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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.

11200+ 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 682 of 747

Daddy’s Mystery

Submitted to Contest #75

Blood...blood... That’s all that I saw...It’s just blood everywhere.... Suddenly,everything turned black and all I can heard was the police siren outside... Then,I heard a voice said “There someone in here!” And the next thing I knew I can’t hear or see anything... At the moment,I thought it was the end of everything... My life... My journey... Out of the blue moon,I saw a light... I told myself “This is it...Your in heaven now...There’s nothing that can hurt you anymore...Your fine..Everything is gonna be okay...” But as I walke...

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Girl Emancipated

Submitted to Contest #75

Another woman came in between her parents. Another woman built a wall of divide between them. She made sour the love they shared. He pointed accusing fingers at his wife, that she was the cause of the turmoil. He said it was all through her their marriage hit the rocks. If she had complained a little less and been appreciative, probably they wouldn’t have been separated. These her father told her elder brother. Her mother left when she was six. She was left alone with her dad and her siblings. Though her step mum also kept company but i...

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Killer

Submitted to Contest #75

Trigger warning: childhood abuse “What is it you’re doing here again?”  Layla Cross was not having it. She hadn’t been taken from her already congealing five am breakfast to sit across from this woman who looked pained and drawn, like Layla was doing something to her instead of the other way around.  “I just want to ask you some things. Get to know you a little. It’s part of the process.” “What process is that?” “I think I can help you.” She barked out a laugh. “What are you, a lawyer or something? You’re about ten years too late.”...

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Tom and Jerry

Submitted to Contest #75

Abiye wondered if the first person to say never judge a book by its cover went to hell like they should have.She hated it— an understatement. It was disgusting. Nothing like she imagined. Horrific. And she was going to give Juliana an earful."It's not just what I had in mind," she told her editor over the phone."I prayed you wouldn't say that," Juliana answered and a strip of guilt trickled into Abiye's defense."It's not that I hate it," Abiye began slumping down on her lonely couch. "It's my first book Juliana. I want it to be good." Perfec...

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The Longest Journey Begins with a Single Step

Submitted to Contest #75

The Longest Journey Begins with a Single Step  These days the phrase ‘reinvent yourself’ is bandied about. There are endless self-help books and blogs which argue that it is possible to leave your old life behind and start a completely new one. Fiona Harrold’s book, ‘Reinvent Yourself’ sets out seven steps to reinvent yourself. You have to ask yourself, ‘who are you now, who do you want to be, be authentic, what do you want, fake it, look the part and finally, move on’. These books are very valuable and they certainly help some people...

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Pellucid Plans.

Submitted to Contest #75

“My story is scary, horrifying, and sadly true.So, when I was little my grandfather kept coming after my sister and doing ‘very bad things’ to her that I didn’t understand. I knew she didn’t like it and I had to protect her. I found a pocket knife in the garage of their house — one of those little red swiss army ones.I pocketed it and decided I would do what’s right.Next time he came for her, I defiantly pulled out that knife and stood between him and her saying he couldn’t do those things to her anymore. His face filled with hate and venom....

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Worlds Apart

Submitted to Contest #75

Worlds ApartA short narrative inspired by Reedsy’s Weekly Writing PromptsWritten byRobin GoodfellowHer heart surged with activity as the metal door with a glass pane slid over her. A hiss of air rushed out. Effectually Entombed she thought to herself. She would have shouted but no one would have heard her. Or at least paid her any mind. She was of course here on her own volition. It was the string of hope lent down by Grandmother spider to free her from herself.There were a few other bodies in the room clad in stereotypical lab attire. ...

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A New Life

Submitted to Contest #75

At cocktail parties, I’m often asked what exactly it is I do and my response is always the same – that I help people to leave their old life behind and to start a new life. “Oh, so you’re a shrink,” some would say. “Well, I suppose in a certain way I am,” I would say. “Or are you some kind of guru or mystic, who lives in an ashram in India?” they’d ask. With a drink in one hand and a smoke in the other I’d say, “Well, let me tell you then.” And so, like that I’d begin to explain what it is I do. But first I’m always careful to look around...

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Smells Like Opportunity

Submitted to Contest #75

Get Out More. That's it, my big challenge, yet of all the fabulous awe-inspiring New Year's resolutions out there, this one paled in comparison. I mean, the effort required to achieve it would be as easy as stepping out of my house and well, getting out! That however wasn't so, and it hadn't been for years now. I cannot remember the exact day or time I became shut out from the rest of the world but I remember the events that lead to it. Being the country bumkin that I inevitably was, the excitement that came with moving to a new city w...

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A veiled epoch

Submitted to Contest #75

Clinging vessels were as usual the wake up call for Chinna. He lay on a dried palm leaf mat covered in a faded thin .He could see the clear white sky through the cracked terra-cotta roof. Last night he slept holding his kaleidoscope .. the one he had made from scratch,now lying safely next to him. The other boys laughed when he told them his plan to make one and today he would prove them wrong. Drops of excitement slowly formed on his otherwise painfully deserted heart. He sat up.. the kaleidoscope safe and secure on his lap as he folded his...

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In Which I Dig a Pond and Hope for Ducks

Submitted to Contest #75

I was born competitive. When I came out screaming, the nurse said I was trying to outdo my mother, the sounds of her labor having reached me in the womb and inspired throaty cries that made visitors cringe. Nothing’s changed - well, okay. I’ve stopped screaming for the most part, but I’m as still competitive as hell. Need proof? I race strangers to the door of the grocery store and don’t even TELL them we’re racing. One time, I was having lunch with someone I enjoy about as much as I enjoy stepping in water with socks on. He said “There’s no...

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Out With The Old, In With The New

Submitted to Contest #75

Jonathan Martin sat at his office desk at Agape Counseling Services in a moment of reflection. He thought back to how far he had come with his life. He thought back to how he grew up in foster homes, unhappy and bitter. His mom (Elizabeth) is a former model. In her youth, she was tall and statuesque, with olive skin, dark brown hair and almond brown eyes. She had legs for days. His dad (Paul) is a former pro football player with a dark secret: he regularly indulges in adult content and is a serial cheater. Jonathan was the result of a one-ni...

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A Battle Against The White Blank Page

Submitted to Contest #75

The white blank page stares at me. We’ve been staring at each other for hours now. I try to type words on it but my fingers halts, hovering inches away from the keyboard, as though there is some invisible barrier stopping me. Then, I put down my hands in exasperation. This has been going on for three hundred sixty five days. I have had an ongoing battle with an empty blank page for three hundred sixty five days. Most days, I am always defeated and I end up watching a movie or the funny memes on youtube to console myself and forget the sham...

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Frost

Submitted to Contest #75

Jeffrey opened the door and was greeted by the cool insides of the small hospital room, his sleeping father judging his delay from the depths of his slumber. The room looked the same as last time, as if it had been waiting for his return. He loosened his scarf, walked to the corner of the room, and hung his coat on the stand. His father was sleeping peacefully in the bed, the machines beeping a slow beat. He left his gloves on the nightstand by the picture Molly had brought last time she had visited. Jeffrey adjusted the picture so it could ...

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Rhythm of the Waves

Submitted to Contest #75

Olive knew of rapid heartbeats. Shortness of breath. The sting in the air that pricked his skin. The wind that slapped against his cheeks.The people he had walked past mere seconds ago were now blurs in the corner of his eyes. His entire family was here - his mum, his dad, his stepdad, his two brothers.It was surreal.Blue was standing in front of him with a cerulean suit to match his eyes. A white rose in his breast pocket to match his shirt. His silken hair was pulled back into a bun like the day they had met.Two well-intentioned curls had ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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