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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

“Frazz” by Cliff Pratt

Submitted to Contest #211

The Dwarf turned and looked behind him. Nothing. Just a bare hillside. “Ugh! Dammit! I thought that they were following me. Apparently not. Apparently I have to do it all by myself,” he grumbled. He turned and strode down the hill. A bird took off from almost under his feet, chirping its alarm call. “Now where is that damn Dragon?” He hefted his axe in his hand. There wasn’t much cover for a Dragon, he thought, as he looked around. A few boulders poked through the tussocky grasslands, but there were no caves or canyons that a large and...

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“Fluffy's Home” by Teresa Brown

Submitted to Contest #211

On the way to school, Bobby was slowly walking on the side of the dirt road and heard an unusual sound coming from the ditch. He stopped, just for a moment, to be sure he was not imagining the sound. It got quiet and so he kept on walking. He had fun in school that day but his mind was on that noise he heard earlier in the day. The bell rang, he said goodbye to his friends and started the trek back home. Bobby started walking slowly when he got near the spot where he heard the noise before and decided to try and find out what was making it. ...

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“Lucy’s pony adventures - where it all began.” by Lisa Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #211

It was Saturday, it was summertime, and Lucy was so excited she was getting ready for her first-ever riding lesson at the local stables. It was Lucy’s 7th birthday and her Mum and Dad had bought her a new riding outfit, cream jodhpurs, black jodphur boots and a lovely silk hat cover with lots of unicorns on it; Lucy loved unicorns. She loved anything horsey. Driving to the stables with her Dad Lucy had a funny feeling in her tummy, her Dad said it was called butterflies. Lucy wondered how butterflies had got...

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“The adventures of Nemo, the plush fish” by Dao Huy Kien

Submitted to Contest #211

Nemo was a plush fish with the same figure of the young clownfish in Disney’s cartoon “Finding Nemo”. He was born among other cotton animals in a workshop in Saigon. After only one day staying in the workshop, he was moved to a truck to go to the seaport, where they put his box in a container. After being filled with boxes, the container was loaded on board. Nemo asked other cotton animals where they were and where they were going but no one knew. Nemo only felt a strange taste: the salty taste of the sea. Nevertheless, he didn’t know what t...

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“Embracing The Vast Unknown” by Frisk Quiroz

Submitted to Contest #211

Aurelia woke up from her slumber, greeted by a pair of familiar brown eyes, just like she would on any other morning. The pair of brown eyes were Cinnamon’s, her pet fox. She giggled as the little fox stood on top of her chest, sniffing her face. - “Good morning, Cinnamon.” She said in a sweet voice, as she nuzzled against the fluffy little fox. Cinnamon responded with a little whimper and nuzzled her back before jumping off the bed to let Aurelia get started with her day. She didn’t have much to do really, though that was completely normal....

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“My furry best friend” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #211

It was Christmas morning, my girlfriend Sandy and I were spooning and in a deep sleep. We spent Christmas eve at her house. A very noisy ruckus disturbed my bliss. I sat bold upright and for a few seconds was totally disoriented. What was that large doll doing on the chair across from my bed? Since when was my room painted pink? My girlfriend’s hug and kiss reoriented me but what was that horrendous noise? It sounded like someone was dying or being murdered. “It’s my cats and dog. It sounds like it’s coming from the garage. They must h...

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“Worried dog” by Hannah Abrams

Submitted to Contest #211

Jamie let out a cough, and the dog that hadn't left his side all day looked up and tilted his head to the side, then gave him a kiss. Jamie chuckled and coughed. He buried his face in the dog's fur and wiped his runny nose. He'd been doing that all day. Man, when he got over this, he'd need to give Spot a bath. Jamie felt so achy and tired. He was so sick. His friends were at school, his dad was at work, his step-mom was doing whatever it was that she did, and his dog was right besi...

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“Basil, a dog who saved a life. ” by Deliliah Smith

Submitted to Contest #211

This story contains issues surrounding mental health (depression) and suicidal actions. Amelie and Basils relationship didn’t get off to the greatest start. Effectively, he had been dumped on her doorstep when her best friend Natalie and her husband had decided to go to Thailand to be teachers. Basil appeared with the promise of “He will make you feel better, he’s good company, no trouble at all.” She remembered to keep him fed and watered, she didn’t walk him. Understandably he grew bored, anyone knew dogs needed to be walked at least ...

