Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction

A young woman entranced by the romanticism of the past finds out that the past can also be mysterious, cunning, and brutal. Melissa Miles was born in the US, but resides in NZ. She has had many professional iterations, acting, teaching, film-making, but she is now focussing on her writing, and caring for her aging menagerie. You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidankai at h...

A detective must face his personal monster before he can face the one that followed him home from a gruesome crime scene. J.B. Cross loves horror, science fiction, and fantasy. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. 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 @ghos...

A fantastical, mystical story about the here and in between, about what's present and desired, perception and reality. Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in small spaces throughout Pennsylvania. She is a Best of the Net nominee, with stories, poems, and essays published in a wide variety of literary and scholarly journals. She is the author of Invisible Ink (pre-order at Toh...

A story that explores the mirror image, what is here and there and in between. Richard M. Ankers is the English author of The Eternals dark fantasy series. Richard has featured in Expanded Field Journal, Love Letters To Poe, After The Pause and feels privileged to have appeared in many more. Richard lives to write.  Website: richardankers.com Twitter: @Richard_Ankers You can read today's story and...

Two Native American stories from the First People of America and Canada website. These stories highlight themes found in stories from cultures around the world, modern and ancient. You can find these stories and so many more at the website: https://www.firstpeople.us The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange. New episodes ever...

A story inspired by the Seminole Tribe culture, myths, and legends. A young Seminole girl living in the Everglades must face a host of challenges, not the least of which is an old witch who stole her brother. Linda Sparks is an author and poet, published 19 books and published in numerous anthologies. Served as Editor for Valkyrie Magazine. My favorite genres are horror and science fiction. Some o...

A story based on the myths and gods of the Inuit people. A father must travel to the end of the Earth to find a way to ave his dying daughter. Will the gods help him? What price must he pay? Donald Guadagni is an international educator, author, and writer currently teaching and conducting research in Beijing China. His publication work includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose, academic, photog...

Two tales from native cultures. Under a Pale Moon is about the kappa, a mythical, monstrous creature of Japan and Mulliwonk, an indigenous tale from the Nurrindjeri culture. Both creatures live in water and terrify unsuspecting humans. Mark Meyer is a septuagenarian artist, writer, & former research biologist who resides in the middle of a lake in Washington State. He enjoys a great fondness for d...

The re-telling of a famous Japanese folktale about a couple who help an injured bird and get their just desserts. Linda Gould is the editor of White Enso, the online journal featuring creative work inspired by Japan, and the host of hyakumonogatari kaidankai. She lives in Japan and is an on-again, off-again writer of short stories. You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidank...

Based on famous hauntings in Philadelphia, Jen Schneider created modern prose that follows the thread connecting worlds and time, life and death. Jen Schneider is an educator who lives, writes, and works in small spaces throughout Pennsylvania. She is a Best of the Net nominee, with stories, poems, and essays published in a wide variety of literary and scholarly journals. She is the author of Invi...

A local story where a ghost with amorous interest in the man of the house drives a wedge in a marriage. Can the wife get the upper hand? Margaret Pearce was I  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...

Plenty of people in Baraboo, Wisconsin, claim to have seen the phantom hitchhiker, but few have met it. It's better if you don't. The local story is told by Dawn DeBraal. Dawn DeBraal lives in rural Wisconsin with her husband Red, two rescue dogs, and a stray cat. Dawn has published over 400 stories in many online magazines and anthologies, including Spillwords, Potato Soup Journal, Zimbell House...

A true story about haunted Shinagawa, today, one of the busiest parts of Tokyo. A family learns the hard way that mistreating a well brings misfortune. The ghost can still be seen on some nights in Shinagawa. Andi Brooks tells this famous Tokyo ghost story. A Tokyo resident since 2006, Anglo-Irish writer Andi Brooks is co-author of the critically acclaimed biography Vampire Over London: Bela Lugos...

Michael Lee Johnson's poem tells the sad tale of Resurrection Mary, who has haunted Willow Spring, Illinois, since the 1930s. Michael Lee Johnson has been writing poetry since 1968. He likes animals (sometimes more than people) and uses poetry as both therapy and enjoyment. He has experience as a social worker, advertising and marketing executive and small business owner. He has been nominated for...

Today's story is a heart wrenching account of the author's tumultuous and endearing relationship with a beloved Aunt. Lauren Scharf has lived in Japan off and on since 1990. She's currently renovating a Meiji-era farmhouse on the Noto Peninsula with her husband and several mostly useless cats while waiting for the world to reopen so she can get back to traveling and consulting around Japan and arr...

A visit to a new city brings new dangers, as a tourist to Tokyo is about to find out. Jen Forte is a freelance writer from the southern United States. She has also lived in London and spent time in Tokyo. Her cat's name is Albert Camus.  https://www.instagram.com/jenfortestories/ Handle: @jenfortestories You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidankai at https://www.whiteenso....

The man character is an author with a litany of problems authors experience, and an additional one that few of us have to worry about. John Shea is a technical writer with a B.S. in Communications from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.F.A. in Motion Picture and Television Production from the University of Southern California. He is extensively travelled and has been known to babble in Fr...

A freakish, gruesome story that horror fans will adore. A man's lack of regard for life comes back to haunt him. 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 ancient Jindaiji temple and under the shadow of th...

A tranquil day in the garden turns strange when one girl saves a butterfly doomed to be squished by another. Sam Kaufman is a writer from Connecticut. She started avidly writing in her sophomore year of high school doing both novels and short stories. She mostly writes dystopian tales but occasionally slips into fantasy as it is her favorite genre to read. This flash fiction is her first dip into...

This week's animal theme continues with a story where dreams and reality cross, where fears and worries should be heeded, and where ignoring the warnings can lead to dire consequences. Made in '93, Tejaswinee is a lawyer with a Master's degree in Business Laws from the Department of Law, University of Calcutta. She resides in the city of Chandannagar in West Bengal, India. Tejaswinee often finds c...

A late night taxi ride reveals the strange history of a woman's neighborhood and the morbid reason so many crows live in a nearby forest. Ghiselle Camacho is a wannabe Renaissance woman who 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...

Linn Woodard's story is about humans hunted as prey by cats. It launches a week of supernatural stories about animals. Linn Woodard is retired and living in Wisconsin. Although not a professional writer, she began recording her personal thoughts in a daily diary in fifth grade. As an adult she wrote a weekly column for a small newspaper in New Castle, Delaware, called “Personal Glimpses” where she...

A story that explores the sadness and loss that even ghosts can feel. And Williams beautifully explores the world that ghosts might live in. Brianna Williams is a writer, poet, and ghost story enthusiast. She also writes fantasy, romance, and slice-of-life, as well as commissioned short stories. You can contact her at yuukimehri1768@gmail.com . You can read today's selection and all the stories fe...

So much of this podcast focuses on ghosts and death. So what do you do on a day like 9/11? Linda Gould reflects on a visit to the 9/11 memorial. Linda A. Gould is the host of Kaidankai and editor of White Enso. She is an on-again, off-again writer of fiction, non-fiction, science fiction and ghost stories. Facebook: Japanese Ghost Stories, Twitter: @Ghost Japan and @WhiteEnso You can read today's...

What's behind the door is a question from game shows, literature and countless tales of mystery and adventure. Mark Tulin puts a new spin on the old theme in his story What's Behind The Door? Mark Tulin is a former family therapist who lives in Palm Springs, California, with his wife, Alice. He is a Pushcart Prize nominee and has authored four books of poetry and a short story collection available...