Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 11, 2024

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✍️ 111 stories

“Grandpa's House” by Cecilia Heiskary

Submitted to Contest #272

This story is going to start out slow, but you need to understand the layout of the house and who my grandparents were. My grandfather hated Italians and he may have been prejudiced against other nationalities, however my nine-year-old self didn’t understand the hate that people had against each other. My mother raised me with an open mind and that we were all created equal.My grandfather was 100% Lebanese. He came over to this country with his parents when he was eight years old for a better life. I don’t know anything about my great grandp...

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“The Ex” by Jim Gilbert

Submitted to Contest #272

She loved this place. A lovely little ‘shack’ – as she thought of it, shown to her by an ex who… …An ex, nothing more now. Deep in the woods, amongst the trees and bushes. Gavin had brought her here, many times. He said it could be their ‘secret place’, that nobody else knew it was here. They came here and made love, so many times she lost count. It had been such a magical time until… So many happy memories. So long ago. But things changed. And now… She sat before them, nervous and afraid, wringing her hands together. Three men sh...

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“Tea for Two” by Eric E

Submitted to Contest #272

A closing car door and the soft crunch of gravel under a wistful blue sky as Allan King, carrying his briefcase, walks slowly, and with intention. He thinks of his boss, Mr. Langston, and how he had spoken that morning with almost maddening ambiguity: that he seemed ready for his own crack at a policy renewal, if he wanted it. This one’s a walk in the park. And what the hell was he supposed to say to that? Absolutely, sir, seemed like the only choice, and so he said it. And then he found out it was a funeral home. But it wasn’t lik...

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“The Knowing” by TheLastShepherd Gaming

Submitted to Contest #272

The Knowing. The loud creak and clang of metal shocked me to life. The joltfiring all my nerve endings at once. I am blind, floating dissociatedfrom my body and life. A klaxon like a screaming beast roars into my mind. Gurgling, Swallowing? I will be devoured. No its draining. I am sinking, I was floating.Snakes wrap around me and slither across my skin, trying to encompass my being and crush me in their death grip. Still blind no sight only feel and fear. Blurry, I gasp as my eyes try to focus, the pain is blinding. Suffocation, no breath,...

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“The Mannequin” by Rhiannon Mattison

Submitted to Contest #272

“That thing gives me the fucking creeps.” Amber said, looking out the passenger side window, gesturing lazily. “Language.” Her dad said, his voice gruff and gravelly. “But what thing?” They were stopped at a red light in the daily school traffic. “That mannequin right there. The one with the watering can next to those flowers.” His eyes followed the direction of her finger, now firmly pointing at the thing in question. It stood about five feet tall, with shiny blonde hair and eerily bright blue eyes. The mannequin was...

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“The Package” by Daniel Linehan

Submitted to Contest #272

Stanley looked at Ray quizzically. “What?” “Look, I’ll explain it again,” Ray said, a bit irritated. “We go in, we follow the directions, and we get out. Then we go collect our money. Simple. And we do it together; you’re not alone, I’m right here with you.” “Amen to that,” Stanley replied. “The last job almost killed me. I hate working alone.”&nbsp...

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“Gutless” by Erinne Lubisich

Submitted to Contest #272

I saw the farmhand, first. He started out as a small silhouette, barely visible though my car windshield, his frame dwarfed by the vast expanse of cornfields. That must be Ben, I thought, remembering the letter my uncle had sent me the week before. I sighed. As much as I hated myself for getting into this situation, I knew there was no way out. Not after my divorce and my failed career as an author. It was either this: live with my eccentric uncle on his farm ...

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“Three” by Rachel Kenley Fry

Submitted to Contest #272

Arthur’s back popped as he bent to pull a carrot from the rich soil of his vast garden. He stood stiffly and looked toward the sun, which was sinking below the horizon. Time to head in. As he trudged slowly toward his hut, the brick walls glowing red from the sunset, he made a mental inventory of work to do tomorrow: hill potatoes, weed onions, and inspect his ten-foot-high barbed wire fence for weak spots to reinforce. Wearily, he punched the 12-digit PIN into the keypad on his door and scanned his eyeball. He sunk into his sole kitchen cha...

