The Gallery

Welcome to The Gallery, where all the winners of the "Tales of Terror: The Scream Awards"  Contest are placed. Our winners were chosen for their excellent storytelling, characterization, style, and originality.

2010

February:

Because the second anniversary of his death recently passed, Heath Ledger's death and the mysteries surrounding it are what you must base your story on: a joker, an actor's insanity, overdosing, etc.

Prize the First:

J White with "Invalid Item" 

Prize the Second:

Sean with "Liar" 

Prize the Third:

Indelibleink with "Hot Stuff" 



March:

Is everyone sick of vampires and werewolves? Let's hope so. The prompt for this month is the creation of your own monster. You may create a concept anew, or improve upon an obscure creature (the specter lurking under the bed, gargoyles, banshees, etc.). Take as much artistic liberty with this as you want. Find a name for the monster (if there is none), flesh out its habits, its creation, and what makes it a "monster." Take the reins from Shelley--she deserves a rest.

Prize the First:

Leif with "The Yellow Eyed" 

Prize the Second:

mike_guts41 with "Invalid Item" 

Prize the Third:

Ratfink with "The Night Creeper; or Those Unlit Halls " 



April:

Between February 1692 and May 1693, the Salem Witch Trials haunted every woman; once an accusation was made, the woman was guilty. Living with this terror must have been on-par with being hanged, burned, or beheaded. You may use historical events or only elements of this prompt. Your piece does not have to take place in Salem (or America), but the elements of a witch, a witch hunt, or public executions ought to be present. We want to live in terror like the women of 1692 Salem, so set a frightening mood.

Prize the First:

Steve W with "Children of Salem" 



May:

Romance, oppression, and frantic emotion frequent Gothic Horror. Write a tale featuring a woman confined and tyrannized by an authority figure (a priest, noble, king, etc.) using the elements of romance, oppression, and frantic emotion. For more information, research Gothic fiction on Wikipedia.

Prize the First:

Michael with "Icarus, Burning" 



June:

Alexandra David-Neel, a scholar studying Eastern mysticism in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, was captivated by the concept of Tulpa--beings created in the mind (like a novel character), then believed in and visualized so intensely, they become their own person. She created a monk like Friar Tuck, with a corpulent little body and jolly smile. The monk tulpa grew stronger, taller, leaner…more sullen and independent. David-Neel tried to destroy him because the monk felt entitled to life and would manifest himself whether his creator wanted him to or not. Destroying her Tulpa nearly killed Alexandra. Write a story about a Tulpa to frighten your readers into silencing their favorite villainous characters.

Prize the First:

Arkadia with "The Appointment" 

Honorable Mention:

Aldstan with "Invalid Item" 



July:

This is the first Tales of Terror open prompt! Good luck!

Prize the First:

kip with "The House On Willow's Creek" 

Prize the Second:

Lesa~ Needs an Upgrade with "Case Study 2nd Place Tale of Terror" 

Prize the Third:

Nomar Knight with "It Waits" 



August:

Every year on Edgar Allen Poe's birthday, his grave is visited by a black figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a white scarf who leaves three roses and a bottle of cognac at the headstone. Spin a tale to either identify the Poe Toaster, or explain why, after fifty years, he did not appear in 2010.

No Entrants



November:

Write about a devilish temptation. This needn't include the Christian Devil or any such entity, but do not let the temptation be seduction--erotica's for another contest. Think Faustian--"The Picture of Dorian Gray" or "The Devil and Tom Walker."

Prize the First:

Henry with "The Tower" 



December:

Write about a circus.

-or-

Write about a ghost town.

-or-

Write about a mysterious epidemic.

Please specify in your post which prompt you are writing about. Choose only one!

Circus Winner:

melzgr8 with "Nightmare Circus" 

Ghost Town Winner:

No entries

Epidemic Winner:

H R Green with "Invalid Item" 



2011



January:

Everyone has heard a local legend around their town--maybe about an abandoned house, a creepy hollow, or an old cemetery that's always locked. Harper Lee had Boo Radley; Charlotte Brontë had Bertha--what do you have? Write a story centered around a folkloric myth.

Prize the First:

C. A. Smith ~ The Reviled with "Old Man Webb" 

Prize the Second:

Jonas with "Green Thumb" 

Prize the Third:

Erere with "Last Customer " 



February:

Valentine’s Day is never fun. One either has too much chocolate or too few flowers. Countess Elizabeth Bathory had the right idea when, in the early fifteenth century, she tortured and killed nearly 650 virgin girls—for fun. She was placed under house arrest, where she was confined to only a few rooms by a wall of brick and mortar. Write a story centering around the atrocities that the Blood Countess committed, and if you dare, explain her reasoning…make your reader sympathize with the most prolific female serial killer in history.

Prizes the First:

Lunarhourglass with "A Cup Of Blood"  and H R Green with "Invalid Item" 





March:

Monster March returns! Create your own monster or improve upon an obscure creature (the boogey man, gargoyles, banshees, etc.). Name your monster and flesh out its creation, habits, appearance, and what makes it terrifying. (Vampire and werewolf stories will most likely be mocked and pinned to a dartboard.)

Prize the First:

Prize the Second:

Prize the Third:



April:

Judge: Haunted Poet

Dear Authors:

Welcome to the April edition of The Scribes' "Tales of Terror" contest. My name is Charles (Haunted Poet) and

for the next month I'll be playing the role of Guest Editor, which means I also get to decide whose story is, shall

we say, a cut above the others. So be afraid, be very afraid. I'll try to make sure to fill my red pen with ink this

time instead of blood. But I digress.

When mulling over this month's prompt (or theme), I only had to think about the time of the year in order to

discover what it was going to be: April is when spring begins to shine; the days are longer and brighter,

the warmer air chasing away the cold, the shadows, and the cruelty of the passing winter. The soft rains

wash away the gray and transform everything into a place of vibrant color, including the cherry blossoms

that are starting to bloom on my street. Yes, everything is beautiful again, redeemed from a place of darkness.

Surely there's nothing to fear in such a season as this, right? Wrong . . .

The month starts with April Fool's, one of the only days of the year that I'm aware of (aside from Halloween and

Guy Fawkes Day), where playing a prank on someone else is a culturally acceptable ritual. Of course a prank,

while funny to the person (or persons) perpetrating it, can be upsetting for someone else . . . or downright

terrifying.

Now here's my challenge to you: write the scariest story you can think of about pranks and submit it to this

forum between now and the end of the month. Make me shudder or lose a night's sleep over your tale, if

you can. Best of luck to you all and remember . . . here the competition is killer and everyone's dying to win.

Pleasant Dreams,

Charles M. Kline

Prize the First:

Evertrap  with "A Family Tic" 



May:

Terror lurks in every time and place, not just in castles and carnivals. Let's see something a bit unexpected: Write a tale that takes place in ancient times--Greece, Rome, Egypt, China. Do not limit yourself. Make a tale whose horror transcends time and cultures.

Prize the First:

GEOFFREY ROBSON with "MY SPECIAL CHILD" 



September:

Let this month's protagonist tread along vast plantations and under Spanish moss. The Southern Gothic sub-genre of horror is uniquely American, and so the only requirement for your submission is the setting: Southern United States. Spin a tale that would terrify even the legendary Boo Radley.

Prize the First:



October:

H. P. Lovecraft said, "Fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind." Most fears are learned, but the one common, fearsome entity--the one that most inspires me to read and write terror--is the Dark. What might lurk in the shadows when the lights are out is what gives me nightmares. Show me what you most fear about the Dark.

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