Kaidankai: Ghost and Supernatural Stories

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.Linda

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

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 Unsplash

A boy hears his mother's voice calling from the closet—but didn't he just see his mother downstairs?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.His Spine-Tingling Tales anthology was just released. See his webpage for more information.You can read "The Gap in the Closet" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstackPhoto by Veronica on Unsplash

A near-death crash leaves Paul seeing strange, sheet-like entities that drift between life and death—and follow him home.L.N. Hunter's comic fantasy novel, ‘The Feather and the Lamp,' sits alongside works in anthologies such as ‘The Monsters Next Door' and ‘Best of British Science Fiction 2022' as well as Short Édition's ‘Short Circuit' and the ‘Horrifying Tales of Wonder' podcast. There have also been papers in the IEEE ‘Transactions on Neural Networks,' which are probably somewhat less relevant and definitely less fun. When not writing, L.N. unwinds in a disorganised home in rural Cambridgeshire, UK, along with two cats and a soulmate.You can read "Shadows" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A man wakes from illness to find the world around him terrifyingly changed.Stefan Sofiski is the pen name of a Bulgarian author living in the UK. Stefan works as an engineering professional by day and uses every free minute to write.You can read "Fever" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

Roxie Hart is a wise-cracking, ghostly private detective solving supernatural crimes with sass, grit, and a spectral zapper.Daniel P. Douglas is the pen name for identical twins Phillip and Paul Garver. Phillip, a U.S. Army veteran, former intelligence analyst, and retired federal government employee, and Paul, with 30 years in the museum profession including the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, write science fiction, suspense, and thrillers. Their award-winning works include Truth Insurrected: The Saint Mary Project, about an extraterrestrial contact cover-up, and the Richter's War series. Named a 2014 Foreword Reviews IndieFab Finalist and Readers' Favorite Award winner, they reside in New Mexico with their families. Find out more at https://authordanielpdouglas.substack.com/.You can read "The Spook Who Sleuths" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A former Nazi guard returns to the camp where he worked. His memories stir up old ghosts.Alice Baburek is an avid reader, determined writer, and animal lover. She lives with her female partner and four canines. Retired, she challenges herself to become an unforgettable emerging voice.You can read "Stairway to Death" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A man's car radio intercepts occult broadcasts that lead him to a motel where ancient gods, lost loves, and unimaginable horrors converge.Nick Porisch is a writer based in the Northern Midwest. Most of the time you can find him just sitting around someplace, potentially writing genre fiction and screenplays but usually just sitting. On the rare occasion he's not sitting around, he might be rock climbing or running. But most likely he's just sitting somewhere.You can read "Transmitter" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

When a ghost warns a journalist about her impending death, she learns the afterlife depends on one thing: believing it exists.Deborah Sale-Butler was born on Halloween and loves to play with supernatural elements in her stories. Her work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in dozens of publications including the Dead Girls Walking Anthology—where today's story first appeared,— Twisting, Turning Timeshifts Anthology, Three X the Fun Anthology, Flash Phantoms, Suddenly and Without Warning, and Amazing Stories. You can find links to all of her published work and social media at https://deborah-sale-butler.comYou can read "Expectations" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

In the fields of haunted pastures, a cursed shepherd faces the sins of his past.K. D. P. Wildwood is a trans Midwestern author living in Ohio with his husband and their cat. He enjoys tabletop games, observing the weather, gardening, and horror media.You can read "The Revenant" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A promise made to the dying draws one man back to an abandoned house, where he finds strange comfort.Ed Ahern resumed writing after forty odd years in foreign intelligence and international sales. He's had 550 stories and poems published so far, and twelve books. Ed works the other side of writing at Bewildering Stories where he manages a posse of six review editors, and as lead editor at Scribes Micro.You can read "Empty House" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Other stories by Ed Ahern:The Care DogRaikou and the Shi-ten DojiPenanceWebsite: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A gang of graveyard-bound ghosts welcomes a familiar visitor—but this sunny spring day holds a surprise neither the living nor the dead will forget.Jim Wright (he/him) lives in central New York State, USA. He writes short stories when he can and works as a school psychologist when he must. He is a past member of the Downtown Writer's Center in Syracuse, NY.You can read "Ghost Picnic" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A elderly man returns to Rocky Point, a place where he was happy and had great exectations. But he's drawn there now by regret and a love that never died. Is it too late for some of those expectations to be met?Lee Clark Zumpe, an entertainment columnist with Tampa Bay Newspapers, earned his bachelor's in English at the University of South Florida. He began writing poetry and fiction in the early 1990s. His work has regularly appeared in a variety of literary journals and genre magazines over the last two decades. Publication credits include World War Cthulhu and The Children of Gla'aki from Dark Regions Press; Through a Mythos Darkly from PS Publishing; Children of Lovecraft Country and Shadows of an Inner Darkness from Golden Goblin Press; and Corridors and The Pickman Papers from Innsmouth Gold. Lee lives on the west coast of Florida with his wife and daughter.  Lee's inclination toward horror manifested itself early in his childhood when he began flipping through the pages of Forrest J. Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland and reading Gold Key Comic classics like Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery and Grimm's Ghost Stories. In his teenage years, he discovered Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce, Richard Matheson and other masters of the genre. Lee's work often focuses on character interaction set against a pervading sense of cosmic dread and high strangeness.You can read "Return to Rocky Point" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A mysterious ringmaster has knowledge about a man's father's past. He offers the man a choice that promises truth but may alter the man's life forever.Daniel Culver lives in Houston, Texas with his wife and four kids. He has work published in places such as The Garfield Lake Review, Paragon Press, and Indolent Books, among others.You can read "The Last Ticket" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

Children vanish, trees move at night, and a young girl begins to ask: Why is the forest stalking her?Aged 9-10, Matt Smart traded silver in London and Essex, England.  In his teens, Matt began sculpting, using materials for car bodywork repair that he learned when his mother's agoraphobia led her to drive recklessly, often crashing during panic attacks.  He ran several research funds at Oxford University, and is published academically in psychiatry, and governmental technology investment.  Matt ran a London gallery representing artists diagnosed with mental health conditions.  He was also in the archaeology team that found the burial site of the missing Romanovs in Russia.  See MattSmart.org for his sculptures.  Matt loves art, music, writing and dancing!You can read "They Said It Was The Trees" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

Buried alive, betrayed, and robbed of his gold—Diamondback is mad as hell...and wants revenge.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.You can read "Rest in Peace" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

In "Last Breath:" A boy on a hunting trip with his father questions the need to kill animals sacred to the Sami people and culture."Ode to Obscured Ancestors," speaks to the quiet endurance passed through generations and the ancestral voices that still sing through silence.Author's Note: This story was written in consultation with a Sámi advisor (poet and activist Elise Maren) and includes elements of their spirituality. The Sámi are a Native tribe found in Norway, northern Sweden, Finland, and Russia's Kola Peninsula. Like all Native tribes, they faced colonization and genocide throughout their history. They continue to face discrimination to this day. For more information, visit https://www.samigeaidnu.com/ and read We Stopped Forgetting: Stories from Sámi Americans by Ellen Marie Jensen (can be found on the Everand site.)Nathan Perrin is a published author 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, visitwww.nathanperrinwriter.comElise Maren is a medical student and proud Minnesotan residing in Chicago, IL. She contributes to Lavender Magazine, Minnesota's 2SLGBTQ+ magazine, and runs an advice column called Ask Elise. She is proud of her Sámi and Methodist traditions. When not doing science or art, Elise is a fervent environmentalist. Please check out decompose.org for more information about Elise and her nonprofit work.You can read both of these works at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Other stories by Nathan PerrinThe NunneryBurnWebsite: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

After fleeing the chaos of the city, a woman finds uneasy solitude in a remote forest cabin—until the night fire and something else descend.Alex Dal Piaz is an author from New York with recent credits in Seaside Gothic, Bristol Noir, The Other Stories, Cast of Wonders, and Bunker Squirrel. He's currently querying a first novel and can be found online at X/Twitter @smile_stilllife and at linktr.ee/alexdpz You can read "Out of the Fire" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

In a pulsing nightclub, a man re-lives the same horrific moment as time loops, reality blurs, and a stranger's purpose becomes terrifyingly clear. Tim Law has loved to write from a very young age, but has only recently discovered the joy of being published. He is happily married to a wonderful girl, a proud father of three humans, and a reluctant father figure to four cats. He writes fantasy, science fiction, general, detective, humour, and a lot of weird stuff that doesn't seem to fit anywhere. He encourages everyone to give writing a go. Some of his stranger stories can be found here on the Kaidankai, but if you want to read more, try his blog.You can read "Over and Over" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Other stories by Tim Law featured on the podcast:Grandpa's BoyUnpleasantville: PosessionThe Darkness Beyond the Farm Back GateMusic by Kris Klavens on PixbayFollow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A haunting melody becomes the thread between love, loss, and the mysterious forces that blur the line between life and death.C.S. Fuqua's books include Fatherhood ~ Poems of Parenthood, Walking After Midnight ~ Collected Stories, Big Daddy's Fast-Past Gadget, Native American Flute ~ A Comprehensive Guide, and White Trash & Southern ~ Collected Poems. His work has appeared in publications such as Year's Best Horror Stories XIX, XX and XXI, Pudding, The Horror Show, Pearl, Chiron Review, Christian Science Monitor, The Old Farmer's Almanac, The Writer, and Honolulu Magazine.Photo by Raghavendra V. Konkathi on UnsplashYou can read "Rise Up" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Other stories by C. S. Fuqua featured on the podcast:ObonContritionPhoto by Hashem Al-Hebshi on UnsplashFollow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A nurse confronts the emotional and spiritual toll of his work in end of life care.Tony Del Degan is an author and screenwriter from Calgary, Canada. When he was a young boy, he was introduced to the world of fiction through films like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, and was immediately captured by the desire to create imaginative worlds and stories of his own. Since elementary school, when he started creating books for the class library out of folded printer paper, his dream has never dimmed.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonydeldegan/Twitter: https://x.com/tonydeldeganTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tonydeldegan_authorPhoto by Raghavendra V. Konkathi on UnsplashYou can read "Do Not Stand By My Grave, I Am Not There" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A podcast team explores a chilling urban legend in Santiago, uncovering haunting tales, personal fears, and deeper truths about belief, memory, and the unknown.Sam Williamson is an aspiring writer and a medical student from Santiago, Chile. Her story "Light," earned third place in the Miroptics Contest. Her pieces have appeared in magazines such as Amazine, with forthcoming work in ionosphere. When not writing, she immerses herself in learning about various poisons, urban myths, and true crime cases.You can read "The Blonde of Kennedy" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Sound Effects by Freesound community on Pixabay.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

When Laura returns once more to the place where her uncle disappeared, she expects only silence. Instead, she finds a voice calling her name, a face she thought was long gone, and a reality that begins to unravel.Grove Koger is the author of Not, a chapbook of poetry; and When the Going Was Good: A Guide to the 99 Best Narratives of Travel, Exploration, and Adventure. He's Assistant Editor of Deus Loci: The Lawrence Durrell Journal, and blogs about travel and related subjects at https://worldenoughblog.wordpress.com/author/gkoger/.You can read "Nighthawks" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A tired traveler, stopping for a drink in a quiet country pub, discovers that sometimes loneliness — and the ghosts of the past — demand more than just conversation.Robert Kibble lives west of London with a wife and two cats, and a cornucopia of half-finished writing projects.  A few have been published over the years, which – it has to be admitted – is very pleasing.  If only a less creative day job wouldn't keep getting in the way, he's sure it would be more.  You can find him at www.philosophicalleopard.com where you'll find more short stories, links to his novels, and musings on why zeppelins don't ply the skies.Photo by Michael Starkie on UnsplashYou can read "Closing Time" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A city boy, lured by a strange girl and the promise of magical fruit, discovers that some rural secrets are far more dangerous — and far more ancient — than he could ever imagine.Arpad Nagy is a 51yr old, Hungarian Canadian, working husband and father, with a storyteller's soul and a romantic's heart, who, began his writing journey in 2021 after sustaining serious work injuries. After surviving a year as soulless content writer, he quickly refocused to fiction and nonfiction writing, finding success as a fiction ghostwriter, creative consultant, and developmental editor. His fiction writing, nonfiction essays, and memoirs have achieved a measure of success, most recently shortlisted for the Northwind Writing Award in fiction and nonfiction, as well as being accepted as a feature author for Dragon Soul Press Winter Anthology.  His work is published regularly at Medium.com.Photo by Art Lasovsky on UnsplashYou can read "The Mango Tree" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Other work by Arpad Nagy featured on the Kaidankai:The Ghosts of Black Rock RiverThrough the Shadow GlassJosephine's CandleWebsite: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A writer stumbles upon dark secrets from the past that awaken a sinister force within him.James Rumpel is a retired high school math teacher who has greatly enjoyed spending some of his free time turning a few of the odd ideas circling his brain into stories. He lives in Wisconsin with his wonderful wife, Mary.Photo by Art Lasovsky on UnsplashYou can read "Jack's Muse" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Other work by James RumpelSite 23LuckyThe Blue MurdersWebsite: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A cursed prince must attend a royal ball to choose a bride. He flees, only to find magic in the forest.Allister Nelson is a poet and author whose work has appeared in Apex Magazine, The Showbear Family Circus, Eternal Haunted Summer, SENTIDOS: Revistas Amazonicas, Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder, The Greyhound Journal, FunDead Publications' Gothic Anthology, POWER Magazine, Renewable Energy World, and many other venues. allisternelson.comPhoto by Rob Griffin on UnsplashYou can read "The Devil I Know" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

What happens when the desperation to survive peels away the last shreds of identity? Jennifer Weigel is a multi-disciplinary mixed media conceptual artist.  Weigel utilizes a wide range of media to convey her ideas, including assemblage, drawing, fibers, installation, jewelry, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, video and writing.  Much of her work touches on themes of beauty, identity (especially gender identity), memory & forgetting, and institutional critique.  She lives in Kansas, USA with her husband and is an avid art collector who enjoys playing board and role-playing games, junk store thrifting, and mail art. Her spirit animal is the deer. Her favorite foods are unagi don or broiled calamari steak and frosting with or without cake.You can read more of Weigel's writing on her website here.  https://jenniferweigelwords.wordpress.com/Photo by Louis Hansel on UnsplashYou can read "Ravenous" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A man enters a magical realm for love, but homesickness draws him back—under strict rules. Will he follow the rules? A what happens if he doesn't?Michael Barrington lives near San Francisco and writes mainly historical novels: Let the Peacock Sing, The Ethiopian Affair, Becoming Anya, The Baron of Bengal Street, No Room for Heroes. Passage to Murder is a thriller set in San Francisco. Magic at Stonehenge is a short story collection. Take a Priest Like You is a memoir. He has published more than 60 short stories and also blogs on his website: www.mbwriter.net.Photo by Louis Hansel on UnsplashYou can read "The Storyteller: The Shannike" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A tale that shows even time-worn entities like genies in lamps can be modernized.William Quincy Belle is just a guy. Nobody famous; nobody rich; just some guy who likes to periodically add his two cents worth with the hope, accounting for inflation, that $0.02 is not over-evaluating his contribution. He claims that at the heart of the writing process is some sort of (psychotic) urge to put it down on paper and likes to recite the following which so far he hasn't been able to attribute to anyone: "A writer is an egomaniac with low self-esteem." You will find Mr. Belle's unbridled stream of consciousness here (https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-Quincy-Belle/author/B01M1IQ69G).  https://WilliamQuincyBelle.comPhoto by Louis Hansel on UnsplashYou can read "The Genie" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Other stories by William Quincy Belle featured on the Kaidankai are:The Fourteen-Fourteen CurseWebsite: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

Last Breath is glimpse into the mind of a man on the threshold of death.  Who is with him and what does he think about in the waning hours of his life? Memories blur with reality. The past and present entwine. And as the clock winds down, he must decide—does he linger, or does he finally let go?L.N. Hunter shares an untidy home with two cats and a soulmate, and besides a comic fantasy novel, 'The Feather and the Lamp,' has been published in 'Best of British Science Fiction 2022' and 'Trickster's Treats 3,' among other magazines and anthologies. "Last Breath" appeared in Short Circuit #14, Short Édition's quarterly review.You can read "Last Breath" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Other stories by LN Hunter featured on the Kaidankai are:Skin DeepObserver EffectPoster ChildrenThe Monster in the DungeonWebsite: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

A woman sneaks along mansion grounds, seeking entry to the house to get revenge on the evil old man living there. But her memory is wrapped in darkness. Is she doing the right thing?Lee Clark Zumpe, an entertainment columnist with Tampa Bay Newspapers, earned his bachelor's in English at the University of South Florida. He began writing poetry and fiction in the early 1990s. His work has regularly appeared in a variety of literary journals and genre magazines over the last two decades. Publication credits include World War Cthulhu and The Children of Gla'aki from Dark Regions Press; Through a Mythos Darkly from PS Publishing; Children of Lovecraft Country and Shadows of an Inner Darkness from Golden Goblin Press; and Corridors and The Pickman Papers from Innsmouth Gold. Lee lives on the west coast of Florida with his wife and daughter. Lee's inclination toward horror manifested itself early in his childhood when he began flipping through the pages of Forrest J. Ackerman's Famous Monsters of Filmland and reading Gold Key Comic classics like Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery and Grimm's Ghost Stories. In his teenage years, he discovered Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce, Richard Matheson and other masters of the genre. Lee's work often focuses on character interaction set against a pervading sense of cosmic dread and high strangeness.You can read "In The Window" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

One day, out of nowhere and for an unknown reason, something—or someone—appears over the right shoulder of one man, shadowing his every step and literally breathing down his neck. Desperate for answers, he turns to his psychic ex-girlfriend, who offers him only a cryptic warning: The ghost is here for a reason. And soon, you'll have to make a choice. What choice? And what price will he have to pay?Laura Shell has been published in Maudlin House, Citron Review, and many others. Her anthology of paranormal stories titled The Canine Collection was released this year. If she isn't writing, reading, or submitting short fiction, she's slinging snarky jabs at her husband of 35 years. You can find out more about her at https://laurashellhorror.wordpress.com.You can read "A Haunting" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

Instead of moving on after death, a few ghosts decide to remain at Tellurian Industries to keep an eye on things. When they discover an employee stealing from the company, the spectral staff must figure out how to make his crime known—with all the limitations that come with being dead.For most of her adult life, Kelly Zimmer labored in the stifling corporate atmosphere of commercial real estate, finding escape in mysteries, thrillers, and horror novels. She took a break from her number-intensive work life through biking, hiking, kayaking, and writing. She is inspired by the natural side of Florida, which she explores with her husband and dog, Lydia.You can read "The Department of Spectral Affairs" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comPlease feel free to contact me through the website contact form.Photo by John Schnobrich on UnsplashFollow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack

At a reading of her latest story, a an anxious author of horror stories may have to face the fears of her past.Mave Goren is an author, radio host and musician from the hinterlands of Brooklyn. A lifelong writer of the weird and fantastical, her work has appeared in Ode to Dionysus and the queer indie award horror anthology Trans Rites. She is a prospective MFA student in St Joseph's University in Brooklyn. You can find her on Instagram as yon_wizardmeistressYou can read "My Haunted Childhood" at https://www.kaidankaistories.com.Website: kaidankaistories.comContact me through the website contact form.Follow us on: InstagramFacebookBlueskySubstack