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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 16 of 197

Moonlight Mischief

Submitted to Contest #276

In my early twenties, I was known as the guy who could take a normal date and turn it into an unpredictable adventure. I wasn’t much for conventional romance—the fancy dinners, the thoughtful gifts. I thrived on surprise, the thrill of doing something a little offbeat. So, one night when I found myself on a date that was going particularly well, I decided to push the limits and see just how spontaneous things could get.The night started out straightforward enough. I’d picked a small Italian restaurant tucked away in a quieter part of town. I...

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The Confessions of Marla Grimsbane, Witch Extraordinaire

Submitted to Contest #275

Attention all you witchy wannabes and potion-loving punks! I'm about to let you in on a little secret about the world of witchcraft that those Hollywood hocus pocus flicks just can't seem to get right. You see, being a bona fide, flying licence-carrying witch is not all fun and games, black cats, and spooky spells.Or, well… not only that. And I should know - I'm Marla Grimsbane, professional witch, hex expert, and veteran potion-spiller extraordinaire. Now, I know what you're thinking: "But Marla, those movies make witchcraft look so cool an...

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Follow Your ‘Felines’

Submitted to Contest #275

The girl squinted at the sticker. It was so inconspicuous she might have completely missed it if she had not been relegated to the ‘corner of shame’— the teacher called it a ‘cool down corner,’ but all the kids knew what it really meant — a little sticker of a cat. A black cat that reminded her of the cat from Studio Ghibli’s ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service.’ Kiki (yes, that was her name) reached out to touch the little adhesive cat but as her fingers almost grazed it, the sticker peeled off the bottom of the wall and fell to the floor.  “Dang...

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The dark road to sun

Submitted to Contest #275

I follow the footsteps as a thing soundlessly meander down the pathway, just away from the road. The only place with people. The trick or treaters shouts of excitement just buzzing into background noise as I gaze into the dark abyss of the woods. Dark like a mouth that wants to swallow me. Their footsteps stop as it's eyes, green, fleam back at me. Prompting me forward. Telling me its time to go. That the mortal world no longer needs my presence. I should be afraid. I should turn the other way. I know following it will be the end. That going...

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3AM (#ReedsyBewitched)

Submitted to Contest #275

(This story contains grief) 3.AM I hear a blood curdling scream. It wakes me from my deep sleep. I’m hot and dripping with sweat. I turn my head to the right and see the time is 3.am. I’m a little confused, my head is spinning from the scream I just heard. My legs feel weak, frozen in fear, I have a heavy weight on my chest as if I’m being crushed. I’ve heard of this before, I believe it’s called sleep paralysis. I’m finding it hard to breathe, gasping for air, I must be having a panic attack from not being able to move! My head spins o...

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Mister Timmikens Goes On an Adventure

Submitted to Contest #275

Author's Note: This week's writing challenge was supposed to be Halloween-themed, but I just felt like I needed to write something cute and sweet this time. So like it or not, you're getting some Mister Timmikens today. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to read it to your kids at bedtime tonight, and then at the end of the story you can ask them what they think the kittens' names are.“Slow down!” Sara called after the black cat as he disappeared from view for the sixth time in ten minutes. “I’m not as agile as you are, I actually need to A...

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Nature listens

Submitted to Contest #274

“It’s over. I’m done.”, read the message she first saw when she woke up that day. It was 6:45 in the morning on a warm 19th of August. The girl was up in the mountains of the French Pyrenees with her parents. She was there against her will, though she was trying to make the best out of the situation. She had set up the alarm the night before at 6:50 to see the sunrise, the sun was set to rise at 7:03 that morning, and she definitely wanted to enjoy it. After all, she was in a beautiful and magical place, and despite the conflict she was havi...

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Gift from God?

Submitted to Contest #274

I watched a news report about this. I'm supposed to be calling the police right now but I won't. I've sat by my front door and listened to a baby cry outside for about ten minutes now. The news report was about criminals in the area who would play recordings of babies crying in order to lure young women outside of their homes. I’m no woman and I haven’t looked young in years. Even during the brief period that I was, I never considered myself alluring enough to snatch up. If anyone is waiting outside to nab me, they’re gonna be severely disap...

