Write a murder story where the murder weapon is the knife used to carve a pumpkin.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 21, 2022

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✍️ 49 stories

“Jack Smiled” by L J

Submitted to Contest #169

He was free! This was the one time a year when they get cut from the vines. He rolled down the hill. He felt the freedom, he revelled in it! He could finally join others in this night. All Hallows Eve. He felt a tingle. The time was drawing near. He'd better get started. He couldn't see where he was. He rolled around a bit until he found the right place.. So, he began to work so he got started: . there, that was better. He could see out of the left eye. He looked around until he found the next place...he could now see out of his right ...

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“The Pumpkin Carver” by Seanna Grimes

Submitted to Contest #169

A gentle chime fills the air in my bakery, and a cool breeze comes and goes as I see one of my favorite customers walk in.“Sammy!” I exclaimed from the kitchen.“Hi, Naomi!” The eleven-year-old responds while pressing himself against the glass displaying the pastries. “You walked in right on time; I’m almost done with your jack-o-lantern,” I called while placing the unlit candle inside the pumpkin; I looked over it one more time; it was perfect. I hoist the pumpkin into my arms and carefully bring it around the counter.“Whoa,” Sammy’s ey...

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“The Carving” by Kevin Alphatooni

Submitted to Contest #169

I twirled the knife in my hand, the sharp blade reflecting the dancing flames of the candlelight. Then, with a devilish grin, I stabbed. The blade pierced the hard exterior of the pumpkin and easily slid through the soft flesh. A euphoric feeling crawled up my arm, washing over me - making my smile widen. Keeping a tight grip, I moved the blade in and out, cutting a perfect circle around the stem; each movement purposeful and precise. Soon, I was able to remove the top, exposing the inner guts. "Look, babe," I said, lifting the p...

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“Halloween Carving” by Gabryelle Lammers

Submitted to Contest #169

Halloween night, I was carving pumpkins with my best friend, Lizzie. We had carved pumpkins every year for Halloween since we were in the 3rd grade. We were in college now and we were finally on our fall break. Somehow even though we were going to different colleges our fall breaks lined up for Halloween weekend. Lizzie loved telling creepy stories while we carved our pumpkins and this evening was perfect because of the dark and gloomy night that it would soon turn into. I was intently carving into my pumpkin with complete concentration when...

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“Murdering Mary” by Douglas W. Carr

Submitted to Contest #169

*** Warning: This story depicts gruesome details of murder. *** The judge read aloud, “The jury finds the defendant not guilty.” A loud groan rose from the crowd. The judge slammed his gavel and demanded order as chaos began to break out. The guards escorted several people from the courtroom, as other guards rushed in to help bring order. Mary was swiftly escorted out the back entrance of the courtroom and down the hall to a holding room – and the judge followed. Three guards stood surrounding the jury with weapons at the ready while the ...

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“The Partnership” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #169

Warning: strong language, cursing.“True, I’m nervous, very nervous, but why do you think I’m mad?”“Oh, I don’t know, Helen,” I answered. “Maybe because there’s a body in your backyard?”“Shush! It was an accident.” I looked at the well-kept backyard. Fire pit, plastic Adirondack chairs, a picnic table to one side, and a grill on the other. On the table was a pumpkin, the top cut off. Bushes of some sort flanked the outdoor patio. Helen had done well fixing up her house and yard.Most importantly, she had a privacy fence. I still was...

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“The Tale of Mrs. Applebaum” by Michael J. Conroy

Submitted to Contest #169

Lucas flips his jack-o’-lantern candy bucket and empties it onto the kitchen table when his Mom, Nancy, spots something. She stops what she’s doing, leans over the table, and asks, ‘Lucus, what’s this?’ Lucus spreads the candy as evenly as possible and considers a Butterfinger over some Sour Patch Kids. He hears: ‘Lucus, I’m talking to you,’ and shrugs his shoulders. ‘It looks like a note,’ Nancy adds.‘Big deal,’ Lucus replies. ‘I’ve gotten worse.’Nancy unfolds the note and reads it. ‘Lucus, did y...

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“Candy Corn and Pumpkin Pie” by C. J. Peters

Submitted to Contest #169

It was a stupid idea to buy the pumpkin, but when Deanna saw that perfect, picturesque gourd shining amongst its lumpy, bumpy cousins, something in her screamed to bring it home.It looked like it had been plucked straight from a children’s cartoon about celebrating the magic of Hallowe’en. A curling brown stem, pristine, blemish-free flesh the colour of autumn leaves. And its size! Hefty, but not oversized to the point of being grotesque.That last part of its charm vanished ten minutes into Deanna’s walk home from the grocery store. Knowing ...

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“Loose Screws ” by Bre Doland

Submitted to Contest #169

Revenge is a sweet, beautiful thing. People will tell you it’s not, that you should be the bigger person and move on and not offering forgiveness weighs you down, blah, blah, blah. Real people suffer every day and eventually you realize taking the high road only gets you great calves. My plan wasn’t super thought out, I paid no attention to detail but I had a rough draft and sometimes the rough draft is really what you should submit. It was October, the leaves were starting to turn brown now instead of their nice red and orange hue, the air...

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“look at what you did ” by Diego Perez

Submitted to Contest #169

"life is just a bunch of mistakes that you just live with" those were my last few solid thoughts before I became a body that could only move in the memories of people but never again move in their waking lives. I truly lost myself in the idea that I was too careless to actually think you know? So I do need to start at where I truly messed up, my name is honestly the first mistake ever made in my time on this world "Will". WILL? like how could my parents hate me and not even know me yet. It's so boring it's a name lacking a life it's a wor...

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“Carved Out” by Alli Perry

Submitted to Contest #169

⚠️TW: Physical Violence, Mental Health⚠️ “Daddy! Why are you killing the pumpkin?” Olivia screeched, slapping her small palms to her cheeks. “Relax, Livi!” Dad chuckled. “We’re carving them for Halloween!” Livi raised her eyebrow, 3-year-old sass shining. “Livi!” Cameron giggled. Abigail rolled her eyes and started scrubbing her pumpkin roughly. “Can I get the knife?” she asked. “Be so careful, Abby,” Mom remarked, handing the 10-year-old the knife. “I will,” she said, flashing a perfect smile. Cam watched Abby carve the pumpkin, but...

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“Freedom” by Sayonee M N

Submitted to Contest #169

I look down at the table and see the chaos—making jack-o’-lantern is a messy job. Even though my lovely girlfriend had covered the table with newspapers, it is not going to be an easy cleanup job. For a second, I wonder whether I need to clean at all. I can leave the headache to the police units and forensic team, who will no doubt descend on our house in just a few days, but the neat freak inside me doesn’t allow it. After this little incident, people will call me different names, but the only thing I don’t want them to call me is messy. ...

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“Life's curves” by Toni Stamps

Submitted to Contest #169

I HATE IT HERE! It was the hundredth time she had screamed that in her head that day.It is now late October and she had been stuck here in the armpit of America since August. How did this happen, you might ask? Well, the story involves a 1972 Challenger convertible, engine trouble and a bag full of cash! On that terrible day in August, she had rolled into this speck of a town with a bad radiator, a possible warped head gasket and some pretty sketchy cylinders. It was hot..100 degrees with 99 percent humidity. It was like breathing soup in co...

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“The Terror” by Kaya Monn

Submitted to Contest #169

Pumpkin guts laid strewn across the table. Trash bags served as a tablecloth for easy cleanup, and the knives were destined for the dishwasher. The only evidence that would remain of this mutilation was the Jack-O-Lantern sitting at the edge of the table with his devilish smile. All in all, it was a rather typical October scene. Or rather, it would have been if it weren’t for the very human guts strewn across the floor. Police were packed into my apartment, and across the room, my downstairs neighbor entered my apartment. She introduced he...

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“Hell is a Wife Scorned” by Emma Chambers

Submitted to Contest #169

(Contains gore and violence) The lightning flashed through the windows, mimicking the flickers of the small flames inside the many pumpkin faces that lined the granite counter. It seemed to match a rhythm all its own, a song I could never understand. I hummed a tune, hoping to follow along with the lightning and candles all around me. Thunderclaps followed the bright light, cutting through the darkened house. Creaks and groans from the wind and the house fell into the song of the fire, lightning and thunder. Whispers of their spirits flitt...

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Write a murder story where the murder weapon is the knife used to carve a pumpkin.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“Jack Smiled” by L J

“The Pumpkin Carver” by Seanna Grimes

“The Carving” by Kevin Alphatooni

“Halloween Carving” by Gabryelle Lammers

“Murdering Mary” by Douglas W. Carr

“The Partnership” by Michele Duess

“The Tale of Mrs. Applebaum” by Michael J. Conroy

“Candy Corn and Pumpkin Pie” by C. J. Peters

“Loose Screws ” by Bre Doland

“look at what you did ” by Diego Perez

“Carved Out” by Alli Perry

“Freedom” by Sayonee M N

“Life's curves” by Toni Stamps

“The Terror” by Kaya Monn

“Hell is a Wife Scorned” by Emma Chambers

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character encountering a black cat.

Write a story where someone sees the shadow of someone standing behind them.

Start your story with a blast of lightning casting a graveyard in a flash of brief, white light.

Write about someone finding a monster under their bed.

Contest #169

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

253

Contest entries

109

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: