34220+ Fiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. If you’re looking for the best fiction short stories to read online, we’ve got you covered. Wide-ranging and ever-curious, these free short stories will meet your reading needs.

🏆 Winning stories

“The Empty Laboratory” by Kashira Argento

🏆 Winner of Contest #279

Seventeen blinks. The yellow warning light on his air gauge always blinked seventeen times before turning red. Dr. Chen counted them like heartbeats while replacing his oxygen tank, each one marking another three hours of borrowed time. Through the reinforced windows of his BSL-4 lab, the setting sun painted the research facility in the same amber shade as the viral suspension he'd been perfecting when the sprinklers activated.The test results still glowed on his screen: successful protein synthesis, perfect binding affinity, precise species...

84 likes 78 comments 78

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“Santa, The Hitman?” by Mary Butler

🏆 Winner of Contest #278

Content Note:This story contains references to physical violence and implied gore. These elements are presented in a darkly comedic and absurd context, focusing on the moral and emotional implications rather than explicit descriptions. Reader discretion is advised.The hospice smells like antiseptic and failed dreams. A Christmas-themed air freshener dangles from the IV stand, swaying in time with my father’s mechanical wheezing. It smells like cinnamon. And regret. The fluorescent lights hum, drowning out the morphine’s slow drip.Hi, I’m the...

106 likes 122 comments 122

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“Drone” by Mortimer Ridgewood

🏆 Winner of Contest #272

She first heard it while she was making coffee.The morning was already off to a rough start. Rachel had woken up, lazy and languid in the wake of her twice-snoozed alarm, and reached for her husband’s side of the bed. Much to her disgruntlement, the spot where he should have been was empty and cold. She glared at the empty space for a moment, then promptly snoozed her alarm again out of spite. One of the downsides of working from home was she missed out on good morning kisses as Mark got ready for his morning commute. The upside, however, wa...

124 likes 69 comments 69

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“The Value of the Corn” by Colin Wadeson

Submitted to Contest #281

*Murder / Suicide / Mild Gore*It was the coldest day of the year. The crow swooped down from the white sky and landed in the middle of the field in front of the scarecrow.The crow said nothing yet, but paced back and forth on the frozen soil like a drill sergeant. A few minutes of this passed, then the crow stopped and announced to the scarecrow:'Bad news, friend. Spring isn't coming. Neither the warmer summer. This winter is, it pains me to apprise, all you'll see from now until your splints give, or the farmer dismembers you for kindling. ...

8 likes 3 comments 3

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“Leather and Salt” by Phoebe Robertson

Submitted to Contest #281

Holly sinks into the living room’s worn carpet, the fire’s heat curling weakly against her side but never reaching the shadowy corners. Her head shifts, grey fur brushing the floor as her gaze settles on Sarah bathed in the cold glow of her phone. The mother’s fingers hover near her temple, pressing at the space where ache and tension gather. Holly sniffs the air—it smells of pine, but thin and bitter, a poor mimic of the sap-slicked trees she remembers. The candle burns faintly sweet, a breath of something artificial. Max crouches on the fl...

6 likes 2 comments 2

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“The AI Who Came in From the Cold” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #281

Adam could perceive a frenzy overtaking the people he spoke to in the supermarket and other stores. A cloud of stress and negativity surrounded him in contrast to the crisp nip in the air outside. Outdoors, winter had descended, leaving sunless gloom and bare trees. At the same time, indoors, the escalating heat emanated from the harried activity and strained nerves of the people. He looked around him. They had their shopping trolleys piled sky-high with all manner of edibles from food groups not related to good health. On displays near the ...

17 likes 16 comments 16

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✍️ All stories

“The Value of the Corn” by Colin Wadeson

Submitted to Contest #281

*Murder / Suicide / Mild Gore*It was the coldest day of the year. The crow swooped down from the white sky and landed in the middle of the field in front of the scarecrow.The crow said nothing yet, but paced back and forth on the frozen soil like a drill sergeant. A few minutes of this passed, then the crow stopped and announced to the scarecrow:'Bad news, friend. Spring isn't coming. Neither the warmer summer. This winter is, it pains me to apprise, all you'll see from now until your splints give, or the farmer dismembers you for kindling. ...

8 likes 3 comments 3

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“A Kind of Magic...” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #281

Okay, this is really not my fault.I am now in a very different spot than I’m used to (buzz). And I really did not expect the screaming and the trip through the air like that (buzz buzz). So dark, too…But let me talk a little about myself and you might have a bit of sympathy about my plight.Buzz…Many years back (buzz), according to my manufacture date, I was put together in a factory in (buzz) a country that many of you read about online, and yet know so little about. It may seem strange that I can remember my (buzz) date of birth – such a st...

14 likes 10 comments 10

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“Leather and Salt” by Phoebe Robertson

Submitted to Contest #281

Holly sinks into the living room’s worn carpet, the fire’s heat curling weakly against her side but never reaching the shadowy corners. Her head shifts, grey fur brushing the floor as her gaze settles on Sarah bathed in the cold glow of her phone. The mother’s fingers hover near her temple, pressing at the space where ache and tension gather. Holly sniffs the air—it smells of pine, but thin and bitter, a poor mimic of the sap-slicked trees she remembers. The candle burns faintly sweet, a breath of something artificial. Max crouches on the fl...

6 likes 2 comments 2

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“Inebria” by Gary Grissom

Submitted to Contest #281

InebriaBy Gary E. Grissom Thomas Collins, a young alcoholic, was driving home from what he believed was the best New Year’s Eve party he had ever attended. Unfortunately, Thomas was inebriated from drinking too many Margaritas. He had received a DUI a few years ago and he’d had his license revoked. He had even gone through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous; but now he had gone off the wagon because he felt he could certainly handle the effects of only one Margarita. Of course, the one Margarita led to two others before a friend reminded h...

4 likes 3 comments 3

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“The AI Who Came in From the Cold” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #281

Adam could perceive a frenzy overtaking the people he spoke to in the supermarket and other stores. A cloud of stress and negativity surrounded him in contrast to the crisp nip in the air outside. Outdoors, winter had descended, leaving sunless gloom and bare trees. At the same time, indoors, the escalating heat emanated from the harried activity and strained nerves of the people. He looked around him. They had their shopping trolleys piled sky-high with all manner of edibles from food groups not related to good health. On displays near the ...

17 likes 16 comments 16

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“Roots of Love and Loss” by Sean Wilson

Submitted to Contest #281

For two decades, nobody dared to buy or enter the house. The town whispered tales of how they always knew something was off with the past owners. That they simply never voiced their opinions. But those people only know the partial truth. The snippets of information they could drag out of the police reports, some drama passed on by the nosy neighbors. Every person has their theories about what happened. I am the sole one who knows the entire story. Four hands planted me with the promise of a love ever growing. As my seeds fell into the b...

1 like 0 comments 0

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“The Saskatchewan Winter Wind” by Maxx Randell

Submitted to Contest #281

Laying there in the dark, he listens to the wind howl. Laying there, he listens to the wind howl through the open crack of his window. Laying there under his wool blanket, he tries desperately to block out the cold. With his brother kicking him in the back, trying to force him out from under the covers so they don’t have to share, the winds on the farm do nothing but howl. If not through some split in the wood or break in the house boards, they find it in the barn and project their echo. Even as the winds bring the Christmas snow, they howl ...

2 likes 1 comment 1

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“The Secret Santa” by Joshua Doyle

Submitted to Contest #281

      All the hardware store’s employees were called into the breakroom to get their presents from underneath the Christmas tree. Their gifts were from their selected Secret Santa. Elena grabbed her present, then walked back to the garden department. Crowds were not her thing, and she preferred to keep working rather than socialize. “What did ya get?” Christine asked, startling her. There were some people she couldn’t avoid socializing with, no matter what. “You gotta stop sneaking up on me like that.” Elena ch...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Pandora” by Cat Davey

Submitted to Contest #281

My husband Carl is drinking eggnog cocktails with a woman called Pandora. Brief glances between them develop into extended eye contact. Pandora laughs and touches Carl’s hand. He collects her hand, brings it to his lips and kisses it.  They move to the restaurant area just as a group of patrons arrive wearing novelty hats, stumbling and loud. I recognise a man from my work. Joe from Marketing is wearing a hat that looks like a turkey. He is with a woman wearing a grinning plum pudding on her head, a man with a mini pine tree with tiny l...

3 likes 1 comment 1

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“The Tortoise and the Badger” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #281

                                        The tortoise and the badger I am beginning to feel old. At my age I suffer from the inevitable morning pains in certain muscles. I cannot tell you how old I am. I once heard somebody calculate my age by looking at the rings on my carapace. So without being able to see the top of my carapace I will never kn...

1 like 0 comments 0

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“Chill of the Unseen” by Brianne Knodel

Submitted to Contest #281

Note: There is a theme of death in this story. It’s the coldest day of the year. No one but her can feel the chill. The way it lodges itself deep inside her soul. The ominous feeling of dread. It’s the coldest day of the year, but it’s not actually cold outside. It’s her, not them. It’s the coldest day of the year—someone save her. Alora knew she was different. It’s not something she could explain but she knew. It’s the way shadows and lights played tricks on her that aren’t quite tricks making it look like creatures lurked there. Or ho...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Winter” by Rose Lind

Submitted to Contest #281

Please note; Sexual References.The train platform was damp. I could hear the train rattling in, its noise echoing off the tunnel walls. My educated guess was that it was only a minute away at the most. Frigid winds swirled around me, causing the soggy fallen leaves at my feet to lift their tips slightly as if longing to dance.I pulled my dark parka tight, trying to trap warmth around my torso. I wrapped my long, bright scarf around my neck and over my mouth and nose, hoping to warm the wisps of breath escaping me. The hood, made heavy by its...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Snowstorm” by Sienna Hahm

Submitted to Contest #281

I leaned my head against the taxi window; watching snowflakes drift onto the glass. It was only a day after Christmas, but the festivity of the bright holiday still remained. Sparkling lights hung on every traffic light and there were wreaths on every door. As the car sped past houses, the storm began to worsen and the snow fell faster. It wasn’t unusual for New York to become almost freezing in the winter, but somehow, the weather outside felt surprisingly intense. The driver slowed down, and I realized that we had arrived. I quickly hopped...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“No One Here Gets Out Alive” by James Barrett

Submitted to Contest #281

On planet Xenon, where I’m from, everybody lives forever. Unless somebody kills them. I never killed anyone that didn’t need it.Here on Earth, everybody knows me as Zach. Zach Wheaton. Unbeknownst to the indigenous population, I was sent to Earth from the planet Xenon. I was convicted of several serial killings on Xenon and sentenced to death. The death penalty was abolished on Xenon a few thousand years after Earth was discovered. Here was a planet where all living things, including Xenonians, eventually died naturally. What better place fo...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Holiday Time” by Ellen Talboom

Submitted to Contest #281

That time of year. The decorations start covering almost every part of open blank space on the ground floor of the office building. Humans climb up on ladders, attach green looking leaves along the walls. Odd, no one waters them, yet they stay the same color, bright and shiny. Then the leaves are taken down. Every year, same thing. Humans talk a different language from during the year. Interesting concept. "How ya doing Laura", a guest said, walking past the information desk? "Doing well, you, Mr. Jenkins"? "Great. I love the holi...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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