Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story where someone sees the shadow of someone standing behind them.

Posted in Mystery on Oct 21, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 62 stories

“Double Walker” by Steffen Lettau

Submitted to Contest #169

I had only one regret, and this might be the only chance I will have to tell it. I was going to visit my grandparents in Germany, mainly at the behest of my parents. Mind you, I love my grandparents, but I haven't seen them in years; I only hoped that they would recognize me. The last time I was in Germany, I was barely past the age of twelve years and, as a kid, I was privy to share much of my experiences with them. They, in turn, would share their experiences with me. My grandfather told me about how his grandparents fought in resistan...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Mechanical Hearts” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #169

I met Seneca’s shadow before I met Seneca. It seems a strange thing to say but that’s how I remember it. We were both going to the local 24-hour grocery store at 3:38 A.M. on a Tuesday morning. Tuesdays, by their very nature, are unromantic, but that’s where the romance began. A girl with no legs captured my cupid-immune heart.**************“Yo! Buddy! Move aside for the mobile people!”Anson had seen a shadow creep up behind him as he waited for the “WALK” sign to activate at the street corner. It was a short, squat shadow that didn’t seem t...

35 comments 35
Read story

“He Turned” by Eileen Turner

Submitted to Contest #169

He Turned            Sweat trickled down from the crease in his forehead, first to the corner of his right eye, then down past his nose onto his lip. He wanted to wipe it away. But he didn’t dare. His hands clenched the sides of his jacket – tightly, to stop them from trembling. Controlling even the depth of his respirations to limit the movement of his ribcage, he stood facing the wall.            Just a whisp of a shadow, ever ...

20 comments 20
Read story

“Alpaca Republic” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #169

My father casts his shadow 50 feet over my shoulder out onto the cobblestones of Prazania Square. The outline of his preposterous Generals hat is the icing on the cake. If someone had told me I would be standing in front of his statue wearing the same hat giving a speech to the nation, I would have laughed, but reality is stranger than fiction.Side note: by law, my father's statue is the tallest structure in the capital city. Which is fine by me because I build most of my structures underground.I face the crowd of seventy thousand and begin ...

14 comments 14
Read story

“Sincerely Yours” by Jennifer Cameron

Submitted to Contest #169

Dear Bradley, I dressed for death today, burnt oranges and smoky greys. Everyone else is wearing black but that is such a cold colour, and you were all fire and warmth, so I wrapped myself in your fire to say goodbye. I don’t really know how to write today, and my tears are staining the page, now the ink is smudging but I needed you to know that I’m thinking of you. Your mum said, ‘I know how much you loved him.’ She was trying her hardest to be sweet but how awful to think that it’s all past tense. I’m thinking of you Brad and I’m loving y...

16 comments 16
Read story

“G-R-A-N-D-M-A” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #169

My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I know I see your shadow. In the moments when the light is right. Outside on a sunny day, or even inside amidst the dim lights we’ve set for our relaxing jazzy evenings. I know I told you not to leave me, but I meant, stay here, don’t die. I didn’t mean for you to haunt me like I’m living out some spooky, Halloween movie. The sun is shining through the window this morning. It’s warming up our dining area/living area – no, we haven’t found a bigger place yet – and leaving a great big sun-patch on our...

9 comments 9
Read story

“Your Pal Pete” by Angeliki P

Submitted to Contest #169

Peter is very serious about becoming your forever friend, but you don’t know this yet. You don’t even know what it means. In the beginning, you stand at the edge of your aunt’s walkway with your suitcase in hand, squinting against the sun. A friend of your father’s drives away in his pickup. Exhaust fumes linger above the asphalt like a black ghost, encumbered by humidity. Aunt Wendy appears on the front porch, urging you to come indoors where there’s air-conditioning and sweet tea. “Aryan,” she calls. She’s one of those people, the ones...

7 comments 7
Read story

“A Squirely Halloween” by Charlie Murphy

Submitted to Contest #169

A shadow stood behind me.I gasped and turned around.“You scared me, jerk!” I slugged Marzipan.“Sorry, are you ready to go?”“I dunno. I have no freakin' idea what I’m looking for.”"That’s why we’re going.”“But it’s been five years since I dressed up.”“Well, it’ll be fun shopping.”“Yeah .” I ran the brush through my long, blond hair. “’Ooh! Check this out, Gloria.”I turned my head. “Uh, no way!”“You don’t wanna be a sexy pirate?" Marzipan smiled holding the costume.“No.”He put it back. “How about a dinosaur? Or… Whatever the Hell this is?...

34 comments 34
Read story

“Toxic Breakup” by Gina Kopcrak

Submitted to Contest #169

         Jessica laughed before throwing back another whiskey shot. The bitterness sent a shiver through her body. Strobe lights lit the club in flashes of blue and red. The combination of the alcohol, the pounding music, and the lights made her dizzy. There were so many bodies packed into the small space, grinding, dancing, drinking, pressing up against each other. She saw him from across the crowd, and they locked eyes through the flashing lights. She never missed him walking into a room.  &nb...

2 comments 2
Read story

“My Name is Adrian” by Devadeep Gupta

Submitted to Contest #169

My Name is Adrian My name is Adrian, and I cannot sleep. I see his shadow behind me. He is standing behind me… or is he? I imagine his voice. That deep, booming baritone lets everyone know that he was born to be the King. He is gone, but I still hear it. There is darkness all around me. I am alone in my room. Why do I still hear the voice? I cannot hear his words. It is like a deep, humming sound… “My Lord? Are you here?” No one answers. I only see hazy shadows in my chambers, as my pupils adjust to the light. I have barely...

13 comments 13
Read story

“A sale is a sale!” by Laura Ethington

Submitted to Contest #169

Feeling wildly pleased with herself, Sara walked back to her apartment from the flea market, prize in hand. On a crisp Saturday morning, she had no idea her coffee walk would lead her to this little market. Well, it was more like a few tables on the side of the street where the Sunday Farmer's market typically was. But still! It was New York City, and a sale was a sale!   With an overly sweetened pumpkin spiced latte in her hand, her first of the season, she glanced at the painting on the sidewalk. She was instantly mesmerized by...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Trick or Treat!” by Sydney Holt

Submitted to Contest #169

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The flickering of the library lights was tantamount to blaring alarms. Larissa groaned internally as she brought her head up from the desk. It was well past midnight at this point; not an unreasonable time for somebody her age to be awake, but unpleasant nonetheless. Once she spotted it, she had no idea how long the shadow had been there. The shadow was tall and flickered along with the yellow library lights. She had to turn her head only slightly to see what, or rather who, cast it: a tall man as disheveled and tired as ...

7 comments 7
Read story

“After-School Walk” by Ace Burnside

Submitted to Contest #169

Hildred Brasher had not walked home after school in many a year—probably not since his parents had his little sister, Zariah, and even less so when they had his even littler sister, Margaret. Which was a shame, really, because he had once truly and deeply loved these walks. They were just about as peaceful as his chaotic, violent mess of a life could possibly get, although that wasn't saying much.It wasn't that his parents were helicopter parents or anything of the sort. If anything, it was the precise opposite. They probably gave Hildred a ...

3 comments 3
Read story

“The Dark Reality” by Zoë Page

Submitted to Contest #169

And it was there – inches from me – I let out a scream and felt as if I rotted into the mystery – I couldn’t see – I swung wildly with it in my grasp and then – and then – then… * We’ve learnt to live in darkness. For years now we have faced little light and have adapted our ways to fit the safety precautions. Nobody leaves their homes in the daylight. Nobody switches on much more than a weak bedside lamp if they have intention to move. It may seem like a strange world to you, but for us it’s reality, and reality is what you grow to live...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Mystic's Mountain” by Jeannette Miller

Submitted to Contest #169

The air was still and quiet. Fresh snowfall from the night before blanketed the grounds of the mountain resort like a winter wonderland seen on postcards begging someone to leave their footprints as proof they existed. The light from the full moon reflected off the new snow lighting Lucy’s way as she walked the path to the equipment shed. The new snow felt crunchy under Lucy’s feet. Perfect for building a snowman. A light bulb went off in Lucy’s head. A snowman! Yes! That’s it. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? If the weather held up, ...

13 comments 13
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character encountering a black cat.

Horror – 74 stories

Start your story with a blast of lightning casting a graveyard in a flash of brief, white light.

Dramatic – 36 stories

Write about someone finding a monster under their bed.

Kids – 32 stories

Write a murder story where the murder weapon is the knife used to carve a pumpkin.

Thriller and Suspense – 49 stories

Contest #169

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: I've Got Goosebumps

$250

Prize money

253

Contest entries

109

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 28, 2022 EST

Won by Lindsay Flo 🏆

Title: Maniacal, Manipulative, Psychotic

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