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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

“Welcome Home” by Melody Hayes

Submitted to Contest #133

Surrounded by piles of old newspapers and trash, I ran the back of my arm across my sweaty forehead to keep flyaways from getting in my eyes. There hadn’t been much here worth saving, so I was mostly just stuffing everything my gloved hand touched into trash bags. I was attempting to push my foot forward through some empty cans when I lost my balance and ended up on my butt with an avalanche of useless objects falling on top of me. Disgusted, I started to dig my way out when something out of place caught my eye. Pausing in my effort, I reach...

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“Heartbreak Tastes Like Buttercream” by Melissa Maize

Submitted to Contest #133

Kate had spent the last half hour on WebMD trying to find a medical link between her loneliness and her sugar cravings. When she finally gave up, she was still sad and also fairly certain she had a rare form of tongue cancer. She decided to leave work early. It might convince her co-workers she was trying to rush home to someone special on Valentine’s Day, instead of a day-old Domino’s pizza. Outside, the weather was dark and miserable, and she felt like she was walking through an Avril Lavigne music video. Even though she awkwardly jog-...

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“Hungry For Love” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #133

Notes for American readers: I realise there are lots of references here to British chocolate (candy) bars which may not be familiar to American readers, so you might want to google Nestle Matchmakers to get an idea of what a Matchmaker looks like. (Maltesers have been on sale in the US since 2017.) A Feast is an iconic British ice cream on a stick and Tesco is a well-known and popular supermarket chain in the UK – similar to Costco. ‘Bake Off’ is known in the USA as ‘The Great British Baking Show’. The recipe for the cake Julie makes as a gi...

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“Cholate Cake” by Nikolle Mack

Submitted to Contest #133

It was supposed to have been easy. He had hours to do it, his boyfriend would go straight to the gym today after work and Laith himself had the day off. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. What was he making? A cake, a simple dark chocolate cake in a little heart pan, covered in deep red icing, simple pink piping on the edges and with the words ‘I love you’ in white on top. The first try, he’d somehow messed up the temperature and was left with a heart shaped lump of charcoal and a smoke filled apartment. The next, he forgo...

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“Nebula” by FJC Montenegro

Submitted to Contest #133

Becca has never eaten chocolate. I probably haven’t eaten a piece of chocolate myself since the Derailment — that’s what I call it. She was just a baby then, and we used to watch what she ate. We were responsible parents, we read books. But I guess no book would have prepared us for what would come next. I’m going up the deactivated escalator of Memorial Plaza Mall. This is like when Rita and I spent a snowy weekend in Paris. When we went back a couple of years later, in the summer, we didn’t recognize any of the streets without the thin — b...

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“Eleanor's Heart” by Amir Sher

Submitted to Contest #133

It was a cold and quiet autumn night in southern Ireland. The sky was surprisingly clear, but Colleen’s mind was racing, even faster than the rental Renault Clio she was driving. Just seventy-two hours ago, she was sitting in her dorms in Princeton, New Jersey, not imagining she had a great-uncle or any family for that matter. And now, three days after that weird phone call, she is the sole inheritor of Edward Crofton’s castle and properties in Irland. She had had a chance to see him for barely an hour before he passed away, as if he had bee...

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“Elementary Love” by Christina Dailey

Submitted to Contest #133

There it was. A dusty, old, heart shaped cardboard box waiting under her old bed, in her old bedroom. The woman stared at it confused but still reached out for the box. She picked it up and dusted it off before sitting on her knees. She examined the medium sized box to see if it gave away any hints of who it was from or why it was there. But there was nothing but dust and more dust. She scrunched up her face, starting to become beyond curious at what was inside this mystery box. Without a second thought she lifted the lid off and placed it t...

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“831 - 8 words, 3 words, 1 meaning ” by Chacha Jaramillo

Submitted to Contest #133

Cree’s birthday was approaching and Ada’s plan to surprise Cree needed to be kept top secret. Many mystical secret places known to both, there was a place they both wanted to visit. A paradise like never seen before, where stars bright show their beauty like diamonds reflected on the white steam the natural water scape forces the white mist provoked by the fierce water current of the river vigorously patting the black stones at the bottom of the fall. ⁉️ Black diamonds competing against the bright stars spread along the black sky...

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“Hope Floats” by Michelle Cook

Submitted to Contest #133

***Content warning: story includes child death.***22nd April 2051My daughter, Tereva,Journeys begin with the first fathom. But in which direction? And how fast?When I was a child, those questions were answered for me by adults battling to conquer a land reclaimed by water.We lived on an island until I was five. Then came the Great Flood of ’26. Just about everything we owned was lost. Most of it we soon forgot, but I mourned our cat Fermín for a long while. I still think of him sometimes, with his black nose and scratchy meow. We no longer h...

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“Chocolate Covered Hearts” by A T

Submitted to Contest #133

The sound of the front door slamming closed had Rebekah hastily stowing away the heavy bag in her hands. She would take the trash out later. Her roommate was not meant to be home yet! “Bekah?” A man’s voice called from the living room. “Where are you?” “In the kitchen!” As she waited for...

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“The Root of All Love” by G Santo

Submitted to Contest #133

The Philippines, 1879 My papa loved his town. He loved his family. He loved my mama. He loved me. I never doubted it—ever. He did not seem to love his own father. I never understood what made him so bitter and sour towards my Lolo, or why he never worked the fields with him like their ancestors before them. Papa would say that they were complete opposites. It was almost like he was allergic to my Lolo. Since he was 17 and moved out from Lolo’s house to live with my mama’s family, my papa took up many jobs around the village. &...

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“Search for a specific Brand of Chocolate ” by Professor Alan Dale Dickinson

Submitted to Contest #133

A SEARCH FOR HERSHEY CHOCOLATE’S BRAND Charlie Warner Kenney “Charlie” O’Brien, the world-famous PI (Private Eye), was hot on a mission. It was a life and death mission, as far as he was concerned, anyway. He was in search of the where abouts of the ‘Hershey Chocolates.’ It is one of the most delicious and taste tantalizing sweets, that can be found anywhere on this crazy old planet, with the exception of ‘Swiss Chocolates,’ made at various Candy Factories located in Switzerland. Most Chocolate lovers, would agree that you cannot b...

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“With You, Always” by Aisiri A

Submitted to Contest #133

With You, AlwaysThe corner shop with fading light green walls and an aluminum foil for the roof seemed old enough. As I cross the road, I draw my shoulder bag closer although it seemed to want to nest in my forearm. The lamp post light turned on as I stepped in front of the shop, putting me in the orange-ish spotlight. Is this a sign? I wonder. Maybe this is it.“Do you have Bittoo Toffees?”, I ask, not even trying to mask the desperation in my voice.“Huh?” says the man in a white vest and dark brown pants, without breaking the stare with the...

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“The Old Heart-Shaped Box” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #133

Patience is an obsessive neat nut.Today, her plan is to clean her ancient, dusty old closet in the attic of her Victorian house. She has neglected that closet for years and its against her better nature to leave even a dust bunny to survive her keen eye. The closet door creaks as she opens it. Being a neat nut, Patience is determined to take on this challenge and rid herself of needless junk. She arms herself with rubber gloves and a spray bottle and goes to battle with the attic closet.In an obscure corner of the closet, she notices a fade...

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“Secrets of the Heart” by E.M. Ansley

Submitted to Contest #133

Stupid Gabe, stupid dirty house, stupid unfair punishments. Kade kicks a loose nail in the worn floorboards. He should be out with Lana at the Valentine’s Day dance, but his dumb brother just had to start another argument. It’s not like Gabe ever gets in trouble for his part in them, either. Why does mom only ever believe him? Is it because he’s younger? Because his face has that round cherubic quality? Whatever the reason, the rest of his family is out to dinner and Kade is stuck at home cleaning out the disgusting attic like a loser. “U...

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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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