In a haunted - looking mansion, a visitor saw a shadow moving across the wall. After a moment of fear, they discovered it was a cat that had slipped in through an open window and its movement in the candlelight had made the shadow seem spooky.
Well, often there's a sense of melancholy. The ghosts in these short stories usually have a sad backstory. They might be lost souls. For instance, a ghost that used to live in a place and now is attached to it because they died suddenly or unfairly. And the resolution is usually positive in a way. Instead of the ghost causing chaos, it might be befriended or helped in some way by the living character. There's also the use of soft, spooky elements like a cold breeze or a flickering light that sets the mood without being too terrifying.
There's a story about a young man who worked late at an old office building. As he was leaving, he heard a strange whistling. He followed the sound and found a translucent figure by an old filing cabinet. It was an old clerk who had passed away but still lingered, looking for a lost file that held his memories. The young man helped find it, and the spirit vanished, content.
There was a man who moved into a new house. At night, he heard soft tapping on his window. He got scared but when he looked outside, it was just a small branch from a tree hitting the glass because of the wind.
They often have friendly or helpful ghosts. For example, a ghost that protects a family from danger rather than scaring them. The settings are usually not too dark or menacing. Maybe a bright old house or a beautiful garden instead of a spooky cemetery. Also, the plot doesn't focus on horror elements like blood or sudden scares. Instead, it might be about the ghost's unfulfilled wishes in a positive way.
They often have friendly or misunderstood ghosts. For example, the ghosts might be trying to help rather than harm. They also usually lack intense, gory details. The settings are not overly dark and foreboding. Instead of a haunted, dilapidated mansion filled with danger, it could be a cozy house with a gentle spirit. The stories focus more on the mystery and the connection with the ghost rather than on scaring the reader out of their wits.
Not necessarily. Many preschool ghost stories are designed to be more friendly and not overly scary. For example, the ghosts in these stories are often depicted as cute or misunderstood rather than terrifying.
Yes, they can be. Ghost stories often play on our fears of the unknown, and in this book, they might be especially spooky. The short format allows for quick jolts of fear.
There's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. It may seem like a story about a woman's descent into madness, but it has a ghostly undertone. Trapped in a room with the hideous yellow wallpaper, she begins to see a figure trapped within it. The story builds tension through her isolation and the sense of a supernatural presence.
One not too scary ghost story is 'The Friendly Ghost'. It's about a little ghost who just wants to play with the children in the old house. Instead of scaring them, it leaves little presents for them at night. Another is 'The Ghostly Gardener'. A gardener who passed away still takes care of his beloved garden as a ghost, making the flowers bloom beautifully. And 'The Library Ghost' which simply likes to put books back on the shelves in the middle of the night, without any spooky intentions.