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8780+ Mystery Short Stories to read

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Mystery Short Stories – Page 579 of 586

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Submitted to Contest #13

Alison sat straight up in her loft bed and almost hit her head on the ceiling fan. There was so much noise coming from the basement. She could smell intoxicants but she couldn’t identify where they were coming from. Alison and her parents lived in a small two bedroom house. Her father Darrell converted the basement into his man cave/ laundry room/ storage unit/unfinished renovation.  Consequently, it was his personal area because no one else wanted to be down there. Her baby sister was rushed to urgent care when...

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Do not leave your window open

Submitted to Contest #13

It was a cold gray day as usual in that part of the city, people were not friendly at all, they were even quite rude to each other. I went for a walk as I used to do since I was widowed, I bought some white flowers to my wife, I would take them to her grave like every day; but that day something was different, the atmosphere felt heavier than usual, and most curious, a black cat was following me, it was the tenth time I saw him on my way that day, I decided to ignore it, since I do not believe in superstitions, however, during the night I co...

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The Cat

Submitted to Contest #13

There it was again, gently walking across a thin, backyard wall. Wagging its tail from side to side as it moved. Its black fur shiny in the afternoon sun, it looked at Steven as it passed him. For the tenth time today. Steven was sure of it. The cat was entirely black save for its eyes, which were a deep yellowish-green, but there were some visuals about the cat that made him sure it was, in fact, the same cat. The way one ear had a chip out of it, the length, and particular fluffiness, of its tail. How it would stare at him as he ...

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Superstitious Misfortune

Submitted to Contest #13

She notices the kitten around noon.Black cat or not, whether her friends whisper about misfortune following her in to form of an animal, Maria doesn’t really see a reason to make it into something bigger than it is. An animal.The cat’s too tiny to be intimidating, to be some harbinger, an omen designed to resign a person to their upcoming downfall. Having watched it creep forward on legs too thin to support its own paws, fur matted and patchy, there was less worry about it having hold over any misfortune other than its own.So, Maria doesn’t ...

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My Misfortune

Submitted to Contest #13

My name is Pisano and I live in St Lost where cats are quite uncommon especially dark-colored cats. I never realized why but I guess it just didn't matter that much. But there was this one time, when I was going to school, I saw a black cat as I went on the school bus. Wow, how interesting! I thought. Such a rare sight. Unfortunately, we had a math and science test today. Agh, I hate tests. But it got weirder when I saw 3 more black cats on the courtyard. 4 black cats in one day? What sorcery is this? They were all under one car. How interes...

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A Pinch Into Reality

Submitted to Contest #13

A Pinch Into Reality                 The world is spinning. I can’t think. I can’t see. I can’t breathe. I’m cold. I’m hot. Or maybe somewhere in-between.  I gulp for air, yet nothing comes. I panic and try again and again. Breath. Nothing. Breath. Nothing. I close my eyes and wait. I wait for a sign that it’s ok. That I’m ok. That the world is ok. That I can think, and breath. Feel a sense of consolation. When my eyes open again, I see a black cat with...

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They Say Black Cats are Bad Luck... Maybe They're Right?

Submitted to Contest #13

“They say black cats are an omen, but I think they’re pretty cute.” Jenny was telling Diane as they happened upon one while window shopping. They lived in New York and both lived successful lives; Jenny was a writer and Diane was an advertising specialist for a major television network. They were out getting lunch when they passed by a new, trendy clothing boutique named Franchella’s. They noticed a beautiful white dress in the window, but then Diane jumped when something scurried between her legs. A black cat. “I hate those little things,” ...

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A black cat in a dark room

Shortlisted for Contest #13 ⭐️

It was a slender, graceful animal, with large green eyes and a small pink tongue in its triangular-shaped face. It was grooming itself when I turned the corner, delivering soft, measured licks onto its shining fur. But none of that mattered: it was a cat, and it was black. That only was important.I do not believe in coincidences. Right as I was making my way past him, the cat got up and crossed my path, all smooth motion and unstoppable omen of the providence. It did not even trouble me that much; sometimes bad luck is just that, a black cat...

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The Ominous Feline

Submitted to Contest #13

My sight was going around and upside down, rolling until it settled and, is that me? From the corner of my eyes, I saw my body lying on the floor, my neck unattached to the rest of my body revealing a mass of blood. How am I still alive? is this the state when the brain remains alive after a matter of minutes? But, he plugged my eyeballs and- oh there he is, still finishing me with the grin on his face. But above all, the whole thing remained surreal to the very end. People said that crossing a path with this ominous jet-black crea...

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The Haunting of Haddon Hall

Submitted to Contest #13

The Haunting of Haddon Hall “Does the hotel have a ghost?” an old lady asks hopefully. I listen with interest. Haddon Hall is a beautiful building that used to be a family home back in the Victorian era. It’s only recently been turned into a hotel after spending years in a state of disrepair. The tour guide consults her notes. She’s a severe looking woman with hair scraped back into a tight bun and spiky shoes that clatter on the restored parquet floor of the large reception hall. “Well, you know we can’t promise any actual sightings ...” s...

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Sorrow

Submitted to Contest #13

I sunk my fingers into Sorrow’s black fur. She let out a hiss. A neat little claw took a swipe at me. ‘You can’t stay here,’ I told her. ‘I need to use my keyboard.’ The black cat finally drew herself up, back arching, hackles raised.  I returned my eyes to the bleary screen. The essay only contained a single sentence.  I tapped my fingers on the desk, awaiting the demons of inspiration. There was an unopened letter close to my escape key. I already knew the sender from the scrawled letters of my name on the front. If my uncle had ...

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The Emerald Eye

Submitted to Contest #13

Lawrence Knight was familiar with the whole “nine lives” spiel about cats, and he even believed it to some extent. When he was eleven years old his mom brought in a stray cat from the street that she decided to call Winky for their family to raise as their own. Lawrence was always slightly afraid of Winky, which only had one good eye and limped with each step, but his mother assured him the cat was perfectly healthy.“He’s got at least four more lives in him, hon,” she used to say. He often wondered what took the first five.In his nightmares,...

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Anomaly, Utah

Submitted to Contest #13

ANOMALY, UTAHBy Andrew Paul GrellBy this point in her marriage to Jacob, Cordelia Rigdon knew enough not to wish her husband good luck as he got ready for work on this busiest of days for him. There were the lectures on why actors tell each other to ‘break a leg,’ why the French say, ‘step in shit,’ and why the Jews warn against Ayin Ha Rah, the evil eye:“Darling, love of my life, I make my living because people believe in bad luck ten times stronger than they believe in good luck,” was a typical conclusion to a lecture, which may have ...

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Worry Stone

Submitted to Contest #13

One, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. Flip over. One, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. I punch into work. 9:17 in the morning. Like every other Friday, but not today. It is 13th, of November, on a Friday. A Friday the 13th. Superstitious? Maybe. Careful? Indeed. Every other street; a black cat crosses my path. Seven times. Seven times. Seven times, a black cat crossed my path. Work. Work. Work. Stock here. Stock there. Stock in this way. 11:33 in the morning, that is when I clock out. Like every other regular Friday.  blac...

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Queen Cymbeline

Winner of Contest #13 🏆

The island reeked of fish; scattered guts and oozing blank eyes littered the black beaches, and the mountains smelled of bubbling, potting fish intestines. The sky was continually dark with the smoke from the fires beneath the cauldrons, and the water had a thin film of scales and oil, all in the bays and quaysides round the island. In the deepsea around the island, the fish that were still alive avoided the inlets and told tales among their young that a bloodthirsty monster lived on the isle, with a mouthful of snatching teeth poised to tak...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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