Set your story in a magical bookshop.

Posted in Fluff on Dec 9, 2022

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✍️ 46 stories

“Girls at the End of the World” by Natasha Cangalovic

Submitted to Contest #176

They met in a bookshop. Djike could only describe the black-clothed girl who entered as Widowmaker, a remnant of her childhood affinity for the old action movies that almost plagued her youngest years. It was a fitting title - the girl, Widowmaker, seemed to move through the bookstore with complete silence. If Djike didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that Widowmaker had silencing runes laced throughout her suit. “Do you need help?” Djike asked her, the second and fourth and twentieth day that Widowmaker had slipped into the store...

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“Homer's Tales and Toys” by D.C. Reed

Submitted to Contest #176

You could never finish your job here. That is why you have but a single year. Don’t dally or waste. Give haste. Sara could imagine the script, the curved persuasive letters, etched into her mind one night. When she woke, she was here in a book store. Sara had spent 364 days here and now that it was coming to an end, she wanted nothing more than this stay to go on forever. “The dust smells different here,” Sara said, feather duster lightly running along the rows of shelves. “It smells old, like knowledge. Like wisdom, adventure...

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“Consuelo” by Iking Lopez

Submitted to Contest #176

The high-rise buildings had erupted like perfectly aligned teeth, and the old gave way to the new. First, it was Mr. and Mrs. Yu, the old Chinese apothecary couple who were driven out to the red-light district, forced to rebrand their herbal medicines as aphrodisiacs. A year later, the beloved Paper Dragon Firecracker store exploded due to its centuries-old electrical wiring, and everyone mistook the conflagration as a premature New Year fireworks display. By then, most everyone was already ready to leave, as the small knickknack stores and ...

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“The Bookstore With the Little Door” by Nikolle Mack

Submitted to Contest #176

Content warning: BullyingEllen ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her hand like a vice on her dwarven friend's wrist as they rushed down the street.She could hear the jeering shouts of Liliope and her cohort following, they werent that far behind.Foza was shouting back at them, but Ellen’s grip stopped her from getting herself into trouble.As the pair turned the next corner, Ellen sent out a prayer that neither of them would get an up close and personal look at the cobblestones when a flash of light caught her eye.A little shop, with a...

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“The Willow's Vines” by Grace Hodges

Submitted to Contest #176

It had been a week since I had mysteriously appeared in a world I could hardly memorize the name of. Apparently that's what you get for wishing on the right shooting star. It had been a strange few days, from the weird words people used instead of others, to the mystifying sight of magic every time I saw it, which was quite a lot all things considered. I had been struggling to find the right words for my situation, the uniqueness of it and the peculiarity of everything. It was what I had wished for, of course, but that had been an offhande...

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“My auntie’s bookstore ” by V. Yura

Submitted to Contest #176

You must have noticed how the demand for magic has grown these days. Every second one is interested in astrology, every fifth one reads tarot, and every tenth one considers themselves a follower of Norwegian or Druidic paganism. So it is not surprising that so many windows with signs like "Tarot Reader", "Palm Reader", and "Crystal Reader" appeared on the streets. Did you notice? Everyone is a reader! Maybe because everything just starts with reading? It starts with childhood fairy tales that your mother read to...

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“The Letter of Magic” by Penny Pepper

Submitted to Contest #176

Dear people of the Future, Before we get started I must let you know that whenever you open the letter and read it, take the crystal and hold it in your hand flat and which ever side of it glows is where the magic power plant is. I was not able to finish the job but maybe you can. I’m not sure when you will find this letter, but hopefully soon. You have all heard tales of witches, wizards, warlocks and such. And I’m sure many have wondered or wished about it being real. You might think, ‘oh how I wish this was true’ or ‘what if its true and ...

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“The Hat” by Kevin Quin

Submitted to Contest #176

The Hat It was just a hat. A bowler or derby hat actually. I saw it hanging on a hat stand in Magikat Books and Magic Emporium. I passed by it daily on my way to work. The shop itself was hardly what might be imagined as an emporium. It seemed small and unobtrusive, but the hat fascinated me. But the hat fascinated me so much so much I ventured inside. The shelves of books had no interest, but the hat held my attention. I saw myself wearing it but thought it would bring a smile or even a few derisive comments from my work mates. I tried to p...

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“The Stolen Spell Book” by Christian Cook

Submitted to Contest #176

The rain came down hard, dribbling off the awnings and rooftops like a thousand leaky faucets, splattering pavement along with the rest of the free-falling water from the sky. The light from the streetlamps gave an ugly glare as cars sped by, and the sidewalks were left virtually empty, say for a lone pedestrian with a big black leathery umbrella. She ran across the crosswalk with a bag clutched tight against her chest, trying to protect it from the wind and rain. &nbsp...

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“Stuck Still through Time” by Nil Ayar

Submitted to Contest #176

OK, this cannot be that bad. All I have to do is walk in, just walk inside. A black wooden ivory wall guards the bookshelves lying deep within. Although I haven’t been here for years, I don’t need to open the door to know what is inside. Yet here I am opening it. I am holding the handle, maybe I should run away, it is not too late to run away. But no, here I go, I will open the door. And when I walk in, I will walk in. I will walk in to find seven long bookshelves. The same bookshelves that my father, and his father before him painted and re...

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“I Find Myself Lost in a Good Book” by Savannah Campbell

Submitted to Contest #176

Christine looks at the bookstore in front of her. The space it occupies in the mini mall looks barely bigger than her apartment’s closet. She didn’t expect to find herself at a shop like this when she set out for work earlier in the day. Then again, she’s been experiencing a lot of life events lately that haven’t ended up like she planned. Burning out at work, feeling distant from her friends, her days are becoming progressively more depressing. And there’s nothing I’ve found that stops the pitiful feeling I seem to ...

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“Reunion” by Kyle Bacalzo

Submitted to Contest #176

Ding-a-ling! The bells hanging from the top of the door rang with a swing as she pushed through with her six-foot frame, ducking below to enter the bookshop. She was used to dodging the top of doors by now, all too familiar with the feel and sound of steel, wood, and even plastic frames when they collided with her forehead. She pulled down her hood as she walked in, revealing her blue hair that was in a tight bun, as uniform as her chiseled jaw and curious blue eyes. Some books seemed to be neatly displayed on shelves while others wer...

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“The Book keeper” by Benjamin Okojie

Submitted to Contest #176

The boy sits on the curb of the shop, legs stretching as far as they can reach off the curb, his upper body leaning back while both arms support him from falling on his back. His clothes are full of holes all around them and soaked from last night's storm. Keys clatter in the distance, and the boy swings his head to check the corner for his boss. Nobody yet, crap he thought to himself. He picks himself up hastily and grabs his duffel bag, in there lies his fresh clean uniform. Without hesitation, he throws his duffel bag in the air...

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“That One Place in the Midstorm” by Izabella C.

Submitted to Contest #176

I ran through the howling wind and it's blinding rain trying to find a solid place to land my feet. Before I knew it I was through a door that flew out at the slight pull of my arm. I began trying to pull it back into its frame so as to not mess the nice mat inside. With the helping hand of another person it closed, I laughed turning to them as we both were soaked. They look down at me, their short cut hair having water dripping down their face. They plaster a soft smile back to me perhaps out of politeness before going back to where they se...

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“Love, Aendryr” by Jesse J

Submitted to Contest #176

Hey, Mom and Dad. It’s been a while since we’ve last seen each other, I know we’ve all been pretty busy with work and life. Could you two stop by for my birthday next week? It would make the day amazing. Love, Aendryr. Their pen scratched blue text onto the piece of aged parchment, working around faint damp stains from the rather poorly-maintained wooden ceiling of the storage room. Every time it rained, no matter if it was just a drizzle, the water somehow found a way to slip through the cracks. They glanced upward at the weather outside...

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Set your story in a magical bookshop.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 46 stories

“Girls at the End of the World” by Natasha Cangalovic

“Homer's Tales and Toys” by D.C. Reed

“Consuelo” by Iking Lopez

“The Bookstore With the Little Door” by Nikolle Mack

“The Willow's Vines” by Grace Hodges

“My auntie’s bookstore ” by V. Yura

“The Letter of Magic” by Penny Pepper

“The Hat” by Kevin Quin

“The Stolen Spell Book” by Christian Cook

“Stuck Still through Time” by Nil Ayar

“I Find Myself Lost in a Good Book” by Savannah Campbell

“Reunion” by Kyle Bacalzo

“The Book keeper” by Benjamin Okojie

“That One Place in the Midstorm” by Izabella C.

“Love, Aendryr” by Jesse J

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story involving a magical potion — which may or may not work.

Start your story with someone witnessing magic from a hiding place.

Cast a magician (a real one, or a party entertainer) as your story’s protagonist.

Write a story told from the point of view of an animal.

Contest #176

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

229

Contest entries

111

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: