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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 349 of 571

Where the Sunsets on Mars

Submitted to Contest #88

I screwed up. I smuggled my way onto a planet I’ve never been on before. That, alone, should tell you that I’m in deep trouble. I’m only here because I ran away from home, thinking that boarding a ship to space was a good idea. Now I’m just a juvenile outsider, trying to survive in the dunes of Mars. You may be asking why I ran away in the first place. I wanted freedom and to be myself. I wanted to not have to worry about our government and what they are hiding. I didn’t mean literal freedom. But now that I think of it, I might actually...

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The train to somewhere

Submitted to Contest #89

It was raining. Again. She looked at her pale skin in the mirror. The way her hair just hung limp. She put on some makeup and tried to add some color to her cheeks to make her not look so pale and boring. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She read that in 30 seconds a fake smile turns into a real smile. It worked. But fuck, does she have to smile at herself in the mirror to make herself smile? She couldn't take it anymore. The gray, mundane day-to-day bullshit. Wake up, stand under the hot water till it ran cold, get dressed, go to wo...

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His Royal Heart

Submitted to Contest #88

I am a witness. Yes. I was his only friend. The Prince of Helic, the firstborn. I was his sole companion in all the adventures. We did hunt. We explored the heart of the forest where no man could draw his footstep. We fought monsters, demons, and worse, men. The King, his highness granted me with the title, 'The Royal Companion". Those were days of glory and gold. I was there. Always by the side of my friend. And I was there when he fell. I celebrated and wept with him. He was a free spirit. He lived with his head in the clouds. Carefree, in...

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Ayrin's Escape

Submitted to Contest #88

The thunder of foreign soldier voices boomed through the hallways, striking fear into the hearts of all inside the castle. A knight sprinted through from room to room, his eyes darting, searching. The walls shuddered. The enemy was trying to ram down the front door and they did not have much time before the soldiers were upon them. The knight kept running. Staff were cowering in every corner and they watched the knight with empty eyes. In the empty chamber beside the throne room the knight finally came to a halt. Inside, King Leolt was tyin...

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Love Me Tender or Just Plain Cooked-to-Death!

Submitted to Contest #89

Love Me Tender or Just Plain Cooked-to-Death! By Pam Munson Steadman If there’s one topic that bores and irritates me enough to want to viciously hurl dried out and grizzled breasts (not mine… the chicken’s) against the wall… it’s “COOKING.”    I used to be so ashamed to admit that I never enjoyed cooking...or baking. Nowadays, since I'm much older, it doesn't bother me quite as much. Although, one would think that over so many years of marriage I might have learned a thing or two. Nope. Nada. Most of my f...

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The Mushroom Tree

Submitted to Contest #88

I knew I was lost when I reached the tree with a hollow in shape of a mushroom. I’d passed it before. Surrounded by the canopy turning autumn gold, I glare down the path I chose before. How did I wind back here? Now my options are limited. My cell reception is still out, the crossroad looks the same as before, and from the glint on the leaves I surmise the sun is setting. As panic steadily creeps in, I stare at the blasted tree and a thought strikes me. Some scraping and sweating later, I manage to climb high enough to lift my phone above ...

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A Nice Smile

Submitted to Contest #88

1217 wordsRated PG: violence, death, blood, pain, fearPrompt: Write about a prince or princess who is asked to give up something valuable to escape the world they came from.Author's note: No, I have no idea what creative entity has possessed me this week. I might request that they choose you next if you ask nicely.“Earth?” it asks.I bite my lip. My bike helmet is getting itchy. I fumble with the clasp and pull it apart. The helmet falls backwards and into the starry depths below me. It might go to another dimension. It might also be lost in ...

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The Price

Submitted to Contest #88

Once Upon a Time, there was a kingdom far, far, away. The Kingdom was ruled by the Aricotle family, and the people there were happy, healthy, and prosperous. Until...The people of Aides lived in poverty and strife. They were a ruthless people, always in conflict, always trying to inflict on others the fate they, themselves, had. One day, Monjo, the ruler of the Aides, set his sights on Elysium. They had it perfect there, why can't the Aides people have the same?So the people of Aides invaded the peaceful land of Elysium. The people of Elysiu...

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Judith

Submitted to Contest #88

JudithSpring had been a whirlwind season for Judith.  Senior year in her exclusive prep school had been filled with college prep and selection details.  Debutant season had, as expected, largely featured the ever-popular Judith.  Her horse, Blaze, had required even more care as the show season was approaching and she enjoyed her training sessions with her magnificent honey-colored stallion more than other aspects of her life.  But now, on Sunday afternoon, the day was perfect for reading.  Sh...

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Goodbye, good riddance

Submitted to Contest #88

Raz closed his eyes as he dipped his hand into the pocket containing the rock. Silently he wondered whether it was the stone or his conscience that weighed on him at this moment. While the small ordinary-looking rock undoubtedly held power that belied its appearance, he was sure it was his conscience betraying him now.  Why now, he wondered. Why now, when I am so close.  Regardless, his nervousness compelled him to ensure the weight in his pocket was the one required to seal this deal. Just as the tips of his fingers ...

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Incarnations of a Woman Made Real

Submitted to Contest #88

Isobel stood at the mouth of a vast desert.She could hear the waves of the Oasis lapping gently against the shore behind her, and she turned her head away from home. Worth it, she thought, soaking in the sight of the dunes before her. Worth everything.And she’d given everything to be here-- her crown, her family-- everything just to look upon the earth and see nothing but possibility, feel everything but lack of breath and lack of time. She had no water, no resources, and no sense of smell, but she had her memories of home, and she had a bli...

18 likes 9 comments 9
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The Never-ending School Trip: A Selection of Letters

Submitted to Contest #88

Dear Cat, You know how there’s The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, these fictional places set in some place parallel to what we know and believe to be reality, but separated by some thin layer of- and I shudder as I write this, magic? Well, Cat, you will never guess where I am.   I am stuck in a magical-out of this world-Narnia could never compete-medieval country. Yes, you have read that right; assuming that I actually found a way to send this letter to you and you are actually reading it. I hope you are somehow,...

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The Switch

Submitted to Contest #88

Juliet woke up in a soft, warm bed lined with heaters. The white starchy blanket curled up around her toes, and when she looked to the side, Tsar, her parrot, cawed beside her. When she looked to the other side, a row of maids stood, waiting for her to wake. Her handmaiden, Dani, gently took off her night clothes and before Juliet could get a smooth breath, the corset and cinches were strapped tightly around it, constricting her lungs. “Dani, darling, can’t I leave it off?” she asked. Dani, shaking her head, replied. “Princess, that won’t be...

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An uncontrollable anger never seen, The talking drawing.

Submitted to Contest #88

An uncontrollable anger never seen: Once upon a time there was a young prince who had a secret that he himself did not know: when he was a baby, he had been bewitched by an ancient enemy of the kingdom. It was a very strange spell, for its only effect was that it angered the prince every time he heard a secret word. But that word was so normal, and it was so well chosen, that there was always someone who said it. So the prince grew up with a reputation for getting angry very easily, without anyone suspecting anything. The bad thing is that, ...

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Kangaroo Court

Submitted to Contest #88

   People’s War Crimes Court, New Altron City, Jecos province, Artican Protectorate of Paradeshia, planet Piasha    The blaster clatters to the ground and the many spectators packed in the courtroom's gallery let out a collective gasp.   “This weapon,” says the prosecutor,” was found in the possession of this deviant.” He points his finger at the defendant, sitting, huddled in the defendant’s box, being restrained by a force field.  A hissing sound can be heard emanating from t...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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