Short Horror Stories

The Harvest Feast

In the small, secluded town of Oakwood, Thanksgiving was more than a celebration; it was an event that bordered on the edge of something ominous. Every year, the townspeople gathered for a grand harvest feast, a tradition shrouded in mystery and whispers.

Evelyn, an outsider who had recently moved to Oakwood, was intrigued by the peculiar customs of the town. She had been welcomed warmly by the townsfolk, but there was an unsettling undercurrent beneath their hospitality.

As Thanksgiving approached, Evelyn noticed a change in the demeanor of the townspeople. Their smiles seemed forced, their eyes haunted by an ancient secret. Curiosity gnawed at her, compelling her to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic harvest feast. She learned of the feast's origins—a tradition passed down through generations. The townspeople believed it was a pact with an otherworldly entity, a dark force that granted prosperity in exchange for an offering—a sacrificial feast held on Thanksgiving night.

Determined to uncover the truth, Evelyn delved deeper, discovering whispers of a ritual, of strange symbols etched into the town's outskirts. The more she uncovered, the more she realized the darkness that lurked beneath the surface of Oakwood.

Thanksgiving evening arrived, and Evelyn found herself drawn to the outskirts of the town, where the ritual was said to take place. As the moon hung low in the sky, she witnessed a procession of cloaked figures, their chant echoing through the night, a haunting melody that sent chills down her spine, "Ex nihilo, vox in tenebris, noctem aeternam, umbrae revelantur." Among them was the town's elder, a figure revered by the townsfolk. Evelyn watched in horror as they led a young woman, her eyes wide with terror, toward an altar adorned with grotesque symbols.

The ritual commenced—an offering to appease the malevolent force that the townspeople believed granted them prosperity. The air thickened with an ominous presence, and Evelyn felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Before the ritual reached its conclusion, Evelyn was discovered, her presence considered an intrusion upon the sacred ceremony. 

Panic surged through her, and she fled into the woods, pursued by the townsfolk, their eyes filled with a fanatical zeal to protect their secret. As she ran, the woods seemed to shift, twisting into grotesque shapes. The echoes of the ritual's chants followed her, reverberating through the trees. She stumbled upon an ancient, dilapidated cabin hidden deep within the woods, a place that seemed untouched by time. Desperation overcame her, and she sought refuge within the cabin's decaying walls. The darkness within the cabin was suffocating, the air thick with an ancient malevolence.

As she caught her breath, Evelyn heard a whisper—a voice from the shadows that spoke of the town's dark pact, the sacrificial feast that tainted the Thanksgiving tradition. She realized the entity they worshipped was real, a force that hungered for more than mere offerings.

The cabin's walls seemed to close in on her, and she realized she had stumbled upon something far more sinister than she had ever imagined. The whispers grew louder, the shadows darker, and Evelyn knew she was trapped within the heart of Oakwood's malevolent secret. The night descended into an eerie silence, leaving Evelyn in the cabin's darkness, surrounded by the unsettling presence of the unknown force that lingered within the town.