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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#211: Cozy Corner

You’ve probably noticed that cozy fiction has been on the rise for several years, and even more so post-pandemic. Cozy mysteries about grandparent sleuths, pets, food, bookshops, and villages have flourished, allowing people to dabble in suspense while still maintaining a sense of warmth, familiarity, and comfort. The same is beginning to happen in the fantasy genre (think of Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes, about an orc opening a coffee shop), so it’s clear that the appeal of wholesome, comforting fiction exceeds the mystery genre.

With that in mind, let’s get comfy — as much as summertime allows! Put on your imaginary cardigans and let’s see what this week’s homely prompts will yield.

This week's prompts

Write a story starring an octogenarian who’s more than meets the eye.

Fiction – 67 stories

Begin your story with a librarian searching for something.

Fiction – 70 stories

Write a story involving a friendship with an adorable animal.

Fluff – 50 stories

Set or begin your story in a room lit by the flickering flames of the fireplace.

Fiction – 70 stories

End your story with two characters reconciling.

Adults – 47 stories

Stories

“A Book, A Movie, and Snacks” by Amanda Cedeno

Submitted to Contest #211

I, Mrs. F., was getting ready to read one of my new books titled The Fox’s Adventure. There was a fire in the fireplace, my favorite rocking chair with a blue quilted throw blanket, an end table with a lamp, a cup of hot cocoa and two chocolate chip cookies on a plate, a blue, flowery throw rug, and Mr. F.’s recliner chair was to the right of mine. Mr. F. was at the newest zombie movie with Mr. E. Once there was a fox named Ember. She lived a nice quiet life, but on...

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“Flames Secrets” by Christina SOule

Submitted to Contest #211

The experience that I was having wasn't like any other. You read these fantasies in the books or watch them on tv but never in real life especially when he is your next-door neighbor. This all started with him out in the yard when I had moved in two months ago. Watching him from a far was like watching something from tv. The way that Michael could lift up the wood on his broad shoulders and throw it. Oh, that made my heartbeat even faster. I was sitting on the porch, reading the other day when Michael had come up to introduce himself. Farmer...

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“farewell” by Mirta Haramina

Submitted to Contest #211

Is this a small fragment in time, or a whole infinity in just one tiny fragment of time, or are these moments insubordinate to time?I need time to be aggressively deprived of its freedom to be anything it wishes or lasting as much as. I need it in heavy chains. Whome can I punish, and how, for this slimy feeling - but time?Those wood crackling sounds coming from the ugliest fireplace, hanging from a ceiling, in the middle of this huge, empty space, made a dissonant wind in my mind. As if the whole composition of this whole image was spiced b...

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“This Isn't a Ghost Story” by Jennings Brian

Submitted to Contest #211

Terry didn't really believe in ghosts. He never had. He couldn't understand why anyone dead would want to come back to this place. If there was life after death, it had to be better than this. He sat in the small common room of the inn he was staying at. The night was dark and cloudy, and rain pelted the roof of the inn, creating a soothing pattering. Although nature seemed to be decidedly miserable, the inn was rather pleasant. A warm fire danced in the sizable stone hearth, and all of the road weary travelers were talking and la...

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“The Bill of Sale” by Ed Wooten

Submitted to Contest #211

The Bill of Sale Ed Wooten The flickering flames of the fireplace created dancing shadows around the room. Sarah placed another log on the grate and watched as the small flames struggled to ignite it. She returned to the table, sipped her coffee, and prepared to reread the letter from her sons, Ned and Tom. Sheriff Bart Johnson had delivered the letter to her earlier today. Since her husband’s death, Sher...

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“Gramps” by Janis Cannon-Bowers

Submitted to Contest #211

Nine-year-old Audra Johnson--who had a flair for the dramatic--was wadding up pieces of composition paper as loudly as she could and flinging them into the fire with an audible groan-like sign. Her grandfather, Tom—who couldn’t help but notice this since she had to walk by his chair to reach the fireplace—decided to finally take the bait. “What seems to be the problem? Auddie,” he said over the top of the magazine he was reading. “I have to write a dumb, stupid, jerky story for Mrs. Marsden’s class,” she whined. “So what’s the pro...

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“One for Sorrow” by Rose Bower

Submitted to Contest #211

One for sorrowTwo for mirthThree for a deathFour for a birthFive for silverSix for goldSeven for a secret that should never be toldCrackling flames licked at the tinder and branches of the oak tree outside. A single crow peered through the window, illuminated by the firelight. Alice wondered if he was warming himself away from the cool, harsh breeze. A single tear slipped down her cheek, it was one of those days. She turned to the next page of Pride and Prejudice and started reading again. When she reached the bottom of the page, Alice reali...

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“Evan Was There” by Kai Mukoku

Submitted to Contest #211

The fireplace was the only source of light in the dark living room with a wooden floor and wooden walls. Past the olive green sofa, past the round coffee table, past the mahogany-colored carpet. Eighteen-year-old Blake was sitting in front of the bright, flickering flames, wearing a blanket over his shoulders to keep himself warm from the cold of winter. He stared at the fire’s dance with blank, soulless eyes, his knees tucked close to his chest. His chestnut brown hair had grown long enough to reach his shoulders, and his red turtleneck swe...

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“FIREPLACE MYSTERY:THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ANNALEE AND ANNABELLA” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #211

The fireplace is blazing, the flames are lighting the entire room, a nice time and place to tell you about a mystery that has encompass a town called Glacier Bay. The disappearance of twin sisters Annalee and Annabella has ripped the town apart and fueled rumors that has gone on for years. Glacier Bay, a town filled with the most beautiful mountains, the most beautiful snow-filled forest and the most beautiful town. A dream for all those that live in Glacier Bay. But the beautiful town has a dark past something we don't ever want to talk a...

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“It's Never Too Dark” by Alynn Roze

Submitted to Contest #211

The fire dances before her, enriching the air with warmth and light. She sits snuggled in her plush Calvin Klein robe, feet covered in wool socks and tucked on the brown fabric sofa. She holds in her hands a fiction chapter book, one she has read well over 10 times and knows every dialogue of, yet still excites her as much as it did the first time. Her eyes flow through line after line, her mind seamlessly drowning out the sound of the rain pattering heavily outside as visions of a fantasy world swirl around her. Her nose betrays her mind an...

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“The Bar” by H.e. Ross

Submitted to Contest #211

The Bar It was the kind of rain that people ran through to avoid. Hard drops of cold wet that went through street clothes and what is called rainwear. The worst thing about the cold breezy rain was the darkness of night. There is nothing worse, in the normal course of life, that nature gives us then a cold, windy rainy nightÖ unless you were in front of a fireplace looking over at a window at what you do not have to be inÖ then, there are fewer pleasures greater. The sailor sat at a fireplace on a wooden backed bench with his legs st...

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“The anatomy of my fire” by Matt Allen

Submitted to Contest #211

As I stared into the fireplace of my humble home, the embers of the roaring fire and the flickering flames that disappeared into the chimney told the tale of life. Once young and glowing red, burning bright, now old, gliding into the chimney never to be seen again. The fuel burned out, the ash black and used. As I sit pontificating the symbolism of my fire, I take a drag of my last cigarette blowing out fumes. Like the ashes of a fire I survey, I am burned out. I’m out of fuel. I’m an old man read...

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“velvet nights” by Benedetta Caprino

Submitted to Contest #211

excitement curdles in her blood,goes down into her veins and nerves, and pricks her skin until she can feel alive,until the pale hair of her arms stand tall.She nearly welcomes it. After so much defeat and numbness,after all, she has passed. The feeling of knowing she can still feel happiness and serenity reassures her in ways she doesn’t know.Her father has smiled at her—that abundant, irritating, and full of wine smile—and asked (it was not just demanding; of course he was commanding her)."Will you watch over him, Diana?"and there was no p...

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“Unexpected Guest” by Fiachra Reilly

Submitted to Contest #211

Bill had drifted off to sleep by the fire. His chin rested on his chest and his arms were hanging by the sides of the recliner. It was late at night and the warmth of the flames and the sound of heavy rain hitting his roof functioned as a sweet lullaby. Suddenly, he sat up in his seat. Awoken by loud banging on his door. It was a cold November night and with the heavy downpour nobody would be venturing this far into the woods. Bill lived alone. The only time he would interact with anyone was when he would go into town for supplies or meet s...

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“A Picture's Worth a Thousand Feelings” by Audrey Lewis

Submitted to Contest #211

I ran my fingers over the worn leather of the photo album laying at my bare feet. In my parent’s dark living room, the fire gave the auburn cover’s edges a vignetted glow that mirrored the burning feeling in my chest. Moments passed and I still sat there fumbling the corner of it as the flames widely crackled and popped beside me. I wanted to open it but I knew if I did, I would be releasing the truth and confirming the weight of its reality. It felt surreal to feel this way now after seemingly so much time had passed. Six months ago, I ...

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$250

Prize money

304

Contest entries

107

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 18, 2023 EST

Won by Kenz Ross 🏆

Title: Do Flamethrowers Belong In The Library?

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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