Happy Halloween (if a little early)! Welcome to Halloween Vault 2 on ! We hope your October is going spookily. We celebrate dark fantasy stories - those that weave fantasy with a little horror, or horror with a little fantasy. Halloween is just perfect for our dark(ish) hearts.

This year our prompt is all about family fun...

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Many families have a favourite holiday during the year: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Diwali, Hanukkah, Eid al-Fitr. Your family's festival of choice is Halloween where they have a family gathering to celebrate in style. Spin us a Dark Fantasy story all about this year's exciting gathering and what goes on. Here are some ideas to inspire:

► Meeting the Family - you and your partner have been together for a while now and it's getting serious, it's time for them to meet the family. How do they take it? What's the big family secret? Are your motives as innocent as they seem? Give us a tale with a touch of horror and fantastical themes.

► Gate Crashers - your family's Halloween celebrations are going really well, until they are crashed by hunters. Why are the hunters invading your party? Who is likely to win? Does this happen often? Mix horror with fantasy and give us a Dark Fantasy story.

► Celebrations - Halloween was also known as All Hallows Eve. Celts believed that the boundary between the world of the living and the dead became blurred. They celebrated Samhain when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. Tell us the real dark side of Halloween and the rituals to scare away the spirits!

► Author's Choice - Of course, if you have another, twisted added extra about the family celebrations you'd like to use that mixes horror with a side of fantasy, do tell!

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► Deadline:

► Word count:

► Optional: Tag your story #DarkFantasyFamily, #HV2 and #HalloweenVault2

► Prize: Winners will be featured in our Halloween Anthology, receive shout-outs on the profile and a Winner's book sticker.

► How to join: You must fill in this and you may share your link below.

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You'll find this tale among the lorded stories in our readings lists. Seek out its darkness and, in this case, its ability to make you smile. This story takes inspiration from classic comedy and contemporary fantasy to create an apocalyptic tale of a man named Gerald and a prophecy. Join the hunt and find the story.

Don't give away the answer in comments. Submit your answer via this .

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