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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 38 of 571

The Day They Met

Submitted to Contest #278

“You’re telling me…” - Mr. Tabrenacle rubbed his eyes - “..you’re telling me that’s not a bookstore?”Eduard was standing in front of the large display window, shifting his weight around nervously. The words “Eduard’s Books Galore” shimmering in golden lettering on the glass.“Well Steve…” - he ventured, rubbing his short beard - “I mean it’s more of an event than a store you see?”“An event.. right.” - a clipboard was produced, a pen was clicked menacingly, and the man took on an even sterner air. “First of all, my name is Mr. Tabrenacle, Stev...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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The Black Stamp

Submitted to Contest #278

Belief is a weird and wonderful thing. It sees us through life. It also ends lives. So often, it breezes through borders without any checks, never having had its passport stamped.  We don’t question belief because we rely upon it far too much, and we do not want it to desert us in our hour of need. That hour is long enough as it is. There will always be a reckoning though and life has its own ways of asking the questions that must be asked, even if it leaves it until very late in our day. It turns out that the substitute for belief is t...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Storms and Sabres (a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid”)

Submitted to Contest #277

The golden sun rose gently above the horizon, painting the sky a brilliant shade of red. I grinned as the saltwater licked my toes, taking in the glorious sight. God couldn’t have given me a better gift for my sixteenth birthday. I walked along the beach a little while more, until the sun had completely chased away the night sky, before finally heading back to the palace. The chef had prepared an extravagant breakfast feast for my parents and me, which pleased me greatly. Upon finishing my meal, I sent the rest of the food with the servants ...

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Hook

Submitted to Contest #277

Hook Once upon a time, Hook went by another name: George. Captain George Carter. Captain George Carter was a gentleman of distinguished background, and between his duties for The East India Company and his family life, he was utterly content. He lived chiefly for his wife, and his small boy – Tommy. Tommy was six years old when he passed on. George hadn’t been there. Tommy had been with his mother, playing on the beach, not too close to the water – neither of them could swim. A formation of rockpools clustered by the end of the bay, and Moth...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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A Wicked Whisper

Submitted to Contest #277

The wind whipped at my cloak, nipping at my bare face as I trudged along the mountain pass. The familiar path was shrouded in supernatural darkness, and the full moon was hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds. As I neared a bend in the path, I noticed the mouth of a cave that had never been there before. The cave’s maw was like that of a beast, jagged and menacing, ready to devour any victim who walked too close.I hesitated, my instincts screaming at me to turn back, to pass, but I trudged on. As I walked on the opposite side of the path, ...

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Wicked Heart

Submitted to Contest #277

Wicked Heart This story is one we all know. It is a depiction of the Toy Soldier. Let’s not waste anymore of the 3000 words. It was a bloody battlefield at the North Pole. Blood in the form of silver and gold glitter littered the bodies of Jack, the tin soldier, and the gingerbread men and was seeping everywhere. As Jack lie there injured, he saw his fallen comrades. It was a scene that would live in infamy in his mind forever. As the medics lifted him to safety, he began to fade. We begin this story in the land of Jimmy Vanderpool. Jimmy wa...

46 likes 50 comments 50
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Alpha Beta Sigma

Submitted to Contest #277

Life was going perfectly—at least, it seemed that way. I had just moved in with my girlfriend, Mya, at the local state school, and I was part of the rushing process for Alpha Beta Sigma, the most elite frat on campus. Everything was falling into place. Over the past week, I’d met the brothers, proved my worth, and fit right in. Why wouldn’t I? Back home, I was the star of the football team, and most people thought I had the charm to match. Today's frat event was the infamous "Volleyball Blast" at the frat house, just a few blocks from where ...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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Wicked Heart

Submitted to Contest #277

Wicked Heart This story is one we all know. It is a depiction of the Toy Soldier. Let’s not waste anymore of the 3000 words. It was a bloody battlefield at the North Pole. Blood in the form of silver and gold glitter littered the bodies of Jack, the tin soldier, and the gingerbread men and was seeping everywhere. As Jack lie there injured, he saw his fallen comrades. It was a scene that would live in infamy in his mind forever. As the medics lifted him to safety, he began to fade. We begin this story in the land of Jimmy Vanderpool. Jimmy wa...

