Have you found yourself stuck in the middle of a particularly bad writer's block? Need a dose of inspiration? Or are you simply looking for some creativity to kick-start your newest novel? Then look no further!
Paranormal Prompts aims to bring you...
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Hello everyone and welcome to our brand new prompt! This week, we'll be featuring a picture prompt. Remember that you're free to interpret the prompt in any manner you see fit, be it literal or figurative. However, there should be a clear link between your entry and the prompt provided. For more information, check out our guidelines below!
PICTURE PROMPT:
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WINNERS:
Please note that winners are not listed in any specific order. To read the rest of the amazing entries, check them out in the comments section below!
With a frustrated huff, Claire tossed the book down to the empty seat next to her. She slouched a little way down and put her feet up onto the seat in front of her. Closing her eyes, she mulled over the lines in her head.
'There is no such thing as a coincidence.'
Sure there is! How else could have she missed the earlier train? The taxi she traveled in got a flat tire halfway through the route to the station. Surely, it was accidental, not some deliberate plan of the driver. It was just one of those days.
She yawned softly. The clickity-clack of the rails always made her sleepy. For that reason, she tried to avoid traveling at night, especially alone. She peeked through her lashes. The only other passenger started to pack his things. Soon she would be alone. Which coincidentally wasn't her favorite thing either.
The train stopped, and she watched her only companion exit the car. Oh, she would have given much to have another human with her now, or even a vampire, if such a creature existed.
She turned around in her seat and glanced at the clocked. The big red numerals showed 11:11 pm. Another coincidence? She turned back, her feet still on the seat, and closed her eyes to make a wish just like her mother taught her. The train under her started to move slowly.
"Ahem, is this seat taken?"
Jumping, she opened her eyes wide. "Yes. Oh, I'm sorry." She sat up straight, and with a flushed face, dusted the seat her legs had been previously on.
"Thanks," answered the stranger while putting his bags up in the holder, then sat right in front of her.
She fidgeted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs. She was on the verge of starting a new chapter when the stranger spoke up.
"Careful what you wish for, little girl," he said sinisterly. "But I am extremely happy that you finally made that wish. I had gone to great lengths this evening to make this meeting happen."
"Who are you?" asked Claire.
"Exactly who you wished for," he replied with a grim smirk.
My own breathing rang in my ears. It was too dark, too quiet. I could hear you, giggling like a little girl, just beyond the corner. I could see your shadow on the wall, always just out of my sight. I could feel your presence, pressing in on me from all sides. My breath caught in a shuddering half-scream. It was always like this. You would come and frighten me until I was a sniveling mess. Every year, on the last night of the tenth month, you'd come back, and I would hate myself for being afraid. I knew what was coming soon, and I knew I couldn't stop it. So what was the point of being afraid? I skidded around a corner and clutched the wall. My spine tingled as you watched me, but I resisted the urge to turn. Instead, my eyes were fixed on the digital clock ahead of me. Your laughter became louder, deeper. More like your natural laugh. I could almost see the seconds ticking down.
11:11
Every bone, muscle, and tendon in my body wanted to run and scream and cry, but I resisted. I wouldn't give you that satisfaction this year. I could see your shadow creeping up behind me on the floor, and I ordered my feet to stay planted.
"Did you miss me?" you purred, stroking a single claw down my back. A shudder ripped through me, and you laughed again.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I choked, using every last bit of resolve to keep from breaking down into tears and begging for mercy. You laughed again, cruelly, before tearing my left arm from its socket and relishing the scream you elicited.
"My dear. Where's the fun in that?" You proceeded to rip me limb from limb, savoring the rip each muscle made and the sharp cracking of my bones. Then, at promptly midnight, you vanished, and I reappeared on the ground, whole. My blood disappeared from the floor, and my body was mended. But my face was still wet from tears, and I would carry the memory with me forever. I picked myself up began to trudge home. I had signed my life away, and you'd never let me forget it.
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