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

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 191 stories

“Hair of Fire ” by ᗩᗴᖇIᑎ ᖇᗴᗷᗴᑕᑕᗩ ✨🌈

I always thought of the heat as happiness. Warmth. Like a family. Cold was the bitter iciness panging the back of your head, numbing your fingers and toes until all you wanted to do was go back inside and sip hot cocoa.That was until I moved to the blistering desert.Turns out, enough of anything and you can be numbed by that too. (I was pretty sure my skin considered a slight breeze as “cold” by now.) Sigh.I stared out the dusty window with ragged breaths, so deep in my own regrets that I didn’t h...

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“William Gregory MacDonald” by Veda Stone

(Warning: this story has themes of drinking and death) It was not uncommon for people to stumble drunkenly into the small inn on the corner of Central Avenue and Stone Street, but when they asked for the largest room there was and did not count out the hundreds of dollars in cash they put on the counter, it tended to catch the attention of those who saw. Harold Randall stood up f...

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“The Road Less Traveled” by Nainika Gupta

I chose the road less traveled, now where the hell am I? - Robert Frost/unknownThe stranger arrived on a sunny day. Which was weird, as all the other days of the month had been rainy and stormy. But the day the bells rang announcing his arrival, the clouds dissipated and we saw blue sky for the first time in over thirty days. The small inn at the end of the lane, creeping up over the cliff, was almost full to bursting. Not with visitors, no. Lane’s End didn’t get many visitors in the seas...

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“Little Task” by Corey Melin

No one is sure what to do as the strange character entered the town, riding a white horse. The person wore a cloak with a hood covering their head so no one could get a good look at them.“Who can they be?” Dylan asked his mother, Helen, as he looked out the small window to their cabin.“I don’t have a clue, but it doesn’t look good,” his mother replied.The stranger slowly moved along on the horse in the middle of the road into the small town. It was like the person wanted everyone to see they were...

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“The Torrid Travels of Teleporting Todd: A Todd Story” by Christopher Rothschild

Todd blinked into existence and tumbled into dirt. He rolled onto his back and breathed as hard as he could, exhausted. He had never blinked this far before, and now his insides hurt. He looked to his side and saw a lizard scurry under some sagebrush. He was in the desert. It was hot, even though it was nine in the morning. He sat up with effort and looked at his barren surroundings. Besides the sagebrush and cacti, the...

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“Elpis” by Katie Evans

Maybury was a quiet place. Five and a half thousand people lived in it, but it wound a long way out into Nevada desert. Less a town, more a collection of villages scattered through the prickly-pear cacti and low scrubland. Prometheus arrived in the mid-afternoon when the sun was patiently cracking open the sidewalk. Even the weeds between the cracks were limp with heat. The few people out kept their head...

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“SIR WIGGLESWORTH IN GREEN TOWN” by Josephine Samuel

1716 When Sir Wigglesworth Battlesby stepped foot in Green Town, he immediately sensed something was off. He had paraded one street lined with yellow wattles and half-timbered apothecaries, wondering at his own dismay. He stomped his cane to the ground, to and fro as he went, until finally settling against a hickory. One boy came by and greeted him, his chest held so high that Sir Wigglesworth wondered if he maintained a decent breathing. "Drop your chest." ...

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“The Gateway Rattle” by James Holgate

The clanging of metal and the blazing of fires erupted from the blacksmith as yet another day began. Houses of oaken materials stood solemnly within the shielded confines of the hamlet known to most as ‘Lindlow’. Such a hamlet had been laid down upon the restless earth for almost 500 years and in such time has had little advancements in technology. However one thing that the small village did have was a thriving communit...

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“The Cursed Town” by Wild Rose

Content Warning- Murder/SuicideHe walked up through the dusty road which led to the small town of Temans. It was twilight and a light wind was blowing. Far away, the crop plantations acquired a greenish orange colour due to the light of the sun. On the other side, one could catch a faint glimpse of the Temans church, with its tall steeple standing majestically high up in the sky. The yellow- orange hue of the sky washed the town, and the muddy red road was illuminated with a touch of gradient yellow. The whole ...

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“Sanctuary” by Kylie Wallis

Sybella Ramsey had lived in the small town of Medlow Grove for her entire life. It was also where her mother was born. Beverly knew Colin back in high school and they had been good friends for a while. But it wasn't until one New Year's Party, when they kissed, that the two of them realised there was more to it.Six years after they got married, Beverly gave birth to twins, but only one survived. They called her Sybella. She was a bright and cheery child, and as she grew up, became a favourite of many long term residents....

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“Ordinary” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The black sedan makes no sound as it comes into view.The sort of car you might see parked behind any number of offices across the country. Its shape somehow conjures up all car manufacturers and none. Your gaze trawls over its sleek onyx curves. It could be a Mercedes or an Audi or a custom job from a nameless government-employed garage.It rolls down the street at the precise speed limit. Not slower. Not faster. Bang on. It signals when necessary, and stops at all the lights and crossings. It gives way ...

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“A Murder” by Niveeidha Palani

c.w: gory scenes, disturbingAuthors Note: I tried something new. It's different from what I usually write. I meant for this to be a very short passage. Enjoy. :)The roads were soaked, with soggy puddles and the blades of thin grass were drenched in water. It was still pouring, however, from noon, and dusk had forged already.Thunder clapped around the Bringston Village and stringy, thin streaks of lightning whipped the skies. Everyone stayed in, sipping hot cups of cocoa, and s...

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“Generations” by Wisteria 4001

GenerationsA Creative Non-Fiction Short Story by Ana GovindasamyThe words had flown well before she came. The 50s had so much post-war immigration, so many rumours.This was the 60s.She was searching for something to hold on to. Aindrita Palanisamy, had everything and nothing at home. Mauritius was simply a small island, part of the British Commonwealth. It gained independence only last year, 1968, not without consequences. But she was a British citizen by birth,...

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“The River of Jewels” by Colin Devonshire

Gordon jumped off the train, alone as ever. The ticket collector looked him up and down, taking the sweat-damped piece of paper. He nodded forward as his passenger strode towards the exit of the throbbing station. From the end of November to the beginning of December, Kanchanaburi celebrates River Kwai Bridge Week, at the same time the Red Cross is hosting a fair. Perfect for Gordon’s needs. He checked into...

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“Perpignon. The best place for business meetings” by Valery Rubin

So that's what it is, Perpignan. I'll be damned. Three in one: France, Spain, and Catalonia, come together here under the hot Mediterranean sun. I didn't know it was possible. It's a place where you live both in France and Spain at the same time, on a completely legal basis. The wide, sandy beaches are just a few miles to the east and the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees with their ski slopes to the west. The world-famo...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 191 stories

“Hair of Fire ” by ᗩᗴᖇIᑎ ᖇᗴᗷᗴᑕᑕᗩ ✨🌈

“William Gregory MacDonald” by Veda Stone

“The Road Less Traveled” by Nainika Gupta

“Little Task” by Corey Melin

“The Torrid Travels of Teleporting Todd: A Todd Story” by Christopher Rothschild

“Elpis” by Katie Evans

“SIR WIGGLESWORTH IN GREEN TOWN” by Josephine Samuel

“The Gateway Rattle” by James Holgate

“The Cursed Town” by Wild Rose

“Sanctuary” by Kylie Wallis

“Ordinary” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“A Murder” by Niveeidha Palani

“Generations” by Wisteria 4001

“The River of Jewels” by Colin Devonshire

“Perpignon. The best place for business meetings” by Valery Rubin

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Write about someone welcoming a stranger into their home.

Start your story in an empty guest room.

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

Contest #96

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

882

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: