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Write a short story about an inn-keeper wondering whether this will be their last holiday season in business.

Posted in Holiday on May 8, 2021

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✍️ 33 stories

The Trip To Paris

Submitted to Contest #21

There is a warmth that tumbles out in the winter time; when all else is so cold. It radiates from those who love and nurture as easily as they breathe. In truth, the sparks of warmth are always there no matter the season, just like a warm rock blends into a summer beach, yet melts winter ice.The skies colours of my world with their winter coats, each hue darker and richer than before. The path sparkles and crunches, like sugar underfoot, and the coolness brings me right into the now, into the moment of life. Shoving the door inwards, the sud...

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Where It All Began

Submitted to Contest #21

“Not a single booking today.” Ernest climbed into bed.  “We have a few guests.” Renee, his wife, said. She got into bed beside him. “It will be enough to cover this month.”    “Yes, but what about next month? And the month after that?”    “We’ll manage,” Renee said. “We always do.”         “This time is different,” Ernest said. “If things don’t pick up by the end of the month, we might not have Erren Everlasting Inn anymore.”    “If that’s the case, so be it.”...

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When the War Falls Silent

Submitted to Contest #21

When the men from the Otherworld arrived, they brought death and destruction with them. When the Otherworlders arrived, the continent of Micsudsa was enshrouded in a pitch-black shadow from which it may never be freed, or so Silas feared. Oh, he knew that it was naïve to think that their lands had been entirely peaceful before they arrived, but they’d not experienced devastation such as this. Sure, Micsudsa had been fractured into two warring factions for years, but that was naught but a petty squabble when compared to th...

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The Heart of a Termite.

Submitted to Contest #21

I sat back and stared at the pile of papers and scrolls in front of me. The debts from my little Inn were really piling up, I had only bought this place a few weeks ago but at this rate, ‘The Drunken Termite Inn’ would probably not make to the end of this Long Night Festival. Never mind making it to the next one. The Festival of the Long Night was just ramping up and every Inn in town was booked. Some places were even down to renting out their horse stalls! I stared down at my blank log book in frustration, we didn’t have any guests, like we...

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Tales of the Baobab Tree

Submitted to Contest #21

December 20th 2017A college student with a heavy backpack and a heavier heart wandered into the bar of my inn. In silence, he sat down at the very end of the bar and pulled out a newspaper. In lieu of reading it like a normal person, he began to fold it into an origami swan. I shrugged it off.About three hours later, an army of paper swans had invaded my counter space and the guy was still going strong. Fold. Flip. Crease. Flatten. Repeat. Fold. Flip. Crease. Flatten. Repeat. “Hey, kid, what’s the deal? Did you take every newspaper in S...

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Saving Silver Heights

Submitted to Contest #21

Rhonda Khaleesi looked around her dusty little office in dismay. For she knew that if she didn’t have but one customer this season, that she and her beautiful old Victorian style inn was going to be shut down. Quite frankly Rhonda was surprised that the Inn had lasted this long. The most recent visitor only stayed for a night before hightailing it down highway 95 on their way to Las Vegas. Rhonda had lived in Tonopah, Nevada all of her life, and she was constantly reminded of the good old mining days of the town she had grown to love. Everyo...

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The Power of Christmas

Submitted to Contest #21

It was Christmas Eve night, and Simon sat down in his old leather chair. The chair had been in his family for over forty years, and he felt comforted every time he rested on it. This Christmas season, he needed the extra comfort, as he felt that this would be his last Christmas as the owner of the Deep Wood Inn. Just like the chair, the inn had been in the family for over forty years. It used to be an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city about 50 miles north, but now had seemed to lose its charm to people. Travelers seemed to be mor...

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I Think I’ve Got At Least One More Year In This Place, Kid

Shortlisted for Contest #21 ⭐️

A dirty white rag moving counterclockwise on a mahogany brown table. An image so well-ingrained in my head that I would often catch myself wiping down these same tables in my dreams, night after night. 40 years in the business and there were a number of things that I would never forget: the smell of beer mixed with the cleaning solution, the specific songs on the jukebox that played over and over each night, the crack of pool balls, and the warm ring of laughter. These days, some of those things were more common than others. The beer and cle...

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The Blueridge Inn

Submitted to Contest #21

Blueridge Inn, one of the safest and coziest places to visit during the holiday season, and the good folks there sure know how to make each guest feel right at home. Brewford Reynolds, the owner of Blueridge is expecting this year to be its busiest one yet.Jimmy Rusk, the best mechanic out of Blueridge, AL., backs his truck in. Head leaning out the driver’s window to see, if he was backing the thing in right. Before he unloaded the Christmas tree, to carry it inside the inn, to decorate it. He drew his elbow back and left fist forward. Then ...

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Last Christmas

Submitted to Contest #21

"Hello! Welcome to the Sutter Home Bed and Breakfast."That's my mom for you. Mary Sutter kept a small four room bed and breakfast open in our town for nearly forty years. Pictures of couples on a honeymoon, starving artists who just broke into their authorial fame and others covered cork boards in frames on the wall. This summer, I received a notice from the city of Milwaukee. "Miss Sutter, the property which is Sutter Family Bed and Breakfast is hereby declared Eminent Domain. It will be seized as of 12/31/19...My heart sank. My family's li...

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THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Submitted to Contest #21

Mistletoe hung over doors, trees were decorated with lights and ornaments, gifts were placed under the trees and it was snowing outside. People were in a rush doing shopping and preparing for the festive season. You guessed right. Christmas was approaching. Little Hollow was a town tucked away in the outskirts of a big busy city. It was a beautiful coastal town. Many tourists came to spend summer vacation here. The beach was lovely and the sea water calm enough to swim. Set along the beach was a small inn c...

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The Miracle at the Christmas Inn

Submitted to Contest #21

                               The Miracle at the Christmas Inn                                                       &nbs...

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A Happy 'Inn'ding

Submitted to Contest #21

“Oh welcome, welcome!” A soft-spoken lady shouts from across the lobby “It is just freezing out there, isn’t it? My name is Charlotte, I am the owner of the inn. Is there anything I can do for you?”  “Sorry to come in so late but we haven’t been able to find a room anywhere. Is there any chance that there is room available here? I guess everyone's in town for Christmas.” A young woman with her family says.  “It is no problem at all, honey. That’s why I’m here. Would a double queen work? I have a few of those.” “That would be great!...

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The Gift of Giving

Submitted to Contest #21

Mr. Robinson stared out the window of his quaint, modest inn. He looked sadly at the neon vacancy sign shining in the night. Even during the holiday season, there were no customers. He sighed to himself as he wondered how he could possibly keep his pride and joy running. “I’ve put so much into this little inn,” he said miserably to himself. He had already taken 150 dollars out-of-pocket that month just to keep the lights on and the water running at the inn, and he only had one customer during that time. As he gazed at the crumbling road...

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White Tortoise Inn

Submitted to Contest #21

There are multiple ways to travel between the capital city of Xicusrtiw and the metropolis of Ravena. Both are port cities, so you could take the long, dangerous journey around the desert continent by ship. Then there is the highly expensive and occasionally unreliable option of magical teleportation. Lastly, there is the option of transportation across the desert between those two major cities. Desert transport was deemed safer than sea transport, due to storms, sea monsters, and other risks. Plus, there are a lot of varieties on how dese...

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