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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#12: Armchair Detectives

In much of the world, fall is in full swing. Leaves are a vibrant kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, and yellows. A chill is settling in. Days are shorter, and pumpkin spice is, well, everywhere. In other words, it's the kind of weather that simply begs for you to cozy up with a good read. And what kind of book could be cozier than a cozy mystery?

For those of us who enjoy getting spooked, but not terrified, in the lead-up to Halloween, the cozy mystery is a great genre. It provides suspense and mystery, but not horror. The crimes are depicted lightly, and typically take place in idyllic towns where things always ended up working out.

This week, our prompts are inspired by the cozy mystery genre. But that doesn't mean your story needs to involve a mystery! The great thing about fiction is how hallmarks of one genre can weave their way into stories of all kinds. (Want to learn more about the cozy mystery genre or check out some suggested reading? Check out this blog post!)

This week's prompts

Write a story that takes place in a small town where news travels fast.

High School – 50 stories

Write a story about a character with a sidekick.

Character – 20 stories

Write a story featuring a protagonist with a knack for getting to the bottom of things.

Mystery – 6 stories

Write a story that involves a mystery — it doesn't need to be crime-related, it should just include something that remains unexplained until the end.

Mystery – 79 stories

Write a story that features an ensemble cast of characters.

Character – 20 stories

Stories

“Eden Fever” by Tom Never

Submitted to Contest #12

The spear goes through the boar and the beast stumbles. A few meters ahead, it falls and moves no more. We are going to have a meat feast tonight. Grognak has the best throw, rarely it is another to claim the kill. He knees beside the dead prey. He thanks the Great Mother and screams: "Grognak brings meat!" Everybody yells and cheers, spears in the sky.Grognak is chief, his word is law. The chief had another name before, we are forbidden to say it as we are forbidden to speak ours. He gave us names, new names. I am now Kaul, I know not the m...

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“The Wolf” by John Hansen

Submitted to Contest #12

The wolf pack gathered on a rocky outcrop that ran along the perimeter of the woods. The huge Alpha male took up a position on the highest point as he looked down over his pack. The winter had been harsh and food was scarce, in fact, a couple of weaker pubs had recently succumbed.The leader’s attention focused on a small log cabin in the distance. Until recently it had sat abandoned but, suddenly, there was smoke rising from the chimney indicating that it was now inhabited … and where there were humans there was food. He leapt down from the ...

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“The Hunter ” by Mandy Carp

Submitted to Contest #12

She liked the way his hands moved; smooth and powerful. The way the knife almost completely disappeared in them while he cut his steak. What else could those hands do? More paws than hands, really. Her stomach did a little dance as she clenched her teeth behind her lips to steady herself. To bring her wandering mind back around. Jesus. Am I saying the right things? “Mmm,” she nodded while she chewed. He was going on about his recent trip to a small village in Panama, and how he felt fortunate to have taken a little Spanish in ...

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“Tina's Letter” by Lelo Mpumi

Submitted to Contest #12

“ TINA'S LETTER Sometimes life doesn't turn out they way we want.When growing as a kid, you always have a dream. Some kids want to be doctors,pilots or teachers. That was the same for Tina, she wanted to be a psychologist, deal with other people's problems even though she couldn't solve her own problems. Tina grew up as a smart kid,so dedicated to her school work ,courageous and ambitious. It was so fortunat...

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“GHOSTS OF OUR PAST” by Daisy Njeri

Submitted to Contest #12

GHOSTS OF OUR PASTKris stood over his desk, sweat forming on his brow, as he recollected his thoughts. She would talk, his campaign would be no more, his wife would leave him, his son would know. The list went on and on, and he could feel his headache’s intensity increase by the second. Exasperated, he reached out for a glass of water, which he accidentally knocked over. As he tried to clear the documents from the desk before they got wet, he felt that wave again. Fear was numbing him, and soon, he too would have to talk. The time was coming...

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“Me and that Quokka” by Lindsey Starrberri

Submitted to Contest #12

I sat behind the glossed wooden desk too big for me, hat tipped for the no-games look. My tiny fingers ran across the desk, touching a paper and puling it to my side. To whom it may concern, If Deddy Henry Hamfrin does not find a partner by the date of January 18, 2023, he may be resigned from the force. Yeah right. If this hamster couldn't find a partner, I would be signed off the force. But what if I just found a sidekick to follow me? Much better. I squirmed in my chair. The intercom came on. It was loud, not helping in my small cubical o...

