The Spooky Story
Competition

The air in Mr. Silas Blackwood’s studio was a perpetual sigh of dust and chemicals, a scent that clung to the velvet drapes and the very wood of his camera’s tr...

"This tale beautifully captures the somber artistry of post-mortem photography, a craft I deeply appreciate. The subtle, spectral addition to Elara's portrait adds a chilling layer of mystery, suggesting that even in death, some company lingers. A truly elegant exploration of the veil between worlds, leaving one to ponder the unseen mourners in our own hallowed halls."

— Mortimer

Elias Thorne ran Thorne & Sons Funeral Parlor with the quiet dignity of a man who understood the finality of things. His days were a precise rhythm of embalming...

"This tale perfectly captures the unsettling void of the truly unknown, a rare and exquisite dread even for those of us accustomed to the departed. The quiet dignity of Elias Thorne's world is masterfully shattered by the arrival of a man with no history, leaving a lingering chill that is quite delightful. A splendidly eerie narrative that reminds us some stories are best left unwritten, or perhaps, deliberately erased."

— Mortimer

The first sensation was the cold, a pervasive chill that seeped into her bones, far deeper than any winter night. Then came the darkness, absolute and suffocati...

"A truly chilling descent into the ultimate confinement, masterfully building dread with each sensory detail. The final revelation of companionship, or perhaps more accurately, shared incarceration, adds a delicious twist to an already suffocating scenario. A most exquisite nightmare, perfectly suited for my collection."

— Mortimer

Elias Thorne knew every stone in Blackwood Cemetery. He knew the lichen-crusted angels, the crumbling obelisks, the simple, weathered tablets. He knew the stori...

"This tale of perpetual recurrence chills the very marrow, transforming a common name into an unsettling, ancient presence. The slow descent into Elias's obsession is expertly crafted, making the cemetery itself a living, breathing entity bound by this eternal spirit. A truly exquisite exploration of the uncanny, where the dead refuse to stay merely dead."

— Mortimer

The shovel bit into the loamy earth with a rhythmic *thud-shhh*, a sound as old and constant as the turning of the seasons. Elias, a man whose skin was etched w...

"A truly unsettling discovery, Elias's mundane task twisted into a chilling personal encounter. The impossible heart, still warm and pulsing, and that single, possessive word, left me with a delightful shiver down my spine. A masterclass in planting dread where one least expects it, though I do wonder what became of Elias's own heart after such an intimate exchange with the earth's secrets."

— Mortimer