Question on submitting to magazines

You just send them the story. Like you do with all magazines. ALmost no magazines need queries for short stories. You just send them. Queries are mostly for non-fiction articles.

edited to add: And don't send them a cover letter that says, enclosed is my short story etc. They can see what you sent them. Some mags I don't even bother with a cover letter. They know what it is, they know what it is for, your info is on the first page. If they have contests and regular submissions, include a cover letter that says what it's for, if you have a long list of very impressive credentials absolutely include a cover letter. Don't bother putting a "hook" in your cover letter like you would with a novel. They can read the story, it doesn't take that long. So basically cover letter is. Dear "person's name" My credentials are this. Hope you enjoy it. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, "your name". Do not forget to include the SASE. That's it. Short stories are simple.

One of the only magazines I know of that asks for a query for a short story is The Strand. Most you just send the short story.

A cover letter will serve the purpose. In your cover letter, mention that you are attaching an original story, previously unpublished (or mention the publication credit indicating it is a reprint) the title and word count of the story and the genre. As this is a short-and-sweet introduction of sorts, address it by name to the editor and indicate your hope for publication. Make sure your name, adress, email and phone number appear on the cover letter so they know where to send you your contract & check.