Write a story in which characters are warned not to go into the woods.

Posted in Mystery on Jan 7, 2021

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✍️ 98 stories

“Little Red Riding Hood” by Heidi Hanson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #16

I am used to the chemical smell in the air. We all are. We all have to be. It coats our throats and hurts when we breath, but we fight through it. There simply aren’t enough gas masks to go around. We don’t have a choice. We need food. We need wood to keep the furnaces going. Without the precious logs that others bring in, we would all freeze to death in the only thing keeping us safe from the disastrous elements. The bunker. My red hoodie and black gloves protect me from the dangerous plants. Fungi coated in poisonous slime. Flo...

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“Don't Go Into the Woods” by Janetra Waters

Submitted to Contest #16

Eldmere, Finland"Äiti, why can't we go into the woods again?" a small seven-year-old boy asks, voice curious, as he gets into bed. He pulls his covers over him as he lays down. The boy's mother gives him a small smile and helps him settle in. The moonlight casts a soft glow through the window."The woods are very dangerous." she answers him, sitting on the bed. "And holds a great evil within that preys on people." the boy looks at his mother with curious yet confused eyes."The Näkki live there." she supplies at his look."The Na-di?" he asks c...

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“Forests of Bone” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #16

1“You remember where to shoot ‘em?”“In the head! Always in the head!”“Good girl.” He tousled her blonde hair. It was short and cropped so that it couldn’t get caught on anything. Short hair also meant that nothing could grab it very easily, either. “Did you remember to do it?”A guilty silence. Her eyes looked shiftily from side to side. She didn’t know what he was talking about. She’d forgotten. “Lara…” He sighed and started the sentence again, careful to keep the note of exasperation from entering his voice. He was rather new to this whole ...

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“The dark side” by Yoomi Ari

Submitted to Contest #16

They say we all have a beast contaminated in our souls but the beast can come out, like William Golding said, “Evil is written inside of us and society is the only thing that can keep it in.” Nothing can stop it. Basically Good vs Evil, however evil can sometimes overtake.Streaming tears cleansed her red, wind-slapped cheeks. Few droplets remained, forgetting their way as the path was swept from beneath them, consequently blurring Rachel’s vision with waves of sadness only the broken encounter. The salty release calmly flowed into her mouth ...

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“The Man in the Woods” by Sarah Kreiger

Submitted to Contest #16

She could feel him out there. No, she couldn't see him, but he was out there in the woods, watching. Standing out on her porch Macy stared out into those woods, holding her mug of tea tight in her hands. She was scanning the area where the trees lined up almost perfectly along her back-property line, searching for any movement, but it seemed even the insects were hiding tonight. This had been the same routine for five years now, except for the absence of the bugs, that was new. Five long, long years. At first it had started out...

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“Don't Go Into The Woods” by Adriana K. Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #16

“Don’t go into the woods,” they said. Do not go under the emerald leaves, do not venture on the twisted paths. Fools see a shortcut; wise men went around. Strange things lurk there. “Stay in the light,” they said. The shadows move. If they catch you, if they touch you, they will steal your shape and leave you flat. “Don’t trust the beautiful,” they said. Don’t look at their faces, beautiful women though they seem, or their eyes will trap you. Look behind. They have no backs. Hollow they are and they are al...

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“The Escape” by Melanie S.

Submitted to Contest #16

We lived in a quiet town - a small one too. There were only fifty or so kids in our high school class. Everyone knew everyone; there was nowhere to hide. When they said you could never go into The Escape, you obeyed, no questions asked. The Escape - where do I begin? On the outskirts of town was a large wooded area that paralleled the highway. It was an appealing place for those who enjoyed the outdoors; I often found myself longing to enter its mystery, perhaps take a long hike among the trees. I never knew exactly why The Escape was ...

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“The Danger in the South Woods” by Kaysie Davis

Submitted to Contest #16

“What do you mean, you dared Barrie to go in the South Woods?” I was trying to keep my anger out of my voice. The little boy in front of me was digging his foot into the dirt. “Tell me what happened. Right now, Burton!”“I didn’t think he’d actually do it.” Burton’s grey eyes were wide. “He was bragging about how brave his is and how he could do anything! He was calling me a scardy cat because I wouldn’t go climb trees with him! So, I told him that he still wasn’t brave enough to go into the South Woods!”I sighed, “And so my headstrong little...

