Who ate popcorn off the fl...

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Write a story where ghosts and the living coexist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 69 stories

“A Ghost's Testimony” by AnneMarie Miles

“JACK O'LANTERN: The story behind the legend” by Shirley Medhurst

“The Spooky Boogie” by Daniel R. Hayes

“A Ghostly Discourse” by Tom Skye

“The Waiting Room” by Chris Miller

“Run, Forest, Run” by Mary Bendickson

“afterLIVE” by Claire Marsh

“The Space Between Lines” by Jesse Glover

“Phantom Farm” by Myranda Marie

“The Echoes Of Everglow ” by Chris'She'a Edna E.

“Below and Above” by Tamarin Butcher

“Permanent Address” by Kathryn Kahn

“VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED” by Charles Corkery

“Noises in the Dark” by Greg Gillis

“Fidogeist” by Bethany Brown

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story from a ghost’s point of view.

Write a story about someone who is haunted. Whether by a ghost or something else is up to you.

Write a story about someone trying to raise the dead.

Set your story in a world where contacting the dead is as easy as making a phone call.

Contest #221

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

425

Contest entries

148

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: