Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction

When a local teenager receives a personal invitation from the mayor's influential family, he assumes he's simply been singled out for a special occasion. But as the gathering unfolds, small details begin to feel increasingly wrong, and what should be a memorable day becomes something far more unsettling.

A tense supernatural horror story exploring power, privilege, family, and the hidden costs of getting exactly what someone wants.

Tim Law writes fantasy, horror, and often a combination of the two. A husband, father of three, and self-described "fur-father" of four, he lives in a small town in...

A woman out for an early morning run encounters something unexpected on a remote hill at the edge of the woods.

Inspired by Japanese folklore surrounding the Ubume, this chilling tale blends modern life with ancient fears, asking what happens when ordinary people cross paths with something that should exist only in stories.

Atmospheric, unsettling, and darkly imaginative folk horror.

Alice Kinerk enjoys writing, reading, and sometimes jogging. She has published dozens of stories. Learn more at alicekinerk.com

Narrated by Deborah Sale-Butler

Image: Ubume in the Moonlight by Hokusai...

Oliver arrives at a casino looking for excitement and distraction. What he finds is a mysterious woman. His obsessive personality soon presents an option. Can he stop his obsession with her, or is he willing to take one more chance? 

A haunting psychological horror story that taps into a very human trait. 

Author Bio: Growing up with TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, and Star Trek, Ivan Richardson developed a love of dark fantasy and science fiction. Born in Scotland, he studied Mechanical Engineering at Leicester University and is a member of the Le...

When Julia answers an ad offering cash to spend the night in one of England’s most haunted hotels, she expects cheap scares and staged ghost stories. Instead, she finds herself trapped inside a place where reflections linger too long and corridors shift in impossible ways.

A gothic supernatural horror story filled with mirrors, whispers, and creeping dread.

Originally from the UK and living in the USA for nearly 20 years, Ria is an author and artist with a background in journalism and communication. Blending creativity with storytelling, Ria published their debut book, Elara’s Tea Leaves, a wh...

Set high on Mount Everest, HEAT is an atmospheric survival horror story about isolation, ambition, and the dangers that await in the frozen darkness.

As a climber reflects on the choices that brought her to the world's highest peak, strange figures begin to move through the snow and something unseen stalks the mountain's isolated expeditions. On Everest, survival can become far more terrifying than the climb itself.

A chilling blend of Mount Everest horror, supernatural horror, and survival fiction, HEAT explores the thin line between endurance and obsession—and the unsettling truth that some places refuse to...

In a small town built around a mysterious carousel attraction, visitors line up for the chance to relive a moment from their past. Some leave shaken. Some never recover from what they discover. As the ride’s popularity grows, so do the whispers surrounding the man known only as “The Creator” and the strange influence the carousel seems to have over the entire town.

A chilling psychological horror story about obsession, memory, and the dangerous allure of knowing the truth.

Lori D'Angelo, a two-time Pushcart nominee, is the author of a short story collection, The Monsters Are He...

A quiet high school student drifts through life unnoticed—until a hidden room in her school begins calling to her. Inside, she discovers strange messages layered beneath decades of forgotten posters, and a place that seems to understand her better than the outside world ever could. But the deeper she disappears into the secret closet, the harder it becomes to tell where memory ends and something else begins.

A haunting and emotional supernatural story about loneliness, identity, memory, and being seen.

Zary Fekete grew up in Hungary. He has a debut novella (Words on the Page) ou...

In the trenches of war, soldiers face more than just the enemy. When something unnatural begins to move across the battlefield, they must confront a horror that feeds on death itself.

A bleak, atmospheric tale of war and cosmic horror.

David Horn is a Colorado-based writer whose fiction explores the border between history, memory, and the uncanny. His stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Rooted Literary Magazine, AntipoedanSF, and other journals and anthologies. A veteran, former police officer, and cybersecurity engineer, he now divides his time between writing and environmental studies. He is the author...

In the trenches of war, soldiers face more than just the enemy. When something unnatural begins to move across the battlefield, they must confront a horror that feeds on death itself.

A bleak, atmospheric tale of war and cosmic horror.

David Horn is a Colorado-based writer whose fiction explores the border between history, memory, and the uncanny. His stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Rooted Literary Magazine, AntipoedanSF, and other journals and anthologies. A veteran, former police officer, and cybersecurity engineer, he now divides his time between writing and environmental studies. He is the author...

