Start your story in an empty guest room.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 150 stories

“Always Wear A Hat” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #96

Rob gave it a last scan to check he definitely hadn’t left a light on or a stained teacup on a bedside table. Satisfied, he shut the door on the empty guest room. His wife, Ali, was fussing in the linen closet at the other end of the landing. She turned when she heard the door close, gripping a lavender coloured hand towel to her chest like a shield. “Is everything okay in there?” she asked. “Yes, all good for…whatshisname’s arrival,” Rob replied. As he drew closer, he noticed Ali’s eyes looking somehow paler than the cornflower shad...

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“Welcome, To The Arcanum Hotel” by M C

Submitted to Contest #96

The big wood door slowly swings open with a creak to reveal a room behind it. I walk through the looming doorway with my trunks in my hands and under my arms. I sweep my gaze across the room and look at the big windows with long black curtains that dance in the wind from the drafty windows. There is a plain bed with a dark, twisted wood bed frame and an ornate dresser to match. A mirror hangs off the wall next to a closet that looks like it would house all of your childhood nightmares. I glance down next to me to look at the little woman who...

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“Wethersby’s Wakening” by Jude S. Walko

Submitted to Contest #96

Sir John Wethersby, for the life of him, could not recall which town he was in, nor in what quaint innkeeper’s room he had suddenly awakened. The last thing he could recall, was hearing the distant mewing of a spectral cat, after partaking of a particularly bland bowl of porridge, and a rather unsavory piece of stale mutton. But why could he not recall anything from even a few days past? Sir John, managed to get dressed, in a quite stylish set of breeches and long tail coat, previously unfamilia...

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“The Wall Of Sister” by Kate Gratton

Submitted to Contest #96

Note: Jay (Jaime) typically uses both pronouns. He is referred to as ‘he’ and ‘his’, but is called Cara’s sister. Jay I looked both ways down the empty yard before dropping my backpack, grabbing a few tools and slinking to the side of the house in complete darkness of the shadows it was casting in the late afternoon. My parents and my sister had left a few minutes ago. I hadn’t been welcome here for years, not since I told my parents I was transgender. They didn’t give me the ‘we still love you and it matters but we don’t really care’ spe...

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“Between Worlds ” by Meta M Griffin

Submitted to Contest #96

Julia was lead to the empty guest room in the Queen's castle. The nurse locked the door from behind. She wound up in the guest room after she’d taken more narcotics. She’d recently been in her bed in her crowded apartment where she'd lost all feeling. Then she saw herself standing in front of a woman who called herself the Queen. ‘I want you to stay in my place until it is your time to be born. You will have to find the key in order to find your way to birth,” the Queen said. Julia wandered around in the empty room and lo...

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“The White Room” by Dominic McQuinn

Submitted to Contest #96

Well, this is quite the predicament. They offered me top of the line but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when they said “The best security”, well whatever a room is a room. I walk in and feel the plush carpeting hit my feet, it’s like walking on a sheep. I look for my bed and toilet and see nothing. “Hey, where do I sleep?” I asked, “Where else but on the floor? Have you felt it? It’s amazing.” He says back. “Ok, but where do I go to...go?” I ask, “Oh, there’s a panel that pop’s out and has a toilet, forgot which one though...

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“Home away from Home” by Anuji Withana

Submitted to Contest #96

I sat down with a sigh. The midday heat was creasing through my body and I felt the beads of sweat on that rollercoaster down my spine. The pony tail at the back of my head was making me really uncomfortable so I just remove my hair band and prop it all up in a bun. I knew I look tragic wearing my hair that way, but the extreme heat gave me no other option. I fanned my hands in defense but it was of no avail, so I strained forwards to pick up the newspaper. A quiet creak. I dust it off on my pants and start fanning myself. After a few mo...

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“Of Locked Doors and Twisted Paperclips” by M L

Submitted to Contest #96

The room is mostly empty. There’s a few cardboard boxes laying discarded in the corner. Trinkets spill out from the ragged openings - frayed charms made of thread, pens that lost their ink years before, and an assortment of paperclips coated in a thin layer of dust. The paperclips are scattered, now, with a boy sitting in the midst of the mess. He’s got his head down, brow furrowed, nimble hands twisting at the stiff end of a dark blue paperclip. Despite his efforts, the paperclip remains unyielding, stubborn to the pressure placed upon ...

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“Mike Learns a Hard Leason At the B and B” by Glenn Etzwiler

Submitted to Contest #96

The room was dark and cold the shads was draw the bed was not slept in for years. No one used this room people have tried as soon as they got to the door. They had to turn and leave no one has even opened the door to this room. The guest was to afraid to open the door the owner never went near it to afraid to go near it. So the room stayed empty since the room has never been used, the inside of the room is most likely dusty. For these reasons the Owner has removed the House for its list of bed and breakfast. Still does no...

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“The Widow’s Guest Room” by Marilee Worrell

Submitted to Contest #96

The elderly lady stood in the doorway of the empty guest room, leaning heavily against the doorframe, sighing softly. It had been a month since her last guests. The last guests weren’t the neatest of people, but they were friendly and helpful, if not a bit forgetful at times. She moved into the room and began to slowly straighten it up for her next guests...whoever and whenever that would be. Though she should’ve cleaned up the room when the guests left, she just needed a break, a long break. The guest room wasn’t always a guest ro...

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“The Empty Room ” by Christian Hinrichsen

Submitted to Contest #96

The Empty Room Downtown Cincinnati (2 miles from UC) A black ford escapade with flashing blue-plum lights pulls up to one of the lesser than habitable part of Cincinnati. A pair of Cincinnati police cars are parked outside of the crime scene. Detective Agnes Harris steps out of a black Dodge charger joined by her counterpart Detective Joel Washington. Robert Mitchell aka Badge joins the pair after his Ford escapade pulls up. His team of Crime scene investigators join him which include Reese Williams, Johnny “Shaman” High-eagle and ...

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“The Lonely Doll House.” by Drew Andrews

Submitted to Contest #96

Once upon a time there was a girl who stayed with her aunt Kylie every Christmas break . She had to stay in the guess room. One night while readying for bed she heard a creep. Maybe it was just her impressive imagination getting the best of her; more so because of the weather, room, and novel that she had been reading.The next morning she smelt breakfast, bacon and waffles which happens to be her favorite thing about food, so she tried to open the door to go down stairs to the kitchen. But, to her findings the door was locked. Was that what ...

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“The Return” by M. Mullins

Submitted to Contest #96

Esther stands in the corner of her empty guestroom, with no more emotion than a house plant. The sun hangs heavily in the apex of its arduous march, casting light in the stark, white room, dulling the already faded, paisley sheets, tucked and folded like origami on that small cot, as if a soul had never touched it. As if last night never happened. She leans against the doorway for a while, only managing to pull away when the sharp corner digs too deep into her arm and bruises it. She sighs and rubs her throbbing arm; eager to focus on the ...

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“Good Results” by Ray Phoenix

Submitted to Contest #96

I quietly closed the door as I walked into the empty room. The room was rather small and appeared to be unused for quite some time, hence the dust on the furniture and the old, almost dirty scent that you usually smell when going into an old, abandoned house. I begin to wander around the room trying to get a feel for everything. Within the room was a neatly made bed against the corner wall with a small nightstand to the left of it. On top of the nightstand was a lamp and a purple berry scented candle. To the left of the bed and nights...

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“as far as goodbyes go” by Kiran Bassi

Submitted to Contest #96

The empty bed was made with a downy duvet atop a sheet-stripped mattress. The only evidence that someone was ever here was either packed away in my myriad of suitcases or seesawing back and forth in a stew of water and suds in the laundry machine. Aside from the sheetless mattress, the guest room looked exactly as it did a month ago-- walls as white as fresh snow, marred only by a painting of an orchid opposite the door. A cracking wooden bedpost. A handkerchief, yellowed with age, stuffed carelessly in the nightstand on top of the worn bibl...

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Start your story in an empty guest room.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 150 stories

“Always Wear A Hat” by Karen McDermott

“Welcome, To The Arcanum Hotel” by M C

“Wethersby’s Wakening” by Jude S. Walko

“The Wall Of Sister” by Kate Gratton

“Between Worlds ” by Meta M Griffin

“The White Room” by Dominic McQuinn

“Home away from Home” by Anuji Withana

“Of Locked Doors and Twisted Paperclips” by M L

“Mike Learns a Hard Leason At the B and B” by Glenn Etzwiler

“The Widow’s Guest Room” by Marilee Worrell

“The Empty Room ” by Christian Hinrichsen

“The Lonely Doll House.” by Drew Andrews

“The Return” by M. Mullins

“Good Results” by Ray Phoenix

“as far as goodbyes go” by Kiran Bassi

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about strangers becoming friends, or friends becoming strangers.

Start your story with the arrival of a strange visitor in a small town.

Write about someone welcoming a stranger into their home.

Write about a character who has to rely on the hospitality of strangers.

Contest #96

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

858

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: