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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

“Warming Up: A Christmas Story” by Kay Smith

Submitted to Contest #211

TAP, smack, smack! TAP, smack, smack! TAP, smack, smack! I make my way from the bottom of the wide staircase to the living room. The room is dark except for the soft, orange hue from the dying embers in the fireplace. Taking my time, I carefully navigate across the thick, multi-color, braided rug on the floor. At the fireplace, I lean my cane against the hearth and grab the two of the remaining logs, and feed them, one after the other to the fireplace. I stoop to grab some old newspaper that I crumple up and tuck here and there between ...

5 comments 5
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“Mother Fox” by Caite Elia

Submitted to Contest #211

Amidst the tapestry of the forest, the fox's amber-flecked eyes caught the girl mesmerizingly. Tufted, alert ears seemed to hold secrets of ancient bonds, unspoken companionship woven in the very threads of nature itself.  At least, that was how she felt in dreams where the fox visited. Within daylight hours, her hand sought her pendant concealed beneath layers of shawl, shift, and kirtle. Could it be? No, just wishful thinking.  In wakefulness, traversing these woodlands, she sensed that unblinking eyes were there, inside the ...

2 comments 2
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“A Friend in the Dark” by Paul McDermott

Submitted to Contest #211

A Friend in the Dark When all was said and done, he couldn’t blame her for walking out on him. . After three months the pain was starting to ease, but that didn’t make the loneliness any easier to bear. He had no appetite, evidenced by half-finished remnants of meals bought from several fast food outlets within walking distance, all abandoned as the food turned to ashes. He thought most of the people still living in the area either couldn’t cook, or wouldn’t: what else would explain the high ratio of chippies-to-households on a council e...

2 comments 2
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“Dandelion ” by Veronica Ruiz

Submitted to Contest #211

The timing was uncertain. An elderly librarian was currently scouring the library, trying to find a certain book. “Ah, here it is.” The librarian grabbed the short book, marveling at its cover before flipping its pages. There a familiar name greeted their eyes, and a smile of recognition graced their lips.The old librarian smiled and took a seat. The library was quiet, perfect for the librarian to read the book. Adjusting their glasses, they began to read the story. “Life is the only gift that most people don’t appreciate. When things go w...

0 comments 0
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“Brain Vs Brain” by Shawn Leader

Submitted to Contest #211

6:48. Time to turn off the car and head into work. My hand doesn’t move. My hand and body in general always wait for a confirmation from both sides of the brain (the good side and the bad side) before any action is taken. The body wants 3 things to be full, warm and relaxed like we were an hour ago before that idiot alarm ruined our lives again! Bad Brain says we can put it drive, be back in bed in minutes and forget all about work today. Heck, we already had breakfast two more steps and we’re golden, my darlings. We need go in, we need mone...

2 comments 2
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“In the eyes of Mingxia and Chun Hua, nature's beauty shines bright” by EJEMEN OKODUWA

Submitted to Contest #211

Chapter 1 Once upon a time, there was a village in the middle of a bamboo forest in China. This village was named after the Great Wall of China which gave it, the name Jingzhu. The reason for this name is that the Great Wall of China was built over many cities that had bamboo forests. This bamboo forest got a nickname called the red panda forest this was because this forest was once inhabited by billions of red pandas but China was now developing and&nbsp...

11 comments 11
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“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Wendy M

Submitted to Contest #211

           Bonnie swung the car around the hairpin bends with their views across the Carpathian mountains. She hadn't told Lulu about the car that went over the edge two weeks before but the remains were still there, wheels uppermost, and Lulu shrieked when she saw the taped-off area. The Transfagarasan highway had claimed another victim.       "The lake at the top is stunning, darling, worth the ride I promise."      ...

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“Nighttime in Newsome” by Diane Tolley

Submitted to Contest #211

The town of Newsome, Saskatchewan has a secret.Has had for a very long time. Forty years or so.Umm…I guess it isn’t much of a secret if everyone knows.And they do. Everyone living in the town that is.Maybe I should get to the point…People in our town have been disappearing. Not in huge numbers. And not all at once. But here and there.One.Then, a few months later, another.And all out of our town jail.I am not making this up. Several of the people thrown in said jail for crimes ranging from misdemeanors to the more serious violent attacks, hav...

4 comments 4
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“Annual Old-Fangled Board Game Night” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #211

The invitation landed on Hannah's formal dining room table with a ring of a bell, a puff of smoke, and a scattering of gold confetti.Win or loseYou can't refuseLose or winIt's time againAnnual Old-Fangled Board Game Night2023 Middlewoods WayMidnightRefreshments providedBring your own potions!Hannah chuckled to herself as she wiped up the confetti. Maudie was so creative. It was hard to believe a year had passed since the last time they played. She and Amos, her late husband, had attended the gathering together the previous year. There had be...

6 comments 6
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“Under the Willow Tree” by Courtney Caruso

Submitted to Contest #211

In a land where magic and wonder intertwined, there lived a little boy named Remy. Remy was known throughout the village for his insatiable curiosity and boundless imagination. He had a heart that beat with the rhythm of adventure, and his eyes sparkled with the promise of discovery. One day, as Remy wandered through the dense and mystical Enchanted Forest, he stumbled upon a whispering willow tree. This tree, unlike any other, had leaves that shimmered like silver and branches that seemed to sway in time with a secret melody. But the most...

7 comments 7
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“Love's Magic” by Anthony Carello

Submitted to Contest #211

         When Erika Simons stepped into her job at the library nestled in her small town, an idea sparked in her mind like the flicker of an old, forgotten tale. As a child, her grandmother's captivating stories had woven a tapestry of girls infatuated with princes far beyond their social status. These stories, though timeless, held an air of whimsical impossibility. The notion that nothing these girls did could capture the prince's attention, until the moment they chanced upon a hidden love spell...

3 comments 3
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“RESIDENT EVIL” by Rae Toonery

Submitted to Contest #211

Resident Evil “Have you seen this?” Marie asked, sticking her copy of The Boonhill Village Voice under Sally’s nose. The pair of them were sitting at the little Formica table of the Rose Garden Care Home staff kitchen on their break. Sally put aside her Bumper Puzzle Compendium and adjusted her specs. “CARE HOME RESIDENT ARRESTED,” she read. “Ere – isn’t that old what’s-his-face?” She clicked her fingers, trying to jog her memory. She had all on recalling the names of all her children, nieces, and nephews these days. As far as the residents ...

4 comments 4
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“Estelle’s Book Club ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #211

Estelle Anderson tore through every drawer in her desk, desperately searching for her notes. In 15 minutes, she was due to lead a book club discussion for parents of young children. They had all read a book that explained how children were designed to learn through play. This was the first meeting of the book club, and as the newest librarian at the Mercyville Public Library, she’d had to fight hard to convince her coworkers that the book club was needed. She couldn’t let it fall apart before it even had a chance to really begin.Estelle rumm...

6 comments 6
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“Cupid’s Arrow” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #211

I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen,of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been;Of yellow leaves and gossamer in autumns that there were,with morning mist and silver sun and wind upon my hair.I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will bewhen winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see.-- J.R.R. TolkienThis Maide was sole ador'd, Venus displeas'd,Might in this Virgin onely be appeas'd:The people in the street to her would bow,And as she past along, would Garlands strow.Venus at this conce...

7 comments 7
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“Rilestone: A Day with Kit” by Steffen Lettau

Submitted to Contest #211

He peeked around the corners of his bed. No one. He peeked around the corners of the closet. No one. He peeked around the entire room before peeking outside the door. No one. Where was Kit? Rilestone was a bit worried. He had sworn to his dad that he would not let Kit out of his sight, specifically anywhere around the house. They kept a regulated pen next to them, opposite of the greenhouse, where all manner of fowl from chickens and geese to ducks and even a couple pheasants wandered about, eating and laying eggs. That was th...

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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