17 likes 3 comments 3
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Dragons Fly

Submitted to Contest #277

Ursula stood on the precipice, looking toward the distant castle. She pulled her hood close. Tethered nearby, her horse grumbled as it ate from a hay bale.“Why am I here? I should be attending Queen Hannah… not tending livestock.” She looked into the cave at the she dragon. Brooding, Safire rested in her nest. Sunlight from the cave entrance shone off its scales, warming the cave with a rosy glow. Ursula had never seen anything alive so huge. Stepping up to Safire’s eye, she smoothed her hair in the reflection. Safire watched impassively. Ha...

18 likes 10 comments 10
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All is well in the wicked woods

Submitted to Contest #277

We all know what happens in the woods after dark. The dense fog will slowly roll in, the shadows will take on life, the sounds will become sharp and overbearing, every twig snap a panic inducing plea from body to brain to run far and fast. The moon will shine its light just enough to make out the shapes of the monsters in the trees who have come to play. Knowing these things and choosing sunset to venture into these woods is a battle between bravery and stupidity. It’s a war I have become quite accustom to in many ways in my life. Tonig...

11 likes 1 comment 1
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Dolphin Girl and Sea Cloud of the Ship Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #277

The rogue wave grasped Marin’s legs, whirled her around, then retreated out to sea, dragging her with it.She fought with her arms and legs, helpless, against the strength of the whole ocean.Then the power of the offshore riptide current caught her and rushed, carrying her farther from shore.She heard distant screams from the people at the beach over the roar of the surf.Water flowed over her head, pressing her downward, and she gasped for air in the darker depths of the sea. Her racing heart pounded.She bobbed to the surface, and saw a glimp...

31 likes 23 comments 23
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Candlekeeping

Submitted to Contest #277

We each held blunted longswords and wore everything but our war plates— those were being cleaned. Quintus pressed into my space with his blade presented, tip towards my chest; I felt the mud press up around my boots as I retreated with my blade in a high guard, tip towards his knees. His father growled in the church-tongue from somewhere to my right, behind the fence that had been erected for the sparring pit.  I did not speak the church-tongue. They knew I did not speak it. Quintus jerked forward as my back came against the fence. I sl...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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The Pineapple Men

Submitted to Contest #277

I’m on my elbows in a progressive muscle relaxation when my nervous system is ripped through by a frantic pounding on my front door. I rush to the window and see Taka leaning his head on my door, still banging his fist."Damn— Taka? What—shit," I start to motion at Taka but he's already stomping in. He smells pungent and sickly metallic. His clothes are soiled and there's a bloody balled up jacket around his lower arm. He appears as though he just survived close proximity to a bomb."Antibiotics! I know you didn't finish 'em. Where!?" Taka's s...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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The Blades We Held

Submitted to Contest #277

The stranger's grisly features could sparsely be made out in the light of a sparking whetstone. He had one hand clenching the head of a large sized axe, and the other on it’s shaft, moving the tool with the precision of an expert craftsman.Father was not far, arms crossed and tapping his foot against the wood floor while awaiting completion of the chore.“Come on, come on then… I’ve had about enough of this. Finish sharpening already and get out, you know what I risk.”The stranger paused his action, and let the spinning whetstone come to a ha...

10 likes 0 comments 0
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The Giant and the Beanstalk

Submitted to Contest #277

A knock at the door interrupted supper. A feast of lamb’s leg and roast vegetables. I stood from my chair, my head crashed into a wooden beam that held up the old, thatched roof. Crouched, I walked to the door, dirt crunching under my boots.  “Good evening, Giant,” said the bishop. “Evening, Bishop,” I replied.The parish priest and lord of the manor flanked the bishop. A group of knights - swords sheathed, shield across their chests - stood behind them. The bishop held up a large scroll of paper.“Giant, by the order of the King of Engla...

5 likes 1 comment 1
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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