Write a story where ghosts and the living coexist.

Posted in Halloween on Oct 20, 2023

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✍️ 69 stories

“Forever Yours” by Francesca Tsakonas

Submitted to Contest #221

If I had gotten to choose my last words to Wesley, I would have said something like: “I love you forever.” Or: “You’re my home.” Or: “It was always you.” You can infer how besotted I was from the painful predictability. Three years and two months of togetherness, and those burnt-honey eyes still made my skin tingle. So did the way he sucked in his cheeks when he tried not to smile. And the way he nodded enthusiastically when I rambled about the happenings of the latest book I was in the middle of.It was Wesley, after all, who had saved me at...

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“Graveyard Dates” by Rabbitt Sharp

Submitted to Contest #221

Okay! Picture the scene! We’re seven college-aged, amateur ghost hunters trespassing on a huge graveyard late at night. Besides my infrared cameras, Lou's digital recorders, and Judy's various thermometers, we also had John and Charles who were psychic sensitives, and Mark's perpetually chattering, air-headed girlfriend, Beverly! Sensing a strong ghostly presence in a secluded, tree-lined plot, John and Charles grew more excited and Beverly got more chatty when suddenly a voice snapped out from the shadows behind some large head stones. ...

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“The Keep” by Bonnie Jackson

Submitted to Contest #221

Luigi Molinari felt spryer than usual when he got out of bed that morning, despite the falling snow. It was as if a youthful tide of energy had washed over him, restoring the last twenty years of his life. His brain hummed, his skin sang, and he felt a renewed kindness for the animals in his care. They were his whole purpose for living, ever since his beloved Maria had departed. The beasts were strangely silent this morning. Not only that, the solar power seemed to be down, p...

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“Why My Girlfriend Killed Me” by Maddy Grace

Submitted to Contest #221

CW: gore, violence, blood, bones, death, murder There’s a sharp crack as my skull smacks the concrete. My teeth rack together and the taste of metal fills my mouth. Warm liquid oozes from the back of my head. My ex-boss stands above me, grinning wickedly as I wipe blood out of my eye from the gash above my right eyebrow. And all I can think is, where the hell is Jess? “I’m sorry Cora. I really liked you, but you chose this for yourself,” Barty seethed, his words cutting through the thick fog settling over my brain, “Maybe if you could ...

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“The Visitor” by Susan Eaton

Submitted to Contest #221

The Visitor I hope you’re all made of stern stuff as I’ve no wish to scare you, but I want to tell you what happened to me the other night. It was like this. It was very late, and I was in bed, settling down to sleep but still awake, if you know what I mean. I was at that point where I was warm and comfortable, although still conscious of the traffic noises outside. But if I heard something out of the ordinary, say, someone by my gate or footsteps on the drive I’d probably say, ‘Bu – blow it’ and turn over. I was that close to sleep. But I ...

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“The Game” by Christina Boufis

Submitted to Contest #221

Cookie considered herself a connoisseur of mice. She preferred adult mice of a certain age, nice and plump. She liked females better than males. And she preferred the darker to the lighter-colored gray mouse. Also, paws down, Cookie far preferred mice over birds when it came to playing the game. Mice were better at it. Cookie would wait at the back-garden wall every evening around dusk for the game to begin. Her tail would twitch with anticipation as Cookie spotted the first stirring of the ivy, signaling the mice were making their wa...

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“Inseparable” by Maria Sardi

Submitted to Contest #221

Mum and Dad were a happy couple, always chatting, giggling, and enjoying each other's company. They had married in their twenties and had lived together for thirty years until death pulled them apart. Dad had a heart condition, and he used to joke about dying of a heart attack while playing his favorite sport. “One last round before I go,” he used to tease Mum.“Paul,” Mum would say rolling her eyes.He died while teeing off on the 18th hole at the Country Club we belonged to. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, we were playing together wi...

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“Oscar and Dolores” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #221

The fall air is crisp, and the sky is crystal clear. Dolores ambles up her front walkway, still unable to understand how the world can be so cheerful after what has happened to her. Having returned from Oscar’s funeral, she stops before her doorway and sighs. The funeral was held with just her son, Bill, and herself because she knew Oscar wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s just the way he was. Turning the key in the lock, Dolores bites her lower lip, takes a deep breath, and steps inside. She freezes ...

