The Scariest Short Stories You Sent Me!

Oh my goodness, some of you are terrifying. (Not as people…I’m sure you’re lovely. You’re a Wondercade reader, after all. No, I mean you’re terrifying storytellers.) But when I put out a call for your scariest short stories (50 words or fewer!), I wondered, “Can they really scare me in so few words?” The answer is a definitive YES! Or more appropriately, HELL YES. Here are a handful of my frightful faves. Also, thank you to everyone who participated. I love our Wondercade fam. ❤️❤️ No, wait…this is better: 🧡🖤 No, wait…this is better: 💀🧡🖤💀 -NPH

The funeral was rough, especially for the kids. That night, I knew I needed to put them at ease as they went to bed. After a good talk, they both seemed in good spirits, even breaking into giggles, stopping only when their mother called out, “Who are you talking to?” — Adam D.

I admired the last known photograph of my mother, thinking I would do anything to swap spots with her — when thunder crackled. Then…footsteps. A familiar voice. My mother, returned. I sprinted to hug her as a wall of glass rose in front of me, trapping my soul forevermore. — Holly R.

“He’s in the closet, mommy.”
There was no one.
“He’s behind the curtain, mommy.”
There was no one.
“He’s under the bed, mommy”
“There’s no one here, baby. It’s all in your head.”
One night he was silent, and when I went to check on my boy…there was no one. — Andrea A.

Grace felt alone, though not far from home.
Cursed by a spell to walk all night, and if she fell?
Never would she be seen again; not by the likes of men.
Break of day, not far away.
Grace was her name; grace was the game (her shame?)
Slip…
Trip. — Deanna

The young girl couldn’t move. “Why not?” she panicked. And who was that, walking away, holding her parents’ hands? It looked just like her. She tried to scream, but couldn’t make a sound. Then the creature looked back, smiled, licked its lips…and then its fangs. — Andy J.

Ruth and Johnny side by side
Went out for an auto ride.
They hit a bump, Ruth hit a tree
And John kept going — ruthlessly. — Diane W.

The scariest story of all — the final issue of Wondercade and the last batch of Reese’s jack-o’-lanterns. — Verlinda H.

Neil Note: Verlinda, you devil! Pure evil! The stuff of nightmares!