Nightmare Tomato - By Salau Anthony

Written By: Salau Anthony

Category: Short Story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Salau Anthony, writing under the evocative pseudonym Nightmare Tomato, brings us the gripping short story "Nightmare Tomato." This entry into the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 exemplifies the haunting and surreal themes that captivate and intrigue readers. Anthony's work delves into the mysterious and the macabre, drawing the reader into a world where reality and nightmare blur into a chilling narrative.

About the Work

"Nightmare Tomato" is a masterful exploration of fear and surrealism, where vivid, unsettling imagery combines with a haunting atmosphere. The narrative unfolds in a dimly lit room, with a mysterious androgynous figure, evoking a sense of dread and curiosity. The piece masterfully employs a dream-like quality, immersing the reader in a disorienting experience that lingers long after the final words.

Nightmare Tomato

Original Submission by Salau Anthony

NIGHTMARE TOMATO

a being with a crooked spine sits atop a pile of wrappers and is facing away from you. you cannot make out any features but your intuition tells you that it is androgynous. a dim candlelight flickers in the corner of the room. your eyes feel heavy and keeping them open is rather herculean, you must have been asleep for a rather long time. cockroaches scurry along and brush past your knees with no regard for your disdain for them and you recoil in horror. outside the one window that you can see through, the moon assumes a bright crimson hue and you swear that you can hear it hum while the crickets ululate and whisper amongst themselves. you look around you and you can make no sense of the situation in which you currently find yourself, this is the substance of nightmares. a clicking sound. again. and again. the being with the contorted form mutters incoherently as its bony hands glide smoothly over what you assume is a typewriter. its teeth grit intermittently and it stifles sobs as it continues clicking away. you want to say a word but you do not, you let your inquisition fall to its death in the acid stream in your bowels and you swallow hard, you taste the cigarettes you were smoking earlier on your breath. you know now how it feels to be frightened to breathe and the weight of a thousand moons converge in the landscape that is your ribcage, threatening to fall and cause you to exhale if you try to get up. you decide to crawl to get a closer look at what the entity is doing. a kettle whistles in the distance and you hear a child crying. the air is very stiff and it does not even tiptoe, it has had its feet chopped off and fed to it forcefully. you swallow hard, tears begin to perform a graceless salsa underneath your eyelids and you fear to let them fall, they do not promise a soft landing and they may make this being aware of your wakefulness. it continues clicking away, muttering to itself, sobbing and laughing at the same time. you crawl ever so slightly, barely moving. it does not hear you. you move forward again, it still does not hear you. you move forward once more, its typewriter is coming into view now. you recoil in horror as you notice that the typewriter is woven from fingers and in place of where the papers are traditionally placed lies your face with all its teeth absent. you try to crawl away but you moved your feet too hard this time, it brushes against a bronze pot filled with coins and knocks it over. the being suddenly straightens up, as much as its spine will let it. it gasps. you let your breath fall. sweat prickles your skin. your eyes widen and redden as the tears fall freely. it slowly turns to face you. slowly. slowly. its teeth grit harder, its breathing is harsh and uncontrolled. you lay there, an infant. it finally looks at you. soulless hollows where eyes should be. it has your face.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a celebrated platform for writers and poets to showcase their talents on an international stage. This prestigious competition invites participants to explore their creativity, offering a diverse array of works that span genres and styles. It remains a beacon for aspiring and established authors alike to share their unique voices.

We extend our gratitude to Salau Anthony for sharing "Nightmare Tomato" with the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This short story is a testament to Anthony's ability to weave a narrative that both captivates and unsettles. We look forward to seeing more of Anthony's intriguing work in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.