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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

810+ Black Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Discover the best new stories by Black authors, written to themed prompts and curated by our judges.

Black Short Stories – Page 3 of 54

Evil-yn

Submitted to Contest #294

"Wake up, Evelyn, it’s time,” whispered a soft voice, nudging her sleeping sister gently. Evelyn opened her eyes to the sight of wooden beams above her. Termites and mold had already crept into their home, leaving behind holes and rotted remnants. She wondered if her insides resembled the same decay. Would anyone ever have the endurance, or even the curiosity, to pry her open and witness the disintegration of her soul? “Evelyn!” came the voice again, more anxious now. “Get up! He’s finally asleep!” Evelyn turned her face slowly toward her yo...

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The Long Walk to Freedom - Written By Rahaf Saadeh

Submitted to Contest #294

 The sun descends from the sky, hidden behind the hills and shallow valleys. My mind drifts to a wonderful world of my own where my worries are distant and faint. But my dreams are rudely awakened when I face the reality of my real view… Black rusty bars. Out of the window I only see the concrete of the prison exercise yard.   My legs need to stretch–I need to sit up. It has been a rough day. The little light I see dims, the last colours of the sky disappear into blackness. A single mesh-covered bulb in our cell burns day and ...

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Chasing Proof

Submitted to Contest #293

“It's been 2 years, you're going.” My bossy but loving bestie Michelle demanded as she expertly applied my makeup. It actually had been three years, but I wasn't going to correct her, consequently driving home her point.I still couldn't believe that after three years of stress-free AKA “single living," I let Michelle talk me into going on a date. As I stared off into space while she shaped my eyebrows, my mind wandered to the moment two days ago, when she pitched this date idea.“His name is Warren; he’s an actor and an CPA. He’s 36, no kids,...

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Right On Time - Michelle Addo

Submitted to Contest #293

“I’m late!”Nia’s breath came in short, panicked gasps as she bolted out of the house, nearly tripping over the step as she hurried toward the bus stop. Her heels clacked against the pavement, the sound echoing through the quiet Sunday morning. She had exactly ten minutes to get to church before service started—and before Pastor Graham noticed her empty seat. Again.The weight of exhaustion sat heavy on her shoulders, pressing her down like a burden she couldn’t shake. Working two jobs, helping her mother with her medical appointments, and try...

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EDS

Submitted to Contest #293

Tom Svinver barely missed the weight limit designed by the National Space Administration who claimed that his extra twenty pounds would cost a quarter million dollars to make him weightless. It was cost-prohibitive to send obese people to space. He had tried diet and exercise but at 43 years of age, tethered to a lab all day, Tom was desperately attempting a side-experiment with the dissolution of fat by a chemical alternative. All the rats had died. Two weeks before lift-off and final weight test he asked General Brodrick, “If I find t...

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Recruitment

Submitted to Contest #293

The interior was lavishly decorated, a stark contrast to the rugged exterior. Polished wood panels gleamed under the soft glow of brass sconces, casting warm light over plush, velvet-upholstered seats. Everything about the space exuded wealth and power, a silent testament to the influence of the Empire. The rhythmic chug of the train beneath them was steady, almost hypnotic, as it pulled away from the station, leaving the familiar behind. Liam’s senses were overwhelmed as he took in the grandeur of the compartment. The air was thick with the...

7 likes 4 comments 4
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WHEN A BLACK CULTURE FADES

Submitted to Contest #292

Mona had a knack for noticing the unnoticed. Therefore when she came across a seemingly insignificant item, she could not avoid giving it more attention. Every evening, at exactly 16:30, she peeped through her curtain window and saw a single black dress hung outside the apartment across from hers. It wasn’t particularly elegant or new. The fabric, a soft yet sturdy black cotton, swayed slightly in the evening breeze. It was structured enough to hold its shape yet supple enough to drape naturally, giving it a silhouette that was both striking...

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The colour of darkness.

Submitted to Contest #292

As I walk across the sand I get nostalgia from memories a long time ago. The sand was burning my feet. It was hot but the clouds kept coming closer. When I looked out at the horizon. So flat. The sun wasn't up yet but the moon was fading away slowly in its phases. The sand was blowing with the wind in my face which made it hard to walk. As I had to shield my eyes. I put my colour blind glasses on. So that I could see clearly. I collected some rocks and shells and put them into my pocket.  I just escaped the mental facility. I don't kno...

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A Colorless World

Submitted to Contest #292

A colorless world I am a nameless protagonist in a never-ending story set in a bleak and desolate place. This world has lost all color. Even the vibrancy of my memories has completely faded. Whatever spectrum once existed, or whatever spectrum I thought existed, has long since been corrupted and decomposed. I see only in black and white and grey. And red. So much red. Red fire. Red blood. Red thoughts. The world around me has become infected. It is sick. It is dying. I can see the black necrosis creeping over everything. Creeping over me. I ...

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Black African Girl

Submitted to Contest #292

I was born from the black soil of my ancestors, the Maasai people, where the wind whispered of rain long before the first drop ever kissed the earth. My childhood was woven with barefoot chases through sunburnt fields, where laughter cracked through the air. Nights belonged to whispered stories shared in the glow of a fading fire, and the sky stretched endless above us, heavy with stars that looked close enough to touch.In our manyatta, there was no mirror large enough to show me the fullness of my existence. The only reflection I ever knew ...

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THE SOUND OF BLACK

Submitted to Contest #292

TW: slave trading THE SOUND OF BLACK Our hut burns hot and fast without warning. Everyone in our village is screaming and running. I outrun my older brother to the sand. He says girls never run fast. I glance back to see why he’s so slow and spot momma in her apron with fear lining her face. I lunge to help, but I feel a thick hand on my slender arm. The hand belongs to a giant with white prickled hair all over his face. I stare into his eyes and wonder if he sees the world bluer.  He roughs me aside; I lose my balance and the sight o...

6 likes 3 comments 3
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To Be Black

Submitted to Contest #292

T/W : Descriptions of gun violence, blood, and slight gore ; Censored swears ; Heavy discussion of racismJune 1st, 1921 - 2nd Day of the Tulsa MassacreGreenwood, TulsaI remember that my brother once told me that the colour of your skin all depends on one little pigment in your body- melanin. Isn’t that funny? How much of one pigment you have in your body is the very difference between life and death.It was an innocent sunny afternoon, when my father burst through the door, dishevelled and scared. Without a word to any of us, he started dragg...

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Glimmer of Hope

Submitted to Contest #291

Glimmer of HopeBy J. H. WatsonSensitive content: physical abuse, childhood trauma I squint my eyes as the blinding glare seeps through the corner of the blinds. A small frown gently leads to tiny, muffled sobs. I place my hands on my mouth to quiet them even more, afraid of awakening Leon. This morning, unfortunately, is no different from the rest.After the bathroom regimen, I walk downstairs to begin the rest of the morning routine. As I round the corner to the kitchen, I put on the coffee for Leon and grab my fresh cucumber-beet-carrot jui...

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Into the void of the real

Submitted to Contest #291

I found myself walking through a throng of pedestrians. I push and shove through the invisible faces, and the riptide of random bodies swarming against my every movement. Claustrophobia and agoraphobia envelop me, swallowing me into paralysis. I can feel my lungs seize, and the panic chugging at my chest with adrenaline. My knees weaken at the endless drove of bodies. The crowd surges like a school of anchovies darting from predators, and evading attacks. This archaic event smothers me in waves of moving flesh, and petrified thoughts. I want...

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Stormy hearts

Submitted to Contest #290

It was the beginning of a rainy season. The first rain in the new year. As usual, the weather forecast had wrongly predicted a sunny day. It started with a drizzle, startling the passersby. Within minutes, they were shuffling for the nearest stall, the closest shelter, as the rain poured heavily down.They pushed, shoved and scrambled on their way past. As they did so, Tara tumbled over and fell face first into the dirty puddle, almost choking on it.“Oh, my…” She bit back the curse at the person who’d presumably pushed her when she saw t...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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