Write a story where a creature turns up in an unexpected way.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 25, 2024

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✍️ 98 stories

“By the Law of October” by Kiana M. Cauwels

Submitted to Contest #274

The wick came alight in a warm glow and released a subtle, barely there, scent of fall. Just enough to make Dani feel like the outside had crept in. She inhaled. Ah, there we are. Then sat on the couch and wrapped her legs in a blanket. Her favorite fall sweater, clean again after being in seasonal storage for months, would keep her arms warm.On the coffee table before her, she'd arranged buttered popcorn and mini pumpkin pie-flavored cupcakes decorated to be jack-o'-lanterns. To drink, she'd poured a glass of apple cider from the farm where...

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“The October Angel” by Rebekah Balick

Submitted to Contest #274

She said she saw an angel in the leaves once. It had been a cloudy day. Late October, when the mornings were frosted and the sun slept in and you needed a coat. Going on walks was loud, creeping in the forest impossible, with the dead leaves letting everyone know you were there. She was going down the lane to get the mail; the mailbox at my grandparents’ house was all the way down the hill, because they lived far up from the road, and it took a good ten minutes to walk down to the end of it. Two minutes in and you were out of sight of the ho...

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“Destiny Manifest” by JV Carusone

Submitted to Contest #274

Day 1 9:00am 1 male, 31 years of age 1 female, 29 years of age 1 fetus, first trimester 1 iPhone 11 (97% charged) 1 Samsung Galaxy S23 (84% charged) 1 black North Face backpack 1 teal Osprey backpack 1 Marmot Catalyst two person tent 1 12x12 ground cloth/tarp 1 LL Bean flannel lined sleeping bag 1 Coleman Heritage sleeping bag 4 TrailBuddy Adjustable trekking poles 1 YETI canteen (filled with filtered tap water) 1 Hydro Flask canteen (filled with filtered tap water) 1 tube of Coppertone sunscreen SPF 50 1 portable charging station (100% cha...

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“The Place Between Certainty and Doubt” by Patrick Huber

Submitted to Contest #274

The air wasn’t warm but not cold either. It blew in blusters. One second stillness, the next a mighty blow, sending dried leaves into a whirlwind of browns, yellows, oranges, and reds. The wind this time of year left those curious as to the day, early winter or unrelenting summer would bring. Chilly or warm the air leaves a trail of nutmeg and cinnamon in its wake. October brings many things, but most of all it brings change.The reporters collecting outside the gates of the LaMonte Mansion had been waiting there since noo...

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“Root Beer ” by Liv Chocolate

Submitted to Contest #274

cw: drowning I drowned in a paper cup once. One of those free ones that fast food places give you when you ask for a cup of water but then secretly fill with root beer, or whichever drink you like best.Only this cup was filled with water. Just plain tasteless tap water and nothing else.In my previous form, as well as every other form before that one, I had never been the type to fill my free water cup with soda. For one, I wasn’t a thief. Apparently I wasn’t a good swimmer either. I learned this as soon as I hit the water and my many spider ...

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“UVampire ” by Lucy Benson

Submitted to Contest #274

“Jackson!” Ray’s voice penetrated the haze that had been clouding my brain. It was a slow day at Ray’s Rays, the sunbed salon where I was sleeping my gap year away, trying to save up enough money for college. Most people spend their gap year abroad, travelling to exotic places. I was spending my gap year making people look like they had been abroad, travelling to exotic places. Go figure. “Jackson!” Ray called again. “You alright?” I called back. “We’ve got a situation,” Ray said, coming out of his office. “Lindsay is sick, and I have ...

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“Case 1031” by Kang Lee

Submitted to Contest #274

“Good evening, Caesar,” the woman purred. “My name is Camden, I am from the local police force, and I am here to ask a few questions.” I found her waiting for me in my living room. She was tall and built like what I’d imagine a “1” to look like if it were a human. Dressed as though she had been a part of a fashion show, her midnight blue denim jacket hung loosely over a black dress. The cascading curls of her auburn hair arched towards her back, which sharply contrasted against her warm, chocolate eyes. Glittering under the faint lights like...

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“Come Downstairs, Pumpkin ” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #274

Edie shivers in her fitful sleep as fog swirls around the basement steps. The mist creeps closer, pulling at her, trying to coax her downstairs. Edie wakes up in a cold sweat before the swirling fog reaches the top of the steps. She always does. *** Hearing Edie’s...

