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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

150+ Contemporary Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. All the newest modern day stories to thrill and inspire, all in one place.

Contemporary Short Stories – Page 5 of 10

Rescue

Submitted to Contest #305

He looked between us once more and said, “It’s either her or me.”“Are you sure?” I asked. I was generally a loud person, but my voice was eerily steady and low.“Yeah, I am. I’m sick of letting you get your way whenever you want it. So just leave her and come with me.” Jason answered. “I’m not giving in on this.”“Why are you so sure I’ll choose you?” I knew he was a narcissist, but I really wanted to know his reasoning.“Are you kidding? Of course you’ll choose me. We’ve been together for what, a year now? You just met her. So just drop this a...

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You know what? I quit

Submitted to Contest #305

You know what? I quit.I slammed the laptop shut and pushed my chair back with as much dignity as I could muster. Laura was watching me uncomprehendingly, probably thinking I’d gone crazy. Who quits after being told they might get a chance at a promotion if all goes well with the next project? But it wasn’t a promise and it wasn’t a certainty. All it was was more empty words meant to appease me for a little while longer, so I’d work myself into an early grave to make sure everything goes smoothly, all the deadlines are met and all the positio...

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A second of desperation

Submitted to Contest #305

“Boarding starts in 5 minutes.” The voice over the speaker sounded muffled. I am aggravated because I am still tired, well, I am hung over from the night prior. It is only six a clock in the morning. I am still in Austria, and I am waiting to board a plane to Los Angles. My friends are sitting right across from me. We made the decision to run away from home. Our Parents did not know that we planned on never coming back.The constant arguments with my abusive mother amongst other family and social factors have finally taken its toll. I am done...

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A second of desperation

Submitted to Contest #305

At the intersection, I could go right and head home — but turning left would take me... At the intersection, I could go right and head home - but turning left would take me to a place of no return. The tickets for the plane were in my right back pant pocket, my passport was in my handbag. It would take one second to make a different decision. Once second to choose going home over leaving a country, a continent, a so-called home. I think: "Whatever, goodbye to all the people who are not helping. I love this land, and I love the culture but t...

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Nine months later

Submitted to Contest #305

Sometimes we have to do what makes us happy... It was my dream job. It had cost me my time, my health, and —let's be honest —a big chunk of my principles, but nothing mattered anymore: I'd made it. I was a mid-to-upper-level manager in a large company, one of those that shape the world and make your curriculum something to talk about, even with strangers who have no idea what you talk about at those fancy dinners people invite you to from time to time. I was a medium shot on my way to becoming a big deal. I had survived the Corporate climb d...

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Now, Can You Feel It?

Submitted to Contest #305

Blank-faced and gaping, I sat, feeling like a fish marooned in the sand as the hot sun beat down on my too-white knuckles. My hands gripped the steering wheel as tightly as I imagined my mother would be clutching her pearls if she knew I'd gotten myself lost on such an important day. I'd just been gushing to my best friend Riley about my excellent luck that morning, when my GPS suddenly rerouted me and dropped our call.There I was, sitting at a crossroads with nothing but corn fields to my left and, you guessed it, more corn fields to my rig...

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Intersections

Submitted to Contest #305

I hate going this way. I avoid it any chance I get, but the construction blocked all the other roads and the detours took me to this intersection. An intersection I know too damn well. And no matter how much time passes, whenever I find myself at this intersection, I always think I could go right and head home - but turning left would take… take me back to your apartment. Back to your second story studio apartment on Wicker Road. Back to that old, red brick building with those yellow, wallpapered hallways and rickety stairs. You and I used t...

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The Lie I Carried in My Mouth

Submitted to Contest #305

Content warning: This story contains sexual content and strong languageI stared at the crowd and told the biggest lie of my life.“He’s just on his way,” I said, with a smile so sweet it cracked something in the back of my throat. “Got a bit lost with his friend. You know him.”They laughed. Raised glasses. One of his cousins called out that he was probably sneaking a joint. I nodded, even threw my head back like it was funny. Like I hadn’t just heard him say he felt sick kissing me.The cake was sweating on the table, icing melting into the ve...

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How To Make Blackberry Pie

Submitted to Contest #306

You have decided to make a pie. This is quite the endeavor, but with the right approach, anyone can figure it out. Just remember, the process is what makes the pie a success. It is far more than the sum of its parts. If you fail to complete the steps, all the steps, you shouldn’t even begin.Step one - get the appropriate pie dishes. I remember my mum’s dishes, battered and dull. We would sneak them into the yard and epic battles would ensue. Shields, armor, cymbals and drums announcing the oncoming slaughter. Mum would eventually notice and ...

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I quit By Vera

Submitted to Contest #305

I used to walk into that office every morning with a pit in my stomach. Not because I hated the work—but because I hated the games.Jetta and Lana made sure I never had peace. They whispered, gossiped, manipulated their way through the office like it was sport. And Mr. Brown—my boss—never held them accountable. If anything, he coddled them.I worked harder than anyone on the team, stayed late, picked up the slack when they vanished for "off-site meetings" that always seemed to end with shopping bags.But the more I did, the more invisible I bec...

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The Unknown

Submitted to Contest #305

Chirping birds and the bright morning sun was what woke me up. My eyes burned for a moment as they adjusted to the light. A subtle breeze ruffled my curtains from the open window. It was a rare moment of peace in the city to start my morning. A peace that only lasted from the time I opened my eyes to when I looked at the clock. "Late, late, late," was the only thing I could think to myself as I rushed around my apartment. I put on the first outfit I grabbed out of my closet. There wasn't time for makeup or doing my hair. Only enough time to...

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Devine Intervention

Submitted to Contest #305

He looked between us once more and said, “It's either her or me.” I looked back at him in shock. I couldn’t believe he was forcing me to choose between my sister and my husband; I mean, I knew that Eva’s behavior was out of control, but this? It was too much. “I can’t have her going around town accusing me of crimes I never committed in places I’ve never been,” Adam continued, completely ignoring Eva. We both were. “She’s mentally ill,” I replied, looking sheepishly at Eva. Much to my surprise, she was relishing this con...

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Utterly Lost

Submitted to Contest #305

A light rain began to fall a few hours ago. The seconds drag on like raindrops on dirty windows. The weather was probably mocking me. One, two, three... And then I realized—I was completely, absolutely lost. The realization didn’t come as a shock, but as a quiet truth, settling like dust. Lost—not just in the empty streets of this village, an abandoned place, tucked away in the vastness of nowhere, with its long-empty shop windows and where the smell of asphalt mixes with the distant chime of a church bell. No, I was lost somewhere deep, in ...

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A Road More Travelled

Submitted to Contest #305

I sat behind the wheel, staring at the glowing red stoplight hanging in the intersection. A light drizzle of rain had become a steady fall, splattering against the glass of my windshield for a split second before my windshield wiper swiped across and cleared the droplets from the surface. In the rain, I could not see the dirt and grime on the streets. Lights reflected on the black surface of the road, changing how everything looked. I imagined the reflected images of the street lights were really coming from another universe that could o...

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Logic Verses Kindness to Solve Life Problems

Submitted to Contest #305

“You know what? I quit.” This was what I thought, but I refused to. I was definitely not going to say it out loud; that would only encourage Charlie.This debate is essential, even long after the audience has gone home. Charlie and I were making a decision about something we had a problem with in the past. I thought we resolved it long ago, but apparently not.“Amiee, you just like to please people too much. If you are going to get ahead in life, you need to be more aggressive when you stand up for yourself. Otherwise, your kindness will alway...

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