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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.

15120+ 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 2 of 1009

The Somnambulists Cute Meet.

Submitted to Contest #304

This story contains mention of sexual violence.It all started when I was about thirteen, rising to some kind of peak on that silent, moony night when she and I finally bumped into each other, after years of living in the same neighbourhood, and sharing a penchant for wandering the empty streets during the bewitching hours. We both suffered from somnambulism, commonly known as sleepwalking. Despite undertaking a gaggle of therapies, my night terrors and nocturnal walkies continued for most of my childhood, dragging into my teens and beyond. N...

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The Green Covenant

Submitted to Contest #304

Carla opened her eyes at 2 am. She had been struggling to sleep for far too long. Her legs were painful, and she was twitching and tossing under the bedcovers. No one seemed to understand how severe it was. “What is wrong with me?” she often asked herself. She tried to put it out of her mind, but it was always the same scenario when night fell.Accustomed to the many sleepless nights, she now sat up calmly, almost too calmly. The sound of the rain in the night was soothing. Her husband, Ray, lay beside her in a trance-like sleep that she envi...

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The Show Must Go On : The Halfway House for Disgruntled Characters Pt 2

Submitted to Contest #304

“Contractual obligations, Merlin!”“Loopholes, Malory! In your material it says Cloudbank Cabin will provide Arthurian epic re-enactments, in chronological order, in the Fog Lake and Cloudbank, within clear view of the porch of Malory Tennyson’s Cloudbank Cabin for Arthurian Studies, at all times when hosting an Artisan in Residence , except in extraordinary circumstances.And Sir Lancelot du Lac disappearing completely is definitely an extraordinary circumstance!”“If you know where he is, Merlin, I insist that you magic him back to the Fog La...

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Ocean Singer of the Night - Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #304

"Labyrinths of the wild,Nature entwined,Ocean's stories,Beyond time and mind."The voice of Ocean Singer wafted over the ocean.The canvas sails of the boat gleamed in the lantern light, beneath the stars and moon.A new tale bubbled up from Ocean Singer's mind.Something different had been carved into him by his recent experiences. His stories took on new shapes.Now, each night he wandered the mystical sailing ship decks. In the darkness, more stories sparkled in the depths and essence of his being.His lost storytelling skill was coming back. S...

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Two Dragons Walk Into a Writing Retreat

Submitted to Contest #304

If you’ve never seen a dragon try to hold a quill, you’ve missed one of the quiet tragedies of the post-clause era.Thundros Cloudbelch—a name that sounded like a weather complaint and lived up to it—was hunched over a wrought-stone desk at the Smokevault Retreat Hall, scowling at a blank sheet of flame-inscribed parchment as if it had personally insulted his lineage.“‘Memoir,’” he muttered, jaw tight. “‘Mandatory for archival integrity and generational transmission.’ Sounds like execution by ink.”The desk creaked under him. He shifted uncomf...

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Cael and the Symphony of Truth

Submitted to Contest #304

Silence.For the people of Lurea, sound was a distant memory now. The new generation had never known the delight of singing, playing an instrument, or the echoes of giggles. Silence had consumed the village like a heavy fog, seeping into every crevice, muffling footsteps, and swallowing even the wind's whisper. It hadn’t always been this way. There was a time before silence fell, the happiest of times.Music danced through every corner of Lurea as villagers sang and rejoiced. Every person carried a delightful tune in their heart from the momen...

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Friend

Submitted to Contest #304

Ashwater was what the troll called the place beneath the glacier, where the snowmelt turned gray with soot, where the birds never flew, where the rocks wept black tears no one could explain. He said it was older than language, deeper than death, and that only children could find it.Brynja was nine the first time she heard the name.She had wandered past the schoolhouse fence on a Wednesday afternoon, chasing a dog that wasn’t really there. Past the sulfur springs, past the collapsed turf church where moss grew over gravestones and the wind ma...

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Inkbound Chains

Submitted to Contest #304

Inkbound ChainsArise in the Temple of InkI awoke in darkness to the relentless scratch of an unseen quill—a sound that seemed to echo from a forgotten age and both caress and condemn my every thought. In the fragile space between sleep and full consciousness, I found myself standing in a corridor constructed not of brick or stone but of trembling, paper-thin walls upon which living words danced and shifted. The very air reeked of aged paper and spilled secrets, and every syllable etched into those surfaces murmured of destinies lost to time....

9 likes 2 comments 2
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The Ghost Writer

Submitted to Contest #304

Jocelyn hoped she remembered all her lies for the impending Zoom call. She’d studied the newspaper accounts and video clips of her interviews from ten years ago to prepare. The time for the call arrived, but she was still applying her makeup and styling her hair. The interviewer could wait, she decided, as she grabbed a glass of water and settled with her laptop on the sofa of her apartment family room. Jocelyn clicked the link in the email from her publisher. Zoom activated, and she saw her image on half of the screen. She adjusted her bang...

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Heck Hath Gnome Fury

Submitted to Contest #304

(Preamble: This is the first creative writing I've done in...wow...years. I actually meant to submit this story to last week's contest, but ran out of time, somewhat ironically, as I was distracted with yard work. As our little porcelain fella works at night--possibly exclusively, though I did not feel it necessary to specify for certain--I felt it was appropriate to submit this story here. Hopefully I didn't leave in any glaring mistakes and someone out there enjoys reading it, maybe even has a few laughs. Grow gardens, not hate. ~ Mark) -...

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The Lady of the Night

Submitted to Contest #304

The Lady of the Night I am the lady of the nightThere are times I am niceThere are times I am notThere are even times I may give you a frightBut I am here to sayI'm more inspirational than my husband dayI have no influence on anyone's opinionHowever I do believe that I will win you overThere’s just no intrigue in the hours of daylightDays are all so monotonously mundanePeople working hard, attending their appointments Possibly fitting in school runs Or doing some kind of chore Be that at home or outdoorsAlarms disturbing sleep patternsDictat...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Balance

Submitted to Contest #304

Balance.I stood with my feet spread, my right foot pointed toward my foe. My savior? We would see. My mind was calm, my muscles tense. I hefted the sword in my hand, its weight almost invisible as I turned and rotated it effortlessly around its center of gravity. My four sons stood at my sides brandishing clubs, axes, hammers, and knives. They growled, their deep voices echoing off the cavernous walls and ceiling of the castle's great hall.I remembered my first time entering the hall thirty years prior. I was covered in black demon blood, ju...

11 likes 6 comments 6
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Contract

Submitted to Contest #304

“Contract is made, my dear sister. She will have no choice but to find your child,” Robin said. “Did you tell her all the details yet? Or did you leave those nuances for later?” Yseult asked. Robin looked down at his sister. The body that lay before him was the sliver of a shadow of the vibrant soul he had grown up with. He cursed that feckless son of a camel dropping, Pangur Ban and what he had done to her. Yseult looked up at her brother. He had such resolve in his eyes. He would find her child, no matter the cost. Still, she would have fe...

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Yours Truly..., The Shadow Syndicate of Playground Justice

Submitted to Contest #304

Ares, pint-sized god of war and notorious night-owl (by necessity, not by choice), clutched his superhero blanket, emblazoned with a surprisingly inaccurate depiction of Hercules wrestling a rubber duck, even tighter.His eyes, usually gleaming with fierce determination, were wide and darting, scanning the shadowy battlefield of his bedroom."Sarah," he whispered, his voice a tiny squeak that barely registered above the mournful creak of his bedroom door,"Are you absolutely, positively sure the plan is sound? Because it's... really dark."Sarah...

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Filed Under Aesthetic

Submitted to Contest #304

Thank you for calling the 24/7 GOD HOTLINE. Your call is important to us. Your soul, less so. This conversation may be recorded for purposes of celestial litigation.Belzebub used to command legions.Now he worked in a cubicle with angelic duct tape holding the corners together, a coffee ring that had bled into three dimensions, and a landline older than original sin.It wasn’t supposed to be permanent. Technically, this was a “transitional role” while HR figured out what to do with his unique combination of charisma, noncompliance, and inciden...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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