Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Featured stories
Activity feed

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.

8550+ 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 192 of 571

Christmas Canoe Escape To Amawbia

Submitted to Contest #178

The real-time escape of a would-be scammer began on Christmas Eve. (Names changed to protect the innocent under threat of death.)Two AM, December 29, 2022, in the darkest snake-filled bush in Nigeria, a would-be scammer fled for his life from his worst mistake. Chijoke had lived in the bush alone since he was ten. At fourteen, just weeks ago, he had joined one of the most expansive gangs in the region. Chijoke moved stealthily through the bush till he reached a path and took off at an all-out run. If he could get to the river, he might ...

13 likes 18 comments 18
Read story

Triumph

Submitted to Contest #178

The stars outside Arecibo Station disappeared behind another arriving freighter: the Coral Sea. Kiffen’s here, Carlina thought, gazing out the tiny porthole on the rimward side of the station’s lower tower.  She rolled her eyes, already anticipating his boastful swagger after the job he and his crew pulled at the Pices outpost.  Turning back to her datapad, she pulled up the statistics again and shook her head.  The last time someone had made off with that many quid worth of artifacts to auction off, the whole crew retired to ...

10 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

IT NEVER GETS OLD

Submitted to Contest #178

We had the best of times growing up and living in a small town. Everyone knew the part of town we were in as it had its own nickname, out in the sticks, back woods or la - la land. The woods, trails and ponds here there and everywhere, were our playground - always. Everyone's yard was fair game for the next game. Looking back, we merrily went down Memory Lane remembering the most fun times and unique moments before Christmas and more so during and into vacation time off from school This one came first.  RUDOLF -  You know Dasher an...

9 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

It Ends With a Broken Heart

Submitted to Contest #178

TW: Self harm and stabbing.“Sign the confidentiality agreement here.” The agent pointed a long finger to a highlighted line. “Date it here,” said the man whose eyebrows were trying to compensate for his thinning hair.Arthas Jacques’ finger slid across the screen, leaving a scrawl that few would recognise as his name.“You know of course that you can’t tell anyone about our investigation,” said Agent Jones of the Martian Security Agency.“Yes. I understand.” His Martian capital accent was the typical mix of French and Arabic. “I can’t tell anyo...

26 likes 29 comments 29
Read story

Isern Amore

Submitted to Contest #177

It was late December, she was boarding a flight to return home. She had spent the last year in France, studying at an international college. She sits in a plastic chair next to a window, scrolling through her phone lazily. A girl about 19 years of age, she has a very slender frame, black hair, shoulder length, and unkempt. She wears a worn down gray softball sweater as well as blue jeans with red and gray sneakers. Not the kind of person to stick out much, especially not in the diverse crowds of an airport.  “Pagin...

10 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The Language of Help

Submitted to Contest #177

“Chris Lanning! Please come to my office!” said the PA system. ”What did I do?”  Chris wondered. He started on his way to the office. Chris was a man with brown hair, big green eyes, and was about average height for a man of 23 just starting in the workforce. He worked at a construction firm that sold materials and funded construction companies.  When he finally reached the office, he sighed and knocked on the door.  “ Come in!” said a voice in the office. Chris opened the door.  “Ah, Chris! Thank you for coming. I hope t...

8 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Lost in Translation

Submitted to Contest #177

Before arriving in China, the reality of experiencing a significant language difficulty never entered my mind. I truly believed everyone spoke English - if not fluently - enough for the essentials to be understood. Previously I’d worked in a zoo in Malaysia and had experienced no communication difficulties at all. Of course, this was because an English charity had set up my placement in the zoo and an English speaker looked after me. But, taxi drivers in Kuala Lumpur could communicate tolerably well in English, and the vast Sh...

16 likes 21 comments 21
Read story

Right time

Submitted to Contest #177

"You need this before midnight ?""Yes Brian, midnight is the deadline for submissions, you know. You can do it before then, right?""Yeah, I'll do my best Luke.""Oh, okay, thank you."Ohhhh, this isn't gonna be easy. I haven't even finished my essay and now this. I should have told him that I won't be able to do both on time. As a friend, he might understand me. But what if he thinks that I'm selfish. Uhhhh, anyway, I told him "yes". Better start writing his essay first. Brian told, as usual, just to himself.After coming home, h...

