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

3280+ Historical fiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you’re looking to step back into ancient civilizations, the 19th-century, or anywhere in between, our collection of historical fiction stories is here to keep you riveted.

Historical fiction Short Stories – Page 108 of 219

A Rose For Therese

Submitted to Contest #131

Therese Malfatti hunched behind a tree amid the crackling leaves and pulled her dog, Gigons, against her chest. He whimpered and struggled to get free, but she held him tightly. Her mother called, "Therese! It's time to go home!" "Hush, Gigons, don't let her hear us."  "Young lady, if you don't answer me in three minutes, you'll regret it." Footsteps crunched on the path and stopped near Therese's hiding place. Then her mother went further along the path and disappeared over a rise. Suddenly Gigons leaped from Therese's arms an...

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I May Destroy You (but even when I had nothing, I had you)

Submitted to Contest #131

Somewhere in Northern Africa, 252 BCEThey were soldiers on either side of the First Punic War and their battle was intense. Under the hot North African sun, Carthage locked blades with Rome. Their swords dented and dulled with each blow. Rome refused to fight fair and resorted to hitting Carthage between the legs, knocking him to the ground.And as Carthage lay dying, he looked up at Rome and grasped the other man's bare leg."You will not escape me," he gritted out. "I will hunt you down. I will kill you. No matter how many times it takes. No...

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All's Fair in Jokes and War

Submitted to Contest #131

Upon hearing that the Brandt farm had requested a work detail from Stalag V C again, Private Jahn didn’t hesitate to storm into Captain Westheimer’s office to say, “If you decide to take the prisoners to the Brandts, I am not coming with you.” Westheimer raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think that tone of voice will convince me to let you stay here, son?” “You know how much I hate Griselda, and she hates me. So much so that she’ll stop at nothing to make our stay a living hell for me.” “You are both adults. You can be around each...

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Mr. Pratt's Game

Submitted to Contest #131

Author’s Note:This is a true story. It is told as recounted to me by Mrs. Gladys White – who on this fateful night, danced unseen in the ballroom of the old Tudor Hall house depicted within. The author writes this story, solely in the pursuit of truth, and to dispel any previous inaccuracies published for the sake of selling scandalous newspapers. Anthony Ernest Pratt stood in front of the roaring fireplace, studiously peering through a glass of port held high in front of the flames. At the personal invitation of the distinguished physi...

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The Flood

Submitted to Contest #131

The whispers seemed to begin even before the horizon betrayed the arrival of the Stranger. Before certain cataclysmic events, such as earthquakes, they say all kinds of animals will start to act strangely. Birds may fly in unusual formations, rats and snakes will abandon their homes, cows will cease to produce milk. Humans also have the capability to sense impending catastrophe, but it manifests in us through disrupted thought patterns. We may tend to be highly irritable in situations which usually cause us no distress; we may find ourselves...

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The Clue of the Forgotten Claw

Shortlisted for Contest #130 ⭐️

cw: references to WWIIThe hour was late, and although the candle on David’s bedside table was nearing the end of its life, the boy couldn’t care less. It was a Sunday night, and on Sunday nights, Mr. Otto always paid him a visit. Tonight was no exception. “Now what story do you want to hear this evening?” Mr. Otto asked as he pulled up a chair next to David’s bed. He was a tall man, Mr. Otto, David thought. Not that he had met many grown-ups in his lifetime. “We’ve already done Mystery of the Mute Porter and Sign of the Painted Sta...

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The Mystery of the Silent Visitor

Submitted to Contest #130

(Warning: Contains Death due to Catastrophic Event)May 6, 1937           It was the perfect, sunny day for a birthday. That’s what Donna Patricelli was thinking as she looked both ways before crossing the bustling street coming from school. Her best friend Mary Catherine invited her to play Marbles on her block, but Donna had said no, her Ma was making her favorite chocolate cake for her eighth birthday. Ma called it Crescionda di Spoleto. So off Donna went, skipping home in her favorite...

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The Sign of the Devil’s Cottage

Submitted to Contest #130

The twisted tree stood in shadow against the pinks and oranges of the evening sky while the sun dipped behind the small cottage below. Young Osborn Fairchilde crept through the field towards the rickety home. He had already seen 12 winters pass but kept the curiosity of one much younger. Grasses crackled beneath his feet, and he slowed to avoid being heard. The air was cool as often happened between the seasons and a gentle fog tumbled along the path. He crouched behind some taller brush to study cottage. The windows blinked a...

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The Nameless Planet

Submitted to Contest #130

Scientists discovered a New World where everybody was full of Love and highly intelligent. There were no Sickness and Diseases. There was no corruption, and Everybody lent a helping hand to one another and lived a happy, productive lifestyle until Scientists devised a plot to take over the world. On this nameless planet that they discovered, the air was clean and contamination-free, the grass was greener. There were no harsh weather conditions, and there was better technology. People were able to get around at high velocity. Everything...

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Long Before Dawn

Submitted to Contest #130

[CW: non-graphic discussions of kidnapping, attempted murder, and implied suicide (it's pretty light-hearted, but better safe than sorry)] Isaac does not have enough time to knock before the door swings open, and he is quickly swept inside. The door snaps shut behind him, and suddenly he has an armful of Cass. She hasn’t grown any taller than when he’d last seen her, and she has to stand on her toes to press her face against his neck. He drops his bag with a solid thunk, and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly as he press...

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Lament

Submitted to Contest #130

The two German soldiers in the back of the truck had struggled to keep their prisoner under control for the last half-hour they had been riding through the snow-covered forests of southern Germany. The tall, imposing, but lean man wearing a British uniform was covered in bruises and blood, but much of the blood wasn’t his own, as seen with the bandaged bitemarks on the neck of one of the Germans. At least, to their relief, the man wasn’t a vampire or werewolf. They still put a makeshift muzzle on him when it became clear he was going to figh...

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THE LOCKED DOOR

Submitted to Contest #130

(Warning: May cause emotional response) Years of hiding in the shadows behind a locked door had become a way of life for Claus Snepps. It was the Germany he and his five-year-old grandchild had come to know. To them there was only darkness and fear surrounded by death and despair for his grandchild was Jewish. They had been living in a world of quietness for the past year on the first floor of his once proud beautiful building that had once vibrated with the sounds of life, the very sounds that could now lead to grief and death. For n...

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Don't go into the forest

Submitted to Contest #129

Disclaimer: Not based on real events during WW2, any similarity to real events or history is unintentional by the Author. “Don’t go into the forest!” His mother warned as he left the family home, skis wobbling over his child-sized shoulder. Kal smiled at the warm memory. His mother had been gone for quite some time now. The war rationing was not kind to a woman in her later years. He kept her memory in his mind as he prepared to disobey her. He chuckled a little, imagining her scolding a grown man in his uniform for wandering into ...

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The Hunt

Submitted to Contest #129

The Hunt Ringerike, Norway. 806 CE  As Freydís watched from the doorway, her older brother knocked his spear against the bottom of his boot, dislodging snow, and her mother stood unconcerned at the loom near the hearth, placidly beating down the weft. The soft, familiar staccato passed through Freydís’ ears unheard. She imagined throwing her hands around Björn’s ankle and letting him drag her along the packed snow as he had done when she was smaller, and she hated herself for it. “Take me with you today.”  His eyes rose t...

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The Iron Door

Shortlisted for Contest #129 ⭐️

December 12th, 1692 To Father Eusebio Francisco Kino: The Cañada del Oro is rightly named, glory be to God. The placer has pointed our direction and we begin our journey up and into the belly of the mountain. The burros complain terribly, but not so loudly as the novitiates. The Papago peoples, of whom our apostolate counts some small number, are silent and strong in their ascent. They are possessed of a God-given sure-footedness that is the envy of burro and novitiate alike. Perhaps they are part bighorn sheep. We have made camp along...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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