Menu

More apps built by Reedsy

Assemble a team of professionals

The writing app for authors

Writing courses, events and memberships

Get your book reviewed

Weekly writing prompts and contests

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Featured stories
Activity feed

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.

150+ 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 10 of 10

The Gift of 85 Years

Weekly Contest #315

The alarm clock rang. 7 AM. It’s my birthday. I walked slowly over to the bathroom in my blue striped pajamas. My glasses were still sticking out of my pants pocket. I grabbed them and slid them onto my face. “Ah.” I smiled. “Another year older.” In the mirror, I watched myself carefully shave the last patch of hair on my chin. “Ouch.” A small sting. Blood trickled down. The towel was already sitting on the sink. I pressed it against my face. It wasn’t the first time, and most certainly won't be the last. I glanced at the toilet and laughed...

10 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Remember, remember the 5th November

Weekly Contest #315

TW - Themes of grief and a brief mention of substance abuse It was the 5th November 2014 - Bonfire Night for most - but for me, it was the day that I died. It was a car accident, nothing particularly special; it’s not like I took a firework to the eye or fancied myself a burning Guy Fawkes. Nope, it was just another drive home from the office where I’d spent 4 hours in back-to-back meetings, 2 hours writing a report that no one would read, and the remaining time with my monitor turned playing a bit of Mahjong. I know what you’re thinking...

13 likes 4 comments 4
Read story

The Lady with the Pretty Shoes

Weekly Contest #315

Is there anything more awkward than attending a funeral for someone you don’t really know? I’ve encountered little in my life that matches the feeling, yet I keep on doing it. Strange as it may sound, I’ve attended far more funerals for people I don’t know than for people I do. Anyone I don’t recognize immediately, I count as ‘people I don’t know.’ For much of my life, I’ve had trouble recognizing many people who, convention dictates, I should know. Every church I’ve been to smells different, but all funeral homes smell the same: dusty. The ...

4 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The Birth of Twins

Weekly Contest #315

The Birth of Twins It was a cool day in October. Rachel was driving home from her parent’s home in Peterborough, Ontario. It was her father’s 50th birthday and most of the family had come. The house was full of chaos with kids running about and adults talking non-stop. Of course, the occasion had to be documented with pictures. Rachel tried to pick a spot in the back but was constantly moved forward. And there she was with her “bowling ball” stomach. She had three weeks before the baby was due and she felt like an elephant. ...

4 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Jose

Weekly Contest #315

José was 29, a barista with a dream that stretched further than his paycheck ever did. Originally from Portugal, he had arrived in the United States on a student visa, young and hungry for opportunity. He had studied economics at a state university, spent hours in lecture halls filled with numbers and theories and graduated with honors. But when it came time to follow the well-worn path into finance or consulting, José paused. The thought of cubicles, dress codes, and performance evaluations left him cold. He didn’t want to spend his life an...

13 likes 8 comments 8
Read story

Say Yes

Weekly Contest #315

Some decisions creep up on you quietly, almost politely, giving you time to adjust to the idea. Others stand before you like an unexpected visitor, knocking insistently at your door, demanding to be answered.This one had been lurking in the background for months—yet had grown louder in recent weeks. Should I stay in my current job, with all its stability and predictability, or should I step into the unknown and accept a new challenge?On paper, the answer ought to have been simple. My present role offered good working conditions, a calm envir...

4 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Within The Garden Tower

Weekly Contest #315

The silver-light sound of cracking porcelain woke Annadae from her sleep. The hazy blue morning drifted through the window, but she fitfully attempted to gain another dream or two—though the memory sneaking into her dreams again had been precisely what had awoken her to begin with. Eventually, she conceded to the daylight and slipped out of her sheets. Still barefoot, she climbed the careful pattern of stones down her tower’s wall into the garden. Her fingers roamed the buds and leaves, edging around the bonny bees to pluck out her selecti...

12 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

The Rescue

Weekly Contest #314

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m afraid a lot of the time. Everything around me is just so big and noisy, you know? Though the noisiness isn’t as much of an issue these days. I don’t really know how to tell them that I can’t hear much of what they’re saying anymore, despite having these big bat ears. I think they’re catching on, because they have to wake me up to go for walks or to go to bed, but never for breakfast and dinner. I know when those are. I may be scared a lot of the time, but all I know is that I feel safe with these people, m...

3 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Dog Day

Weekly Contest #314

Write a story from the point of view of a canine character or a mythological creature “Shall we get a dog……….. and the answer you require is ‘YES”…“I have already seen and bought one in Wales, I simply must confess”!“We’ll have him in the new year, because he’s only 5 weeks Old”………………. “So, prepare yourself for a trip to Wales” is basically, what I was told”! “I‘ve been speaking with the breeder, and you can see the puppies Online,…..and they’re in a loving home, which is a positive sign”!“They’re all lovely little puppies, and they all loo...

1 like 0 comments 0
Read story

Open to the wind

Weekly Contest #314

Open to the wind. I wake up.The dull brushing of the blankets, the faint chirp of birds, a pale thread of sunlight slipping through the crack in the curtains. Another day. Again. Every morning, it’s the same old routine.No thoughts, no plan—if one ever even existed.Just the mindless instinct to reach for my phone on the dusty bedside table.The cord stretches, resists for a moment, then gives way without a fight. “Your Screen Time was up 24% last week.” I toy with the idea of getting up and finding something to eat.But the fridge holds only ...

13 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Summertime Magic: When Heatwaves Were a Playground

Weekly Contest #314

*"Summer is more than just a time of year; it's a whole vibe. Sun high, shoes off, hearts wide open." 🌈🍧Thanks, chili! I can clearly recall the first time the weatherman appeared on the television screen and said, "We're experiencing a heatwave—stay indoors, stay hydrated, and whatever you do, stay cool!" in that serious tone. Now listen—grown-up me? h, I’d take that advice in a heartbeat. 'd be lying down like a king under a fluffy throw with a remote in one hand and snacks in the other, the air conditioner on full blast, ceiling fans turni...

2 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

🐾The Chronicles of Mr. Wolfenwobbles, the Wolf Who Forgot How to Wolf 🐾

Weekly Contest #314

Chapter 1: The Hunt (Or Lack Thereof) In Which Gravity Declares War on Dignity The dawn sun filtered through the trees, casting golden streaks over the Moonlight Wobblers’ den. My pack lounged around, sharpening claws and debating whether pinecones counted as a food group. Luna, my second-in-command (and full-time judger of all of my dang life choices), flicked her tail like a metronome of disappointment. “Wolfenwobbles,” she sighed, “the pack needs actual food. Not just being subjected to your… interpretive naps.” I gasped, clutching my ch...

4 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Breakfast

Weekly Contest #314

Sizzle. Pop, pop, pop. Splashhh.With a deep inhale the scent travels through my nose, up my snout, then past my eyes and ears. It ventures straight into my stomach which makes it gurgle.Grease. Mmmmmm. Meat dripping from a frying pan with the oh-so-wonderful smell of fat. It’s hot candy on a stick—or plate—as the case may be. It awakens the expectation of food that causes my nostrils to flare and my mouth to salivate.That scent—the wake-up call of deliciousness that greets me on mornings when Mom doesn’t go into work early. She’s an angel in...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Six-year-old's Summer

Weekly Contest #314

“You’re lucky you get to stay home and enjoy the nice weather,” Daddy said to Jacob as they stood on the back porch admiring the green grass and breathing in the rich summer smells. “I have to go into my office all day. I’m going to miss you.” Jacob leaned against Daddy’s leg to show he would miss him too. Playing in the backyard was more fun together than alone. Daddy tussled Jacob’s hair and said enviously, “Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone. And listen to Mommy. She’s watching from the window.” Daddy final...

2 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Divine Paws of Judgment

Shortlisted for Contest #314 ⭐️

I have stood sentinel beneath the great pillars of Karnak. I have seen empires rise from dust and return to it once more. My dark eyes have witnessed the truth of the mortal heart, brave, foolish, loyal, deceitful. All are revealed when placed upon my scales. Mine is an ancient and noble duty.I am Anubis, Lord of the Sacred Land, Guardian of the Scales, and Judge of Souls.Now, however, I find myself banished. Punished, perhaps. Trapped in the land of mortals, in a far lesser incarnation. A humble abode of red brick and double-glazed windows,...

24 likes 4 comments 4
Read story
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. All for free.