Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction

A musician finally finds the quiet she needs to focus on her music—until something begins knocking in the middle of the night. What starts as an unsettling disturbance soon becomes impossible to ignore, leaving her exhausted, frustrated, and searching for a way to reclaim her creative space. But the deeper she looks into the haunting, the more complicated the mystery becomes.Blending supernatural horror with humor and heart, Ghost Jam explores creativity, burnout, and the strange connections that can form when the living and the dead refuse to stay silent. This eerie and imaginative story is perfect for fans of modern ghost fiction and literary horror.Daniel Scott Tysdal is a writer, filmmaker, and teacher. He is the author of four books of poetry, the poetry textbook The Writing Moment: A Practical Guide to Creating Poems, and the TEDx talk “Everything You Need to Write a Poem (and How It Can Save a Life).” His debut horror novel is forthcoming in fall 2027.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A writer’s childhood flirtation with dark forces resurfaces years later, blurring memory, guilt, and desire as laughter becomes a terrifying invitation to something ancient.When a writer’s adolescent fascination with summoning the Devil resurfaces years later, memory, intoxication, and chance collide to reveal that some invocations are never truly undone. This dark, surreal tale explores temptation, guilt, addiction, and the thin line between imagination and reality—perfect for fans of psychological horror and unsettling supernatural fiction.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

In “Old Ben” by T.G. Smith, an immigrant zoo worker navigating unfamiliar snow and baffling English idioms finds himself haunted by an unexpected presence during his nightly rounds. The story explores isolation, cultural displacement, and the eerie persistence of memory when the world feels both strange and unwelcoming.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A subtle supernatural horror story in which an unknown presence has a warning. Set against the mundanity of everyday life, "Negative Space" uses slow-dripping dread to expose a presence and its terrifying warning. Is there a way to counter the impending tragedy that is predicted?Jennifer Peaslee is a dark fiction writer with an affinity for fairy tales and folklore. She lives in Atlanta with her cat, Trouble, and runs bleedingtypewriter.page, a community for new and emerging writers.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A haunting supernatural story in which a woman receives a phone call from herself—warning her about the life she’s about to live. Blending psychological horror with speculative dread, "Torn" uses the uncanny device of a doppelgänger to explore a world where the past, present, and future collide. The story asks whether foreknowledge is a gift—or just another form of cruelty.Melissa Miles is a writer based in Aotearoa/New Zealand and is delighted to return to Kaidankai. Melissa has had numerous short stories published in online magazines, and has featured in a number of print anthologies. She has one children’s book out, Terri the Tiny Dragon, and is currently working on a short story collection and completing a Steam Punk novel. When she’s not writing she’s caring for her menagerie of rescue animals.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A quiet supernatural story about aging, death, and the unsettling certainty that something always comes after. When a man is interrupted by an unexpected knock, he’s forced to face his mortality.Told with restraint and dark humor, What Comes Next explores the thin boundary between life and whatever waits beyond it. This is a story about endings--life, relationships, our existence in a world we belong to, and what happens if that world tells us its time to move on. It's about the deeply human desire to remain in a world we know—even when the universe has other plans.David Corisis is a born-and-raised Idahoan and graduate of Gonzaga University. He lives the exciting life of a programmer by day and aspiring writer by night. When not sharing a keyboard with his cat, David enjoys running, brewing mead, playing Magic the Gathering, camping, and worrying about the ever-marching hand of time stealing everything he holds dear. His favorite books include At the Mountains of Madness, and Flatland. He couldn’t be happier taking on the world and its challenges with his eternally inspirational wife at his side. To find out more, you can visit www.dcorisis.com.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A first-person supernatural confession about inheriting witchcraft, where fear, taboo, and belonging collide.In That Sound That the Crickets Make, tradition is not comfort—it’s obligation, and refusal has a cost.This is not a story about monsters from the outside, but about what it means to inherit a world you didn’t choose. Told with brutal honesty and dark humor, it explores witchcraft as culture, survival, and generational obligation—and asks whether tradition must always be obeyed.Valerie Tendai Chatindo is a biochemistry graduate, writer and communications consultant. She’s a regular contributor for The Kalahari Review, Enthuse Magazine, The Diplomat Zimbabwe and EarGround. Her work has also appeared in Pink Disco Magazine, Creepy Pod, Agbowo, Argyl Literary Magazine, The Afterpast Review, Whisper House Press, Omenana, Efiko Magazine, Writer’s Space, and Literary Yard. Her short story “Sheba,” was shortlisted for the African Cradle African Heroines literary prize, and her pieces were featured in Povo Afrika’s Nehanda Reimagined anthology. Her debut novel Mono: Tales of The Tapa Kingdom is shortlisted for the Iskanchi Book Prize. The twenty-nine-year-old resides in Harare, Zimbabwe with her cat, Muffins. She runs her own Literary Platform, Shumba Literary Magazine.You can read "That Sound That The Crickets Make" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Illustration by Aubrey BeardsleyThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A powerful retelling of the legend of La Loca, where betrayal, hypocrisy, and supernatural vengeance collide. A mythic tale of feral justice and reckoning.In this haunting story, justice is not delivered by courts or institutions, but by something older and wilder. La Loca is no innocent, but neither is she deserving of her fate. What follows is a reminder that some legends endure because they speak truths society would rather ignore.Robert Walton is a retired middle school teacher, rock climber and mountaineer with ascents in Yosemite and Pinnacles National Park. Walton is an experienced writer. His novel Dawn Drums won the 2014 New Mexico Book Awards Tony Hillerman Prize for best fiction. His novella “Vienna Station” won the Galaxy contest in 2011and was subsequently published by Rosetta Books. Most recently, his story “Suka Blat” was included in Alternative Truths, an anthology of protest literature. You can read "La Loca" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A retired sailor’s fond memories of a ship’s cat take on a chilling afterlife.In “Polydactyl Aboard,” a retired sailor recalls his years at sea and the extraordinary ship’s cat whose talents went far beyond catching rats. The bond between sailor and animal becomes something deeper after death. Set against the rhythms of life aboard ship, the story explores loyalty, instinct, and the quiet persistence of the past.Thomas Koperwas is a retired teacher living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada who writes short stories of horror, crime, fantasy, and science fiction. His story Vacation won a Freedom Fiction Journal Top Crime Editor's Choice Award 2024. His work has appeared, or is forthcoming in: Anotherealm; Jakob’s Horror Box; Literally Stories; The Literary Hatchet; Literary Veganism; Bright Flash Literary Review; Bombfire; Pulp Modern Flash; Savage Planets; Dark Fire Fiction; The Sirens Call; Yellow Mama Webzine; 96th of October; Underside Stories; Danse Macabre; A Thin Slice Of Anxiety; Androids and Dragons; Chewers & Masticadores Canada; The Piker Press; etc..You can read "Polydactyl Aboard" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A quiet man’s passion for rare books draws him into an exclusive invitation—one that reveals an old literary grievance demanding a very personal and terrifying form of justice.Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent.  His writing has appeared in more than thirty publications including the Pennsylvania Literary Journal, The Garfield Lake Review, Backchannels Journal, the San Antonio Review, the Bosphorus Review of Books, The Best of CaféLit 11 and Vols. I and II of the Writer Shed Stories anthologies.  He lives outside Chicago.You can read "Redress" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

The annual alternative Charles Dickens story to A Christmas Carol.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.LindaThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A drifter joins a strange sheriff’s posse, only to discover he’s part of a ghost-hunting ritual—and far closer to the dead than he ever realized.This story appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of SPOOKY Magazine.Chad Gayle’s short speculative fiction has appeared in DreamForge Magazine, Inner Worlds, and Cosmic Horror Monthly.You can read "Dead Man's Posse" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

Two brothers flee through frozen fells from an unearthly pursuit, only to discover a city that chooses who may enter and who must be lost.Bio: Daniel Stride has a lifelong love of literature in general, and speculative fiction in particular. He writes both short stories and poetry; his stories have appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Tales to Terrify Podcast, and Eternal Haunted Summer. His first novel, Wise Phuul, was published in 2016 by a small UK press, Inspired Quill. A sequel, Old Phuul, is due out in the near future. He likes chocolate and cats, and can be found blogging about the works of Tolkien (among other things) at https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/. Daniel lives in Dunedin, New Zealand.You can read "Fleeing To The Dawn" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A celebrated self-help guru meets a follower whose “infinite patience” twisted his teachings into something dark.Rick McQuiston is a 57-year-old horror fanatic with over 400 publications, including three novels. A new novel is due for publication in 2026. McQuiston spends his time working on new full-length and short stories.You can read "The Patience Factor" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A pastor reconnects with a troubled parishioner only to find prophecy and madness entwined in tragedy.Nathan Perrin (he/him/his) is a writer and Anabaptist pastor in Chicagoland. He holds an MA in Quaker Studies, and is a doctoral student studying Christian Community Development at Northern Seminary. His doctorate work centers on creating a writing program for nonprofits and churches to use to help under-resourced communities process trauma. His work has been published in the Dillydoun Review, Bangalore Review, Collateral Journal, Esoterica Magazine, etc. His forthcoming novella Memories of Green Rivers will be released in winter 2026 by Running Wild Press. He is also a screenwriter for an unannounced indie comedy series. For more information, visit www.nathanperrinwriter.comYou can read "A Prophet's Hometown" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

When a priest sells his dying church to a nightclub owner, he discovers that even the dead still demand redemption.Ed Ahern resumed writing after forty odd years in foreign intelligence and international sales. He’s had over four hundred fifty stories and poems published so far, and nine books. Ed works the other side of writing at Bewildering Stories, where he sits on the review board and manages a posse of eight review editors, and as lead editor at Scribes Microfiction.https://twitter.com/bottomstripper https://www.facebook.com/EdAhern73/?ref=bookmarkshttps://www.instagram.com/edwardahern1860/'You can read "Penance" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A ski trip to Japan turns into a darker adventure when two friends encounter a spirit that wants something.Paul Walter is an Irish-born, recently retired illustrator, art teacher, and occasional author. He has had two children’s books published by Penguin; Grandpa’s Big Adventure, and Grandpa’s Space Adventure. His literary novel, Fin Rising, was originally published by Really Blue Books in 2012 and was re-published in 2022 by Púca. It is available on Amazon In his spare time, Paul likes fishing, playing pétanque and writing novels. 'Hungry Ghost' is the first chapter of a half-finished manuscript with the working title 'The Suicide Forest'You can read "Hungry Ghost" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A student filmmaker recreating an old murder discovers that the past is not done performing its part.A life-long resident of Melbourne, Australia, Rick is retired after 42 years in the transport industry. His stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and podcasts and he has several books on Amazon. He hasn’t been owned by a cat for decades and must resort to talking to next door's white tom who sometimes condescends to talk back to him.You can read "TheFaces in Morgan Alley" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

When the Rodadora arrive, born of blood and storm, a family braces for survival against an ancient, inescapable force.Helen Gallegos Evans has taught Los Angeles students for 24 years. She enjoys writing, photography, reading, walking, and engaging conversations. Her works have appeared in Gingerbread House Literary, Acentos Review, The Amaranth Review, Papercuts, Bards and Sages Quarterly, and elsewhere.You can read "The Rodadora" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.

A woman servant is under a monster’s spell. A chance encounter with a stranger makes her  question whether her life—and her very identity—are her own.Salem Savage-Cutcher strives to spark whimsy in the world. They write experimental and just plain weird fantasy, horror, and magical realism. They have previously been published in the Iris Review. You can find them at salemsavagecutcher@neocities.org.You can read "Brainworm" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackPhoto by Wolfgang Hasselmann on UnsplashThe Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.New episodes every Wednesday.Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Read the stories at kaidankaistories.comFollow the show:InstagramFacebookBlueskyHave a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to kaidankai100ghoststories@gmail.com.