An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 129 stories

“Killer” by Elle Becker

Submitted to Contest #103

I thanked the cops politely - though all three of us knew my words were hollow - then showed them to the door. A gust of wind hit me when I opened it to see them out; little ribbons of earthy, frigid air, lacking in moisture and mercy. The shadows on the lawn were long and thin from the bare trees in the yard. They stretched toward me, the branches like pointing fingers, accusing.I watched the officers silently leave through a dirty window pane as my breath fogged the glass. Awkwardly, they’d replaced their caps and shuffled to their police ...

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“Car Boot Sale” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #103

Hello stranger! Well, I haven’t seen you in a long, long time. You’re always such a busy bee with that phone of yours going “buzz buzz buzz”. Wish I had that many people who wanted to talk to me. No, it’s alright. Come in, sit down. Yes, there’s fine. Do you want a drink? Only water? I hope you're not on one of your funny faddy diets. We always had problems with you as a baby, you know. You would only eat oven chips at one point and it had to be one particular brand of oven chip. So fussy! One time everywhere seemed to go out of stock of ...

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“Snakes in the Garden” by Del Gibson

Submitted to Contest #103

SNAKES IN THE GARDEN by Del Gibson ON A BEAUTIFUL barmy day in Wellington in 1999, I went to the letter-box to collect the Dominion Post. On the front-page was an article that caught my attention. The article says: Snakes-Skins Found in The Botanical Gardens, Wellington. At the Botanical Gardens, in Wellington – a tourist came across a curious item. The unnamed man was looking at the roses when he found a snake-skin. It was two-meters in length and appeared to have been shed by a python snake; typically found in Australia. After aler...

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“Haunted” by A Wanderer In This Universe

Submitted to Contest #103

TW: violent murder The car screeched to a halt. Two masked figures jumped out. They were carrying a gagged and tightly bound man with bulging eyes and a look of horror on his face. The masked figures carried the captured victim to a small grove of trees on the left. Apparently I hadn’t been noticed, yet… Who were these people? What were they doing with the tied man? Curiosity was overwhelming me. I knew what the consequences would be if I got caught spying on them, but I couldn’t resist the temptation. I needed to find out. Bes...

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“Mother’s Last Day” by Jon R. Miller

Submitted to Contest #103

[Content Warning: assisted suicide] Good morning, Mother. I catch myself almost whispering the greeting in my mind, furtively, like children holding their breath during hide and seek, mentally entreating the others kids not to find them. It’s as though I’m afraid she could hear what I’m thinking. She sits in her wheelchair by the open french window looking out on the lawn and oak woodlands beyond with leaves already yellowing and crisping. I close the window to keep out the early autumn draught. Her head is slumped sideways, chin aim...

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“The Mose Allison Effect” by Drew Kizer

Submitted to Contest #103

We are all connected. At least that is what the gurus say. Some force beyond us—call it God, the Absolute, whatever—links everything together into one beautiful, harmonious symphony. At least that’s what I think. If you’re paying attention, you can find evidence of the Oneness. The signs are everywhere, like Friday’s footprints on Robinson Crusoe’s island. I have a name for the mystery of these icebergs rising out of the ocean of everything, pointing to more. I call it “The Mose Allison Effect.” The name comes from something that...

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“"Experience the horror!" by Ye Wint Aung” by Ye Wint Aung

Submitted to Contest #103

My name is Zack William; my job is a bone chilling job. I hunt ghosts, inspect paranormal activities and visit haunted houses to see what’s going on there. Most of the houses I visited had some common ghost sighting, (things flying off, seeing a shadow person, tiny orbs flying around the house, etc.) but the last house I visited was one of the scariest haunted houses. First of all, “How did I become a ghost hunter?” Ever since I was a kid while living with my family, ghosts and poltergeists had really interrupted our family for 2 years str...

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“"No May Day"” by Tariq Saeed

Submitted to Contest #103

You can guess it as my tiny memoir,craving the story after lapse of sixty long years.Life is a great teacher,it teaches you many phenomenls in lifetime ,here I would pick life also complete it phase or words before the departure to the next world.Momy Jan,hailed from Afghan descent.we both were fast friends,right from school till college,were room mates, came to Karachi,joined Pakistan International Airlines as Air Attendants in 1960.Pakistan International Airlines were ,in those days crossing it’s puberty age.I’m using the word “puberty”her...

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“The Room” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #103

Caroline had an affinity for dogs and design. Her parents promised her that once they moved, Caroline’s passions would be a priority. These words were intended to convince or offer a quid pro quo as they were moving Caroline, a junior in high school, to another state. The home had property which would allow Caroline to raise her beloved golden retrievers in the rear yard. Additionally, design opportunities were abundant within this classic center hall colonial which sits atop a hill, deep in the woods, where neighbors could not be seen....

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“The Magic Window” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #103

Sophie loved exploring, and today, she was making her way through the brush and forest to find places that remained yet undiscovered. Her best friend, Abby, had ditched her in favor of shopping with her Mom, but Sophie preferred trekking through the woods any day to picking out a new outfit. As she topped a hill, she saw a small house she’d never spotted during her travels in the woods, situated just inside a large copse of trees. It was then, and in vivid detail, she recalled a dream the previous night about a house that looked identical ...

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“Connections and Instances” by Sampurna Dasgupta

Submitted to Contest #103

“Claire, will you please go and see that?” Lillian Evans, the detective, called out as she heard the doorbell ring. “A bunch of young girls, Madam,” said her help. “Please send them up. I’ll be there right away.” Miss Evans replied. Settling down on a sofa, Miss Evans smiled at the girls. “Please introduce yourselves.” “Clarice Brown, 21” “Janice Wright, 26” “Bexley Allen, 25” “Celine Miller, 24” “Melanie Ellison, 25” “And what brings you here?” asked Miss Evans. “An attempt to murder me” replied Clarice. …………… Previously… “We ought to repor...

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“Not So Special Blue Plate Special” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #103

NOT SO SPECIAL BLUE PLATE SPECIAL “Crash!!” The sound of all the plates on the breakfast table tumbling to the floor followed by a bloodcurdling scream. The scream emanating more from shock than fear, came from Carey Stupolski, a guest in the home of her uncle, Stan Fizurski, and his family because she had recently witnessed a few potentially dangerous confrontations between her parents in her own home. “The craziest thing,” Carol said, “I sat eating a plate of Uncle Stan’s delicious pancakes and reached for a glass of o...

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“Enchantment” by Diana Alexia

Submitted to Contest #103

Karina stared at her steaming cup of coffee. She needed this one for sure. This was one of the most intense projects she had started since entering her career and she needed all the help she could get. Lately, she found herself feeling thrown off as if something was not right. But she did not necessarily consider it a bad thing. There was this odd feeling like she was not alone. Not like aliens or anything. More like she was sensing the world around her. She was not sure it even made sense to herself. Karina was always a so-called city ...

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“Strange Hobby, Strange Happenings” by Tsholo Matlala

Submitted to Contest #103

Stella listens to the faint sound of her mother's aerobics tape playing through the crack of the door. The voice of the teacher is overly enthusiastic, almost tinny, she could hear the consistent creaking of her mothers' feet pounding the old wood of their house. It is a familiar almost comforting sound now, it means she has time uninterrupted. She moves from her desk to a stretch of wall in between the door and the closet where a small table sits. On top of the table is a glass enclosure, where beetles crawl around on twigs. A light ...

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“In the Middle” by Moon Fox

Submitted to Contest #103

Things always happen. Coincidences happen to, but this time it was no coincidence everything went wrong on one day. I nearly got fired, my guy ran off with my BFF, and a car nearly ran me over. So I went into work, and my boss was in a really bad mood. I got one complaint saying “My Frappuccino was too cold.” My boss would have fired me if my work friend hadn’t stepped in. I got home, and I found my best friend being all kissy face with my guy. They ran out, and I wept for an hour straight. When I went for a walk to clear my head. As I cross...

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An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 129 stories

“Killer” by Elle Becker

“Car Boot Sale” by Karen McDermott

“Snakes in the Garden” by Del Gibson

“Haunted” by A Wanderer In This Universe

“Mother’s Last Day” by Jon R. Miller

“The Mose Allison Effect” by Drew Kizer

“"Experience the horror!" by Ye Wint Aung” by Ye Wint Aung

“"No May Day"” by Tariq Saeed

“The Room” by Noelle C. Lee

“The Magic Window” by Cindy Calder

“Connections and Instances” by Sampurna Dasgupta

“Not So Special Blue Plate Special” by Bob Faszczewski

“Enchantment” by Diana Alexia

“Strange Hobby, Strange Happenings” by Tsholo Matlala

“In the Middle” by Moon Fox

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character looking for a sign.

Write a story where a character runs into someone they’ve seen in their dreams, or enters a building they’ve dreamt about before.

Start your story with someone discovering a photograph that has something written on the back.

Write a story about someone who starts noticing the same object or phrase wherever they go.

Contest #103

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

814

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: