Category: Short Stories
This category is for your Bonanza Short Stories from 500-999 words in length.
Your Time Is Gonna Come (by Annie K Cowgirl)
Summary: I dug my fingernails into the flesh of my palms as the ground reeled beneath me like the deck of a ship in a summer squall. A trickle of dust and small stones rained down as the walls of the Ophir Mine creaked and groaned like an animal in its death throes. A WHIB for the episode “The Philip Diedesheimer Story”.
Rating: K+
Word Count: 755
Hooked on a Feeling (by Annie K Cowgirl)
Summary: One minute he was standing there and the next, he was sprawled face down in the dirt….Booth Shannon’s thoughts after the shootout between him and Little Joe. The Trap. Rating: T (for mentions of blood) Word Count: 834
Three Thousand Six Hundred Seconds (by Pat D in PA)
SUMMARY: A short piece written for the Michael Landon Birthday Literary Challenge 2025. (536 words, rating G/K)
Remember Me, Remember You (by BluewindFarm)
Summary: The unimaginable is never easy.
Rating: G (845 words)
Adam’s Journal — She Walks in Beauty (by JC)
Summary: Adam’s version of events surrounding the unforgettable Ragan Miller. Written for the 2025 Pernell Roberts Birthday Literary Challenge.
Rating: T Word Count 574
Bake Shop Girl (by JC)
Summary: The seeds of a memorable friendship are sown during a chance encounter at a Boston bakery.
Rating: G Word Count: 646
In a Spirit of Enterprise (by Tavia42)
Summary: Little Joe should have known he couldn’t get anything past Hop Sing. This story was written for the 2025 2nd Quarter Chaps and Spurs Challenge.
Rating: G | Word Count: 889
A Burning Question (by Bonanzagirl)
Summary: An important question comes up after Little Joe’s first saloon visit.
Rating: PG Word count: 2080
Again, By Grace (by JC)
Summary: A moody portrait of the Ponderosa patriarch, seeking grace amid grief
Rating: T Word Count 793
A Journey Changed (by AC1830)
Summary: A missing WHN scene at the end of A Journey Remembered.
Rating: G, Word Count: 745
Little Boy Joe (by JC)
There are definite advantages to being the youngest Cartwright. And who would know that better than Little Joe?
Rating: G Word Count: 657
Always Maddie (by JC)
Summary: In his thirteenth summer, Joe meets a girl for all seasons.
Rating: K WC: 783
The Christmas Secret (by Harpistforhim)
Summary: A young Little Joe wants to know which of his brothers will be getting him a special gift for Christmas, but Adam isn’t in the mood for spilling secrets. A short holiday story set during the early years of the Ponderosa.
Rating: G Word Count: 739
Melancholy Rain (By JC)
Summary: Rainy day reflections from Hoss Cartwright in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Rating: T Word Count: 644
Encore (by JC)
Summary: On a trip to San Francisco, Ben has a choice to make when the fire from an old flame is rekindled.
Rating: T Word Count: 623