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“Genes & T-Shirts” by Barbara Nosek

Submitted to Contest #211

Genes and T-Shirts Barbara J Nosek Her looks are alluring, disarming, the textbook definition of adorable – and totally deceiving. This kitty is able to hide her true nature behind her ragdoll mother’s contribution, china blue eyes in a perfect cool gray triangle with matching soft plump paws and showpiece tail, surrounding a fluffy cloud of snow white fur. But of course that's only half the gene story, and as experience proved, not the dominant half. Nope. That’s the province of her daddy, feral and full Bengal, a breed born in the 70s ...

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“The Midnight Wanderer” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #211

It was a cool July evening when Erinaceus europaeus finally accepted my offering. That’s their scientific name. The hedgehog. I learned it just in case he responded to it, but I still had to look it up again to remember how to spell it. I’m doing more of that since Horatio died. Not just with scientific words that you wouldn’t expect an 85-year-old retired seamstress to know anyway; but with simpler words like ‘fruitcake’, ‘newspaper’, ‘remorse’, and ‘lodger’. The difficulty with that last one struck when I was trying to place an ad for ...

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“The Heartbeat of Home: Nutmeg’s Tale” by Carol Boeth

Submitted to Contest #211

The early morning sun cast a warm golden hue over the quaint coastal town in Jamaica, heralding the dawn of yet another delightful day. While most of the town was still submerged in dreams, a certain backyard was already brimming with activity. Nutmeg, an effervescent ball of fur, greeted the day with infectious excitement. This was not merely a pet dog but a source of boundless joy and inspiration for her owner. As the first rays of sunlight washed over the garden, they highlighted the playful dance of a creature with an unparalleled zest...

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“Tiramisu, the cat, goes to Dallas” by Paul Holland

Submitted to Contest #211

It is 5:00 in the morning outside the Samuel Mather Building in Cleveland, Ohio. I am standing by a small black Ford Tempo, called Little Car. We are getting ready to head for Dallas, Texas. The adventure is going to begin. The Samuel Mather building houses my office and I am gathering a handful of items that I need to take with me to Dallas. My clothes, some important items, and personal effects are in the car but the car is small and does not carry as much as would be preferable. In part because, there on the front seat, in her carrier, is...

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“Guardians” by Stella Kaye

Submitted to Contest #211

They danced along the walls. Ballerinas pirouetting and dogs chasing their tails. They would get big then small, and never stopped dancing and chasing. Molly had a wild imagination as a child- and it didn’t stop just because she turned 16. She put another log on the fire. Sparks rose up and added spots on the shadows of the flames. Molly picked at her nails. She was stressed. Why wasn’t Billy home yet? He left at 6 o’clock for a dinner date and it was nearing midnight. Molly was embarrassed that she was worried, but he was her only sibling. ...

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“Best Mate” by Kathleen Thomas

Submitted to Contest #211

Farley stood in front of the fireplace, retying his cravat in the brassy looking glass that leaned haphazardly on the mantel. “Do we have any brandy, Fipps?” Fipps uncrossed his legs and stood from the armchair stuffed in the corner of the room, tucked between adjacent bookcases. “Farley, when do we not have brandy?” As he crossed to the silver plate that held the decanter and glasses, he conceded, “Well, I suppose when you drain an entire bottle on an exam night.” “Do I detect reproach, Fipps?” Farley gave the cravat a tug, brushing down ...

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“Ghost Writer in the Storm” by Raven West

Submitted to Contest #211

It was a dark and stormy night. Jessica thought sarcastically as her gold Chevy Malibu was being pelted by tirades of water from the angry gods. She clenched the wheel and tried desperately to keep the car from swerving off the muddy road. Moments before the storm hit, her editor had sent her to cover a human interest story on farmers protesting some new government regulations. He had conveniently omitted the part about the interview taking place in an uncivilized part of the country that had never heard of paved roads or streetlights. ...

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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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