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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 20 of 197

The Ever-Changing Romance

Submitted to Contest #266

Hello, my name’s Emma. I’m 28, I’m a graphic designer living in New York City, and I’m pretty sure my life is being written by an indecisive author named Logan. How do I know this? Well, it’s a long story—one that keeps changing. It all started on a Tuesday. Or was it a Friday? Honestly, the days blur together when your reality shifts as often as mine does. One minute, I’m working on a logo design for a new eco-friendly smoothie bar in Brooklyn, and the next, I feel a strange tingle at the base of my skull. Suddenly, I’m not in my apartment ...

6 likes 0 comments 0
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Plant and Shoot

Submitted to Contest #266

It was the Butterfly Gardener Event that was open to the public and Master Gardeners in the local area of Humbum and Syrein were definitely excited about it. This had been the first event that she ever heard of that included gardening activities and seed exchanges. Her passion grew over the past 5 years in regards to gardening landscaping photography and permaculture as a whole. Moreover, the importance of community gardens became her focus although she didn't live in an area that had much understanding of this or outwardly supported movemen...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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The Storm of the Century

Submitted to Contest #266

Only the clock knew the time. Outside, sheets of snow fall under layers of clouds, concealing day or night. But for the light glowing atop, the streetlamp barely visible. A halo in the darkness. Tomorrow, the Times' front page will read, "The Storm of the Century!"Maria, wearing a snow-white dress, delicately laced, peeks behind the creme-colored drapes again, as she has every 5 minutes for the past two-hours. Nothing visible at first. However, in the distance, a figure, perhaps a man, walks briskly wearing a black fog coat and lar...

11 likes 5 comments 5
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A mysterious stranding

Submitted to Contest #265

“Every… single… flight?”  “That’s right ma’am, unfortunately every single flight has been grounded.” “That’s impossible,” I say with my wittiest retort. People think it’s easy to be on all the time, that when the moment comes, they will have a dramatic, memorable saying. Reality bites and unless you fall back into expletives, which I have used plenty today, then you typically use a mundane response. “But, it’s not possible. Look outside.” Outside the dozens of locked double doors, the sun is shining brightly, birds are filling the sk...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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"If you Can Make It There"

Submitted to Contest #265

They were so angry with me, I knew no one would agree to take me to the MacDonald’s where the Greyhound bus stopped, and I had too much with me for that long walk. So, I waited until everyone was asleep, stole out of the house to the barn, where I’d stashed my suitcases and large garment bag the night before.Getting them down from the loft was harder than getting them up there, but I finally did it. After catching my breath, I wrestled them into the old cart we used to take the kids to the pumpkin field at Halloween and harnessed the donkey ...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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My escape from home

Submitted to Contest #265

When I was nine years old, my parents decided to send me to visit my Granny and Grandad in South Benfleet England. We lived in Newport-on-Tay, in Fife in Scotland. My parents bought me a train ticket from Dundee to London Kings Cross. This was the days of the steam train. I caught the local train from Newport East to Dundee going over the Tay Railway Bridge. Then my dad put me on the train direct from Dundee to London Kings Cross. This was a huge adventure for me, travelling over five hundred miles by train. I found myself a seat on the trai...

4 likes 1 comment 1
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Agatha’s footsteps

Submitted to Contest #265

*As this is my first story on this website I am unsure if this is a sensitive theme. Mention of religious beliefs (not necessarily mine)*The first snowflakes made their way down to the remains of a once fertile ground. I had seen them do the same dance for twenty winters now, never setting foot outside these grounds. I had been faithful to Arch all my life but had yet to receive any of the things that he had once promised. The doomsday that he had once mentioned never came to pass after all. Our farm that was once used to seeing new faces on...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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My Darling Sarah

Submitted to Contest #265

To say Peter was nervous would be an understatement. As he sat in the car alone, white-knuckling the steering wheel while Johnny Cash’s country tunes sang through the stereo, he was cautious not to let his eagerness take control of the wheel. He was a good driver. There were times that he went over the speed limit, but he’d never been caught doing so, and it was always at reasonable speeds that were safe enough on relatively empty roads. ‘And it burns, burns, burns…’ Peter’s destination was Stansted airport. His boarding pass was readily pri...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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The Legendary Dancer of the Ship Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #265

Under the blue summer sky, the sails of the clipper ship called the Destiny's Dreams glowed against the ocean like white clouds. The sleek design of the ship moved swiftly through the gentle waves of the sea.The sound of people singing on the ship floated over the waves."The sun shining on the ocean...The ship rolls with the motion..."The salt air carried the sounds of seagulls cawing, and also of music from a violin, a flute, and a guitar, along with the voices singing."Step and spin, twirl and sway..."Above the singers rose the squawk and ...

24 likes 28 comments 28
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Matatu Express

Submitted to Contest #265

“Matatu, mtatu, mtatu! Join the Matatu Express for the special tour of the most vibrant city in East Africa!” Jinja, who arrived first, is in the front passenger seat snapping photos onto her insta post as the public minibus-turned tour van circles the junction outside one of Nairobi’s biggest supermarkets, looking for idling travellers or confused wannabe customers who have signed up online but cannot work out where the moving target for embarkation is located in the 3D dust-infused urban mayhem. Finally, the 14-seater matatu minibus parks ...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Whispers in the Sky

Submitted to Contest #265

William stood at the base of the shimmering portal, heart racing in a rhythm only nervous excitement could compose. He adjusted his tie—an old habit, even though the interstellar travel suit he wore had no tie at all. This was it: his first trip to Andromeda, the galaxy of dreams, of vibrant hues, and of course, where his blind date awaited. He chuckled to himself, the pun unintended—she was literally blind, after all. A mutual friend had set this up, claiming they were a perfect match. “She’ll show you the unseen wonders of Andromeda,” the ...

10 likes 0 comments 0
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A new beginning

Submitted to Contest #265

Leah had always considered herself a beloved member of her family. She'd grown up surrounded by the love and affection of her parents, believing they were her biological mother and father. But on her eighteenth birthday, that illusion shattered. As she unwrapped a beautifully wrapped gift, her mother's voice, heavy with a mix of sadness and relief, delivered the devastating news: "You're adopted, Leah." The words hung in the air, a silent bombshell that exploded within Leah's mind. Her world, as she knew it, crumbled around her. The familiar...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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As The World Turned Upside Down

Submitted to Contest #265

***Death and Language Warning*** As the world flipped upside down, fear and regret spread quickly through my clenched, tense muscles, gripping the steering wheel in an unlikely attempt to save myself. “Fuckkkk!” I yell. The faces of all those I'd ever loved, laughed with, played with, cried with, fought with and hurt flash before my eyes. I reached out, searching in vain, speaking the words “Joey,” hoping to feel her soft fur. Then thinking of my mom and my brothers as I realized with disappointment that my journey here was over and how I ...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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Crossroads

Submitted to Contest #264

Wedding bells chimed, and flowers were thrown. She tore a leaf apart, bit by bit, piece by piece. When that was done, she gazed around   the bushes, her eyes drawn to a bush smaller than the others. “Why was it smaller?” she wondered. She directed her eyes to the clouds and studied their texture. Someone nudged her, “The officiant is about to speak.”  "Do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony…” Her eyes were drawn to a rustle, a little bird hopped out from the bushes and she found herself admiring its ...

16 likes 4 comments 4
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Maybe Later

Submitted to Contest #264

Maybe LaterbyBurt Sage As usual, I am sitting on my favorite bench overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad. It’s a little after 9 am; the surfers have already packed up and gone, but the tourists haven’t arrived yet. Bill will be joining me soon as he always does these mornings—we both have been retired for about 20 years and we love talking about the good old days and spinning yarns. He was a fire fighter, I was a medical device research guy; we enjoy sharing the things that happened on the job. Speaking of Bill, here he is now. “Hi, ...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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