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The Curious Case of Emma Dreadmore

Submitted to Contest #274

In the small town of Rustleville, where the scent of fresh-baked pies drifted over white-picket fences and even squirrels seemed polite, lived a woman named Emma Dreadmore. Emma was not an adventurer, nor was she someone you’d find in the thick of a crowd. She was, however, an expert in the art of being terribly afraid. And, coincidentally, she had a heart as big as her fears. Emma’s fear list was substantial, laminated, and tucked safely into her handbag: heights, public speaking, automatic car washes, mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise – don’t as...

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The Day the Lawn Gnome Came to Life

Submitted to Contest #274

Once upon an uneventful Tuesday in the perpetually sleepy town of Burton Bay, something so bizarre, so utterly extraordinary happened that it would forever alter the town’s claim to fame. Burton Bay, until that day, was best known for its annual pie-eating contest, where grandmas and kids alike faced off in battle, wielding whipped cream and cherry filling. But this Tuesday, something far wilder than a pie-eating contest was afoot. It all began in the front garden of one Trixie Quibble, Burton Bay’s most dedicated gardener. Known for her pre...

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Chance Meeting

Submitted to Contest #274

The wheels of Julia’s bicycle crunched through fallen leaves as she came to a stop beneath a maple tree. Clouds of breath puffed through her self-knitted scarf as she rested the bike against the nearby bike rack. A short rummage in the wicker basket above the front wheel produced a battered U-lock. She stuck it through the bike frame and trapped the metal rack with the metal bar. There was no attempt to find a key since the lock had long since broken. She figured cycle locks were mostly a deterrent. Locking it was a waste of time – she had y...

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Sam

Submitted to Contest #274

SamBy Georges Martin LagasséI had a dream once. In it, I lay on the warm grass, the sun tickling my fur, and beside me, a small human giggled, his tiny hand resting gently on my back. There was laughter – mine, his, and the laughter of another human, a tall figure with a voice that made me feel safe. I dreamed of being loved and being safe. But that was a dream, and dreams don’t live in cages.The cage was all I had ever known. Its bars were rusted, the metal cold against my skin. They had taken me away from my mother before her warmth could ...

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Liam the Lovable, But Fearful, Leprechaun

Submitted to Contest #274

“Liam the Lovable, But Fearful, Leprechaun” By Edward J. McCoul There are two things Liam O’Shaughnessy loved more than anything in the world: gold and friendship. And there were two things he feared more than anything else: heights and rainbows. Which was unfortunate, since he was a leprechaun. Every time he went to check on his gold at the end of a rainbow, he’d have to climb up a hill or down a rocky slope. “That gold won’t guard itself, Liam,” he’d mutter to himself, inching along on shaky legs. Then he’d see the shimmering rainbow stret...

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The Unwanted Unicorn

Submitted to Contest #274

“The Unwanted Unicorn” By Edward J. McCoul It all started on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday. Twelve-year-old Max was home alone, nose-deep in a video game when he heard a loud, wet sloshing sound from the backyard. That was strange. He muted his game and listened. There it was again—a sound like someone was pouring oatmeal into a bucket. He crept to the back door, cracked it open, and peeked outside. And there, in the middle of his mom’s prize rose bushes, was the last thing he ever expected to see. A unicorn. It wasn’t quite what he had imagi...

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KLOVER

Submitted to Contest #273

KLOVER      Smiling radiantly with her hair braids bobbing she ran to greet me with the  energetic enthusiasm of a four year old. In the same motion she jumped up in my arms. I always prepare for the moment and brace myself for it when I go to visit her at home on Saturdays. She said, “You are late. What took you so long.” I showed her the photographs taken recently that I had stopped to collect. Joyously she took them and went to get her Album to put them in herself. Reviewing and exclaiming about the other pho...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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