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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#133: Chocolate Box

Next Monday is Valentine’s Day, which means chocolate boxes are popping up in stores everywhere. The sweet association between cocoa and romance began with the Mayans and Aztecs, but it only became a hallmark of Valentine’s Day when British confectionery giant Cadbury introduced the first ever heart-shaped gift boxes in the 1860s.

Today, chocolate is inseparable from this occasion in many parts of the world: in Japan, some give homemade chocolate to their loved ones; in Ghana, February 14th is National Chocolate Day. And we’re joining the fun with this week’s set of delicious chocolate-inspired prompts. Take your pick!

This week's prompts

Write about someone going on a search for a specific type (or brand) of chocolate.

Middle School – 24 stories

Start your story with a character finding an old heart-shaped box in their house.

Valentine's Day – 78 stories

Set your story in a confectionery shop.

Middle School – 40 stories

Write a story about someone making a gift (chocolate or otherwise) for a loved one.

Valentine's Day – 36 stories

Write about a character who finds Valentine’s Day sickly sweet.

Valentine's Day – 26 stories

Stories

“Candy Girl Confections” by Patrissha Booker

Submitted to Contest #133

Candy Girl Confections Keyes Family Confections has been in my family over ninety years and the magically ancestrally recipes passed downed through the generations never lost their flavor, but they have become boring and unable to compete with the new candy store that hit my hometown six months ago. Jazzy G’s Candies, which sells booze filled, CBD, ,marijuana-laced, and some nothing but chocolates thrown into the mix. I, Lyrical Keyes, recently inherited, Keyes Family Confections, which has been struggling financially for ye...

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“Love Never Dies” by Ayman Baroudi

Submitted to Contest #133

True love is not over when it is over but gets deeper inside the heart of those who stay alive. Since early morning, it had been raining, making it hard to spend a day in a graveyard. Yet, Ricardo had been sitting now on a bench for an hour, looking at Agatha’s grave and wishing her a happy Valentine’s Day. He’d brought her a box of bittersweet chocolate, a bouquet of roses, a red wine bottle, and a lunch. He was like, ‘Hey, so what! we still have the right to celebrate.’ During the glamorous days when Agatha was alive, the best Valent...

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“Fudge and Caramels Caper” by Sheryl Thomasson

Submitted to Contest #133

Sarah woke that morning in a particularly happy mood. It was a Saturday, which meant no work, and it was the day she would be making chocolate fudge and caramels for her beloved grandfather, or Gramps as she affectionately called him. He was in a nursing home and every Valentines Day she took him a huge box of his favorite candies. After taking a shower and getting into her favorite jeans and T-shirt, she got into her car and headed to her Gran’s house to make the legendary sweets. She always looked forward to this special day filled with ...

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“We Aren't Doing Anything” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #133

“We aren’t doing anything for our anniversary.” Steven’s wife straightened out the bottom of her dress, giving her outfit another look in the mirror. Steven still sat in bed, bleary eyes watching Laura give her hair a scrunch with her hands. “But we could,” he said, though he already knew she would shoot him down again. “We could do something simple. Like a picnic, or we could watch a movie. I could even make you dinner.” &...

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“Zirconium” by Richard L

Submitted to Contest #133

The old woman gasped. A figure stood in the doorway to her hospital room. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I thought I heard you struggling in your sleep….” “Was I?” The old woman’s lips were paper thin and parched. She reached for the cup on the tray at her bedside, but her fingertips scrapped the side and succeeded only in pushing it out of reach. “Allow me.” The figure in the doorway crossed the room and handed her the cup, turning the straw to the old woman’s lips. She drank deeply then pushed the straw away. “Thank you.” Her breathing was slo...

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“The Agony and the Ecstasy of Father Ferro” by Lady Libris

Submitted to Contest #133

As it turns out, leaving was the easy part. When my not exactly beloved husband confided that he was going to take the considerable funds the Vatican had endowed him with to go and slay the heretics in Protestant Europe (in God’s Holy name, of course), I agreed to follow him into hiding in Italy for a lack of better options for myself. When I asked him about the undoubtedly elaborated ruse he’d devised to sneak me off the estate, he burst out laughing and took several long and deliberate moments to compose himself. “Are you ser...

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“Laedid's Arrow” by Dane MillerHass

Submitted to Contest #133

For Cupid, Valentine’s Day was just as much his day. He adorned cards and walls, a symbol of true, passionate, and spontaneous love. For while his arrows worked its magic all year long, it was on Valentine’s Day that his marksmanship was really appreciated. And on Valentine’s Day, Cupid took no greater joy than watching the fruits of his labor, relishing in seeing new flames of love ignite and the rekindling of old ones. Valentine’s Day was not so for Laedid. Nobody knew of Laedid, and if they did, they most certainly would despise him. F...

