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 from the point of view of a ghost, vampire, or werewolf.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 11, 2024

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?

✍️ 144 stories

“Haunting Me” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #272

Time doesn’t march; it dashes, kicking up the ever-shifting sands of memory onto an open soul’s eye. All you can do is watch as it zooms past you.It’s even truer when you’re a ghost, floating above everything you used to know --- the same halls you used to roam, the very smells that used to tickle you every time you breathe, the people you used to hold tightly by your bosom. And yes, it still stands even if the one living being you miss embracing, the only one that made you come back to Earth on a mission to let her know that you still think...

67 comments 67
Read story

“Come sail away.” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #272

Come sail away.Once again, I watch as the late-afternoon light creeps over the threadbare Persian rug and caresses the leather club chairs. It glints off the pewter vase holding the past-their-prime red roses and passes over the pale-blue teacup with half a chocolate biscuit on the saucer. On the once-maroon velvet chesterfield with the tired cushions and tarnished nail heads sits an old woman. In her arthritic hands is a silver frame that holds my picture. In a corner of the room a gramophone plays Winter by Vivaldi.She gazes out the French...

49 comments 49
Read story

“The Werewolf’s Wife” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #272

There is nothing worse than fleas, and I come crawling home covered in the buggers. Megan gave me that look as she stood at the counter fixing breakfast. The look that says, Oh, for the love of God! I know that expression well. The side eye roll, the firmly clenched lips that are going white about the edges, and the stiff shoulders. I slink by her sheepishly, straight to the shower, knowing she won’t appreciate fleas at breakfast.In the bathroom, I transform. I have found that it’s the best place to do so, as I always emerge from my other se...

24 comments 24
Read story

“Today They Scatter My Ashes” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #272

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mental Health Issues (Schizophrenia) and suicide.The world stopped making sense on a broken Monday morning. The leaves still fell and crunched under my booted feet, the wind still whistled through the oaks and ruffled my too-long hair, and a chill still rattled my teeth and bit my fingers. It wasn’t those things, not those things at all.I had forgotten my gloves and hat, left my scarf on the back of my chair and taken a fiver from the jar on the dresser. It wasn’t mine to take, but my wallet was empty and my craving for pum...

14 comments 14
Read story

“Paranormal Pals and Predicaments” by Cecelia Annan

Submitted to Contest #272

“I’m calling a meeting!” Andrew announced, letting his voice carry down the hall to his roommate’s doors. Violet threw her door open, rubbing her eyes and yawning widely. “It’s so late, why are you shouting?” she groaned.  Andrew frowned as she yawned, revealing her pointed canines. “I know it’s morning, but this is important. We need to discuss the apartment inspection; he’ll be here any minute.” “What’s to discuss?” Amy asked, her incorporeal form floating through her door. “I’m in the middle of educating some idiot on just how amazin...

18 comments 18
Read story

“Ghost” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #272

Ghost shuddered as the woman draped his wet form over the clothesline. At least, he would have shuddered if he had a muscular and nervous system. He winced as she secured three clothespins to his middle, but the pain was only imaginary.  The wind blew. Ghost would have shivered from the chill as his sides billowed in the breeze, again, if only he had a nervous system.  The woman sighed and moved down the line. She pinned a row of socks, and then a row of underpants. The autumn sun shone bright, but it lacked the warmth of sum...

12 comments 12
Read story

“life in death” by Emily Lees

Submitted to Contest #272

I could do nothing but watch. Most days, I saw cars zoom past in a dizzying blur of red, silver, and blue. Animals hesitated at the road’s edge, bodies tense, eyes calculating the perfect moment to dart across the asphalt. I watched weary truck drivers lean forward, faces etched with exhaustion, their bloodshot eyes fixed on the glowing blue and yellow lines guiding them through the night. Occasionally, cop cars raced by, sirens blaring and lights slicing through the darkness, forcing other drivers to swerve aside in relief that they weren’t...

11 comments 11
Read story

“The Trouble with Being a Kindly Spirit” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #272

*** TW: death by sky-diving ***No rest for the wicked? You’re having a laugh. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt since (quite literally) crash-landing on the ‘other side of life’ so to speak, it’s that while the truly evil spirits might have their work cut out when it comes to the number of guest appearances they’re obliged to make in the minds of the living (and which, let’s face it, only serves to boost their already over-inflated egos) it’s rarely the case that us run-of-the-mill, inherently good, peace-loving souls are compensated in kind....

