Welcome!  So glad you decided to join me today for Blogtoberfest!

Let’s face it.  Sometimes you have a hankering for a good scare, but just don’t have the time to delve into a novel or even turn on a movie.   You’re in luck.  Here are some scary little bites of story guaranteed to make you check behind the curtains and make sure the back door is secure.  Perhaps a baseball bat or even shotgun in the corner wouldn’t be overdoing it.

Please be aware, these are classic horror stories and will most certainly sound familiar, since they’ve been imitated over and over again through the years.  Enjoy the language and the creepy atmosphere each writer establishes and you won’t be sorry!

1.  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving – A classic horror story that never loses its spooky touch. Read it here.
2.  The Striding Place by Gertrude Athernon –  A man looks for a fried who has been missing since two days earlier.  A dreamy and ambiguous story that nonetheless grabs at the senses and holds on. Read it here.
3. The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs – I’m sure most of us have seen The Simpsons’ parody of this story, but the source material is just as creepy as when I first read it.  Sometimes wishes do come true, but in horrible ways. Read it here.
4. The Morning, the Evening and the Night by Octavia Butler – A wonder drug has horrific consequences.  From one of the greats.  Read it here.
5. They Bite by Anthony Boucher – This is a story that I read long ago, in an Alfred Hitchcock anthology, and still stays with me. I have not re-read it…I’ve found it too creepy and unsettling.  And now I pass it onto you.  Read it here.

There you have it.  Five pretty scary stories for a quick burst of fear when you’re feeling quite bored.

Dahlia