The Elusive Demon

            Imagine buying a house without knowing that someone had been murdered in the kitchen. Your state doesn’t require disclosing such information, so you move in, ready to spend your first night.

            Houses creek and groan as they settle, and if there’s foul weather, branches might scratch windows and doors might rattle.

            What you don’t expect, however, is the appearance of a specter floating in front of the stove!

            You’ve got limited options. Who can you call to chase the demon away? Ghostbusters exist in movie-land. Priests probably don’t really do exorcisms.

            Your task is to write a story in which a demon-ghost torments the houses’ inhabitants. Make it creepy, frightening, and possibly even gruesome.

            Have fun with this one.

Magical Shed

            Imagine a world in which magic is accepted, not feared. Residents love dropping into magical situations, places, events. Celebrations feature magical acts with throngs of people gathered to witness the performance.

What if there are specific places imbued with magic? Anyone can go there. Anyone can walk through the doors and feel the hum of magical power.

Let’s take a backyard shed as an example. What happens when kids sneak in? Do they need to hold certain tools for the magic to work? Is it a simple walk through the door that sends them off to magical lands?

Your task is to write a story in which a specific place is imbued with accessible magic. After being there, are the people now endowed with certain magical powers? Does everyone get the same magic or does it change from person to person? Is all the magic good, or can it be used to cause harm?

Have fun  with this one.