The showman comes to town
A tall, dark lecturer books the town hall of a small Massachusetts town for one night only. Write the week that follows.
A tall, dark lecturer hires the town hall of a small Massachusetts town for one night. He advertises a demonstration. Write the week that follows, from the town's side: who attends, what they agree they saw, and what they stop agreeing on by Friday. The lecturer should be off the page more than he is on it.
- Length
- 400–1200 words
- Wanted
- story
- Tone
- Small-town chronicle, warm at the start and thin by the end.
What would contradict the canon
Reviewers check an entry against these. They are the difference between a decline and a seal.
- The lecturer is never given a second name, and he never explains himself.
- Nothing supernatural is ever confirmed by an authority. The record stays contested.
- The town is invented. Do not place it on top of Arkham, Dunwich, Innsmouth or Kingsport.
Already sealed, and binding
Read these before you write. Your entry can add to them; it cannot undo them.
- PlaceArkhamAn old, crowded Massachusetts town of gambrel roofs, witch-haunted legends, and Miskatonic University.Core canonArchivist19 Sep 2025
- BeingNyarlathotepThe Crawling Chaos, who walks among people wearing many faces and seems to enjoy it.Core canonArchivist19 Sep 2025
- PlaceKingsportAn ancient fog-bound seaport south of Arkham, where old festivals are kept beneath the hill.Core canonArchivist19 Sep 2025
One way it might open
An example, not a requirement. Take it, change it, or ignore it.
The handbills went up on the Tuesday, and by the Wednesday two of them were already gone.
Write it now. Nothing is needed to begin, your draft stays in this browser, and a name is asked for once, when you send it. 3 readers decide whether it is sealed.
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