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“Walkies” by Caro Robson

Submitted to Contest #221

It hurts, but if I turn my head slightly, I can see little James in the garden. Arms stretched wide, face tilted to the clouds, eyes squinting in the welcome warmth. Though I cannot hear his voice, I know that he is singing. Martha looks up to greet my daughter, and I wonder anew if my grandchild will remember me once I'm gone. “I’m glad you came, Lydia. There has been a change in him. I think the time is near.” “Martha, that is not helpful. The doctor is very optimistic.” Martha takes Lydia’s hand, speaks gently: “Lydia, I have ...

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“Copy Love” by Mary Black

Submitted to Contest #221

‘Large or small?' said Alice, but she knew Joe couldn't hear her, not yet. She twisted the metal top off the bottle, poured two large Primitivos, clinked glasses and drank from one, then the other. Then she put down the wine, took a marker from her pocket, and wrote ‘Hey, Joe’ in cursive script on a sheet of A4. She opened the lid of the photocopier, put the paper face-down on the glass, closed it and pressed SCAN. The machine whirred, the light beam moved across, and a sheet dropped into the tray. Then she sipped from her glass and waited ...

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“Rachael's Tower” by Bruce Clymer

Submitted to Contest #221

Bruce Clymer &...

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“Reggie's Story” by Andrea Corwin

Submitted to Contest #221

Reginald absolutely hated it when Marie walked through him. She scatters his ethereal outline when she decides to enter the room while he is standing in the doorway. Doesn’t she realize it actually discombobulates my aura? I think she takes great glee in it! “Dammit, Reggie, get out of my way!” Ghosts block my path all the time, she mumbles to herself. The crystal pendants on the chandelier begin shaking. “Reggie, stop it. I don’t want crystals falling and denting the table. STOP!” Reggie heeds her shouting...

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“Ghost of a Punk Band Past ” by Laura Eliz

Submitted to Contest #221

“I’ve booked your ticket on Delta, and a suite in the inn on St. Peter’s street that my family owns. They always give me a deal. It is a lovely suite. It has a fridge, coffee maker, living room and dining space. My Aunt said she is happy to have you to dinner for home cooked meals. We will also give you a card for food and entertainment. If helping the new office to open takes a little longer than a month, are you willing to stay a little longer?”. &...

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“In the woods” by Lori Trainor

Submitted to Contest #221

In the woods North Preston is the largest black community in Nova Scotia by population and has the highest concentration of African Canadians in any community in Canada. The population was 3,223 in 2021. This is a decline from 2006 when Preston had a population of 3,536. North Preston also includes the beautiful Lake Echo in which a river flows through the community. Ashayo was a shy, quiet, yet happy little guy. His short 10 years of life on this earth were thought to be quite uneventful. The community in wh...

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“Writer's Block ” by Thomas Tracy

Submitted to Contest #221

No one ever dies pretty, do they? In life, most likely, Dwight Talbot was a fit, towering man with a full head of hair and a broad smile – not bad for a guy pushing 60. But what was sitting on the floor in front of Detective Francis Cadman wasn’t Dwight Talbot, not anymore. Most of the corpse was untouched, but the head – well, that was another matter. Cadman knew people offed themselves in different ways, but few did it as creatively as Talbot. In fact, Talbot was the only one Cadman knew who decided to end it all by jamming a pair of need...

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Write a story where ghosts and the living coexist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 69 stories

“Forever Yours” by Francesca Tsakonas

“Graveyard Dates” by Rabbitt Sharp

“The Keep” by Bonnie Jackson

“Why My Girlfriend Killed Me” by Maddy Grace

“The Visitor” by Susan Eaton

“The Game” by Christina Boufis

“Inseparable” by Maria Sardi

“Oscar and Dolores” by Ralph Aldrich

“Walkies” by Caro Robson

“Copy Love” by Mary Black

“Rachael's Tower” by Bruce Clymer

“Reggie's Story” by Andrea Corwin

“Ghost of a Punk Band Past ” by Laura Eliz

“In the woods” by Lori Trainor

“Writer's Block ” by Thomas Tracy

🌟 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

426

Contest entries

148

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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