Member-Sponsored Beyond Haunted Contest

Details

Deadline:Oct 31, 2012
Fee:Free

As I lay in my sleeping bag on the floor, all I think about is how I don't want the gorilla man to come into the room. He just stands there, looming outside the bedroom. I'm afraid if I take my eyes off him for even a second, he'll cross the threshold. My sister isn't awake, she's defenseless, and he's just standing there.

He wasn't really a gorilla man. He was the shadow of an average-sized man who used to check in on my sister and me when we stayed at my grandparents' house. He may as well have been a gorilla man though, for a 4-year-old sleeping on the floor of a house that was entirely too restless.

For this member-sponsored contest, you're going to write a short story, no more than 1500 words, in first person present tense about a nontraditional haunting. What I mean by nontraditional: not a house, cemetery, bridge, or car. Mine would be disqualified as it was set in my grandparents' house. Put your haunting somewhere you wouldn't normally think as haunted. Bonus points if you can have your haunting be for nontraditional reasons (e.g., not unfinished business). Think outside the box and into the beyond.

Winning entries

Winners have been announced! Log in to see them.

Prizes

1st prize:15 karma
2nd prize:10 karma

Rules

  • Your entry must be a piece of fiction totaling 1500 words or fewer as counted by Scribophile.

  • Entries must be in 1st person present tense about a nontraditional haunting as explained in the prompt above.

  • Entries must be received before midnight on October 31st, 2012 (UTC time), and winners will be announced within two weeks of that date.

  • Entries will be judged by Scribophile staff. Decisions are final.

  • Only one entry is allowed per member. Multiple entries will all be disqualified.

  • Work must have Public visibility on Scribophile until winners are announced.

Submission guidelines

  • To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says "Enter this work into the Member-Sponsored Beyond Haunted Contest". Your work will automatically be considered. The checkbox will be visible until the contest deadline, which is in UTC time.

  • Entry is free, but you'll need karma points to post your work. You can earn karma points by writing critiques of work by other members.

  • If you have placed in a contest in the past with a particular piece, you may not resubmit that piece in other contests.