The gates to haunted GOGyard have creaked shut for another year. THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW R.I.P. (ENDED).
Winners boo-nounced here. All keys have now been sent by Poltergeist Messenger (PM).

A quarter moon emerges from behind the clouds to shed an eldritch light over the scene as the gates to the GOGyard creak open on rusty hinges. In the stillness beyond them dead leaves swirl in a ghostly dance with unseen spirits. An unearthly silence descends as the misty breath of mystery and horror rises to entice and beckon you within.

Before you lies a tomb, guarded by a pair of stone angels, their faces in their hands as if weeping. Within the tomb lies a closed sarcophagus decorated with macabre carvings. You looked away but for a moment, but when you glance at the angels again you could swear they've moved slightly to face you. You convince yourself it must have been a illusion of the mist. In front of the tomb's entrance sits a large black cauldron that seems to swirl with shadows and mystery. Within those shadows you see the spectral visions of many phantom keys, but they are as yet beyond your grasp. An offering is needed. What dark and haunting offerings will you make to the Witch's Cauldron?

It's October 13th UTC and the mists are rising once again in the Haunted GOGyard. The Spooktober Storyfest 2025 'Just For Fun' Giveaway is ghosting into the forum, inviting you to bring your spooky stories, macabre mysteries, haunting urban legends, ghastly jokes and other atmospheric spooky creations and participate. Hurry, passage through the Spookster's Dimension shall disappear with the second quarter moon in 17 days, just one minute after Midnight, 00:01 UTC, 30 October 2025.

Below you will find portals to various GOGyard spooky, atmospheric or otherwise monstrous adventures ... some funny, some haunting, some may be harrowing. Your path to these spooktacular realms begins here, within your own imagination. Take heed of The Ghosts' Guide (Rules to Enter); don't be Spooked by The Storyteller's Challenge, and maybe the Hand of Fate will bestow on you a Key to the door into one of these Spooktober gaming dimensions.

The Spooktober Realms (Games):
From the Haunted Gogyard (GOG keys):
~ Black Book
^ Costume Quest
~ Creaks Collector's Edition
~ Death's Door Deluxe Edition
~ DOOM (2016)
^ Dracula Origin
) Frostpunk
~ Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure Deluxe Ed
~ Goetia + Goetia 2
~ Grim Dawn
~ Grim Fandango Remastered
^ Haunt the House: Terrortown
~ Hollow Knight
~ Hollow Knight: Silksong
~ In Sound Mind - Deluxe Edition
) In Sound Mind - Deluxe Edition
~ INSIDE
^ Keep in Mind: Remastered
~ LIMBO
~ Necroking (not Amazon)
^ Pinstripe
~ Pumpkin Jack
~ Rogue Lords - Blood Moon Edition
~ Sherlock Holmes The Awakened - Premium Edition
~ Sherlock Holmes The Awakened - Premium Edition
) Stories Untold
~ Tainted Grail: Conquest
~ The Beast Inside
~ The Cat Lady
~ The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
~ Tormented Souls
) Tormented Souls
~ Unbound: Worlds Apart
" Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
^ Zombie Night Terror

) Cast into the Cauldron by KillingMoon. Thank you! :)
^ Sacrificed to the Spirits by RenKalen. Thank you! :)
" Interred into the Crypt by ssling. Thank you! :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Ghosts' Guide -
1) You have haunted the GOGyard since before Midsummer. (GOG acct before June 2025)
2) Changlings, Dopplegangers and Poltergeists will be Banished.
(Known scammers, impersonators or those banned from the Community GA will be disqualified.) As 'GOGyard Keeper' for this giveaway I reserve the right to exorcise any demons for crimes of repeated rudeness or harassing haunting of paranormals (friendly Goggers). :P
3) You must be a human spookster not a bot. To verify your spooktacular status you MUST complete the Storyteller's Challenge to enter.
4) You may seek the Keys to 13 Realms, but only 1 Key may be granted you.
(Choose up to 13 games in order of preference, but only 1 game per person will be awarded.)
5) The Hand of Fate will deal your destiny, but your Key will vanish if not used by Midnight UTC, 13 November 2025.
(Winners will be chosen by Random.org. Keys must be claimed by the acct entering before 13 November 2025.)
6) Passage through the Spookster's Story Dimension shall disappear one minute after Midnight, 00:01 UTC, 30 October 2025.
(Giveaway will end at 00:01 UTC, 30 October 2025. Keys will be sent by PM so please make sure your chat is set to public at the end of this GA.)

The Storyteller's Challenge -
To enter you must conjure your imagination to cast us under the spell of your Spooksome tale or a snake eyes (2) of Spook jokes. It may be funny or tragic, short or long, real or fiction ... a haunting poem, ghostly story or even local legend or happening from your childhood. You decide. Just tell us a spooky tale in celebration of Spooktober.

Have a fiendishly fun time! :)

Two jokes:

Where do the ghost swim?
In the Dead Sea.


A man's car gets haunted by a ghost so he decided to go to a priest to get it removed.
The priest performs the exorcism, and it works! He successfully removes the ghost from the car. He says to the man "That'll be $250." The man refuses to pay, and so a couple weeks later his car gets repossessed.


Grim Dawn
Tainted Grail: Conquest
In Sound Mind - Deluxe Edition
Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure Deluxe Ed
Creaks Collector's Edition
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened - Premium Edition
Unbound: Worlds Apart
Necroking
Costume Quest
Dracula Origin
Goetia + Goetia 2
Pinstripe
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines


Thank you!

This short story is for you bjgamer, I hope you like it :)

################################

BullySnack

I hated my class at school, but I hated school trips even more. Ever since Nick Flanders joined my class in 7th grade, I was the target of his ridicule and pranks. The class trip to the beach that year ended on the morning of departure with a tube of toothpaste in my hair and mouthwash in my shoes. But even more than these humiliations at the hands of Nick, I was shocked by the ignorance of my classmates. No one stood by me, no one said a word against me. On the contrary, some even seemed to be amused. This went on for a full two and a half years, until we went on another class trip to a mountain lake in 9th grade. My classmates were excited, but I would have preferred to stay home.

On the very first evening of our class trip, Nick put thumbtacks in my bed and in my shoes. Since I knew this asshole well by now, I was prepared and cautious. This annoyed him so much that he poured a bucket of water into my bed and immediately disappeared into the forest camp's dance hall to have some fun and find an alibi.

So instead of going to bed, I went out into the full-moonlit night and took a walk in the forest. After a while, I came across a small clearing with a stream and a small cave behind it. Despite the darkness and the eerily dim light, curiosity drove me toward the niche in the mountain wall. A small child could have been standing there; I had to crouch down and crawl inside. Darkness enveloped me, and after a few meters, the ceiling rose again, and I heard the breeze around me like a soft whisper. Until suddenly, it became absolutely silent. I couldn't even hear my own breathing or the rushing of blood in my ears. It was as if time stood still. In that moment of utter silence, a spot glowed directly in front of me amidst the mountain rocks, and a loud laugh erupted. A chill ran down my spine, but the anger I'd been building up for years gave me courage and strength. I screamed, "Nick, you damned bastard, I hope you disappear and never show up again!" As soon as the echo faded, darkness and the whispering wind enveloped me once more. I crawled out on all fours this time, angry at the stupid joke. I returned to my quarters, ashamed, and ran into my classmates as I passed the dance hall. Nick laughed at me, asking me what kind of mud hole I'd crawled out of, and continued to smirk at my expense. I stopped, my hands clenched into fists, spun around, and in two leaps I was on him, ready to punch him in the face, but instead I slipped and fell. More laughter around me. The girls, in particular, were delighted with me. I slowly stood up and looked Nick emotionlessly in the face, pointed into the forest, and said:

"For a long time, I have endured your malice and never resisted. You have driven me so far that I have cursed you, wishing you to disappear forever into this forest without a trace. So that I can finally live in peace."

Nick looked at me, and apart from the muffled music in the dance hall, it fell silent for a moment. I could see a guilty conscience written on the faces of some of my classmates, but just a few seconds later, Nick burst into peals of laughter.

"Should the forest swallow me up?" He laughed loudly. "I'm not afraid of anything! Do you hear?" He walked toward the forest. "If I run into the forest, wolves and bears flee." And he ran into the forest with a crazed look on his face, roaring like a madman. This continued for a few seconds until he was so far away that he could barely be heard. Then it fell silent again, like in the cave, and time seemed to stand still again. My classmates gazed into the forest, but no one said anything or moved. A brief flash of light appeared above the treetops, and then a bloodcurdling scream rang out in the distance. A scream so full of pain and terror that everyone fled to the dance hall, except me. I was petrified and unable to move. More screams rang out like a crescendo, searing themselves into my memory. Shortly afterward, several teachers rushed out of the dance hall, followed by many students from other schools. My classmates stayed inside and stared at me in horror.

The next morning and day were much the same as the following. Everyone was looking for Nick. Without success, that much is certain, and on the day of departure, one seat on the bus remained unoccupied. I looked out the window and wondered what the future would be like without Nick. Maybe I would enjoy school again and maybe I would even look forward to the class trip in 12th grade.

################################

I am interested in:

- Black Book
- Hollow Knight: Silksong

Thanks for sharing your childhood scary story. If you would like to enter the random drawing for the game prizes please edit your post and list up to 13 games from the Spooktober Realms game prize list above (in order from most wanted) before the posted deadline. LOL! Thanks for the laugh. That's a good one I haven't heard before. :D Thank you! :) I enjoyed reading your tale. One never knows what may lurk in the old forests ...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A bubble slowly comes to the Cauldron's surface as the offerings are accepted and the phantom keys swirl and dance within. But it is apparent more offerings will be needed before the keys bubble to the surface. Still, you get the strange feeling the angel statues seem appeased ... for now.

I remember reading this as a story when I was young. It’s been quite some time, but I’ll write down whatever I remember.

It’s a tale of two brothers, Alan and Jack, visiting their Grandma’s big old house for the first time. They ran wild from room to room until Grandma finally sat them down to eat.

“Grandma, why do you have such a big house if you live alone? Don’t you get scared of ghosts?” Alan asked.

Grandma chuckled and pointed to a portrait on the wall. “This is the ghost who lives here. Sir Francis the Third. He owned the house long ago. He lives in the walls and as long as I don’t misbehave, he doesn’t mind me.”

“How do you know he’s here?” Jack asked.

“Well, after your Grandpa passed, there were times when I wasn’t keeping the house tidy,” Grandma said. “One rainy night I heard three knocks on the door. No one comes this late, especially not out here. I crept closer and the knocks came again. Then a voice called my name in an eerie tone. I saw a shadow slide across those windows by the door.” She pointed. “I ran upstairs and started praying. I promised I’d keep the house neat. The knocking stopped once I did.”

Alan and Jack exchanged a look and promised to behave.

Later, Grandma went to the market. “I’ll be back soon,” she said. “Watch some TV.” The boys tried—until they wanted different shows.

“Jack, switch it. I want Ben 10.”

“You’ve watched that ten times. We’re watching this.”

A scuffle, a chase up the stairs, a grab for the remote—Alan bumped into Jack; Jack bumped into the portrait. Sir Francis fell. They froze.

“What have you done?”

“Me? If you’d given me the remote, none of this would have happened.”

Panic. They dabbed a little white paint over the scuffs, taped the frame, and hung it back up. “Good as new. I just hope Grandma doesn’t find ou-”

Thunder cracked. Rain hammered the windows. The boys stared at the taped portrait, then sank onto the couch and turned the TV down to a murmur.

“I hope Grandma comes back soon,” Alan whispered.

Three slow knocks came from the front door.

Knock.
…
Knock.
…
Knock.

They froze. Grandma’s story rushed back like cold air. Neither moved toward the hallway.

Aaaalan… Jaaack… drifted a thin voice through the storm.

They ducked behind the couch arm, peeking over. A shadow crossed the exact window Grandma had pointed out, then paused -- tap, tap, tap -- three small taps on the glass.

“Don’t open it,” Jack breathed.

“I’m not,” Alan said, toes curling in his socks.

For a moment there was only rain and their quick breathing. Then the knocks turned into hard, hurried banging. The door thudded in its frame; the voice grew hoarse and urgent.

“ALAN! JACK!”

They clung to each other and didn’t budge. The banging went on, then stopped so suddenly the house seemed to lean forward.

The doorknob clicked. The door swung wide, and a tall, dripping shape filled the doorway.

They screamed.

The shape screamed too. “Boys! It’s me!”

Grandma stumbled in, soaked to the elbows, hair stuck to her forehead, grocery bag sagging puddles onto the floor. “Why didn’t you open the door?” she sputtered, shivering. “I forgot the umbrella, the key’s at the bottom of my bag, and I thought you’d hear me knock. I even tried the window, but my voice wouldn’t carry in this rain!”

“We… we thought it was Sir Francis,” Alan said. They told her everything. Grandma followed their gaze to the portrait and noticed the neat strip of tape along the frame. She laughed. “Oh, that old ghost? I made him up to scare you into behaving! He doesn’t live in the walls, just on that canvas. The only thing that haunts me is dust.”

They laughed too. Grandma toed off her squelching shoes and nudged the door shut.

“I did knock three times,” she said, amused, “and I tapped the window because I thought the TV was too loud. Now grab me some towels and I’ll make hot chocolate.”

They were about to move when, from the front door, came three measured knocks.

Knock.
…
Knock.
…
Knock.

I'm in for -
1)The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
2) In Sound Mind - Deluxe Edition

In the spirit of the season, I present to you Edgar Allan's Poe The Telltale Heart :

The Tell-Tale Heart

True! — nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture — a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees — very gradually — I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded — with what caution — with what foresight — with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it — oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly — very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! — would a madman have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously — oh, so cautiously — cautiously (for the hinges creaked) — I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights — every night just at midnight — but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers — of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back — but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.

I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in the bed, crying out — “Who’s there?”

I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening; — just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the death watches in the wall.

Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief — oh, no! — it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself — “It is nothing but the wind in the chimney — it is only a mouse crossing the floor,” or “it is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.” Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel — although he neither saw nor heard — to feel the presence of my head within the room.

When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little — a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it — you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily — until, at length a single dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye.

It was open — wide, wide open — and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness — all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man’s face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.

And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses? — now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! — do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me — the sound would be heard by a neighbor! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once — once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.

I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye — not even his — could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out — no stain of any kind — no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all — ha! ha!

When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o ‘clock — still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down to open it with a light heart, — for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbor during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to search the premises.

I smiled, — for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search — search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: — it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness — until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.

No doubt I now grew very pale; — but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased — and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound — much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath — and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly — more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men — but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed — I raved — I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they suspected! — they knew! — they were making a mockery of my horror! — this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! — and now — again! — hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! —

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!”


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I would like to enter for Silksong, The Witcher 3 and Vampire the Masquerade : Bloodlines please.

Two jokes:

Why did the skeleton quit his job?

His heart wasn't in it.

Why did the skeleton run away?

Because a dog was after his bones.


Games (in order of preference):

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong
2. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
3. Pumpkin Jack

Thank you for yet another giveaway!

Some groans from me:

Why do ghosts hate rain?
It dampens their spirits.

How can you tell when ghosts are lying?
You can see right through them.

I'm in for:
- Rogue Lords
- Hollow Knight

A couple of simple jokes :D

1.
What is a vampires favourite fruit?
Neck-tarines

2.
A skeleton walks into a bar and asks for a beer and a mop.

I'm in for the following please:
1. Hollow Knight: Silksong
2. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
3. Black Book
4. Rogue Lords - Blood Moon Edition
5. Death's Door Deluxe Edition
6. Unbound: Worlds Apart
7. Sherlock Holmes The Awakened

Many thanks as always! :)

Yuki-Onna
by Lafcadio Hearn
from Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1904)

In a village of Musashi Province (*), there lived two woodcutters: Mosaku and Minokichi. At the time of which I am speaking, Mosaku was an old man; and Minokichi, his apprentice, was a lad of eighteen years. Every day they went together to a forest situated about five miles from their village. On the way to that forest there is a wide river to cross; and there is a ferry-boat. Several times a bridge was built where the ferry is; but the bridge was each time carried away by a flood. No common bridge can resist the current there when the river rises.

Mosaku and Minokichi were on their way home, one very cold evening, when a great snowstorm overtook them. They reached the ferry; and they found that the boatman had gone away, leaving his boat on the other side of the river. It was no day for swimming; and the woodcutters took shelter in the ferryman's hut,—thinking themselves lucky to find any shelter at all. There was no brazier in the hut, nor any place in which to make a fire: it was only a two-mat (**) hut, with a single door, but no window. Mosaku and Minokichi fastened the door, and lay down to rest, with their straw rain-coats over them. At first they did not feel very cold; and they thought that the storm would soon be over.

The old man almost immediately fell asleep; but the boy, Minokichi, lay awake a long time, listening to the awful wind, and the continual slashing of the snow against the door. The river was roaring; and the hut swayed and creaked like a junk at sea. It was a terrible storm; and the air was every moment becoming colder; and Minokichi shivered under his rain-coat. But at last, in spite of the cold, he too fell asleep.

He was awakened by a showering of snow in his face. The door of the hut had been forced open; and, by the snow-light (yuki-akari), he saw a woman in the room,—a woman all in white. She was bending above Mosaku, and blowing her breath upon him;—and her breath was like a bright white smoke. Almost in the same moment she turned to Minokichi, and stooped over him. He tried to cry out, but found that he could not utter any sound. The white woman bent down over him, lower and lower, until her face almost touched him; and he saw that she was very beautiful,—though her eyes made him afraid. For a little time she continued to look at him;—then she smiled, and she whispered:—"I intended to treat you like the other man. But I cannot help feeling some pity for you,—because you are so young... You are a pretty boy, Minokichi; and I will not hurt you now. But, if you ever tell anybody—even your own mother—about what you have seen this night, I shall know it; and then I will kill you... Remember what I say!"

With these words, she turned from him, and passed through the doorway. Then he found himself able to move; and he sprang up, and looked out. But the woman was nowhere to be seen; and the snow was driving furiously into the hut. Minokichi closed the door, and secured it by fixing several billets of wood against it. He wondered if the wind had blown it open;—he thought that he might have been only dreaming, and might have mistaken the gleam of the snow-light in the doorway for the figure of a white woman: but he could not be sure. He called to Mosaku, and was frightened because the old man did not answer. He put out his hand in the dark, and touched Mosaku's face, and found that it was ice! Mosaku was stark and dead...

By dawn the storm was over; and when the ferryman returned to his station, a little after sunrise, he found Minokichi lying senseless beside the frozen body of Mosaku. Minokichi was promptly cared for, and soon came to himself; but he remained a long time ill from the effects of the cold of that terrible night. He had been greatly frightened also by the old man's death; but he said nothing about the vision of the woman in white. As soon as he got well again, he returned to his calling,—going alone every morning to the forest, and coming back at nightfall with his bundles of wood, which his mother helped him to sell.

One evening, in the winter of the following year, as he was on his way home, he overtook a girl who happened to be traveling by the same road. She was a tall, slim girl, very good-looking; and she answered Minokichi's greeting in a voice as pleasant to the ear as the voice of a song-bird. Then he walked beside her; and they began to talk. The girl said that her name was O-Yuki (***); that she had lately lost both of her parents; and that she was going to Yedo (****), where she happened to have some poor relations, who might help her to find a situation as a servant. Minokichi soon felt charmed by this strange girl; and the more that he looked at her, the handsomer she appeared to be. He asked her whether she was yet betrothed; and she answered, laughingly, that she was free. Then, in her turn, she asked Minokichi whether he was married, or pledged to marry; and he told her that, although he had only a widowed mother to support, the question of an "honorable daughter-in-law" had not yet been considered, as he was very young... After these confidences, they walked on for a long while without speaking; but, as the proverb declares, Ki ga areba, me mo kuchi hodo ni mono wo iu: "When the wish is there, the eyes can say as much as the mouth." By the time they reached the village, they had become very much pleased with each other; and then Minokichi asked O-Yuki to rest awhile at his house. After some shy hesitation, she went there with him; and his mother made her welcome, and prepared a warm meal for her. O-Yuki behaved so nicely that Minokichi's mother took a sudden fancy to her, and persuaded her to delay her journey to Yedo. And the natural end of the matter was that Yuki never went to Yedo at all. She remained in the house, as an "honorable daughter-in-law."

O-Yuki proved a very good daughter-in-law. When Minokichi's mother came to die,—some five years later,—her last words were words of affection and praise for the wife of her son. And O-Yuki bore Minokichi ten children, boys and girls,—handsome children all of them, and very fair of skin.

The country-folk thought O-Yuki a wonderful person, by nature different from themselves. Most of the peasant-women age early; but O-Yuki, even after having become the mother of ten children, looked as young and fresh as on the day when she had first come to the village.

One night, after the children had gone to sleep, O-Yuki was sewing by the light of a paper lamp; and Minokichi, watching her, said:—

"To see you sewing there, with the light on your face, makes me think of a strange thing that happened when I was a lad of eighteen. I then saw somebody as beautiful and white as you are now—indeed, she was very like you."...

Without lifting her eyes from her work, O-Yuki responded:—

"Tell me about her... Where did you see her?"

Then Minokichi told her about the terrible night in the ferryman's hut,—and about the White Woman that had stooped above him, smiling and whispering,—and about the silent death of old Mosaku. And he said:—

"Asleep or awake, that was the only time that I saw a being as beautiful as you. Of course, she was not a human being; and I was afraid of her,—very much afraid,—but she was so white!... Indeed, I have never been sure whether it was a dream that I saw, or the Woman of the Snow."...

O-Yuki flung down her sewing, and arose, and bowed above Minokichi where he sat, and shrieked into his face:—

"It was I—I—I! Yuki it was! And I told you then that I would kill you if you ever said one word about it!... But for those children asleep there, I would kill you this moment! And now you had better take very, very good care of them; for if ever they have reason to complain of you, I will treat you as you deserve!"...

Even as she screamed, her voice became thin, like a crying of wind;—then she melted into a bright white mist that spired to the roof-beams, and shuddered away through the smoke-hold... Never again was she seen.



(*) An ancient province whose boundaries took in most of present-day Tokyo, and parts of Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures.
(**) That is to say, with a floor-surface of about six feet square.
(***) This name, signifying "Snow," is not uncommon. On the subject of Japanese female names, see Lafcadio Hearn's paper entitled Shadowings.
(****) Also spelled Edo, the former name of Tokyo.

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- If the Hand of Fate chooses so then may bestow on me Sherlock Holmes The Awakened - Premium Edition

I think I'd rather talk about spooky things in my culture lol
So, as non-westerners, we don't recognize Halloween. we may know it from imported media, but we can't relate to it lol. Also we don't have an entire spooky month. Instead we have weekly spooky moment: Thursday nights. More importantly "malam Jumat Kliwon", referring to the night before Kliwon Friday in Javanese calendar system. In these nights, instead of going out & doing "trick or treat!", we rather stay at home to avoid the ghosts (or some crazy person might do forbidden rituals in these nights lol).

And here are some of the ghosts that traditionally believed to be haunting these nights (excluding the "silhouette" or "unseen", we relate to those all lol):
1. Pocong: As a majorly Islamic society, one of the steps in the preparation of the deceased before burial is by covering them in a single sheet of white cloth & tightening it w/ white ropes, covering all but the face. As for the face, we cover the eyes and plug the nose w/ white cotton. It is however traditionally believed that the deceased could rise in these nights w/ their prep still intact (yes, even the nose plugs). Due to the prep, the way they described to move is either by flying or jumping. This "arisen" version of the deceased is what is called "pocong", and also one of the most frequently ridiculed ghosts because of this.
2. Kuntilanak: A ghost woman in white robe w/ long, straight black hair and high-pitched voice, often in a very specific laugh, "hiiiiiiiihihihihihi". Often portrayed flying. I forgot most of its lore tho, but one of the most common ghosts to be portrayed.
3. Sundel Bolong: Basically Kuntilanak w/ a quite big hole in her back ("bolong" = hole), thus missing most of her abdomen organs. One of its common trope is that she would visit a "sate" (a kind of meat skewers) vendor, order a large amount & somehow finished her food in no time (the eaten food basically drops out of her back). The sate vendor then realize she's a sundel bolong and get freaked out lol.
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okay enough w/ the spooky tales, time for the draw lol

i'm in for following games (in order of preference):
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
2. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
3. Hollow Knight
4. Hollow Knight: Silksong
5. DOOM (2016)
6. Grim Dawn
7. LIMBO
8. Grim Fandango Remastered
9. Frostpunk

Ok I've a got a spooky story for ya. But promise you won't laugh, alright? It's a nightmare I had 25+ years ago that has stuck with me to this day.

In the dream, I'm preparing to go to bed -- Brush my teeth, lay out the bed, saying goodnight to my parents, brother and sister. But when I walked into my parents room to say good night, I couldn't find my mom or dad. Surely they had to be here! After all, they left the lights on in their room. In a panic, I called out to my siblings to help find our parents. We checked around the room, looked in the bathroom, looked in the closet, but they were nowhere to be found. Then in the corner of my eye on the other side of my parent's bed, I saw something.... it was a balloon. Two balloons to be exact. One blue and one pink. Strange that some balloons of all things would be laying flat on the ground by my parent's bed and that they weren't floating either. Must've been filled with regular air instead of helium, but that still begged the question... what were they doing here? I walked over to the blue balloon to pick it up. It was heavier than expected. As if it were filled with something more than just air. But there was something else on the balloon. Something painted on the other side of it. I turned it around to see what it was and dropped it immediately out of horror! It couldn't be! What was painted on the other side was my dad - his face in complete shock & horror. My sister picked up the pink balloon to see the same fate bestowed upon our mom. Who or what could've done this? It wouldn't be long before we found out.

A sound from the master closet could be heard and we all turned to see a creature drop from behind the rack of hanging clothes to the floor. As it stood up and stretched out its neck, I knew in an instant what it was.... E.T. (I SAID DON'T LAUGH!). The creature that had frightened me a year earlier when I saw it in the movie of the same name jump scare in that corn field scene. Before any of us could react, it let out a blood curdling scream. I clutched my ears to block out the sound recoiling at the scream. Yet my eyes were not shielded from the horror as the scream had somehow turned my brother and my sister into balloons with their horrified faces etched into the latex surfaces. Enough was enough. This thing had taken my parents, taken my siblings, but I was not going to let it take me. Filled with rage, I lunged from the foot of the bed at the beast aiming for its elongated neck to strangle the ugly alien to death. But I was too weak. With a simple swipe of its hand, it sent me flying into the closet wall breaking the clothes rack toppling clothes and stuffed animals all around me. I was pinned. Unable to move. And E.T. turned slowly toward me, stretched out its arms, and let out another blood curdling scream..... then I awoke from the nightmare in a cold sweat.

I've never had that dream again, yet it has stuck with me through all these years that I can still recall it as if it were yesterday. And since that day, I've never ever wanted to go into my parents closet to even see if E.T. may lurk there.....

A little addition to this story -- A short time later I was looking for my mom and she called back out to me that she was in the closet. Knowing full well that I was deathly afraid of that closet, I decided to go anyway since my mom was in there so I wouldn't be by myself in that closet. When I got there, though, my mom's back was turned towards me. I called out to her again and when she turned around, it wasn't my mom's face. I screamed to the top of my lungs "OH MY GOD! IT'S E.T.!!!" and ran out of the room. I ran to the office where my dad was and told him mom wasn't mom anymore. When he saw what my mom had on her face, he couldn't contain his laughter. She was just wearing an ugly ski mask (see attachment for something very similar). No it didn't look like E.T. at all but for some reason that was the thing that came to my head at the time. Probably because it originated in that blasted closet! I've never lived that down since then. I swear that darn closet is cursed!

