They Only Visit When it's Dark:
A Chilling Ghost Horror Short Story by Hash Black
Releasing on the 13th of June, 2025
Book 1 of Mr Stenson's Phone Short Story Series
The Synopsis
When the dead come calling, there’s no ignoring the message.
A gut-wrenching ghost horror short story with a twisted ending that sticks with you.
The young and determined David Grimsley is an oddball in his primary school class. He has fallen head over heels for the lovely, breathtaking Madeline, and would give the world to have her look his way.
And when he discovers that a mobile phone is his only key to the iron wrought gates of her heart, he leaps at it with full determination.
Only he cannot afford it.
Instead, young David is forced to source the phone from the most vile of places he possibly could; the trembling hands of an old, dying man.
Little does young David know that the accusing stare of a dying old man has consequences beyond the understanding of his young, love-infused mind.
Ghost Horror Themes Explored in 'They Only Visit When it's Dark'
They Visit When It’s Dark dives deep into guilt, unforgiven sins, and the unrelenting pursuit of justice from beyond the grave. It taps into the primal fear of being haunted not just by spirits, but by one’s own actions.
This ghost horror short story weaves the eerie inevitability of retribution with the tender vulnerability of adolescent desire. If you love stories like Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, where emotional choices lead to supernatural consequences, or the chilling phone-centric horror of The Ring by Koji Suzuki, you’ll find this tale disturbingly unforgettable.
Echoing themes found in R. L. Stine’s Fear Street and adding a modern twist with a haunted piece of technology, this story delivers a punch of psychological and supernatural horror that fans of urban legends, cursed objects, and ghost revenge tales will devour.
Want more? Check out the second instalment of this short story series, Whispers from Beyond, and The Tooth Collector.
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