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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of adventure short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

8560+ Adventure Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From riding the high sea to climbing behemoth mountains, there isn’t any action that’s out of reach when it comes to adventure stories.

Adventure Short Stories – Page 123 of 571

Touching Time

Submitted to Contest #223

In the shadow of towering bookshelves and the silent watch of ancient texts, Rowan discovered the impossible—a room untouched by time in the heart of the university library. Hidden behind a row of forgotten dissertations on metaphysical anomalies, a thin crack revealed a sliver of darkness that beckoned with the allure of forbidden knowledge. Each day, Rowan traversed the library’s labyrinthine halls, the scent of aged paper and the soft shuffle of diligent research his only companions. The Sterling University Library was a fortress of lea...

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Behind the Dusty Bookshelf

Submitted to Contest #223

Jonathon couldn’t believe his eyes. There was no way of telling from the outside of the building that this room was even here. He had discovered a small entrance discreetly hidden behind a shelf of old, rarely looked at, even more rarely used reference books gathering dust in the northeast corner of the library. Traversing a small tunnel, it eventually opened up into this large room, bristling with items that defied description. The only reason he had even been looking there was a term paper he had to write on artists forced into hiding from...

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Integrity, accountability and transparency

Submitted to Contest #223

In the heart of a bustling university town, nestled among century-old oak trees and grandiose architecture, stands the Prestige University. For years, its hallowed halls were revered for fostering academic excellence and nurturing the brightest minds. However, the quiet facade of this revered institution would soon be shattered by a scandal that would shake its own foundations. The crisp autumn wind blows across campus, where student life moves at a frenetic pace. However, beneath the veneer of academic excellence, a scandal still covered ...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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The Cost of Magic

Submitted to Contest #223

One. The library sat in eerie silence as if the hands of time had coiled around the ancient shelves, and the air was thick with the scent of parchment and the forgotten wisdom of the ages. Aria's footsteps barely made a sound as she ventured deeper into the corridors, her heart driven by an inexplicable force. It was like an invisible thread, woven with ancient secrets, had entwined itself around her heart, urging her forward. In the dim light of the flickering candle, she discovered an unassuming door, its wood weathered by countless years....

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The River of Time

Submitted to Contest #223

The truth is Jason may not have killed himself. Sure, we all knew the statistics about university students doing themselves in while pursuing dead end rip off degrees. “My generation will never have the lifestyle yours has. Baby boomer trips to Greece or Rome. River cruises on the Danube. We’re stuck in dead-end jobs, in my case manager of the convenience store near the airport. You know the one. People coming in all day after getting off a flight, coming from places we will never go. At night the homeless straggle in for warmth, gloves with...

16 likes 12 comments 12
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Speaking of Time

Submitted to Contest #223

Mario ran through the blizzard snow, which was accumulating outside an Columbia University academic building.  He saw the blue Nissan sedan with its hazard lights flashing, which Emmy told him about minutes before.  He almost fell on some ice before he reached the door.  He opened the back door and tumbled into the seat.  EC gave him a heart-warming smile.  She wore a green toboggan and her full-length silver puffy coat. He closed the door.  “Hi!” EC said. “Hi.  Thanks for picking me up.  Right on...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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The Lost Chamber of Knowledge: Unveiling Secrets in the University Library

Submitted to Contest #223

In the heart of the sprawling university campus, the library stood as a monument to knowledge, its massive stone walls exuding an air of wisdom accumulated over centuries. For Andrew, a diligent history major with a hunger for adventure, this place was not just a center of learning but an uncharted territory brimming with the potential for discovery. Over the years, Andrew had spent countless hours within the library's grand halls, poring over dusty tomes, crumbling manuscripts, and hidden treasures. He felt an inexplicable connection to t...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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No Need to PANIC - Oh Really?

Submitted to Contest #223

NO NEED TO PANIC – OH REALLY?  In the fall of 1972, Greg Monson arrived on the campus of Indiana University.  (The week before, he had received a letter giving him instructions on where and when to meet.)   The meeting began with each of the nine new candidates introducing themselves. Followed by: “The entrance exam shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes to complete... As you know, the exam consists of questions: English/Vocabulary, Mathematics and History-Geography. You’re on your own...there will be no proctor...we o...

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A Real Ham-and-Egger

Submitted to Contest #222

As a kid I was obsessed with “Macho Man” Randy Savage, but macho I am not. Ever notice how we are all fascinated by stories about our opposite? Take me. I’m a pussy. Not in the sense of being a girly man, but in the sense of being a lazy coward. So, naturally, I am obsessed with Rambo, Full Metal Jacket, Pumping Iron, and any narrative involving one very jacked man fighting his way through a sea of enemies, with certainty of purpose, zero fear of death, wearing his weight in ammo, and possessing an uncanny ability to make everyone in their p...

16 likes 0 comments 0
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The Light That Guides Us

Submitted to Contest #222

The problem is the problem. So now here's the catch, how do I go from a general a + b = c to finding the right answer? The only one that I am looking for to get out of this life of hell shoved at me and brought to me by bad karma. That's the problem.  Jawn's life stayed pretty neutral after high school graduation. He wasn't off to see New York City or take any other joy ride to a swank venue. With what, his tip money? Working as a busboy, evenings and weekends in a dreamland job at a burger place was his gig. Everyone in the senior...

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The Odd One

Submitted to Contest #222

The old bat laughed wickedly, “That is not right! Do it again!” Allen remounted the old bicycle and pedaled fast down the grassy hillside in the country. Lightning struck the kite’s tail, and electricity ran down the line to the back of his bicycle’s seat, briefly shocking him, as it jumped to the other end of the line and made its way to the old generator in the witch’s cottage. Lights in the witch’s house and television came on. “Why don’t you just use your magic to make things work?” the apprentice yelled. He did not know if she had heard...

5 likes 6 comments 6
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Changing Lanes

Submitted to Contest #223

It was whilst driving that Professor Giles Latham made the momentous decision. This rash and outlandish decision had been brewing for some time now. In the airing cupboard, far too close to the immersion heater it sat bubbling away. The proportions of the ingredients thrown into the ponderously burgeoning container were perilously incorrect and so an explosion was inevitable. It was anyone’s guess as to when the explosion would take place, but the magnitude would be attention seeking, that was for sure. Also for sure was the mess it would ma...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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The Secret Seminar of Bartholomew McQuill

Shortlisted for Contest #223 ⭐️

Once upon a not-so-ordinary Monday, in the most ordinary corner of the extraordinarily vast library of the University of Arcane and Arcaner, young Bartholomew “Barty” McQuill stumbled upon the sort of secret that would either make his academic career or confirm his impending madness. Barty, a second-year student of Sorcerous Studies and Minor Mischief, was as infamous for his insatiable curiosity as he was for his ability to find trouble in the most benign of places, like a library. The library itself was an architectural paradox, a labyri...

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Mirror Heist: Triple Trouble.

Submitted to Contest #222

Mister Kent and Misses Kent leave the lobby on their way to lunch. They have to go out to lunch since ALL the hotel’s restaurants have been ‘reserved’. "Okay Laura, Misses Kent is wearing her blue dress with the black ruffles, black Valinto heels and the big black Saint Lauren handbag." George studies Misses Kent's outfit on the hotel lobby camera in the cleaning closet. Mister and Misses Kent walk through the hotel doors, but none of the reception desk sees them. All they see is Mark's card trick. No one is at the reception desk , so they d...

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24 Meetings

Submitted to Contest #222

" To get a better inspection rating, we should conduct 24 customer relationship programmes during this year. Are we all ready to do that?    Mr.Sadasivam, one of the Top executives of a prestigious Bank, in command of the southern Zone, has put it on the table.    Mr Sadasivam, a tall and bulky man with broad and hefty shoulders, said the above with a serious note. He was a cheery person and always maintained cool postures even when he was experiencing personal difficulties and discomforts. Bu...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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