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“Another You” by Daisy Gipson

Submitted to Contest #274

My name is Maya, and I need to warn you guys about something. Something horrifying and dangerous even. So if you come across this, please read it. This is a story about my friend, who I miss very much. I was 21 at the time and I was starting to move into my new apartment. I lived with my roommate, whose name was Ava Lin. For the first few weeks, living with her was going great. When I first met her, I just had a feeling that we’d become best friends. We just had so much in common and every time we were together, we could never stop lau...

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“Mihail, the Hunter and Leandra, the witch ” by Roxana Enculescu

Submitted to Contest #274

Gather round, children and I'll tell you the story of Mihail, the hunter and Leandra, the Witch! A long, long time ago, our country was filled with magic and mysticism, so fantastic creatures like the "Iele" roamed our forests. These creatures, the "iele" used to come out naked on summer nights to dance a hypnotizing hora by the incandescent light of a magic fire, lit deep in the heart of the forest, sometimes they would bathe in the icy crystal clear waters of the river, but nobody really knows where they came from or how they came to be. S...

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“Daleka Obala 1972 Biology Department” by Shadow M Genesis

Submitted to Contest #274

Inside the pod shuttle shelter on Mars, a xenobiologist with long, tied-back black hair and Balkan features stood gazing through a large red window. Her distant gaze drifted behind her glasses, observing the brewing storm outside, casting an eerie glow over the Martian landscape. A serene smile softened her face—so calming you’d run into her arms even if they were made of uranium. The scene reminded her of home, but where home was blue, here everything was red. “Just like in a kitchen… if I were a housewife,” she murmured, dissecting a creat...

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“Dark Obsession” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #274

Discreetly, in the shadow of the crescent moon’s light, he followed her, his footsteps cloaked in fine Italian leather as he moved silently over walkways. So obscure was he, even on a moonlight night, she had as of yet taken no notice even though he had followed her for nigh more than a month. He was captivated, undeniably drawn, like a moth to the flame, though she threatened to engulf him in the blaze of her fire. The tantalizing scent she carried encompassed both his sleep-infused days and the long nights of voracious hunger. He feared th...

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“Old Friends Under Shrouds” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #274

The night fell like a heavy curtain over the Coins district in New Nottingham. The Coins - once the wealthiest place in the world - had fallen into disrepair as the war with Veilwinter had entered its tenth year. The statues of legendary badger kings and rabbit deities who were supposedly the protectors of New Nottingham were now falling into disrepair: their copper fading and chipped in a mockery of what was happening outside. Farah the renowned ferret thief flitted among the betting tables of The Last Drop, The Coin’s finest speakeas...

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“A Memory Not My Own” by EV Throne

Submitted to Contest #274

The Quiet Spire rises from the mist at the edge of the world, where few tread and fewer return. It is a ruin—a jagged relic left behind by those who sought meaning in silence. The priests of the Mournwatch vowed to the Silent God, deity of patience, endings, and unanswered prayers. They guided others through grief, performing rites and carrying burdens of the living and dead. It is a belief that every burden must be laid down—by its bearer or by those left behind. The Mournwatch priests wander alone, traveling from battlefield to villa...

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“Deerman” by Savannah Wagner

Submitted to Contest #274

Disclaimer: This story uses mild language, scenes of terror, and implied gore. The blaring horn of a pickup truck echoed through the country roads late one October night. In the small farm town of Greenville, Illinois there wasn’t much for teenagers to do after the high school football game. “Pump the gas would ya, Cody and Tessa are already like a hundred feet ahead.” Ashlen scolded her boyfriend Max in the driver’s seat while Kenny Chesney was full blast on the radio. Fog rolled over the cornfields on both sides of the road shrouding the ...

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Write a story where a creature turns up in an unexpected way.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 98 stories

“By the Law of October” by Kiana M. Cauwels

“The October Angel” by Rebekah Balick

“Destiny Manifest” by JV Carusone

“The Place Between Certainty and Doubt” by Patrick Huber

“Root Beer ” by Liv Chocolate

“UVampire ” by Lucy Benson

“Case 1031” by Kang Lee

“Come Downstairs, Pumpkin ” by Michael Jefferson

“Another You” by Daisy Gipson

“Mihail, the Hunter and Leandra, the witch ” by Roxana Enculescu

“Daleka Obala 1972 Biology Department” by Shadow M Genesis

“Dark Obsession” by Cindy Calder

“Old Friends Under Shrouds” by Cajek Veilwinter

“A Memory Not My Own” by EV Throne

“Deerman” by Savannah Wagner

🌟 Similar prompts

Center your story on a character filled with love and fear in equal measure.

Write a story that includes the line “Fate is resourceful.”

Use a personal memory to craft a ghost story.

Center your story around a childhood fear that – as much as you try to shake it – still resonates in adulthood.

Contest #274

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

405

Contest entries

119

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: