Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction

A knock on the door at Christmas Eve brings a lonely old man and poor waif together on Christmas Eve. Only one gets a present. J. L. Short lives with his family near Philadelphia and as near as he can tell there are no ghosts living in the house. On the other hand, he is continually harassed by two hounds and two cats. He enjoys reading and writing about history and the supernatural, not necessari...

The author's dedication to her son, and the tale of how his spirit interacts with his family. Linda Sparks is an author and poet. She has published 19 books and been published in numerous anthologies. She served as Editor for Valkyrie Magazine. Her favorite genres are horror and science fiction. A few titles of her work: The Goblin Hour, The Scent of Ghosts and Magic, The Ghosts of Space. The Hour...

A young woman longs to retain her youth and beauty with the help of a witch. She gets her wish, and more than she bargained for. Joshua St. Claire is a certified public accountant who works as a financial controller for a small company in Pennsylvania, USA. He is married and the father of three growing boys. His poetry is published by or forthcoming from Star*Line , Scifaikuest, The Flying Saucer...

An evil soldier gets access to a magic tinderbox. How will he use his power? Hans Christian Andersen was a prolific writer from Denmark, famous for such stories as The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling. Learn more about his fascinating life at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christian_Andersen . You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidankai a...

Here two stories that Disney sugar-coated and cutsified. The originals are dark, gruesome, and wicked. If you hate Disney as much as I do, you'll love hearing these original versions of two classic fairytales. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm spent most of their childhood in the town of Steinau., Germany Their father's death in 1796 impoverished the family and affected the brothers for many years after. Th...

Oscar Wilde's famous story about a tortured ghost. It's hilarious, sad, and uplifting. Learn about Oscar Wilde's amazing life at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidankai at https://www.whiteenso.com/100-stories.html . Follow us on twitter at: Japanese Ghost Stories @ghostJapanese Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaidankai100/...

A sweet story about a father who doesn't believe in magic and his young son who is enthralled by it. Learn more about HG Wells at https://www.thoughtco.com/hg-wells-biography-4158307 You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidankai at https://www.whiteenso.com/100-stories.html . Follow us on twitter at: Japanese Ghost Stories @ghostJapanese Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ka...

Japan's most famous ghost comes to life in Hearn's deft writing, and Linda Gould offers another version of the ghost's hunt for victims. Lafcadio Hearn chronicled Japan's myths, legends and folktales during his years living in Japan. Since many of these stories went unrecorded by the Japanese, his translations influenced the spread of Japanese literature to Western cultures. ​Linda A. Gould is the...

Poe's iconic short story about the hubris of a prince who rules over a realm devastated by a deadly plague. To learn more about Edgar Allen Poe, visit https://poemuseum.org . It's a great site that has many of his stories as well as details about the man's life and career. Michael Rhys—a Tokyo based voice actor and writer and teller of short tales. Visit his website to follow him in his many proje...

Two boys go trick-or-treating, but receive something far worse than either a trick or a treat. A.E. Jackson lives in Delaware, and writes uncanny speculative fiction for your enjoyment. He is married with two children. He believes there are malevolent forces, just below the surface, tugging us all down. He knows another force, more benevolent than we deserve, works to keep us buoyant. He reads Ray...

The re-telling of a famous Japanese folktale about a blind minstrel who can charm even the dead. Hengtee Lim writes stories that look to capture the snippets of loneliness and connection that weave through the city of Tokyo. You can find more of his work at snippetsbooks.com or drop him a line at @hent03 on Twitter. Anglo-Irish writer Andi Brooks is co-author of the critically acclaimed biography...

Flash fiction and a poem about Tokyo's famous Hachiko statue that offers a glimpse into the humorous side of supernatural stories. Jen Mierisch's dream job is to write Twilight Zone episodes, but until then, she's a website administrator by day and a writer of odd stories by night. Jen's work can be found in Horla, Dark Moments, HAVOK, and various horror anthologies. Jen can be found haunting her...

A work of flash fiction and four poems that represent the weirdness and eeriness, the moods and mysteries that are part of the supernatural genre. Enne Tesse is an artist creating sculptures, installations and works on paper using fabric and text. Her stories originate from and reflect her own hand-stitched garment inspired works and fabric objects. She has exhibited her work in museums and galler...

A man finds prominence in his village with the help of his ghostly friends. Snigdha Agrawal is Bengali born and resides in Bangalore, India.  She writes in all genres and is extensively published. Raised and educated in a cosmopolitan environment, with exposure to Eastern and Western cultures, her writing reflects a balanced outlook on life. You can read today's story and all the stories featured...

A renowned writer's getaway helps get the creative juices flowing. But if they don't flow fast enough, or that writer's block persists, help is on the way, whether the writer wants it or not. Renata Pavrey is a nutritionist and Pilates teacher, and an award-winning essayist and poet, who also dons the hats of marathon runner and Odissi dancer. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, poetry and pr...

Another example of inanimate objects wreaking havoc on the lives of humans. Lynette G. Esposito MA Rutgers, is a poet who writes short stories.  She has been published in North of Oxford, Twin Decades, Poetry Quarterly, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Deep Overstock, That Literary Review, and others.  She was married to Attilio Esposito and lives in Southern New Jersey.  She was inspired for this story...

A young couple rent a furnished apartment, but didn't expect to have to share it with ghosts. Phillip Frey's history includes professional actor, produced screenwriter and writer/director of three short films, one of which showed at the New York Film Festival. He is now devoted only to writing prose. He currently has the privilege of his short stories appearing in various literary journals and ant...

Men love cars. Can cars love them back? Margaret Pearce was a sickly child and an omnivorous reader which made for a harmonious and pleasant substitute for most of the schools she was supposed to attend. Her love of fantasy started at seven years of age when all magazines with lurid covers kept getting snatched away. Launched on an unsuspecting commercial world she ended up copywriting in an adver...

A classic story from the late 1800s about a woman's descent into madness when her depression goes untreated. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a utopian feminist who served as a role model for future generations of feminists. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, and her story The Yellow Wallpaper is a semi-autobiographical account of her postpartum depression. You can read today's s...

You can't appreciate the good without the bad. But when that bad comes from someone in a position of trust and power, do they deserve a chance at redemption? Michael Rhys is a Tokyo-based voice actor and writer of short tales. Originally from Esssex, in the UK, he is a 33-year resident of Japan. He lives in the deeply historical Jindaiji Motomachi region area of Chofu, a few minutes from the ancie...

Story 1: A conversation about the fate of a young boy by Herve Suys. Pretty much as everything he does, Hervé Suys (°1968 - Ronse, Belgium) writes short stories to impress his wife, kids and closest friends. He started writing whilst recovering from a sports injury. He prefers to write hatless and barefooted. Follow all his moves on hervesuys.org or @HerveSuys.  Story 2: What the Eyes hold by Mich...

Living with roommates can be challenging in the best of times. But, sometimes, it can be downright weird. Lorna O’Connell is a London based poet and writer who explores themes of displacement and confusion; reality and illusion. Her characters often find themselves in worlds and situations they don't understand... Her work has been published in such anthologies as South Bank Poetry, Carefree Kids...

A man turns to a pet for companionship. Feeding the strange creature, though, may prove difficult. Based on the Sigbin, a folklore creature from the Philippines that looks like a hybrid between a dog, goat, and rabbit. Daniel C. De Guzman is a writer from the Philippines. Most of his work revolves around the folklore creatures from his native country but he also enjoys writing speculative fiction...

A traveling salesman stops into a diner for a pleasant bite to eat. His experience is anything but pleasant. Sandra D. Simmer likes to write short stories and memoirs of her childhood adventures on her family’s Southwest Colorado ranch. To enhance her skills as a budding author, she is a member of two writing groups in the Bay Area. She has placed as a finalist in several local writing contests. S...

An autobiographical story about a loving family. When a beloved uncle passes away, does his spirit linger? Ghiselle is a wannabe Renaissance woman and diddles with anything her muses collide into. She is an actor, writer, poet, gardener, chef, photographer and visual artist. She's a third-culture Filipino-Canadian living in Japan with her Canadian husband and Japan-born Canadian children." Michael...