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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 Real Head Turner ” by Georgia Blair

Submitted to Contest #211

At 82, Miss Callie Sue Alderwhite saw no value in wasting time to make up her mind; if she was going to do it, she needed to get on with it. Still, she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. The years had faded her once glowing skin to the brittle texture of fine old notepaper, like the last few sheets in the stationery box she kept on her nightstand. The pink peony-patterned box was her hiding place for a few special treasures: some beauty creams and cosmetics, a whisky flask, and the gold bangle brace...

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“"Help Wanted"” by Patricia Childs

Submitted to Contest #211

Other than the aides and the occasional insurance representative, Mr Lucy, the occupant of room #042, had no visitors. No one ever saw him at mealtimes. He didn’t seem to eat at all. He received no mail, flowers, or balloons. He didn’t hang a wreath on his door during the holidays or a heart on Valentine’s or even a flag in July. His door was devoid of dents, nicks, tape residue, or any kind of imperfection. The doorframe always gleamed as if freshly painted, which it wasn’t because nothing in Briarwood Assisted Living and Nursing C...

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“By Your Side” by Maggie Holman

Submitted to Contest #211

Just before Michael had arrived at his Gran’s for his usual summer holiday, his Mum had told him that Gran had a lodger and that he was to be very polite to her. Michael had never met a ‘lodger’ before and he was intrigued. “Would you take Kath’s tea tray for me?” said Dora, just after he arrived, “and be careful on the stairs.”“OK,” said Michael, jumping at the chance to meet the mysterious lady.He picked up the small tray. It wasn’t particularly heavy, but everything on it – the lace doily, the china cup and saucer, the engraved silve...

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“Black Christmas” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #211

The day Brianne encountered the strange, handsome man would have been as boring as Christmas in July. Griffith Bros. had forced the storefronts across the street out of business, and then bought up all their merchandise for a fraction of its value, so now there was a rush of people bigger than Black Friday buying up everything on the shelves. Come to think of it, there were more black trench coats and black scarves and black hats than anything else and it wasn’t even December, doing the Griffiths the favor of clearing the space for them as p...

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“The Librarian” by Shanda Kersten

Submitted to Contest #211

The man had just quietly disappeared. He left behind the bookmark to end all bookmarks. Adam, the librarian, couldn’t find that at the moment either. It just wasn’t in the book he was fairly certain he was reading. When you have five or six going at once, it’s hard to keep track of what mood you were in last, am I right? He thought he was reading a book of Robert Frost poetry, but the marker was not there. This is the problem with working in a library. It is entirely possible that he had laid it down on a side table during a slow moment, the...

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“The Unicorn in the Library” by Angela Grout

Submitted to Contest #211

The woman standing at the counter reminded me of Jessica, approximately the same age, with the same curly hair. I had known Jessica when she visited the library during her high school years. Editor of the school magazine and an avid researcher. This woman wasn’t Jessica but she was requesting something Jessica wrote and since I was working at the circulation counter, it became my request to fulfill. It’s really unbelievable that I’m searching for Jessica’s articles in the alcoves of the library. The magazine had only existed for the las...

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“A Knitworthy Noel ” by Malina Hubler

Submitted to Contest #211

For once, Holly wasn't looking for a misplaced book in her closet."Hurry up, I already promised Kenzie we'd see the tree lighting. Grab your sweater, let's go", her brother Sean yelled from the kitchen.The exact sweater she was looking for wasn't in her pile of handmade sweaters or in her dresser. Yes, she was a librarian, knitter and had a cat. Don't all line up at once boys!It was the very holiday sweater she'd made for her fiancé she wanted. The one she'd spent countless hours and months, hundred plus dollars on. Fine weight yarn in four ...

