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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.

150+ 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 9 of 10

Banished

Submitted to Contest #320

Cyrina wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the trees painted black in the gloaming. She knew it was only going to get darker, and the only respite was the silvery white moon peeking through the leaves overhead. All she’d wanted to do was get out of that cramped saddle and away from Leander—away from his body pressed behind hers, away from his breath in her hair. But now, standing in the midst of a dark wood, wondering what creatures lurked between the trees and what insects were crawling up her legs, she wished she were up on the h...

14 likes 1 comment 1
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Becoming Baba Yaga

Submitted to Contest #320

Between two mountains, there lay a sleepy village surrounded by a great forest. The villagers whispered the secrets of the wood to each other as they went about their daily business chopping firewood, stirring pots of soup, and spending cold nights in the tavern. They warned that if you went deep enough into the woods, there were trees thicker than a barrel and taller than the eye could see. They warned that some trees were alive just as we are. And that among them lived spirits and elves who would drown you, eat you, bury you. Even the wil...

10 likes 4 comments 4
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Woods talk

Submitted to Contest #320

If I had to wake up to stare up at the sky, where would I be standing from? Of course my home, but my mind wants to wander off into deep conversations, I’m ready to take a walk. I need to figure out how I’m going to make some money. I need to organize my daily plans going into my future. I need to jot down a lot of these ideas, but I need to first see how this will work. How can I get the money? The new generation makes it so easy to find money. As I’m walking,& walking I’m coming across this trail. The first sign I noticed was seeking a...

5 likes 0 comments 0
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Ten More Minutes

Submitted to Contest #321

The machine gun nest erupted in a spray of dirt and metal fragments. Martinez rolled left, pressing himself against the muddy creek bank as shrapnel whistled overhead."Johnson! Cover me!" he shouted, breaking from cover to drag Williams back behind the embankment. Blood seeped through Williams' jacket, dark against the olive drab."I'm hit bad, Sarge," Williams gasped, his face pale as creek water. "Real bad."Martinez pressed his hands against the wound, feeling the warm blood between his fingers. "You're gonna be fine, soldier. We're all goi...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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The Tree

Submitted to Contest #320

Kit stomped his way through the woods. Twigs snapped beneath his feet as branches brushed his pant legs. Rain pelted the leaves overhead in a steady drip, drip, drop, plop, drip. It wasn't coming down hard yet, but if he stayed out too long he would end up soaked. His mother would not approve... nor would her husband. But that really wasn't the problem. He stopped and scanned the terrain. His stomach twisted. He didn't know where he was anymore. Kit raised a hand to his forehead, brushing aside damp bangs as he shielded his eyes from the int...

4 likes 1 comment 1
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The Wooden Fist of Tor

Submitted to Contest #320

Three weary adventurers came upon a clearing in the forest, a flat, sunny piece of land just up the bank from the river they were following, and agreed it was an ideal location to rest for the night. The sun was well past its zenith, so they presently set about clearing the loose brush and collecting rocks for the fire. While rolling out her bedroll, one of the travelers noticed a small patch of loose earth. Something buried. She peeked over her shoulder at the others. They were companions of convenience, having met along the river path and ...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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The Unfortunate Death of a Heroic Squirrel

Submitted to Contest #320

Hello. I am a squirrel. I’ve got a poofy tail, four fingers on my front paws and five on my rear paws. A white stripe flows from my chin to my bum. Otherwise, I’m a tannish gray. I like eating seeds and nuts and chittering. I spend my waking hours in trees or on the ground. I live under the canopy of a great forest. The trees have big leaves, reddish brown bark, and grow high into the sky. I like where I live. The big trees protect me from the a-hole birds with large wings and sharp talons. I still deal with the small a-hole birds. Mostly, I...

