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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

“Stay Out of the Shadows” by Kristen Adkins

Submitted to Contest #37

It was dark, almost pitch black, and she could see nothing but the fuzzy outlines of the trees around her. All of a sudden she could hear the sound of gentle footsteps approaching from a distance, getting closer and closer until she could hear the breathing behind her.  “Um,” voice and body shaking with fear and confusion, “hello?”  She had no idea where she had managed to get lost, nor where her friend had gone, all she could gather was that on this silent, starless night, she was terrified. An eerie low growl came from behind her...

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“Here Be Dragons” by Marie Bernardin

Submitted to Contest #37

“I’m gone for a walk, going to explore our property…following the power line up to the back property line, then through the woods to Johnson Road. I should be home 4:30pm at the latest… M”I have to leave a note otherwise he’ll get worried. After we moved here, I fell into a bit of a depression. I was raised on the wide, open prairies and the never-ending forests around here make me feel closed in, contained, trapped at times. If he wants to follow and catch up, he knows which way I went. I stop at the end of our property line to gaze down th...

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“Whispering Woods” by Sasha Tucker

Submitted to Contest #37

"Another summer at Grandma's house", I thought to myself as mother and I pulled into the yard with her grey oldsmobile. Summer's were magical. I remember when grandma and spent the last few summers together. I loved how she would sit me down at night and tell me stories about her childhood. "People ain't like they use ta be child. This world has changed alot" she said as she stared out the window towards the trees. "When I was ya age we had these get-ta-gethas in the wood there yonda. We had some good ol' times back there in them woods. "Rea...

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“collecting mushrooms and meeting death ” by Mia Pacejka

Submitted to Contest #37

Avery looked in the mirror and admired the outfit she had just sawn yesterday. It was a long flowing dress, that ended just before it hit the floor. It was tight at the waist and the colour reminded her of a forget-me-not. But it wasn't what she needed today. When you are strolling around in the woods, collecting things, a long flowing dress is not the look you should go for. Instead Avery went and changed into a more practical outfit. A pair of olive-green shorts and a tight white shirt. She took her basket, that she already lined...

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“The Woodcutter's Kindness” by Maggie Farnum

Submitted to Contest #37

I hugged myself as the wind blew coldly, making me shiver. My feet were bare, having lost my shoes somewhere along the way, and they were covered in scratches. My loose garment was not enough to make me warm, and it was already covered with small holes. I had not come prepared when I had thoughts of leaving that man. Looking around, I found myself deep in the woods. Where am I? I wondered. The forest was dark and eerie, but the moon shone brightly above the trees. I almost regretted leaving. But no. I had made the right decision in...

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“The Watcher” by Max Kegan

Submitted to Contest #37

My vision seemed to fade in and out as I ran through the woods, jumping over fallen branches and dodging bushes and thorns. There was a distinct sound of heavier footsteps running after me, and I think growls?My chest was tight as the cold air entered my lungs rapidly. I felt the burning sore pain in my legs from running for so long. I did my best to dodge the snow and ice that littered the woods along with the steep hills. All I had was the light from the full moon to guide my way. I needed to find a place to hide. A place to get warm, and ...

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“Ghost Town” by Lindsay Berg

Submitted to Contest #37

   Stacey beckoned me to come with her into the dark forest at night. A wolf’s howl echoed off the valley walls, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.      "Come on!" Stacey exclaimed, gesturing towards the tree line with a big smile on her face. Apparently, I was taking too long to decide because Stacey turned and started walking away from me, into the trees. I didn’t want to stay there alone so I sigh and follow her in.      Twisting designs decorate the ground...

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“Thing” by Dextyr Adams

Submitted to Contest #37

Ever since he was little, he knew better than to leave the house in the woods.  They raised him nice enough - Granny baked cookies on Saturdays and Pawpaw would read the paper aloud. They weren't his real Granny and Pawpaw but they insisted that he called them by those names. He did as he was told. He wanted to be good for them. They wanted him to be good for them, though it was rather difficult. “You can’t leave the house,” Granny told him one day. She’d most likely told him this many days before and would continue to tell him this man...

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“THE DARK IDEA” by Andy Chijioke

Submitted to Contest #37

The six boys chose their steps carefully into the dark forest. The night was cold,the bright ball in the sky shone on the face of the woods. The owls hooted,the wolves howled and their leader was Karen. Karen had packed his books onto his arm before a pamphlet let go. He stooped low to pick the short paper but read it first instead. "Hey guys,come take a look!" He beckoned. The other five boys clustered around him to know what it was. "Here,look!" Karen said with a surprised face pointing his index finger on the tiled floor. "A house...

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“The Cryptid” by Bryce Block

Submitted to Contest #37

Something took my father.I didn’t see it happen, but I knew he had been abducted. My father had warned me about this. He and I had been out there alone for as long as I can remember, and we only had each other. Now I was alone.When I awoke that morning, he wasn’t in his usual spot. He wasn’t anywhere. I waited a short time to see if he would return, but I knew deep down that something was wrong. I had to go find him.We lived in a small clearing in the forest. I knew the surrounding area well enough to search within a wide radius of our home,...

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“Baba Yaga” by John Blood

Submitted to Contest #37

Sarah ran into the woods with tears welling in her eyes. She had just discovered that her brother had died. Through the thicket and the bramble, she made her way with nothing more than her bare feet, the soles of which now bled and bruised from the cuts she received. For a long time she ran, and she went as far as her breath would allow her. When she could go no farther, she collapsed to her knees in the understory and heaved sobs to herself. Time passed, until her weary heart grew calm, and, curling up into a ball o...

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“Eloise and the Rabbit” by Nora R

Submitted to Contest #37

Chapter 1As Eloise clutched her stuffed rabbit to her chest, the woods around her seemed to grow even larger. The little girl’s eyes widened as the solemn moonlight peeked through the leaves. This morning she never would have thought she would be in this situation. Eloise turned slowly in a circle as she tried to remember how she got here. For an odd reason, everything mushed in her brain, and no memories seemed very clear. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. A stick snapped under her foot and she closed her eyes. Slowly ope...

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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 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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“When It Comes” by Marielle Pacheco

Submitted to Contest #37

A dead twig snapped beneath my feet as I moved further into the woods. Since arriving about an hour ago, an unsettling fear weighed me down. It was inescapable, yet I couldn't grasp why I felt this way.My mind flashed back to the grumpy old man I encountered earlier that day when I stopped for gas:"There's something evil in the woods... Something sinister rooted in the trees that no man can see." He had a faraway look in his eye as he spoke. Curious, I asked him what he meant but the man refused to elaborate. Instead, he seemed to snap out o...

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