7 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Maria's Transformation: From Cynicism to Cheer

Submitted to Contest #178

*May have triggering content* As the sun began to rise over the city, Maria sat at her kitchen table, staring blankly at her half-empty cup of coffee. It was Christmas morning, and yet, she couldn't find it within herself to feel even the slightest bit of cheer. For as long as she could remember, Maria had always been a bit of a cynic. She had always found it difficult to get excited about holidays or celebrations, and this Christmas was no different. As she sat there, lost in thought, her phone began to buzz with a series of notificat...

8 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

The Santa‐Claus Scandal

Submitted to Contest #178

It is the night of Christmas Eve, and my family and I gather in the living room, where the walls are adorned with Christmas decorations and a Christmas tree in the corner of the room, with the glass angel as the tree topper. I’m watching the classic holiday movie, Santa Claus, featuring Tim Allen (a film that I have watched at least thirty-six times). I was around ten-year-old. My family members are sitting on the couch, telling stories. I feel a presence beside me. I look up and see my cousin Evan sitting on my left side as I rest on the th...

9 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Planet 6768B

Submitted to Contest #177

NOTE: Cursing is present. “Commence landing operations…” The intercom sounded in a distinctly female voice as the spacecraft shook in an attempt to land upright. “Extending front and back legs… Twenty meters from surface contact…” It sounded, once more. “Fifteen meters… Ten meters… Five meters…” Then, after a sudden rush of turbulence, the spacecraft made contact with alien soil. “Commander Chase, the spacecraft has landed.” The intercom finally finished, playing an albeit brief but deafening alarm afterward. Quickly, I jolted awake and slam...

9 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Color Inside the Lines

Submitted to Contest #177

 Dan Peters Publishing,"Hey there Dan, it's Shane Miles. Maybe you don't remember me but I was the college intern you told to "get the *** out of my office." Since then, I've graduated college, receiving a bachelors in English, and I've really cleaned up my act. I know the previous internship didn't go perfectly, but I'm extremely eager to make it as a journalist, and well, I would really appreciate a second chance.Assuming you aren't already convinced to take me back like the prodigal son...unless you are? Ok, so you're not c...

11 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The Tracker Tracked

Submitted to Contest #177

Eager to start, I scanned the trail through the trees and up the mountain. The weather was cool, but clear. Over years, I learned to plan my hikes meticulously. Somehow, I forget the single, essential item. Everyone insists I should never travel solo. Too many things can go wrong. A misstep can be deadly. Hiking with a buddy only makes sense. But solitude draws me. I love it. A buddy is an iffy variable. Hiking with the wrong person challenges my reasons for going at all. If I wanted chit chat, I wouldn’t be scaling a mountain, by myself, ...

20 likes 13 comments 13
Read story

An Exile's Return

Submitted to Contest #177

My name is Zarius, and in times long past I was counted among the Pantheon of Gods that reside on Mount Olympus. But that was many ages ago, before I made the mistake that turned out to be the most significant of my entire life. Back then, I was simply a young boy who was brimming with curiosity and aspiration. I desired nothing more than to establish my worth in the eyes of the Gods and to be counted among those they see as their own. Thus, when I spotted Zeus's thunderbolt lying unattended on a table, I was unable to resist the desire t...

8 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Deus ex Sapiens

Submitted to Contest #177

TW: Guns, slavery and droids.“Time for the truth, Arthas. I’m not who you think I am,” said Mayko Belle with her private school English and French blended accent.Detective Arthas Jacques’ blue eyes widened. “No? Who are you then?”“My name is Bella Nguyen. I’m an agent for the MSA.” Tucking one of her poker straight black hairs behind her ear she fixed him with a steely gaze.Laughing, he turned his head away from her and nodded. “Right. Of course. Trust me to fall for a beautiful woman who wants something else. Go on then, tell me what the Ma...

29 likes 30 comments 30
Read story
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. All for free.