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

“Shadow” by Emily Arnott

Submitted to Contest #274

I tug Nana’s well-worn shawl tighter against my shoulders, shivering from a type of cold that leaves my fingers blue, numb, and tingly. Coming to a complete stop, I clap my hands together and then promptly stomp my booted feet against a frost covered sidewalk, silently cursing my twin sister’s name. Out of all the glorious-warm-fall days that she could have chosen to meet up, she decided instead to pick Halloween night, where not only it had rained the entire day away but carried a biting, frigid wind that bled e...

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“The Cruelest Species” by Doug Cme

Submitted to Contest #274

No one liked Einer Clark. No one. He was the kind of guy who pushed little kids down, cheated at cards, shot stray dogs that wandered onto his land, raised livestock in barely humane conditions, and abused every square inch of land. Everything had to produce or it was gone. Rusty equipment littered his property, lying where it last ran. Time and cheapness had enabled him to accrue lots of money. Funny how money can make a jerk seem more likable. Didn’t matter now. He was dead and I apparently was the last person to see him alive....

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“A Land of Fog and Mist” by Kaylah May

Submitted to Contest #274

In a land of fog and mist, where creatures delight in the mysterious comfort of their smoky landscape, there are little things that are unexpected. The days are short, the nights long, and they blur together with no real way to differentiate between restful slumber or wakeful awareness. Those who step into the haze-caressed forest are often not brave or bold but simply long for numbness and the escape of whatever chases them to these trees. The silver-tinted air lulls them into a peaceful trance and leaves them to aimlessly roam the insatiab...

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“The Gold” by B Hart

Submitted to Contest #274

The vessel made landfall on the evening of a warm summer’s day. Etched on the side of the hull was a fancy cursive that read The Hercules. She was a massive vessel, a trawler, loaded with tons upon tons of fish kept on ice in separate quantities. It had gone aground and dropped anchor. The Captain had worn a stern look for most of the voyage, conscious of concern, weary of his surroundings. But his crew was strong, they were of good health, and God knows the weather had been in their favor. As the vessel made landfall, the sun began to ...

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“O'Shinny” by Jennie Mika

Submitted to Contest #274

Settle now won’t ye?Rest your bones a while.Lay down the burdens of the day, and I’ll tell ye the taleof that mysterious, charming young man who came upon our small and quiet town one October time.Remember how the mornings yawned in that grey mist?As if the breath of earth itself were caught in the cold air.Sure, tis no wonder the stories have carried for generations,the legend that these mists be a veil to the “Otherworld” O’Shinny, he called himself, with no mention of a forename or from where he hailed. Itinerant and handsome, h...

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“the cicadas screamed” by Maryssa Plant

Submitted to Contest #274

The north Georgia mountains rang with screams. Allison wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get used to it. There was lots of noise in LA, screaming included sometimes, but not like this. This was unsettling, how every afternoon, when the sun was at its highest and hottest, the woods around her would ring loud with an incessant, droning wail. Cicadas, as she found out, were responsible for the screaming. Large, flying insects swarmed the area in the summer, littering the sky and the ground. Allison hated them. She could deal with th...

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“The Cauldron and The Bird of Shadows” by LifeCycles Creative Media

Submitted to Contest #274

Trigger Warning: This story contains elements of psychological suspense, unsettling imagery, and supernatural themes, including depictions of ominous animal transformations, intense sensory experiences, and implied danger or threat. Nadine lay in bed, eyes wide open, listening to the sounds of the morning. It was a cacophony of bird calls, the low growl of a distant animal, and the haunting “Ca-caw” that seemed to echo just outside her window. It wasn’t just any sound. It was too close, too distinct, as if it were meant for her ears alone. S...

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“The Crocodile of the Luswa River” by Annie Chibesakunda

Submitted to Contest #274

Mwelwa was somewhat reckless but adventurous as a child; he loved nothing more than to swim in the Luswa River despite his mother's warnings about the powerful waves that could carry him away. He thought he could handle anything that came his way. Whenever Mwelwa swam in the rivers near his village, he stretched his arms and looked up at the sky, the water lifting him to float, and gentle flow seemingly whispering secrets of the ancient times in his submerged ears. One day, while he played with the stones on the riverbank w...

