JustUtter 2Min Horror Stories: A Horror Book Series "Bhoota Gappa"

Order Now In Conversation with Pratiksha Misra: Folklore Behind the Fear in Bhoota Gappa 3 For horror fans and folklore lovers, October 2025 brings more than a chill in the air — it brings the release of Bhoota Gappa 3 – The Burnt Smell of Fresh Ash . We sat down with author Pratiksha Misra, founder of JustUtter , to talk about the journey from viral 2-Minute Horror Stories to a global folklore horror series. Q1. You’ve written across genres — from poetry to horror. What drew you back to folklore-driven horror for Bhoota Gappa? Pratiksha: Horror was my first love as a storyteller, not the jump-scare kind, but the quiet chill of a grandmother’s tale. Folklore is where horror began. It’s also where culture lives. With Bhoota Gappa, I wanted to capture that authentic voice before it disappeared under pop-culture tropes. Watch The Trailer Q2. Do you remember the first scary story you heard as a child? Pratiksha: I grew up in Rourkela,Odisha listening to real life encounte...

In Odisha there was a ranch that I know about since my childhood and that was the one at my ajja's place in Kandarpur. He used to tend his cows in a stable made of mud pillars. The stable had two rooms one was used as a smoke room or office room with his chair and table but mostly he used to smoke in there and the other one was the room where cows were tied up and had cow dunk filled all over the place. That room had a door that was wider, to use the cows ro take outside close to the garden during morning hours. There was a window attached to the smoke room, which opened to a wall or the neighbor's house and couple of coconut trees were adjacent to it. But even if you are sitting in the broad day light, you will get a certain eeriness coming from that window as though someone is looking at you when you are sitting on the chair or hiding inside the huge old bed with lot of compartments under it. That was my favorite hideout place as we spent most of our summer days in that ranch...

  Now that the 2 out of my 7 books of "JustUtter Horror Series" - "Bhoota Gappa" is out live, I want to again invite enthusiastic writers and readers to share a "Bhoota Gappa" (Ghost/Horror Story) and get a chance to be part of this exciting horror series just like before.  1.DM me or email your story at "misrapratiksha@gmail.com" with subject as "Bhoota Gappa" 2. If your story gets picked up for my next "Bhoota Gappa" edition you get to choose a free book from the author and share your name and  address so that I can ship it over. 3. If your story gets picked you will get an Official  "JustUtter Writer" badge and will be contactes for further contribution of your writing collab with "JustUtter Books". 5 Ways To Write A "Bhoota Gappa"  And Send It My Way: 1. Have you heard a story or incident from your grandparents,parents, friends, relatives from your native land or community? 2. Have...

I was 11 years old when this alarming incident happened. I was living in Rourkela ( Industrial City Of Steel) in the year 1995 when my final exams of seventh standard were over, and summer vacations had begun. My dad as he used to be friends with lot of buses that used to go to my native place Pattamundai, Odisha at night, decided to send me before hand with one of his trustworthy drivers and then join me later on. As my uncles will come and pick me up from the destination he knew I was in good hands. So the journey began and I happened to sit close to the window seat right next to the driver's seat. We were chit chatting all night with the driver's friends and passengers onboarding the bus. Suddenly at the middle of the night an old woman tapped at my window when most of the crowd was sound asleep just the driver was focusing on the drive. I looked at her as she was making gestures to give her something to eat. I didn't have anything so I asked my uncle who was sitting ne...

I am an old woman. Post-retirement, I thought I would be happier, but things grew darker. My workplace asked me to return part-time, which I didn’t mind. One night, as I slowly made my way to the parking lot of the old motel where I was staying—too tired to drive the two hours home—I saw something strange in the rearview mirror. A pale, blurry creature appeared, animal-like, with three legs and an abnormally large head. Its eyes locked with mine, unblinking. I couldn’t place it—maybe a raccoon or a strange rodent? I parked and began walking to the entrance, sensing someone—or something—trailing me. Too exhausted, I ignored it. Then, a sudden gust of icy wind slammed through me, knocking me flat onto the pavement. I was dazed. It felt like the creature had entered me—or passed through me—leaving an unnatural chill behind. Shivering, I scrambled to gather my things and rushed inside. Just then, another traveler approached. He had witnessed my fall while smoking outside. He said something...

I love nightlife, walking down the streets with friends, giggling while holding each other’s hands. Dressed up like a party slayer with black eyeshadow, blue mascara, and green eyelashes. The other night, we all had plans, and as usual, I was on the sidewalk, returning from a nightclub where we had danced like crazy. In the parking lot, I was waiting for my friend to get the car keys that she had misplaced in one of the bathrooms. Being tired, I had zoned out and suddenly found myself in a nightclub where loud music was taking me into a trance, making me feel like I was flying while doing hip-hop moves, swinging and flexing my leg muscles. Just then, the club went darker than usual, smoke filled the air, and a burnt man with boiling flesh on his face appeared. I hopped in horror and crashed into another girl, who kept screaming as she burned. I started running toward the nearest exit and found a pile of burned bodies before losing control and falling. My friend pulled me into the car, ...

I was probably around 13 years old when I went to one of my aunt's houses in Aali Tehsil,Kendrapada with my niece to spend my summer holidays. I had planned to stay for 2-3 days but ended up staying for a week. Believe me, I was unable to sleep for those seven days. My niece is three years younger than me. My aunt is a widow and has three daughters. One of her daughters was married and wasn’t there. The moment I stepped into their house, I could sense some strange energy and immediately wanted to leave. However, with all the day's events and conversations with my cousins, time flew by, and things started to feel normal. At night, all of us slept in the same big room, and I was right in the middle. In front of the bed was a window with a clear view of their front yard and the neighbor's house. I usually stay up later than others, so at around 2 a.m., I heard a voice—it sounded like a bird or a child calling out someone's name. It seemed to come from the yard, so I got up...