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

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

Zary Fekete grew up in Hungary. He has a debut novella (Words on the Page) out with DarkWinter Lit Press and a short story collection (To Accept the Things I Cannot Change: Writing My Way Out of Addiction) out with Creative Texts. He enjoys books, podcasts, and many, many films.
Twitter and Instagram: @ZaryFekete Bluesky:zaryfekete.bsky.social

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

A bleak, atmospheric tale of war and cosmic horror.

David Horn is a Colorado-based writer whose fiction explores the border between history, memory, and the uncanny. His stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Rooted Literary Magazine, AntipoedanSF, and other journals and anthologies. A veteran, former police officer, and cybersecurity engineer, he now divides his time between writing and environmental studies. He is the author of Signals from the Edge and the forthcoming novel The Glass Child. Find him at https://www.facebook.com/horndw
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Image of the Japanese yōkai nuppeppō from Sawaki Suushi.


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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

MN Wiggins is an internationally published novelist, surgeon, professor, and voice actor from the American South whose short stories have been performed on multiple podcasts and published in several magazines. His narration credits include The Night’s End podcast and Thirteen. Dr. Wiggins’s latest novel, El Dorado, is available through Solstice Publishing. His complete works may be found at www.MNWiggins.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.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

A psychological horror story that builds into something deeply disturbing.

Kyle Walker is a writer and playwright living in Valdez, Alaska. His short stories have appeared in Alien Dimensions, Scary Monsters Magazine, and the Prince William Sound Anthology Series. His theater work has been featured at the Civic Center Theater in Valdez, Alaska, Under St. Marks Theater in New York, NY, Dog Story Theater in Grand Rapids, MI, Hap Ryder Riverfront Theatre in Fairbanks, AK, and TBA Theater in Anchorage, AK. His non-musical stage adaptation, "Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera," was published by Next Stage Press in 2024. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram and at kylewalkerwriter.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.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

Alex Grass was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three kids. His recent work has appeared in Flash Phantoms, Maudlin House, Trembling With Fear, and other outlets. His last novel, A Boy's Hammer, was selected for inclusion in Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2022.

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

Thomas Wetzel is a writer of short horror fiction whose work blends raw intensity with classic horror themes, drawing on a life marked by both hardship and transformation.

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

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

​Shannon Massey is a neurodiverse writer, filmmaker, and single mother who has spent over two decades working in writing. Her work draws on personal experience to tell raw, honest, and emotionally resonant stories.


Music from Pixabay. 

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

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

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

Follow the show:
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Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

Mark Speed has been writing stories since the birth of ink. His work ranges from dark as death’s shroud to comical and ridiculous. In recent years, he has collaborated with an artist to create a story each week, moving through the alphabet. He is the author of two collections, Sodom’s Alphabet and Gomorrah’s Alphabet. “The Cauldron” is the third story from the first collection.
Instagram: @mark_speed_english_teacher.

Photo by Kevin Dowling on Unsplash

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

Follow the show:
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Bluesky

Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].

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

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

Aaron Brown-Ewing is an Ohio native who currently lives and works in Iwate prefecture, Japan as an English language teacher and travel blogger. As a writer, he enjoys creating narratives and imagery with the surreal and the fantastic. You can follow his travels at aaronhimself.com and @mraaronhimself on Instagram.

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

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Read the stories at kaidankaistories.com

Follow the show:
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Bluesky

Have a story you'd like us to read? Send submissions to [email protected].