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^{THE HORSE PHENOMENA WRITING COMPETITION} 

^{JAYA'S CHOICE:}

^{October Edition: 2023}

^{Form: SHORT STORY}

^{Theme: SCARY}

^{Word Count: 1,000 Words Maximum}

^Prizes:

^{WINNER: 1 MONTH UPGRADE and $20mill HPD}

^{RUNNER-UP: $10mill HPD}

^{(Thanks to Sat for your generous donation!)}

^{Closes: 25th OCTOBER}

^{Voting Begins/Closes: 26th OCTOBER / 31st OCTOBER}

^{Winner Announced: 1st NOVEMBER}

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^{Post your story below!} 

^{Any questions, please do not hesitate to message me.}

^{Happy Writing!}

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I'm excited!!

Oooh..

Let's gooooooooo

Looking back, my nightmare began when Bear wouldn’t come into my bedroom.

“Come on, boy!” I called, patting the bed next to me as I pulled the blankets up. Instead, he whined, a high pitched yelp. Tail between his legs, he paced anxiously outside my room - but he wouldn’t come in.

“Bear?” I called him again, clucking my tongue, but shrugged. “Suit yourself. More bed for me!” I laid back on my pillows, relaxing after the day I’d had. 

I soon became all-too-aware of the empty space usually occupied by Bear, but I finally shifted into an uneasy sleep. My dreams were odd, dark, constantly changing. I remember a dark red sky, lightning constantly illuminating the heavens. The silhouettes of dark trees, limbs reaching up. The scariest part was the silence. I strained to hear even a tiny noise, but there was nothing. Until suddenly a harsh sound filled the air around me. It was like a growl, ripping from the throat of whatever beast was nearby. I shuddered, filled with dread. And then panic. I had to get away from whatever was making a sound like that.

I began to run, my bare feet thudding into the dirt, my boxer shorts and t-shirt not offering me much protection from the elements. Then, I could hear it - the stomps behind me. Something huge was coming behind me, getting faster. My breath was ragged, my lungs were on fire. And then-

I woke up. “Bear, I had an awful dream-” I started, as I sat up and opened my eyes. 

But all I could see was a dark red sky, lightning constantly illuminating the heavens. The silhouettes of dark trees, limbs reaching up. I strained to hear even a tiny noise, but there was nothing. Until suddenly a harsh sound filled the air around me. It was like a growl, ripping from the throat of whatever beast was nearby. I shuddered, filled with dread.

“Oh God,” I whispered, quickly rising to my feet. 

I pinched myself.

“Ow!” I squealed. Shit. 

The stomping began behind me, closing in fast. I took a deep breath, and turned to face whatever was coming towards me. 

It was huge. Towering above me, with fangs dripping with - well, I didn’t want to know, and claws, each bigger than my forearms. Flashing arms, mottled fur, and a long spikey tail. 

“Go away monster!” I cried, squeezing my eyes shut, unable to face it any longer. 

Then suddenly, I woke up.

“Not this again,” I groaned. “Bear?” I could hear his nervous whine, and my eyes opened wide. “Bear!” I fumbled for the light on my nightstand, feeling a little better once that was lighting up my bedroom.

Stumbling out of bed into the hallway, I hugged my dog tight. “It was just a bad dream,” I whispered. Still feeling unsettled, I went to the kitchen for a drink of water.

And then I could hear it. The stomping began behind me, closing in fast. I took a deep breath, and turned to face whatever was coming towards me. 

It was huge. Towering above me, with fangs dripping with - well, I didn’t want to know, and claws, each bigger than my forearms. Flashing arms, mottled fur, and a long spikey tail. 

But this time, it was in my hallway. 

I screamed, as Bear started barking loudly, standing between me and the - well, the monster. There was a monster in my house. I grabbed the first thing within my reach, and brandished a whisk at the monster. 

“GO AWAY,” I shrieked. 

And somehow, that worked. The monster dropped to all fours, and ran. 

Straight through my front door, leaving a gaping monster-sized hole where a sturdy wooden door had been moments ago.

Bear stopped barking, and twined himself around my legs as if he were a cat. I knelt down, putting my arms around him as he licked my face. “What was that?” I asked out loud. 

“This cannot be real. There is just no way,” I firmly decided. “C’mon, Bear.” He followed me back into my room and jumped up onto my bed. I tucked us both under the blankets.

There was no way I had just unleashed a monster into the world… right?

Just in case, I want to include a slight trigger warning for anyone with body issues (dysmorphia, eating disorder, etc). It's not too bad, but I figure it's worth mentioning! ♥

Standing motionless before the mirror in my bathroom, I studied my body in the red dress my mother had purchased for me three days prior. Tonight was her birthday, and I needed to leave for the restaurant soon. I couldn’t seem to pull myself away, though. It wasn’t unusual to find myself powerless here most days, scrutinizing every imperfection I could spot. I didn’t know how long I had been standing here, but I needed to go. I couldn’t be late. As I turned to leave the room, I noticed movement in the mirror. Curiously, my vision returned to the mirror, but this time, I saw someone else staring back at me. She was familiar but so much more beautiful than I could’ve ever hoped to be.

For several minutes, we stared at each other. Every movement I made was mimicked as if she were me, but I knew she wasn’t. But oh, how I wished she was. Her hair was smooth, her skin was blemish-free, and her figure was unmatched. She donned the elegant red dress with such poise and filled it how it was intended to be, how my mother must’ve imagined I would’ve looked wearing it. I could feel a frown pulling at the corner of my lips, but my reflection began to smile instead. There was very little warmth to the smile, as if something more sinister lingered behind it, but I was far too awestruck to acknowledge it. I trembled as I heard a voice echo inside my head. It was my own, but I was not the source.

