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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.

2910+ 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 6 of 194

Diwali, 2022

Submitted to Contest #288

When you’re young and world is still full of wonder and things to explore and places to be, and the prospect of a job has no relation to the drudgery of a nine to five…you expect your life will turn out remarkably well. Life, untouched by life. Preserved in resin. A marvel. One day, you’re playing with a teddy bear and having a tea party with all your dolls, and the next thing you know, you’re thirty-two. Divorced. Cities away from your parents’ home, looking at a skyline with no hope on the horizon, thirty thousand feet in the air. Wonderi...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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Searching for Angelina

Submitted to Contest #288

It was a rainy night, the streets dark save for the blurred house lights that made a wavery line. My car splashed down the wet road, seemingly floating rather than driving. I passed the 6th Street bus stop, and that was where—just for a moment— I saw her.She stood on the side of the road, a slender, lithe shadow, until my headlights revealed her clearly for one startling instant. Her dark eyes, cascading hair, half-smile, and unusual beauty stunned me with the power of epiphany. Something about her gripped my soul. Beauty is a ghost, a phant...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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Soaked

Submitted to Contest #288

Wearing his best suit, Bentley stood under Francine’s second story balcony. He hoped she would accept his apology. It began to rain. Though he had no umbrella, he didn’t care. Starting as a heavy mist, the drizzle soon became a steady shower. ‘Maybe it’ll help,’ he thought.If he’d blown it with Francine, nothing else mattered to him. He couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. ‘Stomped on her heart… for pride…? Ego…? Nothing so elevated…’ He didn’t know what to call it. He missed her.Bentley thought back to their argument a week ago. Francine ...

24 likes 6 comments 6
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my land never changes

Submitted to Contest #288

u will know which country i am referring to ... ?keke ...the weather never changes here , hot and wet ... always , 366 days a year.. !Cost of living is high here ,the same shopping malls day in day out ,i am situated in Asia .salaries is low and costs are high ,low income environment and high costs environment ... kekethings are always expensive here ...we are crowded ...weather is hot and humid ...high rainfalls sometimes ....we have world class transportation ,we are very clean ...we are usually clean , the roads and public places ...we ar...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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Bibliobibulis

Submitted to Contest #287

This is a sequel to All You Need is a Cat (found on my page!) , but it can be read as a standalone. Winston never liked cats. He found himself irritated by their constant need for food, lack of affection towards him, and long, drawn out meows when he tried to interact with them. He and Rosemary had owned dogs, fish, guinea pigs, and even an iguana over the years, but no felines. If someone had told Winston six months ago where he would be now, he practically would have laughed, though no one would hear it; Winston Edward Grey laughs on...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Go hug somebody, would you?

Submitted to Contest #287

And just like that, only her embrace remains. The rest of the world is gone. Whatever conventional link you had with the world, it disappeared half a second ago.The fear that had felt like jumping into a cold lake still tries to linger on you, the last bits of anxiety hopelessly attempting to stiffen your muscles, to straighten your posture, to make you blurt out anything so that your scrambled mind gets back in order and, just to double check, it even directs your view to whatever parts of her hair you can see. It's a person, right?The last...

2 likes 0 comments 0
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All a girl needs are a teacup, a book and her dogs

Submitted to Contest #287

The night was falling, but up here in this tiny, rural blip on the map in the northern part of Norway, it’s pretty much dark even in daytime in winter. At least the light is sparse. As is the warmth. It has been a cold day and we are about to have a cold night. I walked into the kitchen. It was so warm and comforting. A place you’d want to spend time. A right place for a kitchen and hearth witch.I had spent all summer and autumn foraging for wild herbs, flowers and berries, as well as gathering the herbs in my garden. My favorite drink in wi...

3 likes 0 comments 0
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Love Letter to My Late Grandmother

Submitted to Contest #287

I’m not sure exactly when our little ritual began or how it started but it would always go the same way. Always me, creeping into the kitchen at night under the cover of darkness. I would tiptoe my way along the cold tile floor as silent as a mouse. Carefully, I would reach into the wooden cupboards and retrieve her favorite teacup. A white porcelain cup with blue detailing. It was classic and beautiful just like she was.  After gently placing the cup and matching saucer on the kitchen counter, I would then scurry over to get the tea ba...

5 likes 0 comments 0
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A Brew-Tea-Ful Time To Relax

Submitted to Contest #287

The aroma of coffee assaulted my senses when I entered the quaint, little café, a faint smile appearing on my lips as the cozy atmosphere warmed me up from the inside out, and I sighed softly, feeling at home within its walls.“Good morning, Callie! Would you like your usual?”The barista greeted me sweetly, prompting me to stride towards the counter she stood behind, the chain attached to my jeans jingling quietly against my left thigh as I walked, and I hummed thoughtfully at her inquiry.“Mmm, actually, what is your guy’s special for today, ...

6 likes 2 comments 2
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World's Best Grandpa

Submitted to Contest #287

“Hokis, it’s ready,” my grandpa called from the kitchen.  "Coming!" I shouted back. The word “hokis” means “my soul” and is a term of endearment used by Armenians when speaking to loved ones—similar to the English word “sweetie.” I closed my book and walked downstairs to the kitchen where my grandpa had prepared my favorite Sadaf tea.  Those cozy Saturdays had become a routine for us. My mom and grandma were at their weekly pottery class and my grandpa and I were at his house keeping each other company until their return. Every wee...

3 likes 0 comments 0
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My Heart

Submitted to Contest #287

The lock clicks open with the turn of Saige’s key. My cafe, she thinks. Not anyone else's. Mine. Every single penny, every nickel and dime. She poured everything she had into creating this place.  The door swings open silently, the secondhand hinges having just been cleaned so they would be silent as a mouse. She doesn’t care to slow the swing of the door, to enraptured with the entirety of the building she designed. She knows every nook and cranny. Where every secondhand book is, after all, half of them came from her own collection.&nb...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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Temptingly Steamy

Submitted to Contest #287

The café stood at the corner of a rain-slicked street, its windows glowing warmly against the early evening’s blue haze. It was the place where time didn’t just slow down—it steeped, like a forgotten cup of tea growing richer with each passing moment. Inside, warmth wrapped around every corner. The air was thick with the aroma of freshly ground espresso, mingling with the sweetness of cinnamon and vanilla. A milk frother hissed behind the counter, sending steam plumes into the air, twisting and unraveling like ghostly fingers. Condensation c...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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Faery Resort

Submitted to Contest #287

“The rosemary represents the mystical and magical!” Red points at the delicate purple blossoms on the bushes surrounding the huge, mossy stone wall before her. It appears to go in all directions and is flanked with a variety of other bushes and colorful flowers. At the center is a fantastic, monster of a door. A round-top with intricately, carved words at the arch, proclaiming: “Faery Resort”. “Oh, I don’t know how I knew that.” She rubs her head, trying to remember. Then shakes it off due to an overwhelmin...

3 likes 0 comments 0
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Affectionate Aroma

Submitted to Contest #287

As Areum stepped into the café, a cheerful brass bell jingled above the door, catching the attention of the café owner and a few patrons who looked up with curiosity. They were greeted by a stunningly beautiful Asian woman in her early thirties, dressed in casual yet thoughtfully chosen attire. The patrons lingered in their gaze longer than usual, admiring her beauty with quiet appreciation. It is a striking coincidence that her name, 'Areum,' translates to 'beauty' in Korean. As she entered, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with t...

37 likes 19 comments 19
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An Odd Day To Get Married

Submitted to Contest #287

My phone chimed about six times, each in quicker succession than the last. I put down the coffee in my left hand, feeling the skin cool as it left my grip, pulling the phone towards my face to open it and receive the messages. u there yet, Henry? which table are we reserved for? hey ill be there in 20 i love you I scrolled down the chats from Sara, halting the device at my sides to focus on what I sent back. table 12, cant wait :) love u too I shut it off, leaning back into the lush cushioning. The intricate patterns, as fancy as they came...

19 likes 8 comments 8
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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