Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction

In honor of Bram Stoker's birthday, here is his short story about a student who just wants a little peace and quiet to study for exams. The house he rents has other ideas. We all know Bram Stoker as the author of Dracula, and if you like horror, you have probably also heard of or read some of his short stories, too. But, he only did his writing on the side. I almost feel like he was the precursor...

A boy encounters a kappa that has lost its water. He saves it, but the encounter haunts him throughout his life until they one day meet again. Linda Gould is an American who lived for 26 years in Japan. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published in media outlets around the world and is host of “Kaidankai,” a podcast of supernatural stories. You can read "Living with Kappa" at https://www.kaid...

Who represents evil during a witch burning? The woman accused or those who celebrate her death? Lucas Carroll-Garrett is an emerging writer out of the hills of East Tennessee. He writes mainly speculative fiction, from a good old swordfight to a pondering of human nature after the heat death of the universe. Raised in an environment with a rich storytelling tradition, one might say his transition...

A group of campers hear a tale of ghostly murder and are told not to go into the woods at night. Is it just a story or are their lives in danger? Arpad Nagy is a proud Hungarian-Canadian throwback romantic man who loves to write. After sustaining work injuries and being relegated to desk work, he dove into writing and has been doing so full-time since 2021. His passion is fiction writing, and his...

A private investigator is hired to look into the disappearances of several men and women. The site of their last known location, a barn loft apartment, is idyllic and pastoral. It’s going to be a tough case to solve. William Presley is a scientist and author whose short stories have been featured by a variety of publications, including Scare Street, Timber Ghost Press, the Creepy Podcast and Homes...

Farming is tough these days, and it is hard to make a good living. But imagine how your life of drudgery could change if you caught a mermaid? One farmer has big plans to sell the mermaid he found, but his young son has other ideas. Ian Salavon is a professional chef by trade and a lover of speculative fiction in every flavor. When he is not writing, he spends his time at the Fort Worth Judo Club...

Joe Ross Gibson is a serial killer who sees himself as a Great White Shark, a predator at the top of the food chain, a killing machine that needs to keep moving, keep feeding, keep killing. Does he kill because he hates people...or himself? Harold Hoss is a film producer best known for "The Unheard" and "Creep Box." When he isn't reading, writing, or watching horror movies he enjoys hiking with hi...

The doctor pronounces him dead, but Matt and his niece are convinced he is still alive, even through the burial process. Then he has to face an unexpected battle with a drifting spirit. Is he destined to be in limbo for eternity? Sarah Hozumi is a translator and rewriter who has lived near Tokyo for about 14 years. To read short stories she’s had published, and to read her blog mostly about all th...

A lonely high school girl faces bullying, unattentive teachers, and competitive students. Having a friend she can trust helps her get through her day, and through unexpected danger. Tim lives with his family in Southern Australia in a little town called Murray Bridge. He is pretty sure that the Library where he works is haunted, although it is quite new so he is still trying to figure out why. Tim...

Are the terrible fears and experiences of a young woman real or imagined? And can only a psychologist help? Paul Stansbury is a lifelong native of Kentucky. He is the author of Inversion - Not Your Ordinary Stories; Inversion II - Creatures, Fairies, and Haints, Oh My!; Inversion III – The Lighter Shades of Greys; Inversion IV – Another Infusion of Speculative Fiction; and Down By the Creek – Ripp...

Terrorists on a flight have more to deal with than they planned. Eric Dawson lives in Denver, CO, and when he’s not wandering in the wilderness, he likes to read all things speculative. He has attended writing workshops at Aspen Summer Words and Kenyon College, and he has he has recently been published in Carmina Magazine, The Chamber Magazine, Fiction on the Web, and Black Sheep. You can read "Fl...

In Japan, Yasukuni Shrine is home to many WWII soldiers considered war criminals by many people in the world. You could say they have found peace in death. But what about the living soldiers who fought alongside those interred at Yasukuni? How do they forget the horrors of war? Are they allowed to forget? C.S. Fuqua’s books include Fatherhood ~ Poems of Parenthood, Walking After Midnight ~ Collect...

Two children on a family vacation to the beach develop a deep friendship with one of the local children. It is a summer that will change their lives forever. E.E. King is an award-winning painter, performer, writer, and naturalist. She’ll do anything that won’t pay the bills, especially if it involves animals. Ray Bradbury called her stories, “marvelously inventive, wildly funny, and deeply though...

A few years ago, on the last blue moon, on a square in Santiago, a man fell madly in love. But, what does the blue moon have to do with his amour? And will it affect his future? Rosemary Thorne is a Spanish bilingual writer living in Madrid, Spain, who has spent her entire life producing fiction in her mother tongue, with not much local professional encouragement. That’s why in 2019 she became a H...

What would you do if you discovered a new path in a forest you know well? Would you ignore the warning signs or embark on a new adventure? Jacqueline Gabbitas lives on a canal boat in the UK. She has published three short collections of poetry, Mid Lands (Hearing Eye), Earthworks and Small Grass (Stonewood Press) and her work has been featured in various magazines, including Poetry Review, antholo...

If there was a guaranteed way to get to paradise, would anyone and everyone have access? Even those who spent their time on earth unconcerned with the welfare of others? Whose exploits harmed other people so they could amass more fortunes? Is it possible that the afterworld is just as unfair as this world? Jason Sabbagh lives in New England with his wife and two children. He loves writing fiction,...

A child is tormented by the dying screams of his friends and sister after they entered a haunted house that he was too afraid to enter. Yet he returns to the scene as a young man. For what purpose? Andrew Hughes has been writing for the past decade. His short stories have appeared in Sanitarium Magazine, Sinister Smile Press anthologies, and on the No Sleep Podcast. His fantasy novella, Children o...

A young widow moves into a new apartment after a mental breakdown. Will the house welcome her? Iseult Murphy is a chronically ill, multi-genre writer from Ireland. She has published several novels and over two dozen short stories. Her short fiction has appeared in NewMyths, the Drabblecast and The Creepy Podcast. Find out more at Iseultmurphy.com. You can read "Stay With Me" at https://www.kaidank...

An unexpected event determines the outcome of a baseball rivalry. Vic Nogay (she/her) is a Pushcart Prize- and Best Microfiction-nominated poet and writer whose work appears in Fractured Lit, Barren Magazine, and Lost Balloon, among others. Her micro chapbook of poems, "under fire under water" was published in 2022 by tiny wren publishing. She is an Associate Poetry Editor for Identity Theory and...

What will an aging minor league player do to become successful in the major league? David is a retired reference librarian who started writing fiction three years ago. He has an MA in Political Science and an MLS in librarianship. The Deal in Harlan's Bar is his seventh story to be published. His other recent story - Where Have All the Young Girls Gone? - appears in After Dinner Conversation - Bes...

In this revision of the classic story from Greek mythology, we have Pandora's viewpoint. Was she set up for failure? Did she have any other choice than to open the box? Matthew McAyeal is a writer from Portland, Oregon. His short stories have been published by "Bards and Sages Quarterly," "Fantasia Divinity Magazine," "cc&d," "The Fear of Monkeys," "Danse Macabre," "Scarlet Leaf Magazine," "Be...

Mantegna the Psychic, from a previous podcast episode called "Lake Torment," is back. This time, his job is a bit easier since he'll be visiting a lovely woman in an old house. But, is a psychic's job ever easy? Geoffrey Marshall is a writer in Aurora, Canada. He knows just enough to be dangerous (mostly to himself) in several different fields. You can find his work in The Ansible, Academy of the...

A Japanese couple receives a letter about their impending death. The man who wrote it has an interesting story to tell. Raiff Taranday is an emerging author and veteran elementary school teacher from Boston, MA. You can check out more of his work on ‘The Rumen’ and ‘A Thin Slice of Anxiety’ literary blogs. His stories will also appear in upcoming editions of ‘Penumbric’ and ‘Savage Planet’ magazin...

Slow Down Sunday features stories from the archive. "The Lonely Road first appeared on the Kaidankai on November 17, 2021. A traveler starts his journey full of hope. The forest leads him down a different path. Linda Gould is an American and long-time resident of Japan. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published in media outlets around the world. Gould is the editor of White Enso , an online...

The character in today’s story is grieving the loss of her father who died in the war and seeks the help of a fortune teller to guide her father’s spirit to her. As is so often the case, however, what you ask for is not what you get. Taija Morgan is a horror, thriller, and suspense author with short stories and non-fiction articles published in various anthologies and magazines, including the Prai...