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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story that takes place in the woods.

Posted in Mystery on Apr 6, 2021

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✍️ 180 stories

“The Wood” by Sophie Queen

Submitted to Contest #37

Rough thick tree trunks covered the forest floor. Their connecting branches, numerous in number, and nearly as thick were filled with large emerald leaves. So dense and plentiful were these leaves that not a single beam of light had ever been able to penetrate the lush green barrier. Thus, within The Wood existed a forever night, an ever-present darkness that stirs the nightmares of mortal men. Thusly, creatures who thrive best within the light of the sun seldom venture into The Wood. Opting instead, when need be, to take the month-long trek...

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“Black Hood” by Jose Sanchez

Submitted to Contest #37

It was in the small town of Porterville, where everyone knew each other. The town had taken a dark turn this summer. Kids weren’t able to be out at night. People were going missing and were being killed. They were always last seen or heard of being near or inside the mysterious woods. Their body would always be found in the woods. No one knew who was doing this horrible thing. The only detail people gave was that they saw a man in a black hood. I was curious and wanted to get to the bottom of it. I didn’t want any of my close friends or fami...

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“The Light” by Janine Bejarano

Submitted to Contest #37

It was midnight, and Kelsey was coming home late from a party. She knew her parents were going to be disgusted when they saw her the next morning, she just wondered why they hadn’t called her sooner. Her parents, Don and Gertie Shimer, were devout Baptists and didn’t approve of Kelsey’s rebellious behavior. It wasn’t that Kelsey rebelled because she hated her parents or their religious values, she just rebelled because she thought it was fun to see her parents all riled up. It was also in part because of her brother. While Kelsey’s parents w...

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“The Fall(s)” by Dana Shelton

Submitted to Contest #37

   It was a beautiful 78 degree sunny day in June. It would be a perfect day for a trek to Trinity Falls. The trail to the falls had been closed recently, but I knew that wouldn’t stop Troy. He’d always lived life on his own terms, whatever served him best. Currently, he was up in his office/music studio; the one outfitted with the expensive soundproofing foam that Tina had paid for). She knew better than to disturb him; best to let sleeping dogs lie. Eventually he’d take a break from surfing his ...

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“You Owe Me A Fish” by Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #37

A single gunshot can spoil the mood, as can a hungry wood tick. After latching on to your armpit or worse, nestling into your nether regions, ticks dine on your blood passing along disease. Removing one is easy provided you have a little Vaseline or alcohol—rubbing or otherwise. If not, a match will do; lucky for the Dick he’s never without one. Private Detective Dave Diamond relaxed on the riverbank fishing; a hobby since he could spit. Dressed casually with his dark gray fedora tilted just enough for the breeze to cool his brow, he lit a L...

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“A House in the Woods” by Jake Hope

Submitted to Contest #37

Fuck. Marlowe gasped for air. He was drenched in sweat. Smack!The mosquitoes were eating him alive. He looked up. The trees were too tall. Too dense. To see the sky. He was entrapped. Why did I do this? Why did I think this was a good idea? I was over-300 pounds and spent all my time eating Taco Bell on the couch less than a year ago. Why did I say ‘hey I’m a little thinner now so let me hike the Appalachian Trail by myself without any training’? Well, you were a Boy Scout. Yeah a decade ago! Fuck! I’m idiot. Marlowe thought. He uncorked his...

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“Ritual” by Amy Williams

Submitted to Contest #37

Leaves trickled onto the soaked moss and freshly upturned dirt, squelching under his boot as he stepped forward. Let us call him Dagon. For Dagon had his task in the forest, and ducked under the limbs of trees that reached gently out to caress his thin form.  The great oaks blockaded the sky above, but the rustling wind allowed drops of rain to fall through, beating against the earth like a drum. Dagon tightened the strings of his hood. Passing a jutted rock marked with black graffiti, he turned sharply left. From there, he moved into t...

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“The Daughter” by Monserrat Ramos

Submitted to Contest #37

As I was getting ready to go on my morning walks, I noticed a different feeling than what I usually felt each morning. The day just seemed a little gloomy and different vibes from mother nature, but I still got dressed and ready to go on my daily routine. At first, I wasn’t as bothered by this sensation, until I arrived in the woods and started to observe a different environment. I began to hear the sound of the dry leaves being stepped very close behind me. I was walking through the woods with the fear and a sensation of being followed...

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“The Tree House” by Angela Morrissey

Submitted to Contest #37

The little girl’s cry pierced through Poppy’s heart as she waited for the anaesthetist nurse to take down her details. She knew how the girl felt. She too was hungry and tired from a rise at dawn. Now it was time to play the waiting game. The difference was Poppy had to keep her emotions inside. She couldn’t let it all out and cry like the child was doing as much as she would like to. No, she had to internalise it.    The nurse eventually came and went and it wasn’t long before she was taken to the operating table. The nu...

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“The woods of Tobolsk” by Apsara Rodrigo

Submitted to Contest #37

                        THE WOODS OF TOBOLSK                           PART ONEShe woke up with an ache. A normal human being experienced headaches, stomachaches and backaches all throughout their lives. But an ache that felt like their eyes had been scooped out? It wasn’t so common. Golden ...

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“The Bargain With a Spirit” by Ra Putnina

Submitted to Contest #37

Naki was on her way back home from the Lorvale village, her rucksack full of healing balms and yet to be made into paste plants, which were hard to grow in their village because of the dense trees surrounding it. The Lorvale village, even though even deeper in the forest, had a big clearing available that they used for growing produce. With the corner of her eye she saw a will-o'-the-wisp to her right above the tall fern. She turned on her heel two times and clapped her hands to ward it away. It worked.For a minute. There it was again just o...

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“The Long Lost and Forgotten” by Angel Grace

Submitted to Contest #37

Eyes closed. Each moment flowed, slowly trickling by. I was at peace. Yet somehow, I impatiently waited for that time to come.Yes, the sun was setting down midst the ample cleavage the luscious green valley provided. Still, time proved to be inching slower than a snail. It felt like time had frozen itself just to mock at my irritation.I didn’t want to open my eyes. Cause it was a scenery I had admired so many times before without any hesitation. It was imprinted in my mind that could be brought forth with my eyes closed a...

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“A Visit to Wonderland” by Elia Lucca

Submitted to Contest #37

Whoosh! The brisk wind rustles through the dark oak of the woods.  We're almost there just a left at the fallen branch, I think to myself.  "This is taking quite some time; don't you think Elizabeth? Are you sure - like 100% sure you know the way?" James asks. "Yes, now hush! Someone might hear us!"  In a few moments later, we make it to the depressed fallen branch and take a gentle left.  “Look! There it is!” I whispe...

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“And So We Walked” by Lindsey Carter

Submitted to Contest #37

       When I was seven years old, I got lost in the woods behind my house for four hours.             My father and I had been walking out to the small pond that lay in the woods connected to our back yard, where we would sometimes fish just to pass the time on a warm Saturday afternoon.             I knew the way by heart. As long as you stayed on the well-worn dirt path, you w...

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“The Sun Went Down Some Time Ago” by Joe Glocke

Submitted to Contest #37

The sun went down some time ago. I can’t remember when.I'm always nervous, but this fire is warm.There were poplar trees beyond the camp before. Now there are shadows in the twilight. The tree limbs creak as they bend to the wind and some reach down to tickle my tent. I hope they’re still tree limbs.There are things out there, snapping twigs and shifting the darkness, but for now they're at bay. I’ll stay by the fire. I'll be alright.To pass the time I sit on this log and think about home. The white farmhouse with the red barn at the en...

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