5 likes 2 comments 2
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Punch Drunk

Submitted to Contest #320

I spread my soft red tartan blanket on the ground and take a seat. Twigs crack beneath me, but nothing sharp punctures me and I am comfortable where I sit. I close my eyes, feel the warmth on my skin, and deeply breathe in the scent of pine. This forest is my playground, my sanctuary, my escape; in my 24 years, I have been here alone, or with a sibling for the last 21. I have an affinity with it, it is a part of me, I belong here, I become one with the trees and flowers until I lose myself, by the river I have walked the distance of and retu...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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Through the Trees

Submitted to Contest #320

How could I be lost so close to civilization? Two or three miles to the west or east would take me to a road or to the coast. But heading due east or west is for skilled trackers, and people with compasses. I do not belong to either of those groups. I was raised as a city kid and came to the great outdoors later in life. This part of the world, and of the country, is fairly new to me. I’m fairly sure I’m not about to die out here, but I do feel disoriented and slightly panicked. The Oregon coast is beautiful. Rugged, and backed by forest-cov...

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The GM Experiments Fire At The Heels

Submitted to Contest #320

We ran and ran until I couldn't bear to take another step. I turned and looked at Eleanor. “I think we should stop and rest for a bit,” I managed to get out between my short gasps for breath. She, not even being winded in the slightest, curtly replied, “We have to keep pushing John. We aren't out of the woods yet.” “Yeah, no kidding,” I replied, breathing slightly easier now.We had been on the run for several weeks, and last night stayed at camp just a bit too long. The fire had caught up to us, and we have been running ever since, trying to...

3 likes 0 comments 0
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Exploring Places

Submitted to Contest #320

Elias was very curious and wanted to explore unknown places. He walked deeper into the old, quiet forest. The gigantic trees had twisty branches that blocked the sun, making the forest floor look dim, like twilight. With each step felt like he was entering a special, forgotten place. The sound of leaves crunching under his boots was the only thing breaking the deep silence.Soon, the path he knew disappeared. In its place were tangled roots and plants. A worried feeling grew inside him. The delightful smell of pine and wet dirt now seemed str...

3 likes 0 comments 0
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Panic on the island.

Submitted to Contest #320

Write a story in which someone gets lost in the woods Panic on the Island “What’s that”? I asked my mummy, and I pointed outwards, and across the bay, “That’s a castle called ‘St Michaels Mount”, she said, and we’ll be living nearer to it ‘one day’. The castle was medieval, and it was in the sea, and my imagination started to ‘run away with me’! I thought of great battles, with men in armour...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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The Spark In the Dark

Submitted to Contest #320

Linion Square bustled with life. Merchants shouted above the clatter of carts and hooves, while the smells of roasted nuts, leather, and bread mingled in the warm air. Children darted between stalls draped with red and gold cloth, weaving through the crowd like quick fish.Topper manned his table of antiques full of candlesticks, cracked cups, and faded paintings. He was tall for his age, thin, with a neat buzz cut and warm brown eyes. A faint mustache curled on his upper lip, and he was proud of it even though most people hardly noticed. His...

6 likes 0 comments 0
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The Spark In the Dark

Submitted to Contest #321

Linion Square bustled with life. Merchants shouted above the clatter of carts and hooves, while the smells of roasted nuts, leather, and bread mingled in the warm air. Children darted between stalls draped with red and gold cloth, weaving through the crowd like quick fish.Topper manned his table of antiques full of candlesticks, cracked cups, and faded paintings. He was tall for his age, thin, with a neat buzz cut and warm brown eyes. A faint mustache curled on his upper lip, and he was proud of it even though most people hardly noticed. His...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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The Spark In the Dark

Submitted to Contest #320

Linion Square bustled with life. Merchants shouted above the clatter of carts and hooves, while the smells of roasted nuts, leather, and bread mingled in the warm air. Children darted between stalls draped with red and gold cloth, weaving through the crowd like quick fish.Topper manned his table of antiques full of candlesticks, cracked cups, and faded paintings. He was tall for his age, thin, with a neat buzz cut and warm brown eyes. A faint mustache curled on his upper lip, and he was proud of it even though most people hardly noticed. His...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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