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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

3230+ 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 216 of 216

She's Getting Older

Submitted to Contest #17

I watch as she struggles to make it down the hall to the bathroom. I watch her stumble to her wheelchair and miserably gaze out the window as cars zoom by our house. My grandmother's getting older. Osteoporosis has changed her life. Four severe bone breaks and eight surgeries later has left her dependent upon us for everything. And when you're an independent person, that breaks you.The holidays are especially hard. She loves to cook. It along with her knowledge of gardening and horticulture are the things she gets the most joy out of. I reme...

2 likes

A Turkey I Never Ate

Submitted to Contest #17

A Turkey I Never Ate. By Frank DelgadoEveryone has a Kodak moment that is locked in time; like a Thanksgiving where you can still see loved ones dress up, and a turkey at the center surrounded by stuffing and gravy on a long table, long after it happened. A time that you can still hear the sounds of sweet words and waves of laughter that flow like fountains among the family of long ago. Our family had a different experience.The year was 1961, and we were celebrating our Thanksgiving dinner at my Uncle Pete's n...

3 likes

Gordon, Surnamed Parks

Submitted to Contest #14

Long orange shadows flung themselves against the beat-up bricks of Fort Scott. The bloodred sun disappeared slowly from the sky and inky ghosts of night took its place. The stars, mostly blotted out by the street lights, peeped around the lightning bugs that dotted the sky. Two young boys walked, shoulder to shoulder, down Penn Street. One was white, with red hair and red eyes and a hangdog look that marked him as a troublemaker. The other was darker—dark enough to be called black, in this time of segregation—with short-cropped curly hair an...

31 likes

The Haunting of Haddon Hall

Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #13

The Haunting of Haddon Hall “Does the hotel have a ghost?” an old lady asks hopefully. I listen with interest. Haddon Hall is a beautiful building that used to be a family home back in the Victorian era. It’s only recently been turned into a hotel after spending years in a state of disrepair. The tour guide consults her notes. She’s a severe looking woman with hair scraped back into a tight bun and spiky shoes that clatter on the restored parquet floor of the large reception hall. “Well, you know we can’t promise any actual sightings ...” s...

10 likes

From a Balloon

John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #7

Greta watched the world go by. And yet there it remained. In her ninety years, she couldn’t understand how the human race continued to exist. Everyone lived through chance encounters, like molecules of air bouncing off each other. Yet somehow, things got built. Babies were born. Civilizations rose and fell and were replaced by newer, better, shinier civilizations. How did all this happen?Greta spent most of her life alone. Even when married, she had felt alone. Was that her fault? Or is that just how things are? The demands made upon her out...

14 likes

Blue Skies

John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #2

Blue SkiesMartha’s boss, Walter, caught her eye as she pulled her pay envelope from her box. “Let’s talk,” he said. He turned and stepped into his office. Martha didn’t want to miss her bus. When that happened, her whole schedule got thrown off. Ordinarily, getting called into a meeting at day’s end on a Friday would be cause for anxiety. Those meetings were always bad news.Being one of the newspaper’s best ad sales people, Martha wasn’t worried. They needed her.Walter indicated the chair when she entered. There goes the bus, thought M...

16 likes

Ghosts of Dust

Konstantina Cheiladaki

Submitted to Contest #2

It was a sunny morning for Peter. And it stayed that way for him, even though the sky was covered with debris falling slowly on the ground, like the most peculiar snow, along with papers drifting through the air like weightless birds. And it was so; for Peter was lying motionless on the floor of his office, blood covering his forehead, as the floor was falling, and falling, to crash to the floor below, setting it on fire. And the date was September 11, 2001. This is the story ...

20 likes

Days Forgotten

A.J Wise

Shortlisted for Contest #1 ⭐️

Days Forgotten The strange thing about life and living is that no one seems to remember how to do it. Indeed, many reach the end in the realization that they never lived at all. I know I did. Today, on August 2, 2019, Ashley Lawrence III, turns 100 years old. That’s me. And that’s quite old, ask anyone, they’ll tell you. I’ve seen a lot of things, I’...

31 likes