Welcome to the third recap of the 30 Days of Fright. The world has shifted, subtly, strangely. This week, the stories scrape at what lies beneath, bones unearthed, memories misplaced, intentions masked. Seafoam conceals ancient horrors. Doorways open where none should exist. Blood calls, and sometimes it answers.
The rules grow looser. The shadows longer. And every tale has teeth.
Tread softly now.
The dark is listening.
Day 15: Dem Bones, Dem Bones
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – In The Tomb Of The Elder Bones
The newest resident of Kirkenham University has a secret that is out of this world.
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – Serial Killer’s Lament
Maximum Creepy Minimum Words
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – The Grasping Field
Nothing grows here. Nothing ever dies.
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – The Bone Caster
When the bone caster rolls the bones, they answer…
⚜️The Shrouded Grouse – Bone Mother
She needs offerings. But how much are you willing to give?
Day 16: The Lighthouse
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – The Night The Light Went Out
Supplies are running out. There's something in the water.
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – It Has No Name
When science is of little use.
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – End of Shift
You try filing an incident report while everyone’s screaming
⚜️Artemis – The Lighthouse Keeper
There’s a siren world that lurks below our own. When the lighthouse gutters, it will surface.
⚜️James Mayes – The Lewis Lighthouse Journals
Sometimes, defunding isn't the answer
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – The Lightkeeper's Oath
Isla returns home after the death of her mother to find the lighthouse dark and something from the depths has awakened.
⚜️Bradley Ramsey (The Writer's Journey) – The Lightkeeper
When a lighthouse suddenly goes out, a close friend of the lightkeeper arrives to check on him, only to discover that everything is fine. Or is it?
⚜️Luna Asli Kolcu (Found In Between Pages) – The Light Does Not Welcome
Remain awake. The dream is still forming its teeth.
⚜️The Shrouded Grouse – The Curious Account of Captain Elias MacIntosh
Day 17: Forgotten
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – Joanne Daly's Diary - Múli, The Ghost Town
An Instagram influencer visits a remote island and discovers a secret that should have stayed hidden. Also entered in the Milk & Honey Week 3 prompt challenge.
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – Incidental Finding
Some things are better left unfound
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – For Forgetfulness
Be careful of what you wish for.
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – Forget-Me-Nots
Every Sunday I bring Forget-Me-Nots, for what slips the tongue clings to the heart.
⚜️The Shrouded Grouse - Lost, Found, and Forgotten
How do you ever know you are making the “right” decision? And what are you willing to leave behind when you choose one path over another?
Day 18: Hidden Intentions
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – Lindsey Chalmers, Redux
A coercive controlling husband comes home late one night, a changed man. Is he really Mary's husband?
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – Deleted
Some files can’t be recovered.
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – Mark Z. Was Just A Pawn
Are we living in an ant farm?
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – The Narcissist
You call it love, I call it camouflage, a wolf in therapist's clothing.
⚜️The Shrouded Grouse - Milkmaid
Boys beware. The milkmaid comes out at night.
Day 19: Pick(axe) ‘n’ Mix
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – Sir Perry's Quest
Take a dragon, add a princess, a tower, a knight, and a dash of subversion…
⚜️The ADHD Brain (Alma Muminovic) – The Gate
Beneath Penn Station sat a very peculiar gate. Strange. Ambiguous. Magical, even.
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – The Bard’s Bottom Line
Sometimes, the only way out is through.
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – Blood On The Trail
Git along, little doggies.
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – The Candle Man
So pull the covers, close your eyes, Don’t listen to the distant cries.
Day 20: The Open Door
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – The Turning of Andy Helms
An old man finds that the door to one of the flats where he lives is wide open.
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – Autobiographical Fiction
I Think Therefore I Am
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – Optical Failure
Every viewing is a preview
⚜️The ADHD Brain (Alma Muminovic) – A purple shimmer. A green glow.
A poem about curiosity and the excitement of discovery.
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – Through the Open Door
The slow unraveling of what it meant to be alive.
⚜️The Shrouded Grouse – Open Doors
There are different ways to escape.
Day 21: Blood Is Thicker Than Water
⚜️Wendy Cockcroft – Lindsey Chalmers, Reborn
Getting away with murder has never been so hard.
⚜️Larry Shell (Renz In The Woods) – A Parental Nightmare
Happy Birthday to You…
⚜️Chip Spencer (Stories FromThe Dreamatorium) – Rare
Tonight, we explore the fine line between family and food—and why it’s best served warm.
⚜️The Sable Butterfly (The Verdant Butterfly) – Cat's in the Cradle
The heist was flawless, until Mum’s ghost showed up.
⚜️The Shrouded Grouse – The Town Meeting
We all have to make sacrifices at some point, don't we?
🖤 Want to Join In?
Write your own entry for the next prompt or just read along. Every day brings a new nightmare and a new opportunity to dive deeper into the dark.
To participate in the daily horror prompts, hop over to Wendy Cockcroft’s Substack and join the chat thread. Whether you post stories, poems, or eerie fragments, all voices are welcome in the gloom.
Stay tuned for next week’s roundup with Days 22–28… and remember to leave the lights on.
This is great!