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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

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

Posted in Mystery on Jan 7, 2021

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 98 stories

“Grandmother's White Robe” by Tuesday Michael

Submitted to Contest #16

I always enjoyed visiting my grandmother in the summer, seeing her smile with excitement every time I walk in the door on that first day of June. I might be an adult now, but that doesn't stop her from ushering me into her kitchen and immediately offering me cookies. Her house always smelled like freshly baked gingersnap cookies and always had a warmth that made me feel loved. "Thank you, Grandma!" I say as I eagerly stuff the spicy-sweet cookie in my mouth. As I do my little happy cookie dance, I look over at the aging woman. Something...

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“This Forest Belongs to the Witches” by Lee Romero

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #16

"Stay away from the forest," my mother cautioned me as a child. "There are witches inside of it, and they eat children." I had laughed, and she chased me around the house, snarling playfully. That was before the lawsuit. Her boss caught her with her husband, and sued. My mother was left poor, unwanted, untouched by any company that could hire her. The first time she got drunk, fully, truly, started-drinking-at-10-a.m drunk, she screamed at me, yelling how worthless and stupid I was. In her hangover, she said she was sorry and that ...

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“Walls Keep Those Out ” by Meli Mangos

Submitted to Contest #16

In the meadow outside the walls of Almeria, where purple Lanterns flower and stags graze in the early morning, little Henry was running in front of Elizabeth through the tall grass. Her skirts swished around her legs as she huffed to keep up. She had beat him up the hill, but when it plateaued he quickly overtook her.  “Come on, Liza! Last to the tree line has to go into the woods!” His hair danced wildly even in the absence of wind. Oh what his mother would say when she sees how he ruined what she had spent half the morning combing.&nb...

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“Curiosity” by James Donaldson

Submitted to Contest #16

The rising sun twinkled as it emerged from its hiding place behind Mt Kenashi, making Hana wince. She’d always felt sorry for Mt Kenashi – the hairless mountain. Its big sister Mt Fuji had the perfect posture, sides flowing gracefully up to meet Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun and the universe. While Kenashi was unremarkable in appearance: a big dollop of rock simply fallen from the Heavens and forgotten, the remains of Play-Doh used to lovingly craft Fuji. She didn’t even have a crown of snow like her famous big sister. Peo...

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“The Golden Crown ” by Marjorie Kabwe

Submitted to Contest #16

Once upon a time, in a long forgotten Kingdom, there was a king who was loved by all. Because he was not married, he had no heir. He ruled wisely until one day he’s time was up. It was on his death bed when he made a declaration that would change the fate of his kingdom.“In the oldest, darkest and most frightful woods there this golden crown shall be. Whoever finds and returns it here, King or Queen shall they be. ”With those words the King passed and the golden crown vanished into thin air. A great sadness fell upon the kingdom. Many came f...

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“Autumn Was a Time for Mourning” by Sithara Ranasinghe

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #16

Autumn was a time for mourning, and the woods knew that best. The woods that morning teetered on the edge of November. Frost lanced the black barked trees like cobwebs, and the dirt was dark and cold. The air tasted of earth. A low fog hemmed the roots of the trees, slipping between dim briars. Too slow for the eye to catch, under the white autumn sky, the trees stir. Nothing is still in the woods. If you were to listen – really listen – you would hear the choir. The trees were groaning. The leafless bushes creaked, and the fat, blood-filled...

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“'Into The Woods?'” by William Webster

Submitted to Contest #16

“The last time I saw him he was wearing a blue hoodie and he had a pack slung across his back.”   The inquisitor stared long and hard at me with a glare that said he didn’t believe I word I was saying. “So, lets take it from the top. What was he carrying?”   “I told you before, I don’t remember him carrying anything. Jim just walked past me heading down the corridor.” Sitting in the ridged chair that looked like an ergonomic computer desk chair, but felt more like a medieval torture seat, I argued,&nbs...

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“The Wild Trees” by Mark Newman

Submitted to Contest #16

There are trees and then there are the trees in the woods.As a kid growing up, I had always been warned to *NEVER GO INTO THE WOODS*. We all knew why. The stories were quite clear. Even though the tree outside our house was friendly and benevolent, the trees in the woods were more like a street gang.I loved my cherry tree. She and I spent hours in each others company. I would compliment her on her pleasant aroma and would feast on the cherries she produced. I took care of her, of course. Not that she needed me to look after her. She was a fu...

