Haunted Halloween Cover and Story Entry

Hey, everyone! This is my entry for Confessions of a Bookaholic and A Life Bound by Books’ Haunted Halloween Cover and Story contest. I made my cover based off the short story I wrote so it would make more sense if you read my little story (I would really appreciate it!).

My story was inspired by the superstition that if you look in your mirror at midnight on Friday the 13th you will see a figure people call “Bloody Mary” (I’m also pretty sure it’s the name of an alcoholic drink.) I’m pretty happy with it though I wish I could have written in more detail, but I was limited to 600 words. I hope you enjoy and I would love any feedback!

Cover Entry:

Story Entry:

~The Blood Spirit~

1920

It was in the small town of Ashbury, New York that the rumor became.

“Oh, Mary, I’ve missed you so much!”

“Hahaha, well, I told you I’d return didn’t I, silly boy.” The girl’s sweet voice filled the room. It was like a drug to Everett and he wanted more. He had long awaited her return spending night after night staring longingly into the mirror on his dresser, until she had finally appeared that night.

“I thought… maybe you had moved on.” Everett’s voice tried to cover his emotions at the thought of losing his beautiful Mary. Mary, the one that had saved him from all the darkness in his life and now he could barely stand to look her in the eyes because of her beauty. They had shown with understanding, but that was all a mask to help cover up the thing she really was.

“Oh, darling, it’s only you and always you,” she insisted, smiling encouragingly at Everett. She was so close… to what she desired.

“Where did you go? I was worried that something had happened. It’s been over a week! When will I get to meet you in person?”

“Hush, my boy, soon, soon we will be together. As a matter of fact, we can be together right now. There is all but one condition,” she cooed to Everett, twisting a lock of her dark, brown hair.

Everett jumped to life from his bed where he sat and ran to his dresser, leaning across it as far as he could to get as close to the mirror as possible. He was so close to her, he longed to be able to touch her.

“Anything,” he whispered to her, “anything you want I will give as long as I can be with you.”

She ducked her head in forge shyness and glanced up at him under her eyelashes. Everett’s breathing grew heavy and his heart skipped a beat.

“Anything?” she asked and a smile played on the corner of her lips.

Everett could only nod his head eagerly.

She let out a gleeful laugh and passes her hands to the surface of the mirror. Everett raised his hands and placed them over hers and the mirror was ice cold.

“So tell me, tell me what I must give you!” Everett begged.

“Oh, wonderful boy, all I ask of you is,” her voice grew raspier and her hands suddenly appeared to be dirtied and scratched with a giant bloody ‘X’s across the palms. Everett pulled his hands back and stared at his Mary in horror as her elegant dress turned into one full of dirt and slashes and blood. Her perfect hair suddenly became wild and tangled, her eyes turned from a light blue to a near transparency, and another giant bloody ‘X” formed from her collarbone to her waist.

“Your soul,” she finished and smiled.

‘M-m-mary, what’s happening t-to you?!” Everett tried to stubble backwards away from this awful sight but suddenly sharp, claw-like hands were holding him by his shirt. He struggled but it was no use, the arms coming from inside the mirror had a death grip on him.

“No turning back now, foolish boy. I will take from you what the person I loved took from me,” she hissed.

Everett screamed, but a sudden swift movement came at him and he was silenced. A white light shot from his body and into the hands of the monster from the mirror. He now lay on the floor, a giant bloody ‘X’ across his chest…

And the figure in the mirror was gone.
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And so I hope you liked both my cover and story! As you can see I didn’t use my real name on the cover, when I put it on there it just didn’t look right. I wanted it to be a hand coming out of a mirror for the cover but I learned that was stretching my Photoshop knowledge. Also, I really wish I could have written in more detail but this was exactly 600 words!