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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.

8420+ 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 560 of 562

Prayers from a Cold Island

Submitted to Contest #8

The small tug boat lurches on the waves. The side of the cliff is shaking through the black rain. The first rock comes out of the water and splits the bow.“Wyatt! We have to make for the beach!” Wyatt can’t hear me through the rain. He’s somewhere inside. I’m out on deck. A wave pushes the remains of the boat into a rock shelf and we tip. I don’t have time to jump. The deck bucks underneath me and I shoot into the metal railings. They give way with a metallic crack almost lost in the thunder. I hit the water. I can’t move my arm. It’s shatte...

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The Island

Submitted to Contest #8

Mindy was having some hardship at home, so she decided to take her boat on a journey through the ocean in search of another land. She road the treacherous seas for many days and nights. She often wondered if she made the right decision.On the 4th day at sea she awoke to a crisp, beautiful, calm morning. She stretched and got out of bed, went to the deck and looked through her telescope. She saw an island dead ahead. She felt a turning in her stomach, and a lump in her throat, she was scared and excited. Mindy anchored her boat just off the s...

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The Town's Only Death

Submitted to Contest #8

Strange things happen in my small sea side town. At least, that's what people say. No one knows the story of the town, the history. So, Felix and I are set to figure it out together. People have been taken, every year one person from a random House is taken, some are returned, others never come back. Last year, my cousin was taken, this year, everyone is afraid it will be them. My cousin, you see, showed back up, but not her herself, her body, shredded on the side of the river bank and we want to know why. One week, one week before the next ...

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JOHNNY TALKS TO SNAKES

Submitted to Contest #8

A flat tire. What’s there to cause a flat tire? There’s nothing out here! Johnny looked at the left front of the car, and there was no denying it; the tire was flat. Grumbling obscenities, he walked back to the trunk. Thank God, there’s the spare. He searched for the stuff to change it with. There! What’s it called? A jack. He looked at the flimsy thing and wondered. He shrugged his eighteen-year-old shoulders and placed it under the left front quarter panel. What now? How woul...

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Party of Two

Submitted to Contest #8

Chris Morgan                              About 2900 Words1435 S. Braden Ave.Tulsa OK 74112(918) 836-4169cmljmorgan@sbcglobal.netParty of TwoStefan MarkosRoderick wriggled a bit on the clammy fake leather sofa cushions, and scanned the partygoers in the room around him. A lot of familiar faces from the department, but not what he’d call friendly faces. He wasn’t here so much because he wanted t...

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The Little Brown Snake

Submitted to Contest #8

My canoe slid quietly through the swamp's waters. Bright green lily pads submerged themselves beneath its bow. As I passed a stand of black gums, a couple of red winged blackbirds seemed to be having a discussion over something. I am sure it was very important to them.  I was trying, as best I could, to sneak up on a black bear. I had spotted it prowling along the bank of a nearby island here in the Okefenokee Swamp. With a little luck, I would be able to get a good photo of a foraging black bear as he ripped into an old rotted log...

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Solving a murder in a small town

Submitted to Contest #8

I live in a small town where people talk too much and don’t listen very often. I didn’t really care about the topics they were talking about, because I wasn’t interested in gossip, other people problems and their judging. One day, everything changed. I was in a bar, sipping my morning coffee and reading newspaper, when I heard from an old lady that there was a murderer in town. It was a small town, so anybody became very suspicious. Suddenly I didn’t trust anybody. I decided that I’m going to solve this case, so I went on a little adventure....

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Elevator

Submitted to Contest #8

I was drifting in and out of a half-sleep. We were 3 hours into our flight and the drone of the engines acted like white noise in the dark cabin. I needed to stretch but didn’t want to disturb the others in my row. I lifted my arms above my head and stretched my legs under the seat to get blood flowing. I glanced to the right at my neighbor in the middle seat. He had his headphones on and was splayed in a contorted position-fast asleep. I’ll be fine for a while, so I stayed put. I decided to check our flight status on the screen in the seat ...

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A Close Call

Submitted to Contest #8

James OsborneJamesOsborne129@gmail.com250-306-0731Word Count: About 2300 For years, we dreamed of owning a boat like this. It brought us many unforgettable experiences, including one that almost cost our lives.Our sleek 25-foot cruiser had arrived in late summer. We could sleep and cook on board. It even had a toilet, or ‘head’ as sailors call it. We moored it in a marina on a narrow 110-mile long lake nestled between scenic mountain ranges. The remaining weeks of the summer were focused on learning how to handle the big boat.The m...

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Don't Order the Fish

Submitted to Contest #8

                           "Don't Order the Fish" It was the summer of 1970. They were newlyweds, Chad and Erin, a couple in love going fishing for the first time as Mr. and Mrs.  As they approached the waterfront at the end of a narrow dusty two-track, a slight breeze carried the smell of lake weeds and fungus bordering the sloped banks. Tied to a wooden dock, a twelve-foot metal craft awaited as thei...

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Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

Submitted to Contest #8

The little mortuary sat on the corner with the parking lot squeezed in just to the west. In the tiny town it sat adjacent to a single-story hardware store on one side and a modest post office on the other as if to say that the services provided by the three businesses, alike in size and appearance, were of equal and regular utility to the townspeople.The captain slowly rolled his four-by-four over the steep entrance ramp and into the parking lot, leaning forward over the steering wheel while gazing at the building’s windows with his mouth op...

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Iota

Submitted to Contest #8

Just west of Socorro, New Mexico where the highway splits from the interstate due south west, the soapweed yucca and sage brush screens the vast flat land as far as sight allows. Yellow wild flowers grow in the shade yearning for the hot desert rain. The arid sand floor is alive with creatures, indistinguishable from far. At a blurry distance the surrounding earth appears pale terracotta.He shifts his big rig downward as he approaches the paved descent. The inside of his cab smells of stale air. The pine-scented air freshener bought in Amari...

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When We Get to the City

Submitted to Contest #8

I could feel my skin burning, but it felt so good. My eyes seared. Aggie looked ridiculous. She was wearing her wide straw hat and a shawl was wrapped around her head and face. Her eyes were hidden by her darkened spectacles. ‘Bobby, you’re burning.’ I danced away from her, spinning in the sand, relishing the glorious burn of the sun on my skin. ‘Aggie, the air,’ I said, ‘isn’t it the sweetest thing you’ve ever tasted?’ I took a comically big gulp of air, as if I had filled my cheeks with something delicious. She inched towards me....

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FOREVER IN MEMORY

Submitted to Contest #8

'We are landing soon in Chathrapathi Shivaji International Airport soon'. I heard the voice and got ready to get down from the flight. I was under deep sleep and the hangover was continuing. My connecting flight to Bangalore was after four hours and that gave me a relief. I have reached the helpdesk of Indigo flight after standing for long time in the emmigration que. 'Which is the gate for 7.00am Bangalore flight. 'Gate No. 20'. I walked towards gate no. 20 and took a seat. After few hours an middle aged man came and sat near me. I was unde...

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It's a Small Town After All

Submitted to Contest #8

She has always grown up under the lights and heights of the big city. For the most part, she revels in the energy buzzing around her; the people rushing from sidewalk to crosswalk with a fresh cup of coffee in their hand-- the rows of cars pushing through the morning commute. But lately, the liveliness has been making her feel... less alive. It's becoming to be the same old routine. Get up in the morning. Grab breakfast at an overpriced coffee shop chain. Rush to the full time office job-- that's easy yet not challenging. She knew she was me...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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