Stories by the Fireplace

Welcome to Box of Bizarro's first annual Stories by the Fireplace. This year, I invite the bizarro family to gather around the hearth, find a cozy spot, grab their mugs of whichever warm beverage they choose, and tell a nice, weird story. Nothing major, just a 250 word or less story that includes at least 4 of the 12 words listed at the bottom of this post. The stories will be posted on the Box of Bizarro website and readers will vote for the winner. The story will be posted without edits within 24 hours of submission, so the sooner you get it in the more time you will have to promote your story and earn votes. The winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card and two gifts. Please send all stories to submissions@boxofbizarro.com with the subject line "fireplace." If there are any questions about the rules or any other issue, you are welcome to send an email.

• Each Facebook like and positive comment on a post directly linking to the story will be counted as 1 vote. 
• Positive comments on each original story posted on the website will count as 1.5 votes. 
• Sharing a link on Facebook will count as 2 votes for the shared story.
• Author's may vote on their own stories and up two others.

Each person that votes on a story will be placed in a drawing to win a $7 Amazon gift card and one gift. 

• Each individual like and comment on the Facebook post linking to a specific story will enter the voter's name one time. 
• Each vote by comment on the website and each story link shared on Facebook will be entered twice. 
• Voters can vote on a maximum of three stories, but can vote for those three stories on the website and anywhere on Facebook that their links appear. 

The winners will be announced Dec. 26. 

Choose at least 4 of the following words:

1. abstract
2. bait
3. egocentric
4. debauchery
5. charm
6. flank
7. antique
8. ballroom
9. daydream
10. acoustic
11. burial
12. facade

You may use these words in any order you wish. In the spirit of pushing your creativity, for each word you choose over the 4 required, you will receive 0.5 votes.