Minute Horror

If you go out to sea on moonless nights and stay very still, soon you’ll hear the sirens sing their songs to their mermaid siblings. Sirens are ladies of the sea air, mermaids of the froth and tides: sister creatures who beckon to each other in the darkness as they hunt the waves.

Midnight Melodies 🗣️ #horror #microfiction

The little monster perched on the rooftop, smelling the night and everyone in it. A quick inhale could already produce a multitude of flavors that pricked at their tongue. A bigger breath let them taste people’s fears and concerns. With lips curled upward, they sensed the evening world triumphantly.

On the Hunt 👹 #horror #microfiction

I woke up in my high school bully’s body. It must’ve been a spell gone wrong or something cos I still fucking hate the guy. Just being in his skin made me want to crawl out. I couldn’t control it either, I was just a witness to him yelling at his wife and child, threatening them through their house. I could feel him raise his fists but I was powerless to stop him from bringing them down. I still don’t know what caused it or how I managed to get out. Damn I really fucking hate that guy until now.

Bully #horror #spooky #microfiction

When Japan sequestered itself for three centuries, it was to stave off the blood curse that had befallen their lands. They were attempting to eradicate a blood-sucking thing that could withstand neither sunlight nor silver. The beast was a soulless creature that could infect others with its bite. Those afflicted would undergo a painful transformation, turning them undead slowly while making them yearn for the taste of fresh blood. The vampire was a foreign creature that had come to plague their people.

The Blood Curse 🩸 #horror #microfiction

“You called for me,” he said, looking at the little girl with bright, shining eyes. “Yes!” She said proudly. “Why?” He asked, bewildered. “Because you’re the candyman. Don’t you have candy?” He looked at the hook where his hand should be. “Have you checked your pockets?” She asked intently. With his free hand, he reached inside and fished out a handful of sweets. “Candyman you do have candy!” She cheered, “Please may I have some?”

He brought his open palm to her gingerly, still surprised by her simplicity. He watched as she took one out of its wrapper and popped it into her mouth. And so it came to pass that the Candyman learned more about this strange new world that he had found himself in, after having been tethered to the cruel moniker he had been given. He found that he could be summoned by curious strangers and… Children who just wanted candy.

Candyman 🍬 #horror #spooky #microfiction

I told the monster under my bed the truth: that daddy was mean and that mummy hit me. I told them about dirty uncle Jules and his bad secret games with no clothes on. I told the monster everything, all the bad things I could think of that scared me enough already until finally they slithered out from under the bed, got up to their full size and said, “wait here” and left. That was the last I saw of any of them.

Real Monsters #horror #spooky #microfiction

The Chupacabra of the Americas is a popular cryptid, well-known for its curious features and affinity for attacking livestock. The Sigbin shares many of the chupacabra's traits including its bloodsucking nature. The thing that seems to separate the two is how the sigbin has large, expansive wings. It allows the creature to hunt along rooftops and perch on lush tree branches to conceal itself. The sigbin is a cryptic of the orient, often sighted in Southern Philippines. However who’s to say that the chupacabra didn’t come with the galleon trade? Perhaps it even sprouted wings.

Creature Cousins #horror #cryptids #microfiction

Simon says touch your nose.” “Who’s Simon?” We all looked at each other. “I don’t know that’s the game,” I said. “But who’s Simon?” Everybody stopped. “Are you ok?” Someone asked me. “I think so.” I said. “Who’s Simon?” Somebody else asked. I looked around again, “I don’t know.”

Simon #horror #microfiction #spooky

“Cut.” “Dorian, I’ve not yet applied the anesthetic.” “I said cut, damnit!” He hissed, thrashing against the thick leather straps that held him back onto the gurney, “Tell me, Frankenstein, what am I paying you for?!” “You are asking to be flayed, sir,” the doctor replied. “Cut I said!” Victor sighed in quiet exasperation. With a dismissive wave he finally picked a scalpel from the tray. A gleaming selection of medical accoutrement lay before him. Dorian Gray always got what he wanted.

Frankenstein’s Patron 🩸 #horror #spooky #microfiction

“Excuse me, Miss, you dropped this.” I heard as I stepped off the train. I looked down just in time to see a man with my face in his hands. Eyes, lips, everything was there, even my makeup. Not knowing what else to do, I picked myself up and pressed it gingerly back where I felt like it should be. “You missed a spot.” He said. I could feel the blood rush back to my face. Looking up, I tucked my chin back into place, watching as he walked away forever.

No Face #horror #spooky #microfiction

There are no burials in this town, no undertakers or cemeteries. Whenever somebody passes on, they disappear from where they rest. At night, they then come back to stand at their old doorsteps. It always starts at sundown, first one then many. From dusk till dawn their ghosts then whisper stories of the past and future 🔮

Passing On 👻 #horror #spooky

There are two stories in Snow White. The one that they forget to tell is of how a young princess was poised to be the fairest to behold; a gift meant to grant her a full life with her King Husband and good rule as queen-to-be. Then along came three fairies came with their own gift, a mirror, and with the mirror came a spell, to show the princess the literal truth of anything she asked for. So you see, Snow White’s family had already been cursed twice before, and the witches of her family, both her mothers, were made to bear the burden. Oh and if anyone asks, I never said anything about fairies.

Who's the Fairest 🪞 #horror #spooky #fairytales

Bad Dream 💭 #spooky #horror #microfiction

Fangs for the follow, friend 🦇

“They try to steal the voices of our Holy in the night, burn their guards, slaughter their dogs so they can’t warg. They take heads and tongues hoping to steal our strength of spirit but they can never taste the truth of us. Darker than blood, deeper than the marrow! We are forever. Stardust.” The wise chief’s words echo into the night sky. Indelible. Unbreakable. Eternal.

Stardust ✨ #horror #spooky #folklore

Sitting in the coffeeshop you lean back to enjoy the ambience with cup in hand, the sound of light jazz wafting through the air. It takes you a moment to realize that you’re the only one sitting there. No other customers, no barista behind the counter. Soon you see, there’s no exit either.

Coffee Break ☕ #horror #spooky

Before the printing press, every book was a spell, a sacrifice of living tree to enshrine a story told onto this earth. So much has happened since Gutenberg. More than just djinn and devils in the pages now. Tell me again what’s the last thing that you’ve read? Do you like libraries?

Good Reads 📚 #horror #spooky #booksky

The witch doctors of Capiz in Visayas, the Philippines are unique onto themselves. When brought to ire they put sharp things inside their victims. Nails, tacks, broken glass will appear under their skin. Sometimes they’ll leave rotting things or living insects. The method of delivery also differs. Some bewitch food, some burn effigies. Others will coax imps or fairies to do their bidding. Still there are those who call to darker things. They are called Mambabarang, waste witches, and they live among us, unseen.

Waste Witches 🪰 #horror #spooky #folklore

The drain cat is made of everyone’s lost hair and lives inside the pipes. When everybody else is asleep, it comes to whisper stories to me from the tub at night. Last time they said all our memories go back into the water when we wash. Since then I’ve been wondering about everything that we’ve forgot.

The Drain Cat 🐈‍⬛ #horror #spooky

When Pygmalion made his first golem, his magics were all in Greek, and so his creatures came out as automatons that could neither think nor speak. It wasn’t until he found new secrets in papyri by way of Egypt that he realized he was only working with a piece; the fragment of a forgotten spell, that could grant him something much greater. And so he sought to refine his process until he was able to mold a creature from the finest ivory alabaster. In darkest night, under Nut and Hecate, he pulled from the effervescent breath of life by whispering forth her name: Galatea.

Muse 🌬️ #horror #spooky #mythology

Minute Horror: Volume 1 | Minute Horror Get more from Minute Horror on Patreon

Welcome to Minute Horror Volume One. Featuring 40 spooky short horror stories from the desk of Sam Strange 🎃 A free #horror anthology www.patreon.com/posts/minute...

When my doggy got hit by a car I didn’t tell anybody. I just took all the bits left behind and I made sure his head was ok like gran taught me. It was hard but I found all the right things to bury him with. He was still warm and so was the earth so when he dug himself up no one knew the difference. When I buried him the last time I was ready. “I love you, doggy”

"I love you, doggy" 🐾 #horror #spooky #horrorsky

“So you didn’t catch the eclipse and you’re disappointed. I get it. It’s probably your first time.” “Things like eclipses have a way of taking us somewhere else when they happen. When you’re not witnessing a celestial event, it’s because you’re inside one.” “Now don’t be afraid. That was just a for a few. We’re out of it now.” “Where are we? No it’s ‘when’ are we. When we’re in high spirits, we all jump around and swap places. Not everyone notices when we do. Why so confused? What’s your watch got to do with any of it? Clocks don’t hold time they’re just for show.”

Path of the Eclipse 🌚 #horror #spooky #lunar

Blood and shadow, Bone and marrow, From ash and dust and back again to, We yield space and welcome those who — Came before the Dawn, Dusk, and Day, Long may the Nameless continue to reign, Balancing life’s fragile web, And may they never come to visit us — Old prayer 🕸️

Old Ones 🕸️ #horror #spooky #folklore

When Geoffrey Chaucer began The Canterbury Tales, so too did his spell, of entombing all the world's great stories into English narratives. It was a way to bind the old gods, through spoken word and verse. Geoffrey Chaucer changed the world order through a rearrangement of words. And because he dared so vehemently, he was doomed to never complete his curse. Although taming the gods came with its rewards, Geoffrey Chaucer died penniless in return.

As for the spell, the fool did try, and so, the whole world became entranced. For seven centuries we've been lost. Encased in glass. Trapped in a mirror world, a crude reflection of our dimension where we could only experience the opposite of our words. Chaucer's mistake launched dark magic on our entire world.

The Canterbury Chain ⛓️ #horror #spooky #folktales

Energy vampires are ghouls that have done everything to turn themselves but pass on. They suck people dry and leave them weak inside. They’ve lost their soul and opened the door to something old and dark and hungry. These vampires are still alive so they don’t need invitations to come in and can walk around in broad daylight. They can’t be banished by garlic or silver. They only respond to words of power so you must learn them well and say them with conviction: “No.” | “No, thank you.” | “I can’t. “I don’t want it. | “I won’t.” Are all complete spells. Use them.

Banishing Energy Vampires 🧛‍♀️ #horror #spooky

The entity living with you is benign. It has been there longer than you. It is the spirit of the earth as it grew with whatever was built over it. Sentience comes with time so it may not be very active just yet. But it is with you and the place you live in: an assigned protector and guardian. Why it chooses that shape is just for fun. It’s meant to surprise, not scare you. But you were right. It’s the thing you glimpse from the corner of your eye when you’re home alone.

House Spirit 👻 #horror #spooky

You can meet your mirror self if you really want. You can then ask future things. At night you must take a single candle and light it in front of the mirror. You must wait in the dark, whispering only your name until your reflection changes. They say it's how you can get the winning lottery numbers or somebody else's secrets. They also say that sometimes, the candle goes out while you're whispering and someone else appears instead of your reflection. If something else finds you, just run.

Mirrorside 🪞 #horror #spooky

Someone used to tell me stories on the telephone late at night. Just call me up from an unknown number and start whispering all sorts of terrible things. Some would come true. Some were just weird. I’d just lie there, listening and afraid, until the receiver would finally click dead on the other end. The calls stopped when cellphones became a thing. Just today though I’ve started getting odd DMs.

No number ☎️ #spooky #horror

When the Tower of Babel fell at its siege, all the magic of the city scattered to the winds, lost along with the language of the ancients. It was a contingency plan conducted by great mages, both human and djinn, to protect the earth from the thing that threatened to consume all knowledge. They hid their arcane secrets in books and things. They tucked away their magic for their children to find in time, for all good families leave legacies behind. As for their enemies, they put a guardian creature meant only to protect. A golem-like monster that would hunt them down when activated.

Beyond Babel 🌬️ #spooky #horror #mythology