Thanks for reading my story folks. I'd like enter for my chance to acquire the key to the realm of Hollow Knight: Silksong.

This year, I've opted for comedy over horror. I have a tendancy to go overboard with horror, so I'll spare everyone the frights and instead tickle you all with my terrible sense of humour. xD

I scoured the internet for Halloween jokes and embellished them with flair and my creative touch. ;)

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It's Halloween night and a ghost floated into a drinking establishment called The Pumpkin Patch Pub and took a seat at the bar. "Can I please have a glass of absinthe?", the ghost said. Squashy Gourdo, the pumpkin bartender, looked at her and replied, "Sorry, we don't serve spirits here."

In another part of town, at a tavern called The Ghostly Grog House, a putrid zombie with missing arms stumbled his way to the bar. "I'd like to order a Grave Digger cocktail," the zombie said. Boo The Boo-tender looked at him and replied, "I won’t serve you cuz you can’t hold your liquour!"

Several blocks away from this place, a vampire walked into a 24-hour cafe called The Fang-tastic Froth and seated herself at the counter to order a coffee. Brewmilda, the witch barista, asked the vampire how she'd like her coffee. The vampire replied, "Decoffinated."

Across the street from this cafe, there's a quaint diner specialized in spicy cuisine called The Devil's Breath Bistro. A fleshless skeleton rattled her way in and requested a table for one. Howlin' Hank, the werewolf waiter, presented her with a menu. After a brief moment, the fleshless skeleton looked at the waiter and said, "Sorry, I can't eat anything on this menu." Howlin' Hank rolled his eyes and said, "Let me guess: everything on the menu is way too spicy?" The fleshless skeleton nodded her head and replied, "I simply don't have the stomach for it."

At a residential neighbourhood just around the corner, the streets were lit with festive Halloween pumpkin faces and lots of children carrying bags filled with sweet treats. A man can be heard shouting to his wife from their porch, "Sweetheart! You won't believe it! I decapitated a zombie, set a witch on fire and stabbed a vampire right through the heart!" His wife rushed through the doorway and scolded her husband, "You're supposed to give them candies, Duncan!"

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Thank you so spooky much, bjgamer, for this spooktacular Spooktober giveaway! :D
If I may, I'd like to try my chance for one of the following Halloween treats:

- Death's Door Deluxe Edition
- Creaks Collector's Edition
- Unbound: Worlds Apart

Old Willy is back with another story !

Whis time he is searching for a way to complete his Sherlock Holmes collection with Sherlock Holmes The Awakened - Premium Edition .
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Ladies and gentlemen, I greet you!
Who am I? I'm old Willy Van Hellsing.
You probably know my younger brother, Abraham? You know, that funny old man who looks like Anthony Hopkins.

On this rainy evening, when the shutters rattle in the wind and wolves howl in the night, I want to tell you a mysterious and shocking story.

It was a dark January night. The snow shone white in the moonlight on the Romanian mountains.
My brother, our friend Quincy Morrison, and I were hunting the old vampire Vlad Sosunescu. This old Romanian bloodsucker had terrorized peaceful villages for centuries. There weren't even any people left to fear!
The three of us swore that cursed night to end his bloody tyranny!

We were lying in wait, the wind howling so loudly it drowned out all other sounds. And suddenly we saw him! He spread his ominous black wings against the full moon. And he howled.

What do you mean vampires don't howl?! He howled! That's how sinister he was!

We rushed at him, but Vlad brushed us aside like annoying flies!
Quincy died on the spot, but Abraham and I surrounded the bloodsucker and finished him off.

Peace and prosperity came to the Romanian mountains with the death of old Vlad. And this peace has lasted for many centuries. And only old Willy remembers this terrible and bloody story.

By the way, young man, what is your blood type?
You look quite tasty and fresh.