17060+ Drama Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Being one of the most popular genres among the submissions to our weekly contest, the drama short stories collected below include riveting works you won’t want to miss.

🏆 Winning stories

“The Bench” by Kate Simkins

🏆 Winner of Contest #271

The elderly lady shuffled the few remaining steps to the park bench and sat down, happy to catch her breath and rest for a moment. The autumn sunshine was warm, but the nip in the air made her glad of her warm coat. She placed her handbag neatly on her knee.“Good morning,” said the silver-haired gentleman at the other end of the bench. “Beautiful day.”Elsie smiled. “Yes, it is. Cold, but lovely.”The man folded his newspaper and returned the smile. “I’m George.”“Hello, George. I’m Elsie.” She re-arranged her scarf, her gnarled fingers struggl...

168 likes 180 comments 180

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“Add Vodka to Taste” by Jay Wayne

🏆 Winner of Contest #270

With the mission running long and no exfil in sight, there’s little for Valerian and Roman to do besides purchase too many groceries, hole up in the safehouse, and settle old bets. Val stands over the cracked electric stove, carefully stirring a pot of ukha. The delicate scent of herbs, spices, and freshwater fish spirals off the surface of the broth. It smells of home, and Val knows without looking that Roman is sprawled on the couch behind him. “Just be careful not to let the salmon overcook,” Roman calls out. What would be genuine advice ...

82 likes 45 comments 45

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“Eleven Years of Hope” by Victor David

🏆 Winner of Contest #265

When the doctors asked him if he wanted to hop into a frying pan, Alexander of Severe Level III, long acquainted with doctor tongue, knew they meant they wanted to trial a new drug or a new treatment. Alexander said okay because he was tired of being shut up all day in the institution, and wanted to travel to the testing lab. More importantly, he had lost a central piece of himself to shrapnel when he stepped on a landmine eleven years earlier, and continued to perplex what was left of his cerebral cortex with the hope of its recovery.The do...

105 likes 123 comments 123

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“Twisted” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #276

My father and I had a complicated relationship. He had a family with four children to raise. I was the third son. From my narrow perspective, I felt like an also ran.A good provider, we were always housed, fed and clothed. We lacked for nothing material. But Dad always did things his way, in his time. He was an entrepreneur. When opportunities arose, he took them. The family followed. He saw many opportunities. We moved often. Dad planned to move the summer before I entered seventh grade. He listed the house for sale without telling our moth...

25 likes 30 comments 30

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“Weird Date ” by Shaheed Williams

Submitted to Contest #276

The cafe buzzed with the low murmur of conversation, the clinking of cups, and the hiss of the espresso machine. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow on the mismatched furniture and scattered patrons. I nervously tapped my foot against the leg of my wrought iron chair, my eyes darting towards the entrance every time the bell above the door jingled.This was it. My first foray back into the dating world after my divorce, and I was already feeling the familiar flutter of nerves. I adjusted my scarf, hoping I looked...

3 likes 1 comment 1

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“Don't Tell Anyone.” by Meredith Moyer

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #273

Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone. Tell them what? I want to ask what you mean, because somehow, I think I forgot. You told me to keep quiet, but what was it I was supposed to stay hushed about? I believe I may have hidden it somewhere deep in my head. Too hard to dig out. I know that it was painful, because my heart and lungs, they remember. They remember so vividly. My heart skips its beat sometimes and my lungs fill with cement, but I am not so sure why. The only thing I can remember is that you told me to forget.May...

27 likes 10 comments 10

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✍️ All stories

“My Third Silent Promise” by LifeCycles Creative Media

Submitted to Contest #276

Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of emotional distress, toxic relationships, and familial judgment that may be sensitive for some readers. In March 2023, I met Esmir in an online space where I had hoped for connection and safety. After three marriages—two to immigrants—I wasn’t looking for love. I carried the weight of heartbreak, judgment, and insecurities, convinced my best chance was to focus on my children and myself. Then Esmir appeared. His words were kind and his charm magnetic. He promised me the one thing I had been afrai...

5 likes 3 comments 3

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“Rule of Law and Dating” by Lilith A. Heart

Submitted to Contest #276

He picked his teeth with a floss pick in the front visor mirror of his Prius. Satisfied that his teeth were good enough, he stuffed the floss pick into his denim jacket pocket and went on to checking inside his nose when he noticed his date walking into the coffee shop. He was pretty sure the front of her matched her profile picture but if the backside was that slammin’, not looking like her photo wouldn’t be a deal breaker. After she had entered the building, he watched from his vehicle as she placed an order and then sat down at a table fo...

1 like 0 comments 0

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“Stranger Danger” by Kyla Davis

Submitted to Contest #276

In late August 1982, I traveled with my parents to visit my grandfather, who was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and needed long-term care. What was meant to be a long weekend stretched into an extended stay, leaving me to fly home alone to return to work. My mother, anxious about the idea, was relieved when a middle-aged man we met at the airport—a fellow passenger—offered to look out for me.  I saw him as a father figure. I was mistaken.  It was a mistake I had made before—and would repeat again over the years. I wanted to bel...

1 like 0 comments 0

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“Caroline, I Think” by KA James

Submitted to Contest #276

My sister-in-law got a conversation starter card game from a Secret Santa gift exchange at work, and it seemed that the family was going to have to suffer the consequences.It was the holiday season a few Christmases ago. OK, quite a few years back. Since the family was all mostly gathered in town already, we were having a pre-Christmas get together at my brother’s house. All the kids were in bed, or at least upstairs, and the adults were sitting up just drinking and bullshitting, when sister-in-law Debbie pulled out her new game.Skipping ahe...

17 likes 7 comments 7

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“From Andes to Amazon, How I Met Gil” by Alison Noni

Submitted to Contest #276

Yawar, our leader and guide, was undeniably drunk. The farewell party for the volunteer team we had traveled through the Andes with, ended on a sour note. Yawar had capitalized on his partner’s absence by flirting with the Australian girls. His behavior was entirely inappropriate. The young women were disgusted by his sloppy affections. I monitored him closely, ready to intervene if the girls needed me.Yawar’s girlfriend, Chaska, was also a certified guide. She had left Cusco that morning to deliver her son to his father’s house in another c...

2 likes 2 comments 2

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“The Way She Was Born” by Olivia Barthold

Submitted to Contest #276

Trigger Warning: Mentions of car crashes, blood, bodily fluids, PTSD. You will probably never believe this story, even though I lived through it, I still have trouble believing what happened that day. I'll never forget the day I met her, little Luna-Bug. It was June 2nd, 2023, around 4 am, I was woken up by an incredible pain in my pelvis, and the sensation that I needed to use the bathroom. The way my body felt; was not right, my back felt like it was being pinched, my mind was cloudy as if I were in a fog, I had a strong pain across my st...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Javon and Kimberly” by James Barrett

Submitted to Contest #276

My name is Javon Jackson. I’m a twenty-nine-year-old black cop in a black high-crime precinct in Newark, New Jersey. Besides my service revolver, I carry a blackjack. Often, the blackjack comes in handy when I need to show some perp that I mean business without threatening or, God forbid, using deadly force. Like most cops, I keep a backup piece at home: a Glock 22 semi-auto. It's under lock and key in a gun safe. The combination is my daughter's birthday.New Jersey is heavily blue and controlled by Democrats. As is their wont, they spend ot...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Friends and Dates” by Marco Damiano

Submitted to Contest #276

“Let’s run away.”  “Huh?” I said, looking up from the book in my hands. The bookstore surrounding us was new, built in the sunken basement level of a strip mall that had lain empty since I was a teenager. It was bright and well-lit however, with outdoor seating and a restaurant. We had come here to celebrate the waning days of Fall and reconnect since the Summer; when school ended and work had torn us away from our weekly meet-ups and nightly hang-outs. Being here reminded me of those cool afternoons on my porch, watching the sun go dow...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Stranger Beside Me” by Ron Conte

Submitted to Contest #276

It has been forty years since I took American Airlines flight number 3282. It was just a one-hour flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but I cannot forget the impact that short flight has had on the last half of my life. I remember it was a typical summer day in Los Angeles. The sun was peeking through some cumulus clouds. The Santa Ana wind plied its way through the trees and surrounding buildings as if a warm blanket was covering the city. I had just spent two weeks with my wife-to-be in the quaint town of Ojai. The excitement and ...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“Twisted” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #276

My father and I had a complicated relationship. He had a family with four children to raise. I was the third son. From my narrow perspective, I felt like an also ran.A good provider, we were always housed, fed and clothed. We lacked for nothing material. But Dad always did things his way, in his time. He was an entrepreneur. When opportunities arose, he took them. The family followed. He saw many opportunities. We moved often. Dad planned to move the summer before I entered seventh grade. He listed the house for sale without telling our moth...

25 likes 30 comments 30

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“So Far Away” by Marion Cohen

Submitted to Contest #276

So Far Away             Five decades ago I was completing my senior year at college. As was customary back in those days, I lived in the dormitory for the duration of the four years while I was seeking my Bachelor’s Degree, at what is now called Kean University, in Union, New Jersey. I thoroughly enjoyed the college experience. The classes and professors were intellectually stimulating, as was the era when I attended, being the late sixties and early seventies.   &nbs...

3 likes 2 comments 2

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“Absalom! ” by Giulia Belgrado

Submitted to Contest #276

“Oh, I forgot to tell you". You pause, readjusting your tone. We were just talking about lighter things: my sister's drab new boyfriend, our Friday night date, the cinnamon tobacco breath of my history professor because he leans in real close to answer questions, your physics fellow making you work after hours. But then your voice drops. You're trying to be respectful, we're on the phone after all, and this sort of news deserves delicate delivery. It shouldn't be dropped in the middle of three other mundane anecdotes about our day. Ideally, ...

5 likes 1 comment 1

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“A Lifetime in Fifteen Minutes” by Teddy Kwan

Submitted to Contest #276

Lee looked at his watch before stepping into the airport's arrivals hall. It was midday exactly, and he noticed that the flight from Loas had just landed. Hence, the hall was full of travellers clearing passport control.‘Good,’ Lee said to himself, ‘time to check whether the officers on the morning shift and on duty were on the ball and processing the incoming tourists efficiently.Lee was scanning the hall full of incoming passengers and wondering if he needed to go into the staff room to get more of his people into arrivals to help with the...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Strength to Fall” by Monera Shaik

Submitted to Contest #276

The gym was filled with the usual noise—the quick squeak of sneakers on hardwood, the relentless bounce of basketballs, and the hum of teammates talking. It was game day, and my head was a whirlwind. I should’ve been focused, ready, but my mind kept racing to places I didn’t want it to go.For years, I’d been carrying the weight of something I didn’t fully understand myself—bipolar disorder. It wasn’t the diagnosis that bothered me, not really. It was the fear of what people would think if they knew. No one saw the constant shifts in my mood—...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Weird Date ” by Shaheed Williams

Submitted to Contest #276

The cafe buzzed with the low murmur of conversation, the clinking of cups, and the hiss of the espresso machine. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow on the mismatched furniture and scattered patrons. I nervously tapped my foot against the leg of my wrought iron chair, my eyes darting towards the entrance every time the bell above the door jingled.This was it. My first foray back into the dating world after my divorce, and I was already feeling the familiar flutter of nerves. I adjusted my scarf, hoping I looked...

3 likes 1 comment 1

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