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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

15300+ Fantasy Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Though fantasy is well known for its epically long sagas, fantasy short stories can deliver all the genre’s best attractions with one punch — or, shall we say, in one fiery dragon breath?

Fantasy Short Stories – Page 10 of 1020

Slay Inc. (partial submission from a 6 character story written for a tv or movie series)

Submitted to Contest #306

SLAY Inc. You are going through life, not wanting to live, not wanting to die.Hope is elusive, buried, lost.You are a vagabond, a wanderer, a revenant.You have nothing figured out… And then the supernatural catches up with you… …and you have to wake up. The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy.(John 10:10 ) My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace. 7 I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war. Welcome to Slay Inc., where we risk life and li...

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Spring Commencement and the Grand Design

Submitted to Contest #306

Undergraduates and fellow travellersWelcome to the seven hundred twentieth spring commencement Of The Iris and Aset School of Communication and Design. Ours is a young school, a school of entrepreneurs, innovators, pioneers, and transcendent thinkers. We have no graduate program by design, for the world you go into is a world in which you must travel using the knowledge you have now toward a destination you may not understand. The future, as you all know, can only be understood in the untraveled distance between the manifest projection displ...

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If Pride and Prejudice Friends Could Text

Submitted to Contest #306

Charlotte: What did you think of the dance last night? Did any potential suitor catch your eye? 😉 Lizzy: Besides the humiliation of being passed over by the arrogant Darcy, I found the evening pleasant. I am happy for Jane, though. Bingley seemed to favor her. Charlotte: She should secure him and his 5,000 pounds a year straight away. Lizzy: Charlotte! Charlotte: I am not romantic, you know. One must look out for one’s future. 💰 *** Lizzy: Bingley’s been to the house to visit Jane twice. I think they are in love ❤️ but ’tis hard to tell beca...

27 likes 31 comments 31
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The Blue Devil

Submitted to Contest #306

6-10-25 Dear Diary, It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I haven’t felt the need to write anything in a long time. My distant relative, Tennessee Williams, was once asked why so many great writers come from the South. His answer was superficial at best- very uncharacteristic of him. However, I know exactly what he wanted to say now- it’s because of the pain. Haunted memories of torture and agony seep into every nook and cranny of this region. Trauma is the South’s most addictive stimulant, especially for writers. Maybe that’s why I have finally de...

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Recipe for a Magical Journey: Wonderland Stew

Submitted to Contest #306

Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Serves: 4-6 Wonderland wanderersIngredients:1 Cup of Curiosity (Best harvested in the garden of wonder, during the first signs of morning mist)3 Sprigs of Uncertainty (Pick while the wind is blowing east; they have a special taste when gathered in a rush)2 Large Thoughts of Doubt, peeled (Only the ripest doubts work best—those that have been hanging around for far too long)5 Lively Dreams, chopped (Be sure to use fresh dreams; those left on the shelf to...

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The Last Words of the Mad Hatter

Submitted to Contest #306

The room was dimly lit by the soft, flickering light of dozens of candles. Their flames cast long, dancing shadows on the walls, and the air smelled faintly of lavender and burned wax. It was the kind of evening where the world felt both close and far away—a liminal space, suspended between the past and what was yet to come.At the far end of the room stood a podium, polished and glistening under the light. A large chair beside it sat empty for the moment, a quiet symbol of the vacancy soon to be filled. The crowd was restless, murmuring amon...

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The Wizard Next Door Has WiFi

Submitted to Contest #306

Grindlelight was currently residing at Sunset Spoons Magical Retirement Village™—a name that, much like its wallpaper, had not aged well. It was less a retirement village and more a retirement sardine tin, where the prevailing philosophy seemed to be: how many sentient beings can we cram into one building without technically violating any housing policies? At least not too egregiously.A proud cog in the ever-churning Spoons Care Consortium™, Sunset Spoons was one of a dozen near-identical facilities sprinkled across the continent like mildew...

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Frozen to Nothing

Submitted to Contest #306

January 1, 1034 S.R.The frost is cold this winter. The ink in my pen has frozen, so I'm stuck using a pencil I got from Michael. The caravan is slowly but surely pushing on towards the sea. Eventually, we’ll see these desolate plains no more. I’ve heard that in the new world, it's warm all year long. The children drew pictures of the houses they wanted to build in their new home. The parents hung them up and now all of the carts are plastered with art.All day, Michael has been blubbering about the new world. He showed me a crudely drawn pict...

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Goodbye From My Hello

Submitted to Contest #306

I guess this journey was long enough for me to say goodbye, let me explain. It started off from my childhood, not knowing I was never beautiful or gorgeous like others said, but like usual I agreed to it. Sigh.. to my future self it’s ok to not agree with the disagrees, though it’s plenty of other options of diguisments I know next time what’s good for me. Not once have I ever questioned myself what’s needed for an improvement, that’s another blame to throw at me. I’m starting to understand the moment of silence I finally endured, goodbye t...

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DANCERS IN A TIME OF GRIEF

Submitted to Contest #306

July 25. I have begun this journal as a record of my thoughts now that I have moved out to this small cottage in the woods. I need time and space and peace to recover from a very messy and bitter divorce from the man I thought loved me, whom I’d loved with all my heart for all the time we were together, only to find that he’d been cheating on me for years with my best friend. The feeling of betrayal nearly destroyed me. I have quit my job, collected my savings – what was left after the divorce – at least the settlement was civilised – and mo...

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The Witch and the Woodcutter

Submitted to Contest #306

This passage represents part of a larger novel, The Witch and the Woodcutter, available now. Please be aware this story contains reference to violence against women and children, and suicide. ***Beorn pushed Godfrey to his limit. The forest thundered with the heavy drum of the draught horse’s hooves. Beorn and Morrigan rode pillion, much to Beorn’s guilt.I’m sorry, old friend, Beorn silently said to Godfrey’s neck. I swear I’ll shower you in apples when next we have the chance.Each day, the mountainous wall grew closer and closer; and each d...

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ENTRIES IN A YOUNG GODDESS’S JOURNAL AT THE SUMMER SOLSTICE

Submitted to Contest #306

June 18 (morning): I’m so giddy today. My application to assist the greater Goddesses as they prepare for the summer Solstice was approved, and it is only a few days away. Today, I have to find lodging close enough to the ceremonial events so I don’t have to worry about travel time. I’m told that some trees provide suitable accommodations, which means I might have to try out my flying technique. (Evening): I spent hours trying to find a place to sleep and change clothes, which is all I will need. I found this massive Oak tree a short distanc...

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Progress, Always and Forever

Submitted to Contest #305

Every color of the rainbow fell from the sky. Except for red – red was the hardest one to cut down. The multi-colored rain fell down through the canopy, leaving behind their crimson residue and splashing down amongst the rest of the mud. They’d cut down the other six types of trees – the orange ones were stubborn too – but all that remained in his way were the reds. Nature would no longer conquer him. Axes swung into the large trunks of the red-leaved trees. Gareth hired only the strongest of the locals who would be worth his dime. He walked...

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The Pharaoh's Greed

Submitted to Contest #305

[Note: Mention of weapons, minor swearing, and death threats. Proceed with caution.]**“Do not fall for his trickery, Eliana,” Nefertiti says, her voice filling Eliana’s mind.Standing between two difficult decisions was not what Eliana wanted to do.Especially when her best friend’s life hung in the balance, but unfortunately, it has come to that.“It’s either her or me. What’s it going to be, Little Girl?” Nabil, the man holding Cassidy hostage, snarled while looking between Eliana and Cassidy.The man had her at gunpoint, his nose flared, brow...

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A Walk Through the Hollow

Submitted to Contest #305

Candlesticks marked the edges of a circle. Black smoke curled, congealed, tangled overhead into wet strands - like hair. The sigils didn’t glow: they drank light and spat it back out. No lanterns. No windows. Only bloodred flame eating the wax. Even then, the shine they cast on her face looked more like charcoal than embers. Regardless, she could ‘see’ well enough; though no longer with her eyes. The taskmasters of the deep didn’t need them. They prayed and bled to contract the parasite, the Curse of the Other, the fumes of decay. Day and ni...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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