cliffhanger short stories

Sure, they can. A cliffhanger at the end of a short story can leave readers intrigued and eager for more.

Cliffhanger short stories often end on a suspenseful note. They leave the reader with a sense of anticipation, like a character in a dangerous situation and the outcome is not revealed. This makes the reader eager to know what will happen next.

You could leave the main character in a dangerous or uncertain situation. For example, have them about to face a big threat but not show how it plays out.

Definitely! A short story ending in a cliffhanger can be very effective. It creates tension and leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. But it should be done in a way that doesn't leave the reader frustrated or feeling cheated.

One element is the sense of the unknown. In short scary cliffhanger stories, like when a character hears strange noises in a dark alley but doesn't know what's making them. Another is suddenness. For example, a character is walking calmly and then suddenly something grabs their foot. Also, the lack of resolution makes the reader's mind race with possibilities.

Sure. Here's one: The old house at the end of the lane was said to be haunted. A young girl, curious, entered at midnight. As she climbed the creaking stairs, she heard a low growl. Then, suddenly, a cold hand grabbed her ankle. End of story.

There was a family who moved into a new house. At night, they heard scratching noises from the walls. One night, the youngest son followed the noise to the basement. He opened the door and saw a shadowy figure. Before he could do anything else, the story just cuts off.

The suspense. You're left hanging, wondering what will happen next. It's like a tease that keeps your mind racing.

They play on our fears. Cliffhangers in horror make us anticipate the worst. Take 'The Monkey's Paw'. We fear what new horror the next wish might bring, and the fact that it doesn't fully show it just heightens the tension. It's like a rollercoaster that doesn't quite reach the end of the track, leaving you in suspense.

Sure. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a great one. It has a woman slowly losing her sanity while trapped in a room with the titular wallpaper, and the ending leaves you with a sense of dread and many unanswered questions. Another is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator's descent into madness over the old man's 'evil eye' and the heart - like sound at the end that might be real or just in his head is a classic cliffhanger of sorts.