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“The Crooked Man of Moss Woods” by Kelly Zimmer

Submitted to Contest #16

“Grab that blanket, Chloe.” “No way, everyone will know what we’re doing.” “You think they’re not going to figure it out?” Brian shouldered his black backpack and trotted off toward the field. I laughed, snatched the plaid blanket off the back seat of Brian’s Toyota, and jogged to catch up. Behind us, the annual fall festival was in full swing under a glorious November sky. Carousel music competed with the guitars of a local band. The chaotic disharmony was punctuated with the roar of carnival rides and childish squeals of fear and joy. My i...

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“Last Call” by Kesten Harris

Submitted to Contest #16

Don’t go in the woods. You’ll find what you love in the woods.That was the bizarre warning that echoed throughout Penelope’s hometown. Every child could recite it word for word. Everyone knew the warning, but no one knew the meaning. Penelope had questioned half of the adults in Fallacyn Town for answers, but none had offered even a variation of the warning. They all shared a collective consciousness when it came to the woods. That strange behavior only increased Penelope’s curiosity. There had to be a reason why they all felt so strongly ab...

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“The Fae Child's Forbidden Home” by Emma Goertz

Submitted to Contest #16

Deep in the outskirts of modern-day Počitelj, across the still grey waters of the loch, lay a quiet hamlet nestled between the great, snow-encrusted rolling hills and vast forests. In the winter months, fog rolled in from the slightly rippling waters and hung thickly in the air while the frosty grasp of glass-like verglas crystalized the tips of the needles on Firs and Spruces. On a freezing winter night, while the snow cascaded in large flakes from the sky, a sprout of deadly Belladonna peaked its head through the snow at the tree line of t...

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“Don't Go in the Woods” by Mia Strickoff

Submitted to Contest #16

“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Miranda,” my mother told my younger brother. “She was a beautiful girl—”“Was she prettier than Snow White?” My little brother asked. I had always stood in the doorway while my mother told my little brother, Hero, stories. I had been waiting for her to tell Hero this story. “Yes, she was prettier than Snow White. Miranda, while beautiful, was very curious, and curiosity always kills the cat.”  I wanted to cut in and say that “Curiosity killed the cat,” wasn’t the full phrase. The full phrase was ...

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“Beasties” by Caitlyn Hartman

Submitted to Contest #16

She blinked. The little voice pulled her from her thoughts -- pulled her back into the moment. She had been staring at a bottle of wine for three minutes. Lost. With a tilt of her head, she glanced down at a little boy to her side. There was a pellet gun slung over his shoulder.  “Excuse me?”  “There’s a beast in your woods. I saw it. Last summer. Me and Tom.”  “Who are you, kid?”  He looked insulted. “I’m your neighbor, duh. ‘Cross the street.”  “How do you know there’s a ‘beast’ in my woods?”  “I told you. I s...

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“The Woods Are Lovely Dark and Deep...but don't go into them!” by April Knight

Submitted to Contest #16

 The Woods Are Lovely Dark and Deep – But Don’t Go Into ThembyApril KnightA large sign was posted at the entrance to the Pioneer Nature Trail reading “CAUTION! Enter woods at your own risk. Not responsible for accidents, injuries or death.”Lavender wasn’t concerned about the warning. She was wearing a new purple jogging suit and had new sneakers with purple laces. She had a fanny pack with a bottle of water, a granola bar, her car keys and her driver’s license. She was stretching and running in place to prepare herself for the Silver Sn...

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“The Witch of the Woods” by Sara Turner

Submitted to Contest #16

On a bitter and cold winter evening in a remote village in the mountains, a young couple readied their herd for the night. The shed latch clicked into place in the dark, and the husband and wife returned together to their dilapidated home on the edge of the woods. As they drew nearer, they could hear their children chattering, their grandmother getting them ready for bed.   Within the ramshackle cottage the elderly grandmother stood watching her grandchildren as they scrambled and chattered their way around the room. Their small home co...

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