15 comments 15
Read story

“Phenomenal” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #272

I knew the other three who’d come on board, but had never made the formal acquaintance. Nor from what I’d learned, would have cared to.The other guys, no idea. I use “guys” loosely, without gender assignment. Which isn’t a horrible thing — people more than ever are just kinda people, despite the plucky can-do dementia of the Proud Boys and rollers and Florida and guys like my two new “friends” who seemed to swing dicks with random glee. Today’s vast uncertainty liberates me from the subconscious “rules” of attraction or aggression and the tr...

14 comments 14
Read story

“Ghost Song” by Joseph Ellis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #272

They came to hurt us again. Not just me. They bring a machine specifically for this purpose. They came to hurt The Doctor and little Lulubelle, and the transient ghosts who sometimes occupy the cells. The first time they turned the machine on, I didn’t hear the screams of the others, only my own. The second time I heard them all, but mixed together. The third time I could hear each one, discreetly, distinctly.This is the fourth time they’ve come. The first time it was just one man, carrying the machine like a child carrying a watermelon, set...

21 comments 21
Read story

“Mommy's Saddest Day Ever” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #272

“Mommy, don’t cry.”  I climbed up onto the bed and scooted under her blanket. She lay curled up on her side, and I squeezed into the space that was empty near her tummy, facing her. I stared into her eyes which held the sadness of the world. “I’m ok. I promise,” I whispered to her without reaction except for another tear slipping out sliding sideways landing on her pillow. I reached up to wipe the streak that the tear had left behind feeling my mother’s softness that I remembered so well. Every year on the same day she d...

14 comments 14
Read story

“ The Friendly Phantom” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #272

The Friendly Phantom“A man’s got to know his limitations.”-Clint Eastwood/Dirty HarryOut and About the Town on a Chilly October Evening-“Boo!”Nothing.“Boo!!”Nothing.“BOO!!!”Worse than nothing- laughter.Wilbur dreaded turning in his tally sheet for the day at this evening’s meeting at the PIA (Poltergeists in Action) Lodge. Thirteen attempts; the number of people frightened- zero. Damien won’t be happy. Wilbur again felt like a complete failure as he slowly made his way back to the Lodge.The PIA Lodge-“Gosh, Wilbur, you’re almost late ag...

3 comments 3
Read story

“Visiting Time” by Penelope Stansfield

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #272

This story contains themes of grief, loss, and trauma. Mentions a car accident, death, physical injuries, and emotional pain.Early Sunday morning, the bus station is quiet with just the remains of last night's takeaway wrappers rolling around the stands, like dirty greasy passengers who’ve disembarked but have nowhere to go. The November chill turns my breath into little lost clouds and the slight breeze carries the scent of autumn, tickling my nostrils. Of all the places to be on a Sunday morning, this isn’t what I’d choose. ...

16 comments 16
Read story

“A Vampire's Tale” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #272

When the world was young and mankind was new to it, the sons of God came and went as they pleased. They pleasured themselves with the daughters of men, bringing forth men of great power, stature, and size. These men who were half angel and half man had an unquenchable thirst for blood. They were called Nephilim, better known today as Vampire. Today, there is much fictitious lore we must dispel concerning my kind before proceeding with my tale. We do drink the blood of humans, rejuvenating our bodies, giving us exceptionally long lives, but ...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Yes, Demons Do Exist” by Jeff Meade

Submitted to Contest #272

Yes, Demons Do ExistI watched the safari truck jostle along the rough dirt track, weaving around mud holes and low hanging acacia branches. Dusk had fallen moments before, and the family hanging out of the pop-up roof squinted fervently through the gloom to spot the elusive leopard. What they spotted instead was me, and I had timed this perfectly.“Dad, did you see that?” I heard the youngest girl squeal, wagging her finger towards the rear of the vehicle. The family had been calling her Quincy. Her older sister was Berkeley, and the other fa...

14 comments 14
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Short Story – 112 stories

Start or end your story with someone running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Dramatic – 85 stories

Center your story around someone trying to resist their darker impulses — and they’ll either succeed or fail.

Angst – 63 stories

Write a story in which the narrator or a character says "Did you hear that?"

Short Story – 84 stories

Contest #272

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Fright Night

$250

Prize money

488

Contest entries

176

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 18, 2024 EST

Won by Mortimer Ridgewood 🏆

Title: Drone

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 ⭢