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“Baby-seat” by Allix James

Submitted to Contest #272

‘This is the baby-seat,’ said the old woman ushering Rebecca into the dusty hallway. The woman sounded foreign, and this made her nervous. It was her first job, and the house scared her. She had walked up a narrow lane, between the woods to the stead at the top of the hill where she could no longer see the town trailing orange in the misty valley below. She had found the job on the school notice board: a young family needed a babysitter for Saturday night - willing to pay ___ per hour. It was a good rate. ‘It’ll be good for you,’ said ...

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“The Garden” by William Fowler

Submitted to Contest #272

He couldn’t have been more excited. It was his first big purchase and it was all his own. John had seen the house listed in the paper and for the price he couldn’t pass up on the opportunity.John's parents had passed away suddenly while he was finishing school leaving him all alone. He struggled with the loss but deep down he had always felt lost and alone. He had used the little inheritance he received to purchase his first house.He thought he had won the lottery when his offer on the old foreclosed farm house was accepted. He loved the ide...

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“Blackout Terror” by Yayra Pongo

Submitted to Contest #272

It was just past 8 PM when the blackout hit again (or as we call it Dumsor). Another usual evening, another power failure. The moonlight, filtered through the rusted window bars, was the only source of light in the room. The sound of generators could be heard from neighboring houses, but in the boarding house, the only noise came from the quiet hum of the boys shifting and whispering in the dark. "Ah, chale e be like say this country no go ever fix this light off nonsene," Samuel muttered under his breath, sitting on his bed with his phone ...

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“Michelle's death was greatly exaggerated.” by Tommy Goround

Submitted to Contest #272

The tales of Michelle’s death were greatly exaggerated. She did not die of Hyper-Calcitus (the overconsumption of orange juice), and she did not require 16,000$ worth of encasement and beachfront property in Pacific Grove. I had always argued that the cemetery was too close to the Pebble Beach golfers, their crusty eyesight was conjunctive, and it would take only one missliced drive and I was going to join her forever.Michelle got the kind of funeral reserved for rich nobles in the 14th century. I wondered if they buried Lady Godiva with clo...

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“Her Eyes” by Vilma Cardona

Submitted to Contest #272

Her eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times. All that was in front of her was a dark room. The noise was coming from the other bed that was by the corner of the room. The room had two beds and one crib. She laid still on her bed facing the wall, she tried to breath as normal as possible, or she thought she was, pretending she was still asleep. The only thing moving were her eyes to try to understand what the noise was and why there was a conversation so late at night. The laughter was coming from Johanna’s bed. She heard the laughter again,...

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“Skeletons” by April Brauneis

Submitted to Contest #272

Skeletons 2019 Jack sat cross-legged and warmed his hands at the small cooking fire. The leftovers of a rabbit he’d shot the previous day were warming in the skillet, along with some wild onions and flatbread. The coffee went down well, especially with some whiskey added to it. Though he is not normally comfortable with him and Leon going their separate ways, on this occasion, he is happy for some solitude. Their last job of the season had not gone well. Though there was enough in the kitty to see the gang comfortably through the winter, t...

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“On Three Occasions” by Nicholas Ventura

Submitted to Contest #272

The thump of my heart felt like a crazed raven smacking against the sides of a hollow, wooden cage. I could feel the quivering cries of the bird’s pain underneath my skin. The room was dark and it was past midnight. The light from a nearby streetlight flooded in and I could make the outlines of the door, the bedside table, and the still ceiling fan. I had rented this small house in Sacramento on a whim and it was the first night. There was a heavy weight on my chest and I felt that my legs could not move. This was not the first time that I h...

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Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 111 stories

“Grandpa's House” by Cecilia Heiskary

“The Ex” by Jim Gilbert

“Tea for Two” by Eric E

“The Knowing” by TheLastShepherd Gaming

“The Mannequin” by Rhiannon Mattison

“The Package” by Daniel Linehan

“Gutless” by Erinne Lubisich

“Three” by Rachel Kenley Fry

“Baby-seat” by Allix James

“The Garden” by William Fowler

“Blackout Terror” by Yayra Pongo

“Michelle's death was greatly exaggerated.” by Tommy Goround

“Her Eyes” by Vilma Cardona

“Skeletons” by April Brauneis

“On Three Occasions” by Nicholas Ventura

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

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

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

Contest #272

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

480

Contest entries

174

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: