Based on my spooky monster.
The Hollow Howler”
(An Original Halloween Tale)
The fog rolled thick through the forgotten town of Marrow’s End, swallowing lamplight and silence alike. Every Halloween, a wind colder than winter’s breath drifted through the streets, carrying with it a whisper no one dared to answer.
It was said that when the church bell struck midnight, the Hollow Howler walked again.
Once, long ago, Marrow’s End had been lively—a place of markets, laughter, and music. But laughter had become dangerous here. The elders spoke of it in hushed tones: “Do not laugh past midnight, child. The Howler hates joy.”
The Dare
Three friends—Eli, Nora, and Sam—didn’t believe in old stories.
“Ghosts don’t walk,” Eli said. “And shadows don’t howl.”
So they dared each other to spend Halloween night inside the old bell tower.
At exactly 11:55, they climbed the creaking stairs, flashlights slicing through the dusty dark. The bell above them loomed, heavy and still.
They told jokes. They laughed. The sound echoed down the empty street—bright, defiant, alive.
At 12:00, the bell rang on its own.
The Whisper
The air turned cold enough to sting their lungs.
Then came a whisper—soft at first, like a sigh through the walls.
“Why do you laugh… when others cry?”
The flashlights flickered. Sam’s hand shook. “Who’s there?”
No one answered. Only the sound of something dragging—long fingers scraping wood.
The shadows began to move.
From the far end of the tower, a shape rose—tall and hollow, skin made of shifting black mist, eyes glowing a cold, eerie blue. It opened its mouth, but no words came—only a terrible, drawn-out howl that made the glass crack and their bones feel thin as ice.
The Price of Joy
They ran, but Nora tripped near the door. Eli turned back—and saw the creature crouching over her, its head tilting in curiosity.
“You laughed…” it rasped. “Let me take it from you.”
When it leaned close, her laughter poured from her mouth like mist—bright and silvery—until her eyes went dull. The Howler inhaled it, and for a moment, it smiled.
Eli and Sam escaped into the night, breathless and broken.
By morning, Nora was found at the base of the tower—alive, but silent forever.
The Hollow Howler Lives On
Now, each Halloween, the wind carries laughter through Marrow’s End—but no one laughs back.
Because somewhere in the fog, if you listen closely, you can still hear the Hollow Howler’s voice:
“What you fear most already knows your name.”
And if you dare to laugh after midnight… it will come to collect.
Stakeid: Khaluman