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“The blue-haired witch” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #16

Grandma used to tell me all sorts of stories before she fell ill. She told me about the witch who lived far away in the deep dark woods and would grant wishes. But only if you completed the tasks she set you. If you failed, she would cook you and eat you.I loved listening to those stories. Once, when I was about six, I declared that I would go and find the witch and ask her to give me wings so I could fly. But grandma grabbed my shoulders with her bony fingers and shook me until my teeth rattled. “Never do that!” she said. She made me swear ...

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“The Antics of Erik the Drunk” by Lee Witkowski

Submitted to Contest #16

Erik the Drunk was drunk again. By this point, the townspeople had stopped keeping track of how many times they had awoken to his intoxicated yelling in the middle of the night. They had stopped ushering their children quickly away from his crooked finger pointing and his twisted mouth laughing in their direction. They often saw Erik swaggering up and down the town’s dusty main street, pretending to face off with dragons or bandits or barter with invisible merchants, but after years of this, they no longer feared him. In fact, he was beginni...

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“The Big Surprise” by Deborah Mercer

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #16

It was one of those days that seemed so close to perfect it was hard to know whether to glory in it or not quite trust it. The mid-morning May sunlight was clear and warm, but there was just a little breeze to stop it being too warm, especially when it was filtered through the burgeoning crowns of the trees just come into full, hopeful, rich springtime leaf and it made little dapples on the sandy paths in the woodland. To the left and right of the paths, in both shade and sunlight, the bluebells clumped together as if rejoicin...

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“What Lurks Outside the Forest” by Lily Kingston

Submitted to Contest #16

“Hey, do you ever wonder what’s out there. In the forest?” “Emma!” I hushed. “You know we’re not allowed in there! Sister Scarlett warned us, remember? It’s dangerous!” “But what makes it dangerous?” Emma questioned. “My granny said out there, are our god’s enemies. Monsters that will kill anyone who steps foot inside.” I firmly replied. “Wow.” Emma turned away from the looming forest to me. Her blue eyes peering at me. “It’s getting dark, we should head back.” Agreeing with a nod, I still took a few steps closer to the woods. Amongst ...

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“The Diamond Pond” by Renée Chatelain

Submitted to Contest #16

My people fear the forest. Why? I don’t know. No one in the village or in my family has ever told me why. All they say is “do not venture past the forest’s edge,” or “your fate will meet you if you traverse the forest’s domain.” Sometimes they simply say “you will die if you dare enter the forest; do not go in.” Naturally, one would be skeptical. Why shouldn’t I enter the forest? What on earth could be in there? The forest seemed friendly enough. Birds could be heard happily singing in the branches; sometimes a little rabbi...

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“Don’t Go Into The Woods” by Barbara Eustace

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #16

You were told, weren’t you? Don’t go into the woods they said. Ah, but the confidence of ignorant youth that ignores the wisdom of knowledgeable age.When you first came to the place, you were told, your parents were told, don’t go into the woods. Don’t go into the woods because it’s easy to get lost. People have gone missing.You look on a map. How silly. The woods are not huge, a scant mile wide at their widest point. How could anyone get lost? Just walk in a straight line, you’d come out somewhere.The...

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“Mango and Leif” by Natasha Arnold

Submitted to Contest #16

An earthy aroma of hibiscus and chamomile filled Kodiak’s lungs. The insight civil servant observed the cafe and the peculiar characters within. Mango and Leif’s was a simple tea cafe, aligned in trinkets and an abundance of teacups. There was a quaint warmth within the walls, as if the whole room were a blanket. Everything seems too at peace, Kodiak despised, folding his arms. Mango and Leif’s would be the last place Kodiak, House of Caspian, imagined to be. But nevertheless, Kodiak arrived. He sat down. The cafe was timid and reserve...

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Write a story in which characters are warned not to go into the woods.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 98 stories

“Little Red Riding Hood” by Heidi Hanson

“Don't Go Into the Woods” by Janetra Waters

“Forests of Bone” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“The dark side” by Yoomi Ari

“The Man in the Woods” by Sarah Kreiger

“Don't Go Into The Woods” by Adriana K. Maxwell

“The Escape” by Melanie S.

“The Danger in the South Woods” by Kaysie Davis

“The blue-haired witch” by Marte Van Der Linden

“The Antics of Erik the Drunk” by Lee Witkowski

“The Big Surprise” by Deborah Mercer

“What Lurks Outside the Forest” by Lily Kingston

“The Diamond Pond” by Renée Chatelain

“Don’t Go Into The Woods” by Barbara Eustace

“Mango and Leif” by Natasha Arnold

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story around the theme: Be careful what you wish for.

Write a story that involves love at first sight.

Write a rags-to-riches story.

Write a story about a character on a quest, trying to "prove themselves."

Contest #16

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

315

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: