BELLOWS FALLS — The Rockingham Free Public Library wants to know: What's the scariest story you can write in just two sentences?
Throughout October, the library invites people of all ages to try this short writing exercise and submit their best two-sentence horror story.
The collection of super-short stories will be performed as a dramatic reading just after Halloween, on Friday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m., at the newly renovated library.
One of the most famous examples is Knock (1949) by Frederick Brown:
“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.”
This project was inspired by a thread on Reddit earlier this year. Users submitted some very scary short stories, including this one from Reddit user “justAnotherMuffledVo”:
“I begin tucking him into bed and he tells me, 'Daddy check for monsters under my bed.' I look underneath for his amusement and see him, another him, under the bed, staring back at me, quivering and whispering, 'Daddy there's somebody on my bed.'”
To be considered for the Nov. 1 live performance, entries must be submitted by 7 p.m. on Oct. 23. Although stories must be two sentences long, authors are welcome to give short titles to their stories.
By submitting your “Two-Sentence Horror Story,” you agree that you are submitting an original, creative work. All entries become the property of RFPL without infringement on the copyrights of the entrants. RFPL reserves the right to edit for spelling and errors in grammar.