Fictional Fixation

The Writing Prompt:

Every small town has its secrets, and Willowbrook is no different. Nestled deep in the forest, far from the bustling cities, its residents have long whispered about the strange events that occur at night, but no one speaks of them openly. For years, people have come and gone, but the town remains eerily unchanged, as if time itself has forgotten about Willowbrook.

You’ve just moved into the creaky, old house at the edge of town. It wasn’t your first choice, but the rent was too cheap to pass up, and after all, what harm could there be in living in a town with such a strange reputation? The first few nights are uneventful, but there’s something unsettling about the stillness of the air, the way the trees seem to press closer to your windows as if trying to peer in.

It starts with soft knocking on the walls at midnight, gentle at first, like someone lost outside trying to get in. But as the days go by, the knocking becomes more insistent, more frantic. You hear footsteps moving around in the attic, though the space above is empty. Every morning, there’s a faint smell of something rotting, but you can never quite pinpoint its source.

One night, you’re jolted awake by a low voice whispering your name, followed by a soft giggle. You try to tell yourself it’s just a dream, but something about the laughter, dark and hollow, seems all too real. When you check your phone, you find it flashing with an unread message—a message from the previous tenant, sent a month ago, before they disappeared. It reads:

“Don’t stay here. They never leave.”

As the days pass, the whispers grow louder, and you realize you’re not alone in the house anymore. Something has awakened, and it’s watching you. Now, there’s no escaping the terror that lurks in the shadows, drawing closer with each passing moment.

Will you uncover the sinister truth about Willowbrook before it’s too late, or will you become another name on the list of those who vanished, never to be heard from again?

Tips for Writing This Prompt:

1. Setting the Eerie Atmosphere: Willowbrook should feel like a character in itself—foreboding, isolated, and full of untold stories. Describe the physical details of the house, the town, and the forest surrounding it in such a way that it feels like the environment is part of the horror. The isolation of the town should be palpable, like an oppressive weight that keeps the protagonist (and reader) on edge. Use eerie sounds, unsettling visuals, and the feeling that something is always just out of sight to build the atmosphere.
2. Building the Unease: Start with subtle occurrences that could be dismissed as natural—creaking floors, gusts of wind rattling windows, or a flicker of light. The key is to make the reader question whether the protagonist is imagining it or if something truly sinister is happening. As the occurrences escalate, so should the intensity of the fear, eventually leading to a point where denial is no longer possible.
3. The Mystery of Willowbrook: The town’s dark past should be central to the story. Leave hints of its history scattered throughout, like old newspapers, strange carvings on the walls, or cryptic messages from locals who seem to know more than they let on. The slow reveal of the town’s curse is crucial for maintaining the tension. What is it about Willowbrook that makes it so dangerous? Was it always this way, or did something happen to make it a place where no one can ever truly leave?
4. The Haunted House: The house itself should be a character in the story, with its own mysterious quirks. The knocking, footsteps, and strange odors are just the beginning. As the protagonist investigates, the house should reveal darker secrets. Perhaps it was built on land where something terrible happened, or maybe it has a mind of its own, feeding off the fear of those who live there.
5. The Presence: The entity (or entities) haunting the protagonist needs to be creepy and ever-present. Whether it’s a shadowy figure in the corner of the room, a voice echoing through the house, or a flickering light that always leads the protagonist down the wrong hallway, the presence should keep the protagonist—and reader—on edge. It can be something human, something supernatural, or something entirely incomprehensible. The key is to make it feel oppressive and inescapable.
6. Psychological Horror: The protagonist should start to question their sanity. The whispers, the strange visions, and the feeling of being watched will wear them down. Psychological horror thrives on making the characters—and the readers—feel paranoid and unsure of what’s real. The line between dream and reality should blur as the protagonist becomes more isolated, desperate, and obsessed with uncovering the truth.
7. The Unseen Evil: A major element of horror is the idea that what is truly frightening is what you can’t see. Leave certain details of the entity or the curse a mystery. Let the reader’s imagination fill in the blanks. Sometimes, the scariest monsters are the ones that remain just out of sight, only hinting at their true form through sounds, smells, and fleeting glimpses.
8. Tension with the Locals: The residents of Willowbrook should add to the feeling of isolation. Some may pretend nothing is wrong, others may be too terrified to speak, and a few may even warn the protagonist, only to disappear without a trace. Their cryptic warnings and half-truths should only deepen the mystery and raise the stakes as the protagonist begins to realize that the town itself is as much a part of the haunting as the house they live in.
9. The Finale: The climax should be filled with intense action as the protagonist attempts to confront the entity or uncover the town’s dark secret. Maybe the protagonist has to face their worst fear head-on or perform a ritual to try to break the curse. Whether or not they succeed, the final moments should be a mix of relief, terror, and ambiguity. Did they escape, or is there something far darker lying in wait?
10. The Twist Ending: Horror stories often benefit from a twist ending, one that makes the reader question everything they’ve just read. Perhaps the protagonist wasn’t the first to live in the house, and they discover the terrifying truth about previous occupants. Maybe the whispers were never from the entity—they were from the protagonist’s own mind, unraveling as the terror consumed them.