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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of bedtime short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

1110+ Bedtime Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Everybody loves a story before bed, and our collection of bedtime short stories has got you covered.

Bedtime Short Stories – Page 64 of 74

Stars in our Scars

Submitted to Contest #76

Stars in our Scars“Papi.” Deenoh came in, panting, tears drenched his eyes and pink crumpled his face. “Yes, son?”, he replied after a round of seconds, in a calm, unruffled voice. He was preparing dinner in his favorite blue apron. Deenoh heard the pleasant clattering sound of frying pork. “She,” he sighed. “She failed me!”, he blurted into tears. “She slathered my love away!”It was a rather tranquil night, Melanie, his mother, was out of town for official business. She’d be home in a couple of days. It is evident that the man in ...

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Who's she?

Submitted to Contest #76

Who is she? She cannot tell a lie. She is red. She is alive. That's the only truth she can be sure of. That's all she knows because if she cannot tell a lie, she is very gullible. She falls for whatever people tell her about herself. Because herself she does not know. This leads to many lies. Little ones, because she cant tell what truth is. So the story goes. An honest girl walked into a bar and only got out due to the diligence of her bestfriend, who she loved very much and planned to escape to ever after with. This honest girl had golde...

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The day that brought change

Submitted to Contest #76

The day has arrived, and Hope can’t seem to control herself. Today is the…. Uh-oh first it seems like you’ll need an introduction. Hope Forbes is a little 9-year-old girl with cuteish smile, chocolate brown hair and pretty blue eyes. She is much more similar to her mother Candice Forbes. And she lives in Atlanta. So, let’s pick up from where we left. Today is the day as Hope is going to visit and stay at her grandma and grandpa’s house for the rest of her vacations. As the corona virus pandemic was currently in action and there was lockdown ...

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A Lesson in Pink

Submitted to Contest #76

“I see, Harshil, that you’ve found yourself in a bit of trouble again.” His mother looked at him with a raised eyebrow, which had fascinated him as a toddler, but was now reserved for such dangerous occasions. His mother was quite disappointed in him. Her hands were on her hips, and her phone was in her hands - she had just received a phone call from his class teacher. “I … I did not know the bottle was going to hit him so hard, mother.” Harshil’s tiny hands were folded and rested in front of him. He must have known he had not behaved like ...

17 likes 0 comments 0
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The new girl

Submitted to Contest #76

“Did you hear about the new girl?” “Which one?” “The one that has dark brown hair all in curls all the time,”  “Oh that new girl, yeah I did,”  “Did you hear about what she did though?” “No,” “Well, I don’t know this as a fact but I did overhear Sarah Jane, tell Mia, tell Luca W, tell Hannah, tell Liam, that she spray painted under a bridge,”  “Really?”  “Yeah, apparently it was all over the news,” “Why?” “Well she got caught,” “How?” “CCTV cameras, an officer was watching and arrested her for vandalizing,” “Woah,”  ...

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Words

Submitted to Contest #76

Once upon a time in a city of bailout a very weak baby was born her face was pale and pink and her hands were small then other normal newborn babies. She came out as young 9 months baby so nobody understands why that baby is so weak. Her mother named her Diana. When Diana turn 9 she always used to stay close her mother and anybody she used to meet told her she looks so weak like a little thing and she younger than her actual age and people often told her that she needs to take proper diet. Her mother did everything for her daughter to be hea...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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Not Picture Perfect

Submitted to Contest #76

Kayla hugged herself as she read through her chats. Her relationship was only few days old but she felt like quitting already. She had sent Dylan a text five daysdays before but he was yet to answer. She kept loading and reloading, waiting for his text, but it didn't pop up."Didn't he see it?" She muttered, her thumb swiftly wiping sweat off her brows. All the messages she had sent were marked seen yet there was still no answer. She didn't want to dwell much on it but she just couldn't hold it in."080..." She reeled off under her breath...