“I can help you,” she gently murmured in reassurance. “I can make you like me.”

My frown intensified, reflecting my disdain for my body more than my recognition of what might be required for such a deal. “R-really?” I spoke aloud to the mirror in disbelief.

“You could be beautiful. Who you want to be. Who everyone expects you to be. Right now.”

I swallowed hard and, blinded by my desperation, inquired further. “How..? What do I need to do?”

“It’s simple. Place your hand upon the mirror, and I will bestow this gift upon you. But..” The woman paused as her entire form darkened, barely visible as the reflection rippled on the glass. “I claim your soul upon your last breath. It is mine to keep for eternity.” She noticed my physical withdrawal in response to the proposal and flickered back into clear view with a stretched smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe in my possession. You’ll have time to enjoy your gift before you deliver.”

For several moments, I considered their offer. Reluctantly and foolishly, I raised my hand towards the glass to meet the woman’s palm resting against it. Each slow movement I made brought more detectable gratification to the beautiful woman I craved to become, her eyes seeming to fade into black. As my hand pressed against the cold glass, I realized I couldn’t remove it. Coldness ran through my veins, up my arm, slowly taking over my entire body. I wanted to scream, but I was unable to open my mouth. I watched the creature contort, becoming monstrous with dripping black ink falling from every orifice. It leaned forward as its head left the mirror, pausing before my face. I could feel its warm breath, the stench of sulfur filling my nostrils.

Then everything went black.

When I came to, I was lying on the cold bathroom floor. My head was pounding. The room was dark. I stumbled to my feet and flicked the light switch. I noticed my hand looked different. I glanced along my body, shocked to see I was entirely unlike what I had known my entire life. I quickly turned to the mirror and saw the same woman who had appeared to me, but now it was me. I was her. Tears welled in my eyes as happiness washed over me. Whatever I had agreed to was worth the trade. I yelped and recoiled at my phone ringing on the counter. It was my mother, and judging by the time on the screen, I was late for dinner.

I grabbed my purse and left my apartment, hailing a cab at the curb. I provided the address of the restaurant and pulled out my phone. I turned on the camera, flipped the view to look at my face, and was greeted by a view that was not what I had seen in the mirror moments ago. Did I look.. older now? Not much older, but something was not right. I was not the same as I was, and every minute seemed only to worsen.

I watched through the phone in horror as I progressively aged during the cab ride. I was paralyzed by regret. The woman said I had time to enjoy the gift but cleverly did not specify how long. I realized what was happening but knew I couldn't stop it. My joints steadily stiffened and ached. Tears filled my eyes again, the droplets falling over the wrinkles that manifested across my cheeks. Each bump of the road became unbearably torturous on my withering body. Weakness overtook me, and I could no longer hold my phone. My breath grew shallow, and the world slowly faded into darkness.

The creature came to claim me then.

And everything disappeared.

Love that, Jade!

Oooh heck yeah I'm entering this! 

Yessss! Loving these entries so far! Keep em comin < 3

Leaves crunching under my feet were the only sound that you could hear as I took steady steps further into the woods. They told me not to go. They told me to stay home. But the almost physical pull was bringing me back to the graveyard. Back to the last place that I had seen him alive. The cold night air brought chills to my arms and I pulled my sweater tighter to my chest. Nothing was going to stop me from going back to look. 

Two months ago, my best friend disappeared. No one in town knew where he went or what happened, but I did. I was the last person to see him alive. I was the last person to see the fear in his eyes as the cloaked figure snatched him from beside the grave that we were looking at and then disappeared into thin air in the dark woods. I ran after them that night. Ran until my lungs gave out and I couldn't take another step. Joggers found me passed out on the trail, almost blue from the cold. Wrapped in a blanket I told them everything I saw before they called the cops and I was dragged into the local station. No one believed me. No one thought to look any further into the missing boy who must've simply ran away again. But I'm determined to find him. Determined to discover the truth. 

As I got deeper into the woods, the trail started to fade. The visibility lowering more drastically with each step as a fog started to roll in. This town doesn't see fog. Hasn't for over 30 years. But, here it was back again, practically taunting my every step. But I kept moving. Kept walking. Until something wrapped around my ankle dragging me to the ground. I yelped, thinking it was just a branch. But as I looked down to see what had captured me, I stared back into the black eyes of a hollow skeletal face. A scream pierced my lips as I kicked trying to free myself. But as I continued to struggle another skeletal face came into view as it brought a cloth to my face. I tossed and turned trying to get loose but just before sleep pulled me under I saw my best friends face and the fear in his eyes as my vision blurred and darkened. 

Local authorities are once again urging the citizens of the town not to enter the woods behind the graveyard trail. A sixteen year old girl has been missing since last Thursday and parents are urging anyone with information to please come forward. This marks the 13th missing teen that was lost after entering these woods on Halloween night in the past 100 years. Citizens are calling it a crazed phenomenon, but 1 local group states that there is more to the story. Later tonight we will meet with this group and hear their claim that this is all part of the history of this town. 

LAST CHANCE!

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Congratulations to JADE!

And we have a tie for runner-up, Jaya and Sat!

Thank you for entering, beauties. Will be in contact with your prizes :D

Thank you to those who voted for me! I haven't written anything in a while, so this was an excellent return to writing. ♥

You smashed it out the park! Glad to hear you've picked up the "pen" again :D