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“Silence, Please” by Amanda Ellison

Submitted to Contest #211

Well, that had not gone to plan. A private detective – one she could afford on her pension and part-time librarian’s pittance – had been her last resort. Her manuscript was now gone forever. Lost. Correction: stolen. She was sure of it. Probably in the clutches of one of those bitter wretches at the writing group. So to hear the smug “Sorry, madam, that’s not the kind of work we take on here” (accompanied by a nasty little smirk) made Hilda want to gouge the investigator’s eyes out, so frustrated was she. As if sensing her wintry mood...

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“Ille Liber de Perdita Praedictas” by Gregg Punger

Submitted to Contest #211

“I know it’s here somewhere,” said Linda the Librarian, and yes, she is aware that is an example of alliteration, which if you are under thirteen, she will find very impressive, but if you are over thirteen, she would really prefer if you’d just keep your trap shut. Anyways, Linda continued hurrying through the castle library’s long, dark, and frankly musty rows filled with a voluminous number of ancient texts until young Princess Alice who had been following close behind her this entire time asked, “Are you sure there was a children’s secti...

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“The Hidden Recipe for Eternal Life” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #211

“I know it is here somewhere,” the librarian called out from the top of the wooden ladder. “No one has requested this book for as long as I have worked here. But it’s in our database so I know it must be here somewhere. We are quite good about keeping meticulous records. Efficiency is key when you have this many books in a library before computers. Found it!” The librarian retreated from the top of the ladder with care and grace. She then held out a blue hardcover book covered in dust and handed it to Da...

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“The Library and the Beasts” by Travis Gibson

Submitted to Contest #211

Laura's trembling fingers caressed the ancient leather-bound book of spells. She opened the heavy tome as dust particles snowed in a small town library tucked against the eastern edge of a northeastern state. A feeling of destiny raced through her veins. Laura loved her library, a place of dreams and secrets. But now the town was under siege from mysterious creatures. She felt a strange sense of security here, as if some unknown force was protecting them. A few townspeople had found refuge in the library. Would the books provide an answer to...

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“Book Bind Library” by Leland Mesford

Submitted to Contest #211

Books towered above Ms. Pratipity on the shelves of the cozy aisle where she stood looking down at a little scrap of paper in her hand. The phrase, "Good luck," was followed by a little snicker, which caught and spread to the others. "Yeah, good luck," was repeated from someplace behind Ms. Pratipity's knees. "Yeah, good luck," was repeated again. This time from a spot in front of her, to her right. Ms. Pratipity stepped to her right and put her hands on her sides, above her hips. "Now, who said that?", she asked. Then she stared...

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“The Librarian’s Search” by Louise Rebecca

Submitted to Contest #211

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. One by one another book hit the floor. “Oh where is it?” Fiona muttered angrily to herself. A very unsteady pile grew next to her as she clumsily pulled books from the shelves, her hair falling across her face as sweat trickled down her brow. Outside, rain beat hard on the windows, and flickering candle light illuminated each pane in a warm, orange hue. It was dusk, and Fiona had closed the library and locked the heavy oak front doors, but the day's work was far from over. The library was old, with stone, whit...

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“Lefty Loosey ” by Sean McDonnell

Submitted to Contest #211

In the wee small hours of the morning, before much of the world sleepily muddles about looking for pancake syrup, Collin Tuttle can be found lacing up his walking shoes. For the last twenty-odd years, he’s walked the same route; he’s strode down the network of hidden pathways, as coastal folk share a propensity to travel by, then, over ‘The Bump’ (unnecessary local slang for hill), to a soon to be waking downtown.On Main Street, he’d wave to the baker through the window of Happy Glaze, often thinking about going in for a fritter or donut, bu...

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“Compromises” by Vladimir 4757

Submitted to Contest #211

Fiery red wings flutter agitated, the tips transition from a bright red to burning orange and ending in an effervescent yellow, patterned and striated like the hissing motions of fire. A feathery body of deep crimson red coming into the size of an eagle. An s-shaped neck like a flamingo or goose, and a series of long flowing tail feathers colored reminiscent of the wing patterns. They were longer than the body, and despite this, he flew gracefully. He was a majestic creature, a Phoenix, and last of his kind. And in hi...

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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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