Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 11, 2024

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✍️ 111 stories

“Passenger” by Robin Butterworth

Submitted to Contest #272

I never thought I could be nostalgic for immigration at Julius Nyerere Airport. Those endless, untidy snakes of exhausted humanity. The scratched glass booths and the scufffed officers who walked in and out of them. Their faces unreadable, their movements unknowable, the queues they abruptly left behind abandoned to confusion. I had stood there for almost an hour, face to face with an empty desk, my dusky pink suitcase merrily spinning around the distant carousel, taunting me with imaginings of freedom. Of course, the roads of Dar es S...

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“Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Part III)” by Jango MyHeart

Submitted to Contest #272

In front of Maya’s Den shop, a new-age, medieval apothecary shop, Marion paces back and forth agitatedly, flipping her phone over constantly to check the time, as she tries to steady herself on the uneven slabs and cracked pavement. Looming over her are the clouds getting greyer by the second and the rain storm intensifying. The water spills from the overhang, splattering onto the auburn cobblestone. As she checks her phone, her foot catches an edge, causing her to tumble to the ground. Feeling overcome, she remains on the ground, lacking th...

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“Lion” by Jamshid Samareh

Submitted to Contest #272

Asad scored his third goal, leading his soccer team to a rare victory. His compact build and agility made him a perfect striker. His best friend, Hasan, lifted him off as if he were performing a Heimlich maneuver. Asad looked around and relished every crumb of his team’s adoration, making his smile wider and his back straighter. Coach would now pick me to lead my high school team, he thought. Sun plunged below the horizon, and the cemetery walls cast a long shadow over the soccer field. The warm orange clouds turned to a fiery red. Everyone ...

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“The Viper King” by Brian Bosader

Submitted to Contest #272

I push myself up from the ground, brushing the dirt from my jeans and curse Timmy Smith’s name. Why must the biggest middle school bully be here at the town carnival on the same day as me? Someday Timmy Smith will get what’s coming to him. The stupid bully.My stomach lurches as I instinctively reach for my neck. Relief fills me. The pendant is still there. Grandmama gave it to me before she died. My mom says I can’t wear it. She says it’s too creepy. Maybe she will still be drunk on the sofa when I get home so she doesn’t bust me wearing it....

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“An Antique Polaroid” by Tanisha Zaman

Submitted to Contest #272

I toss the nicotine patches into my bag. I’ll definitely need it. Getting coerced into a camping trip with my ex-best friend, Lena and her toxic friends was definitely not how I'd spend my weekend but here we are. I didn't exactly get coerced, but I felt like I had to go. Lena had gone from being my best friend to just a stranger. Every day we talked less and less until our parents had had enough and forced us to go camping together. Just like old times, my mom said. I remember the first time we talked after a while; it made me wan...

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“ "Dream House"” by Carolyn Teel Saletto

Submitted to Contest #272

"Dream House" Day 1. Alice Braddock sat bent over and stiff at her computer, her eyes strained to see through her corrective lens as she compulsively chews gum. She examined the latest financials for Braddock Retirement Home or BRH, as it was known in the small waterfront community of Blaine, WA. To the left of her computer sat a silver framed picture of a young Alice, her parents standing solemnly by her side. The slightly faded black and white picture was a constant reminder, a knife that still cut into her side as she typed awa...

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“Around Full Circle” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #272

The pub was noisy, but to a level that wove a cocoon around the two friends. A log burner churned out a lazy heat, there was the promise of more from the dance show behind the glass, but that promise was breathless and lacklustre. Besides, Jake found the temperature suited him just fine. He’d undone his coat, but not bothered to take it off. Toby however, had shrugged his coat off like he was shedding skin, and now the coat lay around him on the bench. A marker, so no interloper would attempt to take his place. Not that the two of them would...

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“The Shadow ” by Gee Mendez

Submitted to Contest #272

Autumn is my favorite season. The weather is just right, not that blazing heat of summer. It’s been a struggle trying to adjust, moving from our old home. Everything is new, and soon I’ll have to make new friends, if even. The drive to our new home was so long; a two-hour drive up the mountain can make the strongest legs cramp. At least I can enjoy the many pine trees that cover everything in sight. The home slowly came into view through the windshield of the car. “Wow, that looks amazing!” My little sister said gleefully. The two-story hous...

