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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

Fight

Submitted to Contest #313

CW: Mention of self-inflicted injury He would wait for the gray light to set upon the west of the dark valley and crouched inside the wet divot. On his bony, thin hand were wooden lines of a withered set of two right-angled bars. Although the palms were scared, they held on to the bark like a soulful parade of dancing drummers did their sticks back in the days of evergreen. The evergreen was for forever, the wise scholars said long ago.As the afternoon breeze hailed dust from above the high ground of the hole and blew across the sunless sky,...

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Legacy

Submitted to Contest #313

Ted Pierce entered the country club his father had belonged to most of his life. He looked around, unimpressed.Looks like any old country club to me. He kept inviting me. For what? Glad I didn’t waste my time.A staff assistant approached.“Mr. Pierce?”Ted nodded.“Sorry for your loss.”“It’s alright. Better late than never…”The staff assistant nodded and did not comment. “Come with me. The others are in the conference room awaiting your arrival. Mr. Woodrow will read your father’s will in a few minutes.”Ted gestured at their surroundings. “So, ...

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The Apartment Above

Submitted to Contest #313

The first time Lena heard it, she was too tired to care. She had just finished unpacking the last of her boxes and collapsed onto the old leather couch with a bottle of cheap wine. It was almost midnight, and as she faded into the soft haze of half-sleep, a faint thumping started overhead. Footsteps. Slow, steady, pacing back and forth. She cracked an eye open. Her apartment was on the top floor. There shouldn’t be anyone above her. The sound stopped. Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe it was just the wine. She passed out moments later. T...

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Andy’s Choice

Submitted to Contest #313

Andy sat in the glow of his TV screen, headset on, fingers twitching over the controller. Empty cans of energy drinks were scattered all over his carpet, where the sun cast golden bars across. Andy was exhausted, but the battle had been raging for weeks, and he was not about to quit now. Then, he heard him."Still wasting your life in there?" his father's voice cut through the hallway, sharp as ever."Your cousin Danny was accepted to MIT and has an internship lined up for the summer already. And what are you doing? You can't even get out of b...

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From Wags to Riches

Submitted to Contest #314

Today was the day that my life completely changed. Where did my dear human family go?It was a dark, stormy night. There was thunder and lightning everywhere. My family had suitcases packed, and were loading items onto a truck. I heard a lot of yelling, and crying, and then the truck drove away. I was confused and scared, and had no idea where my human family went. They left me a little kibble and water. The apartment felt cold, and I hated the sound of rumbling thunder. I felt scared. I wish that someone was there with me. As the rain patter...

5 likes 1 comment 1
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Awake in the Dark

Submitted to Contest #314

NOTE: This story depicts a life-threatening medical event, including internal bleeding and anesthetic awareness, which can be distressing to some readers. The summer of 1983 felt almost enchanted. My boys, ages five and three, were at that perfect threshold between innocence and boundless curiosity, their laughter as light as the salt-laced wind off the coast. We danced through visits with relatives and friends, explored parks and beaches like they were new worlds, and collapsed into cottages and motel rooms with cheeks flushed from joy. Eve...

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Days of Glory: The Road to Al Hilal

Submitted to Contest #314

CW: May contain racially sensitive language. As the title suggests, this journey recounts when I began to believe that I could make a difference in Soccer. It took some years of course, some ugly attitude and tackling by the Riyadh Bedouins, and harassment by the locals and some others.(I cannot explain who I don’t want to remember) As I used to play with the Saudi boys across the street, I enjoyed playing with them, as I was only 9, they were all tall lads, and they used to easily trick me. Their English was poor, and it was very difficult ...

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Despair: the complete absence or loss of hope

Submitted to Contest #313

CHAPTER 1: TURN 12 "Are you there, God? It's me Deses.......the team has been acting up again. Leclerc is half dead; I can see it in his eyes, Fredrick is half insane rambling about some strategy and Matteo is following Fredrick like the blind leading the blind-" A metallic whine emits from the garage door as it rises as pit crew and staff enter and prepare for the race in twenty minutes, Deses scrambles off his knees and grabs his mask wiping his sweaty palms on his racing suit and helmet, he greets Leclerc as everyone forms a semicircle a...

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The Salmon

Submitted to Contest #313

Mary took another sip from her wine glass eyeing her husband across the table. Thomas, of course, was looking at his phone. The sickly electric light reflected off his face, putting a spotlight on his aging jowls. “I thought it was your favourite?” she asked. “Hmm?” Thomas looked up, finally acknowledging that she was there. “The salmon.” she said, gesturing at his barely touched plate. “I thought it was your favourite. Is there something wrong with it?” Mary knew there was nothing wrong with the salmon. “Oh. It’s fine. I guess I’ve just los...

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There's always a way out

Submitted to Contest #313

There’s always a way out NOTE: This story contains scenes of emotional abuse and violence. The chill air was awash with a clean, crisp, minutely tangy aroma. Impending snow. Felicity closed her eyes and drank in the scent of it, calming her chaotic heartrate and allowing her to breathe freely again. She had finally stopped crying, but her tear-streaked cheeks still stung a bit from the cold air. Sitting down heavily on the top of her front steps, she pressed her face into her hands to block out the world. Unfortunately, that didn't sto...

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The cat

Submitted to Contest #313

The guy in the bed next to his groaned and emitted a strange sound. It didn’t sound right, but he couldn’t turn to check what was the matter with him. Any movement resulted in pain in different parts of his body. He didn’t know exactly where he was hurt, and apart from the pain, he wanted badly to turn to his side or to rearrange his pillow. His back was sore, the sheets felt uncomfortable against his body. The guy next to him gagged and started spitting out something foul. A stench overpowered the hospital’s odour of bleach, bathroom, medic...

3 likes 4 comments 4
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Longest Two Weeks of My Life

Submitted to Contest #313

Are you there, God? It’s me. Were you trying to control the longest two weeks of my life, which were once a massive exploding in my brain? It began as a night I had the most appalling headache ever. I really only thought this was a normal hangover; it would be gone in a day, or so I thought. Yet, the next day, it was still there. Then the next day, and the next. This massive, continuous vibration that seemed to take over my mind. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I was also beginning to have a difficult time seeing out of the right angle o...

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The Sins of the Light Part 2: Tales Beyond the Darkest Desert

Submitted to Contest #313

In a just world the City of Savoria wouldn’t even exist. The whole concept of a private corporation owning an entire city has always stayed in strange sci-fi books my big brother Malcolm would read to me. Books about evil corporations creating modern slavery in its citizens who are brainwashed into thinking they are good guys spreading their wealth to “lesser folks.” That and with lots and lots of rich luxuries. I mean what ego feeding can’t buy, money always will. Always has. Whatever, its not like I owe any of these...

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A Perfect Family

Submitted to Contest #313

“Are you there God? It’s me again. Mary-Katherine Montgomery Hoff-” A snort of laughter and a groan follow. I fight the urge to open my eyes, a smile pulling at the edges of my lips. The image of Harrison Davis at my locker leaning over me vanishes from my mind. God was far from it. “I’m supposed to be saying grace so we can eat, but Grandma says I can talk to you like I talk to a friend, so I come to you tonight humbly asking-” “Here we go-” “Colton.” “If you could open mom and dad’s hearts to reconsider getting a Jack Russell Terrier pu...

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Sarah

Submitted to Contest #313

Please be aware this story contains elements of child abuse/neglect, death, and an implication of self-harm. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Sarah. Sarah Peters. Sarah Eve Peters. I know there’s probably a lot of Sarah Peters in the world.” Sarah kneels, old beige carpet digging into her knees like gravel, her hands clasped at her forehead and her elbows resting on a green threadbare blanket patterned with hummingbirds. “Although, you are an omnipotent being, so you should already know who I am.” Sarah hesitates, wondering if she should contin...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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