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“Once Upon a Belgian Hot Chocolate Evening...” by Nicole Fowler

Submitted to Contest #133

Maribelle Tarley was far from home; far from Chicago to be exact. On this night, this Valentine’s Day night, she was in Belgium - Brussels, Belgium - sitting in her hotel room on a date with the television. Belgian news programs were showcasing stories of young love, long-lost love, and stories of enduring friendships that always made this holiday so special... for them. Through her basic knowledge of French, she saw one silly story profiling a couple who met over some magical chocolate 20 years ago. She shook her head out of repulsion ...

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“After that Man with the Top Hat!” by Anthony Aguirre

Submitted to Contest #133

“Sorry, ma’am. We’re all out of the Kromer chocolates.” The store clerk said. “That can’t be? Don’t you have any in the back or something?” Elena held out her hands, pleading. “Sorry. That brand’s not the most popular. We only get shipments once a month. Though that man before you seemed to be quite happy we still had that one box left.” “Before me? How long ago did he come in?” “Why, not two minutes before you barged right in. If your fast enough, you might just be able to wave him down.” The clerk pointed at the door. “He’s a slender old m...

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“The Chocolate” by Jonathan Byrd

Submitted to Contest #133

The Chocolate Chapter 1: The Box Back in World War 1, there were 2 men, one man a chocolate lover, the other an adventure hunter. The chocolate lover’s name is Jonathan, the adventure hunter’s name is Leon. “Where are you going!” Jonathan says, “And why are you going, it's hell out there.” “I am just going to get some chocolate, and the good kind too.” Leon says. “You’re gonna get killed out there.” Jonathan says, “Nah I’m not, these women cannot touch me.” Leon says. Jonathan says, “And where are you going to get chocolate from.” “You know...

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“Some Things Never Change” by Quinn Cavanagh

Submitted to Contest #133

It was secured with a thin line of baby pink ribbon. The bunny ears of the bow were fastened haphazardly, a result of the box being opened and enjoyed. I turned the dust-laden box over in my hands. The bottom of the innocent heart shape had sharpened over time, proving itself to be quite a threat. It’s interesting, I thought to myself, the corruption of something once so well-intentioned. I stood in the shallow closet, bowing my head under the clothing rack. Everything else had already been taken care of; I could hear the rumbling of...

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“Dinner for Two” by Mrs. Janessa Shelton

Submitted to Contest #133

Yet another mushy time of year had gone by, when, as usual, lovers made haste to present everything pink, red, fluffy and sweet for their significant other. But for lonely Jerry Craig, his quiet home was dark, with the exception of the soft dancing light of two hopeful candles on the dining table that his love would accept his dinner invitation.Much to his disappointment, his long-awaited Sweetheart -once again- failed to arrive.Distracted and highly confused with memories of 50 years, they all lumped together to a present state which led hi...

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“The Mystery Heart” by Carol Ernst

Submitted to Contest #133

The ‘For Sale” sign was posted on the front lawn. Fifteen year old Vincent sat on the curb, fighting back the feelings he had been experiencing since his parents first told him they were going to move. Life was giving him more challenges than he cared to experience. The past year brought a lot of changes to his world. The Covid virus had closed his school to on-site learning. Virtual learning was hard for him. The sports he enjoyed were not available. Vincent’s mom had been working from home, multi...

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“Waves” by Sophie Appel

Submitted to Contest #133

The clunk of old feet up an attic staircase is heard throughout the house. Like all things that age, the delicate feet of a once graceful lady are reduced to heavy footsteps. As she ventures up the steps of the attic, and into the cold, drafty room, she surveys her surroundings. Boxes full of memories of Christmas ornaments, and photo albums, and clothes, and books, each home to thousands of moments. The sense of an ocean wave drowning her overtakes her mind. No more was she in the house she had lived in for 50 years. She was walking into he...

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“The Winner” by Valerie Vince

Submitted to Contest #133

This little story belongs in the heart-shaped box sitting in the second drawer of my desk, along with a gold watch, an antique fishing lure, a flask of Glenmorangie, and my future book. But the box didn’t start in the drawer. After I finished the chocolates, I stuck it on the shelf in my shop along with tins and canisters for stray nails and screws, below a battered trusty toolbox and above my drills. Good with my hands, I may not be a wordsmith, but I can chin wag about anything you want – where the eagles nest, and how to run a railyard, t...

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$250

Prize money

204

Contest entries

121

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 18, 2022 EST

Won by Stephanie Kaye 🏆

Title: Mythes

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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