Short Story Contest

Question

Write a short story that is at least 1,000 characters.

Answer 1

Her is my story, hope you like it! Ps. I like cliffhangers!

 

 

As I was taking a stroll one day through the city I lived in one chilly fall day, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper on the ground, about to be swept away with the wind. I didn’t want the world to be any more littered than it is so I picked it up. That’s when I realized that it was a ticket to the creepy old movie theater everyone was always talking about. They said that it was magical, that the movies played on their own, that it was infested by ghosts. Of course I didn’t believe them, because that was just plain crazy. Right? But, see, I never, never, turn down the opportunity to watch a free movie, even if people said not to go into the theatre. I paused my walk to strut to the huge double doors only to show people that it was totally fine. I reached for the handles of the doors. Bang! They burst open on their own. I shook it off, reminding myself that the rumors couldn’t be true. I proceeded to walk through the big doors. That’s when a voice said to me, “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.” I turned around to see an old woman standing there with a crooked smile on her wrinkled face. I hate to admit it, but I was a bit rude to her. “Look, it’s fine. I’m not scared of anything! You can't fool me, old lady!” Well, yeah. A bit rude. She smiled knowingly. Istill walked in, maybe just a little bit scared this time. ‘She was kidding’ , I told myself, ‘Why can’t I go in?’ . As soon as I laid my foot on the dusty floor of this dingy theater, the double doors shut behind me with a creak. I was in. But it was so dusty! Each time I stepped, dust erupted beneath my feet. I coughed my way through the dark hall, then turned right. I seemed to be in a room with a huge screen and many chairs. It was completely deserted. Suddenly, I heard a little flicker and old music coming from somewhere. I then realized the T.V. had turned on. The whole room lit up. I thought that I would go see if there was any popcorn so I left the room, not at all shaken. I trotted down the stairs, through the windy hall, and into a room with a blinking light that said “Food, Drinks, Snacks”. I thought that was it. Again, deserted. ‘Weird.’ I thought to myself. So I chose to get popcorn on my own. That’s when a dark shadow appeared behind a counter.

                                                     The End

Answer 2

 

1.           Violet walked into another room in the supposedly haunted factory. So far, she had not found any ghosts, apparitions, or poltergeists in the halls. Only some cobwebs and dust.
2.          She looked around the room. There was a desk with scattered papers and writing utensils, and there was a bulletin board with torn pictures and papers. The flooring was white tile with some scattered pieces of glass from the shattered lights above. For the most part, it was just a normal office, aside from the lights.
3.          She closed the door, and then Violet went over to the desk. She noticed a coffee mug on the desk. She felt the outside of the cup. The coffee was still warm, and she was not alone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow move, but when she looked to see it, it was gone.
4.          Violet rushed towards the door to the office, and it was locked. It was locked, and she couldn’t get out. Her heart was pounding, her hands were shaking, and her mind was racing. 
5.        What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!? Violet thought. She was a rational person, she could figure this out. Violet breathed, in and out, in and out, and calmed herself down. Okay, if I’m stuck in here, I might as well look around, she thought. 
6.          She went over to the desk and looked at the papers. It looked as though the person whom the desk belonged to had a few financial troubles. Along with that, there were unfinished work assignments and such. The person must have lived a stressful life. 
7.          The shadow moved behind her, just inside her field of vision. She turned around but again, nothing. Violet’s heart started to race again. The shadow moved to her right, and she went left toward the door, despite it still not allowing her passage. She looked around for a weapon and grabbed a big shard of glass from the floor. She looked around the room, but there was nothing, no shadows, no nothing. Well, not nothing. 
8.        Violet looked around the corner of the desk to check for whatever the shadow was, there was no shadow, but there was a dark red liquid on the wall, which she hadn't noticed before. It was blood. With Violet’s already quick heartbeat, she overloaded. Black surrounded her vision as she fell on the floor, unconscious, the shadow standing over her. 

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   (Characters 2,224, Words 407, Sentences 35)