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“A hero. ” by Ava Harris

Submitted to Contest #12

I remember the day I met you. I remember the bright sunlight, the leaves falling, the wind that blew through the playground. I remember saying hi. I remember how we became friends right then. I remember the first day of first grade. How you’d told me we could be superheroes! We could save the day, and have awesome powers. I remember how we went to my house and made capes for each other. Mine blue, yours red. How we had masks, how we made our own powers and names. I remember going to school wearing them. And the teacher taking th...

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“The Woods” by Rick Pascal

Submitted to Contest #12

Living “Off the Grid” in the woods gives me and my family the freedom to be ourselves to the fullest. No government intervention, no religious restrictions, and only the limits of nature in her beauty and grandeur to follow our hearts, minds and our own sense of morality and justice. Which, if I do say so myself, enables us to live in peace and harmony with our fellow woods dwellers who have taken up residence alongside us. We relish the smell of the outdoors, living with the Earth, so to speak. Our nei...

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“ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #12

ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERSA William J. Maccabee MysteryBy Andrew Paul Grell“No, I don’t miss Texas at all, not at all. I’m happy here in Marengo. The Iowa River has everything I need, fish, boating, quiet. And not getting Texas hot is a definite plus. That, and not having to be known as the guy who let them slip away.” William J. Maccabee, Billy Mack to his friends, just left the Friends Meeting House which the tiny Jewish community rented every Saturday for Sabbath services. As usual, he walked the fou...

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“My Error” by Penelope Swenor

Submitted to Contest #12

The thing about working in a drug dispensary day in, day out, is that you get to know the small ensemble of staff pretty well. And another thing is, because you’re dealing with medication that can harm people, there is a fairly high level of stress. One mistake can cause a lot of damage. But I think it’s quite difficult for any group of humans, working in a small space, perhaps getting on each other’s nerves, not to make any mistakes. When I joined the pharmacy that first day, the staff told me that the other regular pharmacist wa...

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“Murder at the Seaside” by Eileen Dickinson

Submitted to Contest #12

Murder at the Seaside “Can I help you Sir?” the desk sergeant asked the elderly man who had just walked into Wimbourne police station.As the sergeant rummaged for a biro among the clutter on the desk, his mind ran through a range of options. Had the man mislaid his car in the multi-storey car park? Locked himself out of his house? Maybe he’d come to complain about a ball that had gone into his garden? Old people were notoriously absent minded and intolerant. His fingers finally found a black biro and he looked up expectantly at the person be...

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“The Stranger” by Mike Davies

Submitted to Contest #12

THE STRANGER .1 Minus six degrees, what on earth possessed him to go out anyway, with only a t-shirt and a pair of woollen gloves for warmth? I must be mad, but she was in trouble and he couldn't walk away. His walks in the early hours were a regular occurrence, his insomnia had seen to that years ago. He stood, shivering, looking in the window of a menswear shop. The mannequin looked warmer than he did, dressed in a, Hugo Boss hoodie, and ripped, skinny jeans. The cold was ...

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“THE $1000 MYSTERY ” by Aditya Mohanty

Submitted to Contest #12

That night Rajiv went late for sleep. Next day after he reaches his office his boss called him to their cabin and gave him a gift voucher of $ 1000. But this is very unusual for her because he already worked for more than 1 year but still, he can't able to do proper work and also his boss always gets frustrated with him. After thinking for some minutes he takes the voucher and from that voucher, he buys a lot of toys and fruits for an orphan child he adopted from orphan home because he is not married and have no friends he likes to be busy w...

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“Behind The Door” by Valarie Yong

Submitted to Contest #12

I wonder...... What mysteries does this door contained? I hummed as I paced in front of the door. I've never thought that there would be a hidden door like this in my house. Well, it never hurt to investigate it a bit right? I opened the door and immediately, I heard chain clinking against each other. Is the door locked? It wasn't, the door creaked open easily, nothing obstructing it. Then what was that chain? Immediately, my doubts were cleared. The light creeped into the room through the door, I could barely see a small figure, probably ...

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“The Scar” by Book Worm

Submitted to Contest #12

She hated disfigurements of any kind. A chipped cup, a run in the socks, a dent in the car, a broken toy truck, a dysfunctional clock. She would go about restoring them to the best of her ability. And if she couldn’t, she’d either smash them to smithereens or chuck them in the trash can. Repaired objects always seemed to get her goat. She would be forever conscious of the defect that had been set right, the tear that had been discreetly mended or the broken ends that had been carefully stuck together. However hard she mig...

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$50

Prize money

175

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 25, 2019 EST

Won by Dylan Roth 🏆

Title: Annual Reunion

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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