2023 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 24
Write a piece of flash fiction each day of February with the February Flash Fiction Challenge, led by editor Moriah Richard. Each day, receive a prompt, example story, and write your own. Today’s prompt is to write something eerie.
For today’s prompt, write about something eerie. It might not make your characters scream with fright or rush to lock their doors, but it should raise the hair on the back of their necks!
Remember: These prompts are just starting points; you have the freedom to go wherever your flash of inspiration takes you.
(Note: If you happen to run into any issues posting, please just send me an e-mail at mrichard@aimmedia.com with the subject line: Flash Fiction Challenge Commenting Issue. Fingers crossed there are no tech hiccups!)
Here’s my attempt at a story something eerie:
The Doll Room
“We’re in The Doll Room.”
I raised my eyebrows at Che. He raised his back. The hotel was old, with hardwood floors and faded carpets and the smell of mothballs and Pine-Sol lingering in the air. A single employee lurked behind the front desk, and there were only five rooms in total.
I regretted not making a reservation at the Holiday Inn before we arrived in town.
I’d never been afraid of dolls, but I was apprehensive as we climbed the creaky steps and made our way down the single hall.
Our door swung open and revealed a surprise. A normal—even bland—room with no wall art, hardly any color, and no personality.
Except for the single porcelain doll, perched on a shelf above the bed, red mouth pulled into a smile and lifeless eyes gleaming.
Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner. She also runs the Flash Fiction February Challenge on the WD blog, encouraging writers to pen one microstory a day over the course of the month and share their work with other participants. As a reader, Moriah is most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook.
Learn more about Moriah on her personal website.
