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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of happy short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

2950+ Happy Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. A good story doesn’t need a devastating twist. Nor does it have to plumb the darkest depths of the human conditions. These happy short stories might be exactly what you’re looking for in these uncertain times.

Happy Short Stories – Page 15 of 197

Goldilocks and the Wolf

Submitted to Contest #277

The wolf liked chasing this particular boy. He helped the three little pigs, didn’t he? He helped them rebuild that house of straw and that house of sticks every single time. Otherwise, the wolf might have had more chance of piglet for lunch—or maybe several lunches if it was the really plump juicy pig—long before now.Close enough that he knew the boy could smell his hot breath, he enjoyed inhaling the tempting aroma of fear as he chased, even if experience told him that he wasn’t likely to be able to bite that ankle or that leg or anyt...

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Fairy Godmothers

Submitted to Contest #277

Fairy GodmothersbyBurt Sage “You’re a fairy godmother, aren’t you?” Ray asks. “How could you tell?” Ruby asks sarcastically. “Well, the dress and the magic wand kind of gave you away,” Ray replies. Looking Ray up and down, Ruby says, “You’re not a sorcerer. This is a sorcerer’s convention. How come they let you in?” “I really don’t know how I got here,” Ray replies. “I just suddenly found myself here. Kind of like the orchestral music you hear on TV as a detective investigates a dark alley looking for a perp. That music is just there. I’m j...

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Dining Disasters With Genevieve

Submitted to Contest #277

Genevieve Alexander Wallace has finally sorted herself out in the Georgian house she bought in Kensington.  It all came as a hinge surprise as her brother Jeremy was clearing out her parents houser after they had died and was about to bring several box loads of antique Chinese porcelain to a charity shop when Genevieve walked in the door and relaised they could be worth something.  After taking them from him, she realised that they could be worth something, so she went to Bonham's auction house and asked if they were worth anything...

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We Are Forced to Take a Stand

Submitted to Contest #277

Hard Water was going around because some of the local kids got hold of oodles of erectile dysfunctional pills and climbed the water tower, opened the testing hatch and “Voila!”Blame Amazon, again. So the entire town is on lockdown now because Mr. Westly at the bank likes to walk around with his morning coffee. His wokeness was right in the face of a kid waiting to see if their parents got an extension on their mortgage. The kid screamed, Mr. Westley dropped his coffee all over the spots that got McDonald’s sued for hot coffee. The bank ...

14 likes 9 comments 9
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The Life of Edward Hughes

Submitted to Contest #277

May 19, 1955 Mandatory counseling is better than jail time, I suppose. I guess I owe the Judge that much. My therapist’s name is Judy. To be honest, I think she’s a quack. Yeah, that’s right Judy. I hope you read this. I don’t want to talk to you. You’re forcing me to write in this stupid journal. Journaling is stupid. And so are you. There… I’ve written something this week. I guess you can sign off on my timesheet. May 26, 1955 Back again. Apparently, writing any words I feel like doesn’t count towards my time served. Yes, that's how I’m ph...

16 likes 8 comments 8
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Fortune cookies

Submitted to Contest #276

It was a usual morning; people around me were rushing about their business, and the city just started waking up. The sun was mercilessly beating down, penetrating through the pristine glass of the coffee shop, tripping over the curves of sofas and tables, and getting lost under the bar counter. The aroma of freshly made cappuccino filled the room and pleasantly tickled the sense of smell. I was sitting on a high stool and tamping marshmallows into the hot drink. Spring has come. Somewhere in other latitudes, this time of year is accompanied ...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Moving on Over

Submitted to Contest #276

“There’s a wait so long, so long.  You’ll never wait so long.”  ~Here Comes Your Man, The Pixies  A startling amount of life’s adventures start out in a spirit of dispassionate inquiry. At least for me they do. It is Summer, 2005, and I’m in the mood to run it up the flagpole and see. Check the flypaper, see what’s sticking. Insert any number of cheeky colloquialisms here. “There, whaddya think?” I asked Willa, my roommate. I had just shown him my tongue-in-cheek word salad—no, word vomit—that I wrote for a MySpace b...

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Suddenly We

Submitted to Contest #276

Looking over my shoulder, I walked fast, faster and out of the establishment, a well-known bar in West Hollywood named “The Rainbow Bar and Grill". I began running, I slightly sped up on the sidewalk a little faster, still looking back and suddenly came to an abrupt halt. “Ouch” I said, “what the hell”, I had run into someone on the sidewalk. A tall man standing solidly grounded, body firm posture, outside the building next to the Rainbow. I thought “damn” because I kept looking backwards instead of in the direction in which I was running, I...

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SANTA WHERE ARE YOU?

Submitted to Contest #276

SANTA CLAUS WHERE ARE YOU?                                                                               By Stormy WhiffThe anticipation in the air is p...

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Some secrets are best kept secret, yet more exciting when spoken about

Submitted to Contest #276

Relationships and friendships are hard to distinguish between one and the other, because they are considered separate, yet similar in more ways than one. How can we know which is the beginning of the other or which happens at the same time, where they become inter woven as one? Seems that most of the time we find ourselves wrapped up in the moment, wrapped up in the discovery of something new, that we lose sight of which is which and whether one may lead to the other. How can a secret be kept, if the secret should never be kept at all? How c...

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My Rock

Submitted to Contest #276

 I had just gone through a bad break up with an emotionally and mentally abusive ex and wanted to focus on myself. But my mom had other plans. She wanted me to meet the family friend’s nephew. You’d think this was the story but far from it. He was in town on break from his college in Orlando, Florida. I was messed up mentally, emotionally and made the poor decision to date this guy after not knowing him at all. But I looked at colleges in Orlando. I wanted to do something with video games for a while now and found a college in Orlando w...

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Call From The Vestibule

Submitted to Contest #276

On January 3, 1984, I started a new job, which I hoped would completely change my life. No pressure. At 7:55 a.m., with butterflies dancing in my stomach because this new role would challenge me, I opened the door to the office building’s vestibule. The cold, spartan room contained two plastic chairs and a small table with a beige push-button phone. I pressed the buttons for my supervisor’s extension, and the phone rang and rang and rang. Even if it wasn’t my fault, I absolutely, positively couldn’t be late for my first day on the job. ...

16 likes 11 comments 11
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A Precious Encounter

Submitted to Contest #276

This story isn't one of fiction, but a real life blessing. People come and go. Some people come into our lives only to turn out to be a lesson, others cross our path to help us get somewhere. But there are some, rare as they are, who come into our lives because they were meant to, at this precise moment in time, for a reason. These rare gems are the people who are indispensable, and who never leave your side no matter what. They are worth it all, they are worth opening up to, trusting, being vulnerable with, sharing both laughter and tears w...

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How I Met And Married Your Mother

Submitted to Contest #276

Dear Mila Elena & Bjanka,"How I Met Your Mother."Remember that show on TV? Well, my story might be even more awkward! Before I begin, let me just say this: I know what I'm about to tell you sounds a bit crazy, maybe even too strange to believe, but I promise it's all true.I met your mother...on Facebook.Yes, I know how it sounds. But before you laugh, let me explain.Back then, Facebook was still new - a place where people could find new friends, join random groups, and feel part of something bigger. I didn't know many people, so I joined...

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I Used To Think That Trust Is Overrated

Submitted to Contest #276

Friendship and trust is something I’ve been weary of for a long time now. As a kid, I cherished my friends. I’d go above and beyond for them. But some saw that as something to toy around with, and others saw it as a weakness. Eventually, friendships would start with them saying “you can trust me, I promise,” and end with me saying, “I thought you promised.” By seventh grade, the words “you can trust me” were an immediate deal breaker. The second a friend uttered those words to me, I would stack layers upon layers of uneven bricks around myse...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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