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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

“The Princess's Amulet” by Daniella Awani

Submitted to Contest #211

I can’t believe that I’m locked in a wrestling match with my computer's mouse, as I search desperately for a new job. The screen is frozen, refusing to let the silly little arrow budge, disallowing me to continue my miserable search in peace. The library I've poured my heart and soul into for the past decade is getting the boot, making room for yet another mall. You know, because the world definitely needs more places to buy discounted socks. Disgruntled, I push myself off the chair to pour myself a glass of wine. I look around my shoebo...

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“Nana” by Chuck Thompson

Submitted to Contest #211

It was the mewling that caught her ear. Outside the normal range of library vocals, it was haunting and slightly sad. It set her on a hunt. Connie woke this morning rested and with a sense of anticipation. It was a great way to start the day! Life and work became a tad stale lately and she questioned her purpose, her possibilities and all her decisions in life. It was a recurring theme for her. So many questions and virtually no answers. At least, no answers that satisfied her desire for meaning and tangible goal...

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“Lost Pages” by Buddy Calvo

Submitted to Contest #211

Jane Klee was on her knees desperately searching for a book that doesn’t want to be found. She’s been looking for nearly an hour now, pulling rows and rows of dusty hardbacks off the old wooden shelves in the small sorting room, looking for a one of a kind, handwritten, matte black, 1st edition but she’s having no luck locating it. She’s older, mid-sixties, thin, tall with stringy dyed brown hair, fair skin, and a bad back. Today Jane wore her light pink blouse and black skirt, tights and flat black shoes. Her clothes were worn and old ...

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“In a New Light” by S. A. McNaughton

Submitted to Contest #211

Content warnings: Death of a parent, adoption “And then you hit return and there you go,” Deirdre explained to Mrs Booker, clicking the mouse to complete a Google search for her most helpless library patron. “If you need any help figuring out which results are reliable, just wave me down,” she added. She had no doubt that Mrs Booker would be raising her hand soon for more assistance. Deirdre had been the head of reference in the small library branch for the past year, and Mrs Booker had been spending more and more time there as the months...

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“The Shelves are Watching” by Sarah Jeong

Submitted to Contest #211

Two eyes peered up at Sheila from the bookshelf. She knelt down to inspect them. The pair of plastic googly eyes were stuck onto the shelf about a millimeter apart - just like the others. She glanced at the cover of the book that had been hiding the pair: Caroline’s No Nightshade Kitchen: Arthritis Diet. The eyes started appearing two weeks ago, when she returned from her annual lake trip with her daughters. The lake tradition began four years ago when she and her husband got divorced. At the start of each summer, she got a blissful ...

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“The Glimmer by the Fire” by Roan Clay

Submitted to Contest #211

I rang the bell on the counter three times. Brisk feet sounded on an upper level, and the librarian came down the stairs, eyes on me like two indignant spotlights out of the gloom. She wore green trousers, high boots and a belted caftan, in the style of the lower city intelligentsia. She had taken her place behind the desk before I realized she was artificial.“Yes?”I smiled “Sorry to bother you, but I need all the information available on Hilford Gibbons. Since he was involved in so many things, it would take too long for me to cross-referen...

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“Feathered Lessons” by Karin Eriksson

Submitted to Contest #211

Miraculously, I did NOT become a hoarder. From what I understand by watching hours of compelling reality television, hoarding is a condition that can manifest after a trauma, often by losing someone through death. Having lost my husband 2 yrs., 10 weeks, and 5 days ago, thankfully, it's safe to say, I didn't choose that route. There are no piles of newspapers, clutter, or rotting garbage, making it challenging to navigate through the rooms of my home. Instead, I became, what I like to call, a "selective collector" to help me process th...

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“NEW FOUND FRIEND” by R. J. Garron

Submitted to Contest #211

The door blew wide open, the blast hole serrated and peeled. “Go! Go! Go!” he shouted. The infantry followed orders and slipped through the smoking orifice. They were pitched into the blinding darkness with the exception of a thin shaft of light from outside. The night blindness was no longer relevant when they switched to infrared in order to pick up any heat signatures, friend or foe, abounding in the zone of action. There had to have been at least a few survivors, but Keller was ordered by the general to find one ...

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“Filsuf” by Jack Webster

Submitted to Contest #211

“Oh my goodness, look at those statues!” Standing behind her I smirked to myself. Throughout our trip in Bali, it has been Alejandro’s favourite phrase to exclaim with each new statue we saw. She first uttered it on the taxi ride from the airport, in reference to a forty-foot statue that made the central island of a roundabout. The second time she said it, on that same ride, actually cheered me up enough to forget about the taxi-driver who gleefully bolstered our fare mid-trip. To defend her, these pair of statues deserved the praise. It w...

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“The Cabin ” by Misti Silvers

Submitted to Contest #211

Cindy and her best friend of twenty years, Amanda, had previously made plans to go camping. Cindy had recently experienced a bad breakup preceded by a bad relationship. Amanda thought it would be good to help her get over it. Sometime during last weekend they had made the decision to take a couple of weeks off work to go camping. They rented a cabin because Cindy was too high maintenance to sleep in a tent.They left that Friday night after work. Cindy and Amanda were so ready to begin their vacation they had been packed for days. Cindy picke...

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“Sweet Dreams ” by Moludan Moore

Submitted to Contest #211

We leaned into each other, so our foreheads touched. Then our noses, and you moved your head side to side, so they didn't just touch, but brushed against each other. I opened my eyes, to see how far away you still were– how much longer I’d have to wait– and, indeed, you hadn't come close enough to close the distance. So I said, sharing the breath you let out: You have to do it, though.Was it because of my nerves, or the temperature of the room, that I became flushed? Fodder burned in the fireplace, but the wood had yet to ignite. Nevertheles...

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“Side Character Syndrome” by Treasure Chisom-Nwosu

Submitted to Contest #211

“People just need to put themselves in my shoes more, you know?” Chase reached over and grabbed a handful from the bowl of peanut M&Ms on the coffee table in front of him, throwing them into his mouth.Watching him made my stomach rumble. I stifled a yawn. The dimness of the office did nothing to ease my growing fatigue. Glancing over at the electric fireplace, flames flickering at the end of the room, I wondered again why I’d indulged Chase when he’d insisted on turning off the ceiling lights for ‘ambience’ this session.“Why do you feel ...

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“Drifting Amongst Darkness” by Mohendra Shiwnarain

Submitted to Contest #211

The blizzard started to pick up outside, adding to the blankets of snow and ice that had fallen earlier. Diana sat by the fireplace, huddled under some blankets, and watched as the last remaining log burnt and flickered away with every passing howl of the storm. The fireplace casted a mesmerizing array of shadows across the cabin walls and offered some distraction from the snow outside. She had only intended to stay at the cabin for a few days but the sudden appearance of the blizzard made leaving impossible. She was not as spritely ...

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“The Cozy Room” by Glenna Agnew

Submitted to Contest #211

THE COZY ROOM The curtains were halfway drawn revealing an almost Christmas card photo of the great outdoors. The snow was deep and crisp and even and it was truly a winter wonderland. The pine trees were laden with a frosting of heavy white, their boughs bent under the weight of the snow. All that was lacking was the pitter-patter of eight tiny reindeer hooves on the roof and visions of sugarplums dancing in one's head to complete the scenario. Inside, the flickering fire in the fireplace turned the formal front parlour into a cozy d...

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“A Weekend of Poetry by the Fireplace” by Paul Felix

Submitted to Contest #211

In a room lit by the flickering flames of the fireplace, a reflection of the fire danced across her beautiful bright eyes, warming and caressing me from within. Anxious to recite the poems I'd chosen the week before for our getaway weekend in an ethereal setting overlooking Oak Street Beach in Chicago. As the fall sky's clear and picturesque body revealed the majestic memory of the night, a cool breeze whistled against the balcony door; Tamia asked if I could make the evening a little warmer, a glass of Mango Moscato perhaps? Of course...

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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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