Winter Short Story
1 min
2025 Winter Short Story Grand Prize Winner
Meenakshi V. (6th)
Snow Globe Shenanigans
I never expected my grandmother's dusty snow globe to be the portal to another world. I mean, who even shakes a snow globe expecting anything more than some fake snow to swirl around? But when I gave it a casual shake, the room spun, and—poof—I was standing in a field of giant mushrooms.
"Welcome to the Realm of Fractures!" a small, very annoyed voice piped up. I looked down to see a talking rabbit wearing glasses—kind of like a nerdy, existential Bugs Bunny.
"Great," I said, "I've fallen into a magical realm. What's the catch?"
"You must retrieve the Lost Heartstone from the Maze of Echoes," he said, pushing up his tiny spectacles. "Otherwise, the entire realm will—"
"Wait, wait," I interrupted. "Do you mean to tell me that a snow globe sent me here and now I have to fight a maze to save your world? That's... so typical."
The rabbit stared at me, unamused. "You're the chosen one. Suck it up."
Fine. The maze turned out to be more confusing than a pop quiz. Every time I thought I had the right path, I'd hear an echo of my own voice shouting, "No, you idiot, go the other way!"
After hours of wandering, I finally found the Heartstone, which, to my surprise, was just a giant, glowing rock with a "Please don't touch!" sign. Naturally, I touched it. The entire maze crumbled, and I stumbled out, holding the stone like I had won an award.
I dropped the Heartstone on the altar, and the realm reset itself, looking much less apocalyptic.
I shook the snow globe again and—poof—I was back home, still holding the dang thing.
"Next time," I muttered, "I'm sticking to video games.
2025 Winter Art/ Short Story Contest Finalists/Grand Prize Winners
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