Set your story in a countryside house that’s filled with shadows.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 170 stories

“Dry cereal” by Zora Lynn

Submitted to Contest #92

Buzz! buzz! Groaning Alex flopped over blindly groping at his alarm clock. Alex shot up as cold water seeped into his pajamas. Rubbing his eyes he yanked the cord for the alarm clock out of the wall. He could hear the TV playing in the other room. He briefly wondered what time it was. His heavy closed currents gave no hints. "Morning," he mumbled, glancing next to him. He bit his lip. Turning away he got up groaning as his back protested. His own fault for sleeping in a bed too small for his height. Breathing out he made his way to t...

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“House of Shadows ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #92

Felix Maratosa was what one would call a man of the road. Just like the Roger Miller tune, he was king of the road. Haunting the ophidian 101 highway, Felix had spent his life traveling north of south like a tumbleweed traveling on the whim of the wind. My name is Salvatore Rossini or just plain Sal owner of Sal’s Cafe just outside of Crescent City, California where we serve the best burger on the Pacific West Coast. Felix will come in about once every few weeks on his way to wherever the wind happens to be blowing. ...

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“Don't let the candles go out...” by Clay Harker

Submitted to Contest #92

Houses are built for all kinds of purposes. Some to shelter a family, others to worship in. Occasionally, in those most ancient of places, houses are built not to keep out the wind and rain, or the animals and the outside world, but to keep something else in… “Here’s the spare keys, and here’s the combo to the pumphouse lock. Mi casa es su casa” said the now-former owner of this pile with a smirk. "Welcome to Legba, Louisiana." “Not an attractive offer,” Shane mumbled quietly. “Didn’t seersucker go out with ragtime music? That guy can keep...

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“My lady luck (A miraculous horror story of a common man)” by Chandrika Menon

Submitted to Contest #92

“Appreciable Neil, you have got a good philosophical attitude, you will go ahead in life; no doubt. You may have to struggle a lot, but there’s a unique path waiting for you.” This sounds encouraging, isn’t it? These were the words from the Father of our College at the age of 18 years for me. Even I could not imagine how fast those days of my life flew away. Today is my birthday and I have completed 32 years of my eternal life journey. As usual my elder sister Kim has prepared a variety of delicious dishes for me which she does for my every ...

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“Flickers and Shadows” by Fresh Start0

Submitted to Contest #92

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as each thigh thrust forward through the smoldered grass, that had become grey through the merciless darkness of Ferlik's flames.she quickened her pace as the sweltering bullets from her forehead rushed onto her face. she took a quick, desperate look over her shoulder as she rushed to the edge of the forest. her eyes shimmered in fear.the flickers were coming closer. they stalked behind her; their voices hammering in her ears.she tripped over the knots of twisted skirts. the ground echoed through her frai...

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“Come stay with me” by Quin Parsons

Submitted to Contest #92

On Koonce Loop, in the south of Texas, you’ll find a dirt road leading to a lovely two-story detached house overlooking the clear Nueces Bay. As I remember the wonderful summers I spent there growing up, a tear runs down my cheek. In my mind, I picture life as it was before the shadows started to appear. It had always been a loving home, filled with warmth and happiness. I clearly remember my mother and her loving embrace, my father, a strong but warm-hearted man. But most of all, I remember my brother John. I remember how I always looked up...

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“Ivy and Shadows ” by Avid Writer

Submitted to Contest #92

Griffin Cecil- June 15th- On the plane. From Asenapine to Ziprasidone I’ve taken them all. None of them have helped much. Shadows still lurk in the corners of my vision and words that aren’t mine interlace between my thoughts. My mom thinks that me going to stay at my grandfather’s countryside cottage in England this summer will help. She says it will be a good idea to “detox” before I go into my senior year of high school. Whatever “detox” means. I really don’t think she understands. Just because I go from our home to a sunny countryside ...

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“Phases of The Moon” by Michael Hearn

Submitted to Contest #92

By the time I reached the cabin, just after two a.m., the Texas countryside lay beneath an ocean of shadow so thick I couldn’t see my hand an inch from my face. This was a darkness so complete that it threatened to fill you. I looked up to the sky for some relief but found only an even vaster emptiness. Yes, there were stars, but their pale light seemed to mock more than illuminate. They were lights for other worlds, other people, other times – a reminder that not everyone lived in my deep shadows. The moon was new, a shadow within shadows, ...

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“The House of Shadows” by Ana B

Submitted to Contest #92

“Why are there two exhausted kids in my hall?” It was the first thought that jumped to his mind, yet he forced it shut behind his lips, to decay with all the unsaid things. They were crashed out cold, two young boys, although one suspiciously looked like an elf. The elf had the typical ‘elf’ features, but he had dark skin and was short, not to mention the streak of purple in his hair, Lord knew where that came from. Even though he didn’t go out much, he was pretty sure the elves didn’t have purple streaks in their hair. Positive. The other ...

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“The House in the Meadow” by Amy Sutch

Submitted to Contest #92

It was a perfect day for hiking. The cool spring day would only reach about 62 degrees. They’d been stomping through the woods for an hour when Kelsey stopped at a fork in the trail. “Which way do we go?” she asked her friend Rachel, who came up beside her. It was a narrow, dirt path that was poorly marked. A canopy of trees shaded them from the sun, which was playing peekaboo with the clouds. &nb...

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“The Voice ” by Missy Talbot

Submitted to Contest #92

It was late into the night when I heard the voice. I was lying in bed and had been for hours, one foot into the world of sleep and one foot into the world of the awake. I sat up, and for a moment, wasn’t sure which of the two worlds the voice had come from. The voice was soft, like the whisperings of a lover from across a pillow. I called out, but heard no reply. A cloak of silence descended upon the room once more. For several minutes I strained my ears, but I didn’t hear the voice again. My house w...

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“Shadow World” by RIC .

Submitted to Contest #92

I grew up on a house atop a hill. Far above our little town below. I lived there with my Ma and Pa. And they taught me how to shoot shadows. “God damnit Jedediah!” My Ma shouted one night, “You let the shadows out again!” I remember that night my Pa came into my room and shoved a sawed-off shotgun into my hands. I was eight. “‘Bout time you learned how to kill a Shadow.” He to...

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“The Shadow Ball” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #92

Only a corkscrew of dark hair spiked from under the child’s light summer blanket. As slow as the sun, came eyes over the blanket horizon. Wispy curtains caught the slight breeze through the open window behind his bed, making hula dancer shadows on the wall next to the closet. The eyes widened in cartoonish terror at the sight of the other shadow.It was that cat again. Kaal Drogo, named after a Game of Thrones character. He was big and bold and dark, with lustrous chestnut fur and black tipped paws, tail and face, as if he...

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“Without Light” by Chloe B

Submitted to Contest #92

"There's my little Bee!" My grandmother rushes over to me, her face as wrinkled as aged paper. She smiles and pulls me into a warm embrace. Her hair smells of strong perfume, and I have to hold back the urge to cough.She leans back, holding me out in front of her and looking at me like I'm an abstract painting put out on display. "Haven't you grown into such a beautiful young woman."I always thought that was a funny statement. The 'haven't you' makes it sound like it's supposed to be a question, but how am I supposed to answer that? And I kn...

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“House of Shadows” by Aisa M

Submitted to Contest #92

The window was like a massive painting of a tulip armory in pink and yellow helmets facing their three commanders - windmills made tiny by the distance. The sky blue melted into grey, tinted by tangerine. This eight-bedroom country house inn made of 1900s red bricks oddly stood amidst the vast meadow of endless green, dotted with pink, yellow, and some purple and red bits. William marveled at the view that he would wake up to for the next thirty days or so and hoped he’d finish his draft by then with the inspiring vista. He arrange...

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Set your story in a countryside house that’s filled with shadows.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 170 stories

“Dry cereal” by Zora Lynn

“House of Shadows ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Don't let the candles go out...” by Clay Harker

“My lady luck (A miraculous horror story of a common man)” by Chandrika Menon

“Flickers and Shadows” by Fresh Start0

“Come stay with me” by Quin Parsons

“Ivy and Shadows ” by Avid Writer

“Phases of The Moon” by Michael Hearn

“The House of Shadows” by Ana B

“The House in the Meadow” by Amy Sutch

“The Voice ” by Missy Talbot

“Shadow World” by RIC .

“The Shadow Ball” by Tanya Humphreys

“Without Light” by Chloe B

“House of Shadows” by Aisa M

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins in the light and ends in darkness, or the other way around.

End your story with a truth coming to light.

Write about a character who thinks they have a sun allergy.

Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Contest #92

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

1051

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: