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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

150+ 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.

Drama Short Stories – Page 9 of 10

Turnover at Midfield

Submitted to Contest #322

CW: Mentions of substance abuse, violence, depression and trauma For half a decade my dad, Jim Pierce, had jumped from one dead end job to another. This followed his completion of a substance abuse recovery program at the Shoreline Medical Complex to which he had committed himself after climbing into and out of an endless hole of depression.He could not seem to escape the story of the high school football championship that had eluded him throughout his teen years and the fact that his pursuit of that dream had nearly cost him his life. Then...

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Lifting With Katya

Submitted to Contest #321

Elena pushed the door open and stepped into the sports center. People in tracksuits were shuffling through the entrance. Looking at them, you wouldn’t know they were the strongest weightlifters in Europe, she thought. Elena saw no one resembling Katya. She was hungry, and it was still another hour until the weigh-in. Aromas of coffee and fresh bread wafted through the lobby from the next-door cafeteria. Usually, she wouldn’t be here that early to suffer through another hour of an empty stomach. But she wanted to meet Katya as soon as possibl...

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Seasons Turn

Submitted to Contest #321

The colours were gaudier, yet curiously more dull than her memory had allowed. She should not have returned. Of course, it was the wrong time of year for the seaside. Still, the penny arcades, drearily mechanical, shunted their workaday fun. The coins in the coin trap perpetually waited for a tipping point of copper cascades - brash and braying: no gold here. A few old dears struggled about peering at chance through sweaty glass. They were all on the cusp of autumn and waiting for the fall. And she among them. She allowed herself a wry smile...

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My ultimate goal was to obtain a masters degree in mathematics

Submitted to Contest #322

CW: Themes of emotional, physical, sexual abuse and trauma Before I narrate my story, I would like to talk about mom. She was the worst mother on earth. She was so evil. She used to find her happiness in hurting me. Unlike other mothers, she never defended me. In fact, she was the exact opposite. She used to blame me when I was not at fault. She was a monster mother.My bad luck didn’t end there. My mom was obsessed with my academic performance. She tormented me each and every minute from my 11th grade. Every single day, she used to ask me wh...

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Staring at Circles

Submitted to Contest #321

My early life was somewhat lacking in stability, you might say. I never stuck around anywhere long enough to be the popular kid. I bet most of those I met as I went from school to school because of my parents’ jobs would be hard-pressed to remember my name now. And that’s okay. I’ve made peace with it. I’ve just stopped entering situations with the hope that I felt in the beginning. When a new start meant something. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. For example, a few months after six-year-old me started at Goldwick primary school (in t...

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Complexities of Faith

Submitted to Contest #321

Trying to keep this idiot from accidentally dying is making me rethink my immortality.I had spent the last 5 years of my immortal existence watching over this human, trying to keep him from dying before God’s allotted time.For the first few years it had been okay. A touch here, a twist there, a change in direction, a moment of enlightenment.Easy.Then two years ago, after “the incident,” it was like a switch had flipped. Nearly everyday, I was trying to prevent a cascade of events that would most likely lead to an untimely demise and thus an ...

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The Debate

Submitted to Contest #321

"Good evening. I'm Graham Finch, and I warmly welcome each of you to another exciting Sunday night episode of The Debate. It's always a pleasure to have you tuning in for another session of The Debate, where we cover some of the most thought-provoking topics of the day. Tonight, we're exploring the fascinating and complex topic of morality, a theme that influences every aspect of our lives, from everyday decisions to our most profound beliefs and values. We're truly honored to welcome a distinguished panel of guests this evening. First and f...

18 likes 8 comments 8
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A Simple and Complex Gesture

Submitted to Contest #321

CW: Mental health struggles and threat of violence “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. It’s been a long time since we last spoke and I wanted the opportunity to make things right.”“I applaud you for reaching out and you’re right, it’s been almost a year since we last spoke.”“I consider us friends.”“Same.”“I think we would agree that our views and past disagreements are what caused our separation.”“Agreed.”“I wanted to find a neutral place we could meet and that would be quiet so we could talk.”“This place is fine.”“I would like to think...

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Your long lost son

Submitted to Contest #321

“A true con artist must believe in the con as much as the recipient; only then can they remind themselves it is in fact not real” - Memoire of Louise Mcrowe. “I am your son” Nervousness wracks my body, this is the big day. The day where i may have a family. The lady’s face pales at my words. Her reaction makes me cringe back. Maybe I should’ve sent a letter or friend request on Facebook to message her the news. She’s shorter than i expected, possibly 5 foot 6 with grey hair streaked with white. Coiled in a messy bun on top of her head. I s...

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The Sweetest Sacrifice

Submitted to Contest #321

Not many people can tell when they have gone overboard, added too much, or left a bitter taste in your mouth; it's for this very reason that La Petite surpasses the bakery fronts on Main Street, because divinity wretches out spoils, even the smallest of inconsistencies. It's disapproving to speak so highly of your own business, especially in a tall-poppy syndromed country like Aotearoa. Of course it is, and I wouldn't say anything out loud. But to just know it, to understand your hard work is reaping the love (and also the heartache) that we...

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Discovering the hidden significance of the Bloom

Submitted to Contest #321

Another day at the beach for his usual seaside coffee at a well known Adelaide coffee shop. It was well into spring now after a bleak and miserable winter. In past years he had especially loved the seaside starting with onset of spring with its blue skies, sunshine, warmth, blossom, and the promise of glorious summer to come. It normally lifted his spirits tremendously. But this year the miserable winter had lingered on into the early spring dragging his spirits down with it. For some weeks now he had been finding it depressing, menacing - ...

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Ghost Protocol

Submitted to Contest #321

“Thank you for calling Ghost Be Gone, this is Nathan Graves speaking. What can I vanquish for you today?” The twenty-three-year-old two-time college dropout paused the TV and pushed aside a stack of to go containers. Kicking his feet up onto the cluttered coffee table he held the phone with his shoulder. “Mmhm,” he hummed, “haunted you say? Well, that's no good.” He picked a sesame seed out of his teeth and flicked it across the claustrophobic room he called a studio apartment. The walls were dingy, begging for a new paint job, and the floo...

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The House Across the Street

Submitted to Contest #321

George liked to keep the blinds open in the evenings. It was perfect for the plants on the windowsill to get the sun and moon they needed. Though he wasn’t even sure if the plants needed moonlight. Most people defended themselves from the dark, but George insisted on the open window. Behind his cover up, the truth was he liked the house across the street. More so he liked to watch it. It was built of brick, a dusty red color that reminded him of the toast he usually burns. The windows were rectangular and perfect, the drapes always sitting i...

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Curtain Call

Submitted to Contest #321

The silhouettes of the old magician and his longtime assistant dance as the dim light flickers on the stage. The show was over, the curtain was called, but they stayed on stage with one light as they reminisced over the amazing timeline they experienced in their career. The phrase “Do you remember?” echoed throughout the auditorium, only being disrupted by the outbreak of laughter. Finally, one of the two decides to present a stopping point. “You know it’s getting late. You should probably get some rest before tomorrow’s show.” “Nah, I'd ra...

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The Old Man and His Dog

Submitted to Contest #321

It was just 5:00 AM when the old man’s alarm clock sounded. He rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. His dog raised its head from the corner of the room where several blankets served as his bed. Looking out the window at his thermometer, Buck Watson saw that the temperature was in the upper twenties. He looked at the dog that was looking back at him with loving eyes and said, “Joe, it is soon going to be time for you and me to move to Florida. We will take our walks in the Florida sunshine instead of freezing our butts here.”A ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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