A woman narrowly escapes death during a violent raid—thanks to her guardian angel… who just happens to be her deceased twin sister. But as the two navigate the aftermath, reality begins to fracture, and the truth behind her life—and her sister’s influence—becomes something far darker than she ever imagined.

Here is an article about multiple alternate universes potentially affecting our lives and an alternative (lol) viewpoint.

MN Wiggins is an internationally published novelist, surgeon, professor, and voice actor from the American South whose short stories have been performed on multiple podcasts and published...

A man obsessed with cleanliness and control begins to notice something wrong—flies appearing where they shouldn’t, and a smell he cannot escape. As reality unravels, he must confront a terrifying truth about decay, memory, and guilt.

A psychological horror story that builds into something deeply disturbing.

Kyle Walker is a writer and playwright living in Valdez, Alaska. His short stories have appeared in Alien Dimensions, Scary Monsters Magazine, and the Prince William Sound Anthology Series. His theater work has been featured at the Civic Center Theater in Valdez, Alaska, Under St. Marks Theater in New...

A night janitor working at a blood bank encounters something impossible—a floating bedsheet that appears first in mirrors, then in reality. But this is no ghostly illusion. It wants something. It needs something. And when it finally reveals its purpose, escape is not an option.

A darkly surreal horror story blending humor, dread, and visceral terror.

Alex Grass was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three kids. His recent work has appeared in Flash Phantoms, Maudlin House, Trembling With Fear, and other outlets. His last novel, A Boy's Hammer, was...

A strange ship is spotted drifting along the English coast—appearing and disappearing, sometimes engulfed in flames, sometimes perfectly intact. A naval officer is tasked with investigating the vessel and bringing it back to port. But once he draws closer, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary ship—and that some mysteries are not meant to be solved.

Blending classic nautical horror with a creeping sense of dread, this story explores isolation, uncertainty, and the terror of losing control in the vast unknown. If you enjoy ghost ship stories, maritime horror, and slow-building suspense, this episode is for y...

A question survivors hear far too often: Why didn’t you just leave?

In this powerful and unsettling story by Shannon Massey, one woman reflects on her past while trying to rebuild her life in a new home. But as strange and unexplainable events begin to unfold, it becomes clear that something isn’t quite right—and that some things refuse to stay buried.

Blending psychological horror with deeply personal storytelling, this episode explores trauma, survival, and the lingering presence of the past.If you enjoy emotional horror, haunted house stories, and character-driven narratives, this one will s...

Long after humanity has vanished, machines inherit the universe—and a question they cannot answer: where did their creators go? Curiosity turns into obsession and debate as artificial minds push beyond science to find what was lost.

A haunting blend of science fiction and horror, this story explores intelligence, existence, and the possibility that something may still be out there.

If you enjoy sci-fi horror, cosmic mystery, and thought-provoking storytelling, this episode is for you.

The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange.

New episodes ev...

A young woman walks alone at night, dragging a heavy cauldron through empty streets—just wanting to be left in peace. But when a group of men decide she’s something to be toyed with, the encounter quickly escalates into something far more dangerous.

“The Cauldron” is a dark, unsettling horror story that blends real-world fear with a chilling sense of inevitability—where consequences may come from the most unexpected places.

Mark Speed has been writing stories since the birth of ink. His work ranges from dark as death’s shroud to comical and ridiculous. In recent years...

What once seemed like a simple tale told among children begins to take on new meaning in adulthood, as the past and present blur in unexpected ways. As the narrator revisits a place tied to the legend, the story shifts from something frightening to something far more personal.

Blending supernatural horror with emotional depth, Hannah Sawyer explores memory, loneliness, and the quiet persistence of the past. This haunting and reflective story is perfect for listeners who enjoy ghost stories with literary depth and psychological resonance.

Aaron Brown-Ewing is an Ohio native who currently lives and works...

A solo cyclist pushes himself to the limit on a grueling ride through the mountains of southern France. Determined to show his friends his stamina and strength, he documents the trip on social media, certain to put forward a good front regardless of reality.

When an unexpected shortcut presents itself, the line between ambition and reality blurs. 

Blending psychological tension with subtle supernatural horror, King of the Mountain explores modern culture and the risks we take to promote ourselves. Perfect for fans of literary horror, slow-burn suspense, and eerie, thought-provoking fiction.

The Kaidankai Podcast f...

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...

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 episod...

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.com

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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.

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 o...

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 othe...

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 Kalaha...

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 w...

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 Vacat...

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://w...