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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

“Eveline” by Grisha K

Submitted to Contest #211

Before meeting Eveline at Cabin F, I had to make sure my roommate wouldn’t be around. “Can I get about… 2 hours alone in our cabin?” “Sure, why?” Well, I wasn’t going to mince words. He would figure it out anyway. “Eveline’s coming over. We want to be alone for a while.” The reaction in his face was what most would describe as a “sneer”. At the time, I thought he reacted out of moral judgment (being Catholic) or simple disgust at knowing what she and I would be doing on top of the shared mattresses we had grouped on the floor of our ...

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“Memory Lane” by Ruben Lüscher

Submitted to Contest #211

Memory Lane James gazed at the flames. His eyes wandered in and out of the fireplace, watching the logs giving off light and warmth before fading, turning into coal and ash. He knew it was melodramatic, but he couldn’t help thinking that, one day, he would be that pile of ash. The flames cast a warm light over the otherwise pitch-black room. The occasional crackling of the fire and the spark of warmth it sent off filled James with a sense of tranquillity he couldn’t get anywhere else these days. “Freaking winter,” he cursed und...

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“Destiny Delayed” by Marc Wilks

Submitted to Contest #211

This work contains mentions of slavery and violence associated with the practice. Two men jogged into the manor house to escape the raging storm. They had ridden their horses to near exhaustion, and both the men and their mounts were looking forward to being warm and dry. “Ronald, I have not seen a storm like this since we were on Jamacia.” “I can agree with that, Adam. We never had so cold a rain there either.” Ronald Price slipped out of his soaked jacket and draped it over his arm. A butler took the jacket before Ronald was even...

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“In the Heart of Darkness” by Treva Sabin-White

Submitted to Contest #211

Against the creaking beams of this little wooden hovel, the snows of the mountains raged in their unconquerable might. It was the time when the sun had been blown by the winter winds and only an eternal night remained in its place. It proved a cruel place to live in, unrelenting to even the most adapted denizens. The rivers and lakes would freeze, it was nearly impossible to see for the darkness, and the cold bit through a body with greater force than the most ferocious predator. Klaus had to fish though, so he fished. He knew the short tra...

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“A Matter of Honour” by Brian Macfarland

Submitted to Contest #211

He threw the cup into the fireplace and before it hit the coals he had turned again to continue his pacing, unmindful of the sudden flare of brandy in the flickering flames. “Damn the man,” he repeated. “You say he was not at the meeting place as arranged. How long did you wait?” he snapped at the figure standing petrified before him in the gloomy study, looking to all the world as if he would rather be seated before his trembling knees gave way beneath him. “A very long time, Your Grace. I could wait no longer as the fog was getting thi...

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“ Snowed In !” by Bob Long Jr

Submitted to Contest #211

"Well, its best I get off to bed". "Me too, I am absolutely bushed". Aunt Jean and her sister, Alice, were ages 50 and 52, respectively, and though capable of holding their own in an extended conversation, were exhausted and simply unable to carry on into, as Sinatra would croon, the wee small hours of the morning. The logs that had been comfortably burning in the stone fireplace had been diminished to just a few deep red embers. The freshly pressed apple cider warming in the crockpot with cinnamon sticks was just about gone. It h...

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“A Nighttime Story ” by Hannah S

Submitted to Contest #211

The days grew colder quickly in a small town called Little River. It snugly fits right next to beautiful flower fields and hills and Boston, Massachusetts. Sometimes during the winter, the snow would fall in the meadows, and a beautiful orange-pink sunset would cast its warmth all over the town. It is truly a sight to see. But this story does not take place in the meadows, but rather in a house all decorated for Christmas in the middle of a friendly suburban neighborhood. In this house lives a little brunette girl named Stella, her p...

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“From Red to Violet” by Jenna Itson

Submitted to Contest #211

Sultry ash collected beneath the burning firewood too quickly for Violet’s taste. The stoker she held was not yet familiar with the pressure of her calloused hand, the imprint of her mother’s fingerprints lingering on the metal. Almost as if she were there after all these years, tending to the hearth. Violet poked at the wood, and the flames burst into flickering violence. Light pooled in obscure shapes amongst the ancient stone walls, shining on the thick wool curtains tied up to display the dark wooded forest upholding residence out...

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“Odyssey of the Heart” by Amanda McFarland

Submitted to Contest #211

The crackling of logs in the fireplace cast a warm glow across the cozy living room of a cottage nestled at the edge of the small coastal town of NeverNeverLand. The flames danced in a mesmerizing rhythm, casting flickering shadows on the walls. It was here that a love story, spanning an incredible thirty-six years, began to unfold - a tale of passion and heartache, secrets and revelations. In a quaint cottage lived an elderly gentleman named Barak, a man whose age belied the mysteries that clung to him like the fragrance of old books. His...

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“Two Rows Past Tolstoy” by Kathleen Thomas

Submitted to Contest #211

Buy box of Earl Grey, Marissa scrawled on a Post-It, pressing the pastel pink square to the bottom edge of her desktop.She was down to her last two tea bags, and to run out of tea in the library was surely a cardinal sin. Not for the first time, she wished that they were allowed candles at their desks, even very little ones. She did not have Miss Irene's debilitating blend of anxiety and reverence that prohibited fire, open beverages, or so much as a granola bar within three hundred feet of the stacks. The supervisor often eyed even Marissa'...

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“Blind” by Shruthi Sri

Submitted to Contest #211

Nadia was irritated. Her temper was always close to its boiling point these days; any minor hitch was enough to set her off. Today was no exception. She grumbled to herself as she blindly groped along the surface of her dresser, hoping to make contact with her glasses. Where had they gone? She racked her brain, trying to remember. She had removed her glasses just a minute ago, placing them carelessly on the dresser, turning, and leaning back against the wood in exhaustion. Nadia recalled rubbing her eyes and taking several deep breaths befo...

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“Lay of the Land” by Luke Mcmenamin

Submitted to Contest #211

MARGARET HIGGINS, In Seventy-three years, only finds one thing about her life in order; her front garden. The horticultural anomaly in her otherwise grey and drab estate. It stands as anedifice to her time in Ireland, which was all her time. She thinks of it as her beautifulIrish garden. Others have to look at her unmatched gardening skill with deference, and wonder at the masterful person responsible for it. On the corner of a pale-grey Tjunction, bending around its oval turn, her garden plateaus out like the midland planes. Hugging the bac...

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“Sweetest revenge ” by Cait Hawes

Submitted to Contest #211

Another chilly day rolled into town, the fairies stayed curled up in their flower homes, smoke rising slowly from the mountaintops where the dragons kept their caverns warm. Lillies favorite thing to do each day was spend as long as she could staring out the window watching all the creatures and people on the street get cozy. She looked forward to one particular couple the most, they were sweet and old and incredibly in love. It warmed Lillies heart more than a dragon fire could. Each day the two would walk together hand in hand until they...

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“Going, Going, Gone.” by Bryan Johnson

Submitted to Contest #211

[Content Warning: This story contains physical violence, drug reference, brief sexual reference, and strong language throughout.] Sometimes, it's terrific to get your ass beat. Especially when it comes warranted from your past actions. Someone once said that every action done has a positive or negative reaction. In this case, the response was quite adverse. All things considered, I lay half-lucidly on the hot pavement, blood seeping from my mouth. Bruises and cuts peppered my face like seasoning on a prime cut of meat. The cheers and jee...

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“Her helpful Friend” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #211

Warning; mention of domestic violence."Katie! No one wants to hear all that. No one cares about the past. Get a grip. It's up to you to make a decision. You alone. Who cares what others say. You can't let yourself go to pieces over what they think. And there is little point in telling me. I can't advise you what to do."Katie has a wonderful friend, Lynley, who has guided her through many crises. Her advice has always been sound, though sometimes given in such a manner that some others may conclude she won't tolerate fools. This included the ...

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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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