Dark Drabbles
Experience fear 100 words at a time
Fear comes in all shapes and sizes.
We understand that idea quite well here inside the Macabre Monday crypt. A few creepy words can prove as equally unsettling as many pages of dark prose. Terror scars in quick stinging bites as effectively as it does through slow torturous drips.
Drabbles can be a thrilling conduit for fear.
A drabble is a story that’s exactly 100 words (excluding the story title). No more. No less. Every word counts in these tales. Which means every word is capable of leaving a lasting impression.
With horror, a drabble can linger like a nightmare that forces your eyes open at 3 am with screams following soon after. In that spirit, we propose that you share with us your best dark drabbles.
Concoct a 100-word story to scare us and thrill us. Share your creation in the comments of this newsletter, in our dedicated weekly chat, or as a note on Substack. We’re dying to see what you all conjure up from your nightmares.
And, maybe, you’ll give us a few new ones …
Here’s a dark drabble to offer you some inspiration in crafting your own 100-word tale:
Home Shoppers
Five simple words instantly lit Grady’s fuse.
“We don’t want this house.”
His eyes hardened like stone and slid from the real estate agent over to the bespectacled woman. She tugged at her husband’s sleeve near his elbow. A subtle cue to head to their car and leave.
They aren’t leaving, Grady silently vowed.
He flew out the door and attacked her like a fierce autumn breeze. She froze on the porch steps and gasped. The left corner of her mouth twitched.
“Never mind,” she finally said. “This is the place for us.”
Grady smiled.
Both had new homes now.
The Weekly Digest
A selection of last week’s memorable Macabre Monday offerings:
The Angel’s Share, a new short horror tale from
, offers a rich tapestry of poetic dark prose and chilling actions by a hare.
A procession of birds carrying out a dark purpose drives The Wrens of Camel’s Back — a new flash fiction story from
.
A story told through product reviews? That’s the original twisted idea behind Disposal —
’s new gruesome sci-fi/horror tale.A star rower at Harvard looks in the mirror one day and sees a stranger staring back at him. That’s the starting point for Ivy League Illusion — a creepy new serial from
. Check out episode one:
A chance meeting with an odd mom at a playground takes an uncomfortably dark turn in A Friendly Wave, A Silent Warning — a tale from
inspired by the works of Shirley Jackson.
Finally, if you’re hankering for another dark drabble, check out Change is as good as a rest … — an unsettling 100-word tale from
.
Be Not Afraid
‘There’s no need to be scared, honey.’
‘I’m not scared, Daddy. I’ll be with the angels tonight.’
‘Gilda Payne! Don’t say that. It’s a big operation but Dr Gabriel is the best. You’ll be fine.’
‘I know, and the angels said they can take me once I’m perfect.’
‘Hush now, silly. Here comes the nurse.’
*****
‘What the hell do you mean, she’s gone? Don’t you idiots have security?’
‘Yes, and cameras. Nobody saw anything Mr Payne. Does Gilda sleepwalk?’
‘It’s the fourth floor for God’s sake. How…’
A feather floated over the floor in the breeze from the window.
If Only He Knew (I also used this one for The Fiction Dealer today. It was 100 words on the prompt Elegance. This drabble is more suspense than horror…but it is dark).
If only they knew…
Sloan mused.
I could end them in a blink of an eye.
Muted bulbs shimmered above the cocktail bar, shedding little light on the wealthy drinkers below.
The woman sipped her martini—elegance radiating from her. No one would guess in a million years the life she lives after the bars close down.
She signaled for the check. The man to her left said it was on him, making her decision an easy one. She leaned in, whispering an invitation.
They left together, the poor bastard thinking he was about to get lucky.
If only he knew…