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“Organ Grinders” by Arthur McNamee

Submitted to Contest #272

CW: This story contains references to human dismemberment and the use of the term "gypsy." Reader discretion is advised.Dr. Henry Moreau started his day by listening to the same awful music being played outside. An organ grinder trolled the congested Boston, MA streets; looking for eager patrons to listen to his soothing melodies, cajoled by his cute Capuchin monkey’s dance, and possibly make enough money for a bite to eat. It wasn’t as though the song being played was an awful choice.It wasn't . It was because it was being played so badly a...

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“The Tin Box” by Keith Nicholls

Submitted to Contest #272

The Tin Box I was in the market for a new place to live and had an appointment with my realtor to check out a condominium in mid-town Memphis. As I pulled into a guest parking spot in front of the condo building, the message alert on my phone chimed. The name on the screen was Watts Realty. I read the text, “Sorry Paul, running a little late…be there by 2:45, 3 at the latest, I promise.” I was not surprised that Marcia Watts was running late, again. I glanced at my watch. It was twenty minutes after two. To kill time, I decided to che...

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“Phantasm” by Dominick Johnson

Submitted to Contest #272

Sherry Steele didn’t have many friends, nor did she want many. Tonight, she will regret that decision. The day started with the tapping of a leaky faucet in her kitchen at 10 a.m. She lived in a “humble” 500 square feet apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan, near the Bronx. It was a near ancient building in New York terms; so when she was rushing out the door and noticed the leak, she wasn’t surprised, just disappointed. She was going to be early to work for the first time in ages, and now she had to notify them that she would ...

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“Person in the Mirror” by Fern Everton

Submitted to Contest #272

CW: This piece contains themes of trauma, mental health, and the effects of such (ex. self harm, suicidal ideation). This also includes some swearing. Reader discretion is advised.You thought you were finally rid of them, didn’t you?You cut them out of your life— blocked their socials, deleted their contact, told everybody who truly cared about you that you were through with them. You erased any traces of them in your home. You set out to find help so they couldn’t hurt you anymore. You found therapy and loving friends, yet it wasn’t enough....

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“Behind My House ” by Kami Zim

Submitted to Contest #272

9/5/1986 - Entry log 34Behind my house there is a meadow I dare not venture. The land drapes low, like a dewy blanket of fresh grass, dappled with dazzlingly blue flowers— an exotic tapestry. Thick pine encompasses the borders, locking in any animal that strolls through within eyesight. It’s beautiful. I do not wish to disturb its splendor. I see deer pass by and sometimes I wave. They only stare but I pretend they’re waving back. I never look too long— I can’t. They don’t know I decorate my house with their carcasses. 9/...

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“Little Red” by Dylan Shipman

Submitted to Contest #272

There are a lot of scary things living in the forest; bears, monsters, wolves.One wolf in particular was realizing that it was his lucky day. He could see a little girl straying from the path. With that bright red hood, it wasn't hard to find her. As the Wolf crept closer, he could see her chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. His stomach started rumbling; it’d been so long since he’d gotten to eat a proper meal.But, more than wanting to eat, the Wolf wanted to play.That was always the best part about playing with humans. They always tried to ...

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“The Corpse Matron” by X Kaiser

Submitted to Contest #272

Greene Memorial Clinic in Wingston was founded in the 1950s, and many cases of disappearance have occurred. Many residents say that a ghost known as the Corpse Matron wheels people away in the middle of the night. Many argue that it's just a rumor and that those missing patients passed away. If they had, why wasn't the other staff on shift notified? Yet somehow, the date and time of their passing were written in red ink in their files, along with the initials A.E. at the bottom of the paper. It was narrowed down to someone on the night shift...

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Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 111 stories

“Passenger” by Robin Butterworth

“Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Part III)” by Jango MyHeart

“Lion” by Jamshid Samareh

“The Viper King” by Brian Bosader

“An Antique Polaroid” by Tanisha Zaman

“ "Dream House"” by Carolyn Teel Saletto

“Around Full Circle” by Jed Cope

“The Shadow ” by Gee Mendez

“Organ Grinders” by Arthur McNamee

“The Tin Box” by Keith Nicholls

“Phantasm” by Dominick Johnson

“Person in the Mirror” by Fern Everton

“Behind My House ” by Kami Zim

“Little Red” by Dylan Shipman

“The Corpse Matron” by X Kaiser

🌟 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: