Prompt: Create a scary story about a potato always appearing around a college student who lives alone.

The Potato

Emily had always been skeptical about urban legends and ghost stories. As a junior at a small liberal arts college, she prided herself on her logical thinking and disdain for anything remotely supernatural. She lived alone in an off-campus apartment, a small but cozy place that she had decorated with plants, books, and warm lights. Life was uneventful, filled with late-night study sessions, coffee runs, and occasional hangouts with friends.

It started one chilly evening in November. Emily was deep into a marathon study session for her midterms. She decided to take a break and rummaged through her pantry for a snack. She pulled out a potato, intending to make some fries. As she held it in her hand, she felt a strange chill run down her spine. The potato was unremarkable, yet something about it unsettled her. Shrugging off the feeling, she went ahead and cooked her fries.

The next morning, Emily awoke to find another potato on her kitchen counter. Confused, she wondered if she had simply forgotten about it. She checked her pantry and confirmed that all the potatoes were accounted for. She brushed it off as a lapse in memory and went about her day.

Over the next few days, the potatoes kept appearing. She would find them in random places: on her desk, in the bathroom, even on her bed. Each time, she felt the same eerie chill. Her friends laughed it off when she told them, suggesting it was a prank or stress-induced hallucination. But Emily knew it was something more.

One night, she decided to stay up and catch the culprit. Armed with coffee and determination, she set up camp in her living room. Hours passed, and just as she was about to doze off, she heard a faint rustling from the kitchen. She crept towards the sound, heart pounding. There, in the dim light, she saw a shadowy figure placing a potato on the counter.

"Who are you?" Emily demanded, her voice trembling.

The figure turned slowly. It was a woman, her face pale and eyes hollow. She spoke in a whisper, "You took my place."

Emily was paralyzed with fear. "What do you mean?"

"I lived here before you," the woman continued. "They found me in the cellar, where I had starved. The only food I had was a sack of potatoes."

The realization hit Emily like a punch. The apartment had a cellar she had never used, a dark, musty place she had avoided. The woman seemed to fade, her form becoming less distinct.

"Why are you doing this?" Emily asked, tears streaming down her face.

The ghostly figure pointed at the potatoes. "I am hungry. I will always be hungry."

And with that, she vanished, leaving Emily alone in the dark kitchen. The potatoes stopped appearing after that night, but Emily never felt truly alone again. The chill remained, a constant reminder of the spectral tenant who once shared her home. Every now and then, she would hear faint rustling from the cellar and remember the hollow eyes of the starving ghost.

Emily moved out at the end of the semester, unable to shake the haunting presence. She left behind the cozy apartment, the late-night study sessions, and a small pile of potatoes that would forever haunt her dreams.