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Polka Dot

Submitted to Contest #76

“Make me happy.” Dot’s arms sink over the edge of the railing and sift through the salt-speckled air. The sun slithers onto the rough angles of the waves and appears like snakes of light dancing in the corner of her eye. Adelaide is also there, in her peripheral vision, her stomach swollen and stretching the front of her floral blouse until the threads peel and screech. “You will, won’t you?” Her voice is camouflaged by the whispering thrum of the boat. Adelaide’s hands are unconsciously orbiting around her tummy and Dot recal...

51 likes 34 comments 34
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The Grocery Clerk

Submitted to Contest #76

I have arrived at work for another day of being a cashier. There are certain aspects of my job I truly enjoy but then again here comes Mrs. Highsmith to my checkout stand. She always lets her kids open the chips eat them and hide the bag before paying. Today I am going to tell her its company policy to pay for all goods before consumption. Hi Mrs. Highsmith. Hello Sandra. Steph sit down. Roger leave your sister alone. Margie get out from under the basket immediately. Did you hear me Margie? Don't make me call your name again. Mrs. Highsmith ...

7 likes 3 comments 3
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The Chicano girl

Submitted to Contest #76

I thought everything was going very well… until Camila had another surprise for me in the second half of January. “Can I talk to you about something?” she said one evening after we sat down to eat the burritos she made the previous night. “Of course,” I replied but then I started having a bad feeling when I saw her staring down into her plate too long without saying anything. “We won’t be able to make love for a while,” she said finally, still not looking at me. I could see that she was struggling to find the right words to continue. “Do you...

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So what time do you think this is, young man?

Submitted to Contest #76

“So what time do you think this is young man?” “I strongly believe that it is one o’clock, old man. That’s what the clock on the wall tells me, although it doesn’t speak out loud.  And I have found it to be pretty reliable in the past, so I will trust it now.” “So you come home late, and your mouth is filled with sarcasm, eh boy.” “No, I left a lot of my sarcasm at the party, old man. I didn’t know that I would be needing so much when I got home. Otherwise I would have kept quiet when I was there.” “I think that you have an in...

15 likes 0 comments 0
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Move On: Rock bottom

Submitted to Contest #75

Ever reached rock bottom? No, not that fantasy world with the talking fishes and tasty burgers. It's a mental place. And when you get there, your brain automatically tells you to leave. Get out. Move on. But it's never easy.Some of us didn't exactly stick the landing and we're broken pieces scattered around.Maybe we pick ourselves together, maybe we don't. Maybe we're too tired, tired of it all, tired from the drop, tired of being broken, tired of being put back together, tired of falling after getting back up, or like I said before just tir...

17 likes 2 comments 2
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Solution twins with problem

Submitted to Contest #75

Summer holidays bestowed a solace to Azad after the tormenting exams. As any other child's crisis, mathematics made his life miserable. Unfortunately it was after that' do or die' hours his holidays are beginning. Azad lives with his abba and stepmother,whom he was forced to call ammi . It was his two younger brothers who turns his life blissful. Their baba ,his grandfather also stays with them. They live in their hometown surat. It was a saturday. The family has planned for a tour to Delhi , a 10 day tour. As his pr...

3 likes 9 comments 9
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Over Under

Submitted to Contest #75

Charlie could not do it any longer. He carefully marked his place, sat his book down, and headed out of the room. He had been trying to read the same book for nearly six months. The noise had become far too distracting. Almost nothing would help anymore. They always came at the worst of times. He quickly checked his outfit in the mirror, and he went through the front door. As he was getting into his car, he noticed that he forgot to put on his tie. He considered going back inside to get it but decided he would rather not waste time on someth...

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Creation

Submitted to Contest #75

There was a growing stillness in the world behind me around my head thickening and pulsing with life like an Emerald Green Vein pumping blood for the first time.  Prepare to bear witness to fiery lakes prepare now for all which soon I’ll create. This path will include a way to end death meant to learn early before my last breath. “See child, I bestow this gift of life upon you at a great cost for everything must move in a circle. I’ve been all through time from beginning to end and changed everything but it happens again....

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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