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“Rendezvous at the Equinox” by Matt Rahn

Submitted to Contest #274

There will be no confession. There’s nothing to explain. Nor anyone to scapegoat and certainly no one to cast shame upon. That’s my two cents. I’ve been sole owner of the Equinox for over a decade now. I fought for the lion’s share, and I’ll be damned if some half-witted pig is gonna take it from me. A waste of tim...

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“A Good Mother” by Daniel Van Der Roest

Submitted to Contest #274

With her dog barking just behind her, and still a little drunk from last night, Sarah Driscoll slammed her front door shut. “Fuck you, asshole!” She screamed. She stepped away then turned back around and opened it again. “Limp dick is for old men!” She slammed the door again, then growled and huffed to her bedroom to answer her ringing cell phone. She yelled into the phone, “What Denny?” “Wow. What a way to say hello to your favorite sister.” “Shut up. What do you want?” Sarah, still in her underwear and tank top, walked to the kitchen. Her ...

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“A True Story, More or Less” by James Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #274

This is a true story. What was true in the moment, and what was true on reflection, turned out to be two different things. Nevertheless, it’s still a true story. In the summer of 2019, in the final days before the joys of the pandemic, I had a fight, at 4am, with a 6”8 demon that had appeared in my kitchen.His real name was Ashley Michael Coles. He was a local heroin addict who had broken into my house one night when he saw that one of the downstairs windows had been left slightly open. However, all this only became the truth later. At the t...

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“The Mark of Kain” by Katarina Schäfer

Submitted to Contest #274

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” – 1 Peter 5:8-9, The Bible (KJV) There were carved pumpkins and ‘spooky’ paraphernalia draped and dangling all over the house, and Josh was once again reminded how much he had despised the ‘cutesification’ of Halloween throughout his teens. His mother had joined the mass delusion perpetuated by profi...

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“Aerial Silk” by Heston Pinard

Submitted to Contest #274

She was headed off to the seamstress, full of delight and nearly skipping on her walk over to the shop. She was going to try on the newly made dress for her performance this weekend. She was an artist, and she created her art with her body. Those who came to see her work were astonished at her nimbleness and how she deftly contorted her frame, seeming to move all parts independently, yet when brought together as a whole they were in perfect harmony. This dress was the final piece, her practice was done and her performance prepared, the venue...

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“Arthur's Appendix” by Levi Michael

Submitted to Contest #274

Arthur Harris was a loving husband, an attentive father, and a hard, honest worker. In fact, it had been almost twelve years since he had missed a day of work. And, so, it was with an antsy frustration that he lay in his hospital bed, trying as hard as he could to wait patiently for the doctor. After what felt like years, but was closer to just over an hour, the doctor finally paid him a visit. He strolled into Arthur’s room, pinching the temple of his bifocals as he perused his medical chart. He came to stand next to the quietly beeping mon...

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“The Mango Tree” by Arpad Nagy

Submitted to Contest #274

"Aw, I dunno, Penny. I think you're fibbin'. I ain't never heard of a mango tree dropping plum fruit tasting like a fizzy." "Oh, Michael—you're from Sydney," Penny answered with a roll of her sparkling green eyes. "An' no one from the city knows what kinda good secrets we Bogans keep past the black stump." "Where's that? The 'black stump?'" With hands upturned and thrust to the heavens, Penny shook her head, sending her braided, blonde pigtails flailing, "It's not a real 'black stump'; it means it's far off—like a long way out of the way." ...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 98 stories

“Shadow” by Emily Arnott

“The Cruelest Species” by Doug Cme

“A Land of Fog and Mist” by Kaylah May

“The Gold” by B Hart

“O'Shinny” by Jennie Mika

“the cicadas screamed” by Maryssa Plant

“The Cauldron and The Bird of Shadows” by LifeCycles Creative Media

“The Crocodile of the Luswa River” by Annie Chibesakunda

“Rendezvous at the Equinox” by Matt Rahn

“A Good Mother” by Daniel Van Der Roest

“A True Story, More or Less” by James Maxwell

“The Mark of Kain” by Katarina Schäfer

“Aerial Silk” by Heston Pinard

“Arthur's Appendix” by Levi Michael

“The Mango Tree” by Arpad Nagy

🌟 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 🏆

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