Ghosts in a cemetery. At midnight, the dead rise from their graves. They're not the typical slow - moving zombies but rather transparent apparitions. They gather around a particular tombstone, perhaps where a powerful witch was buried centuries ago. They seem to be waiting for something, or someone.
A possessed doll. An old, antique doll that was once used in some sort of dark ritual. It has a malevolent presence and seems to move on its own. The eyes of the doll seem to follow people around the room. Anyone who gets too close starts to hear whispering voices in their head.
Sure. 'The Haunted Bridge', 'The Ghost on the Staircase', 'The Cursed Crypt' are all great names. They are simple yet effective in creating an atmosphere of a ghostly presence.
A story about a young artist who is struggling to find their unique style. They move to a big city full of other artists. There, they meet an old, reclusive artist who becomes their mentor. But the mentor has a dark past that starts to influence the young artist's life and work in unexpected ways. The young artist has to decide whether to follow in the mentor's footsteps or break free and find their own path.
A ship at sea could be haunted. The crew starts noticing strange things like cold spots on the deck, and the sound of someone crying. They see a shadowy figure climbing the rigging. The story could be that a sailor was wrongly accused of a crime and thrown overboard to his death, and now his ghost haunts the ship.
Some additional good theme ideas for stories are the theme of time. This could involve time travel, the passage of time changing a character or a situation, or the race against time. The theme of magic is always popular. Magic can be used for good or evil, and it can create a whole new world of possibilities. And finally, the theme of isolation. A character being alone, either by choice or circumstance, and how they deal with it.
Poltergeist stories, spirit tales.
Imagine a land where plants have souls and can communicate with humans. A gardener discovers that she can understand the plants and they start to give her clues about a coming disaster. A large corporation is planning to build a huge factory on the land, which will destroy the natural habitat of these sentient plants. The gardener must find a way to convince the people in power to stop the construction and protect the plants and the magic that they hold.
Sure. You could have a story where people who enter the forest at night get lost forever. There are ghostly lights that lead them deeper into the woods, but those lights are actually the spirits of lost travelers trying to find someone to keep them company in their eternal wandering.
Some additional words are 'apparitional' which directly refers to something like an apparition or a ghostly figure. 'Enigmatic' works well as ghosts are often full of mystery. 'Malevolent' because many ghost stories involve a harmful or evil spirit. Also, 'nocturnal' can be used as many ghostly encounters seem to happen at night.
Imagine a love story where a girl moves to a new town and starts working at a local library. There, she meets a guy who is always there reading. They start having small conversations about books at first. As time passes, they realize they have a deep connection not just because of their love for literature but also because they are both looking for something more in life. They encourage each other to pursue their dreams and in the process, fall in love.
A story of a lonely whale in the ocean who starts communicating with other sea creatures in an unexpected way. Maybe it creates unique songs that draw the attention of dolphins, octopuses, and even sharks, and they form an underwater community around the whale's music.