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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.

150+ 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 3 of 10

The Coral Crown

Submitted to Contest #307

The Coral Crown 1830Plaine Magnien Sugar Plantation, Mauritius The OverseerI wake before the bell, like always. The air presses on my chest, thick and wet, mosquitoes whining at the shutters. Another day, another hundred souls broken on the rocks.The letter from England lies crumpled where I left it. Mary’s handwriting has run, the ink blotched by the island’s damp. She begs me to return home. The tropics didn't suit them. Too much fever. Too many insects. They left. I stayed.I lace my boots and step into the half-light. The grass glistens u...

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The Founding of Perdition

Submitted to Contest #307

I WAS SITTING in a corner of what’s now one of the town’s respectable dining establishments, with linen napkins and decent wine. The floor still tilts in back, and the original bar leans like it’s remembering a poor bet, but travelers and tourists don’t mind. They come for history. For stories.One of them, a young man with a notebook, tracked me down. Said he was writing a story for a newspaper back east—The Founding of Perdition. Wanted it from someone “here since the beginning,” especially, his words, not mine, “the town’s highly regarded ...

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The Ghosts of Zargos

Submitted to Contest #307

The Ghosts of Zargos“So these ghosts” said Shu Ping, “these ghosts”, he repeated to make sure he got my attention, “what were they doing way out there? and I've never heard of a ghost donkey before, in anybody’s experiences, ever”, he emphasisedAnd to be honest I didn't really know, and I was a little annoyed at her question like she was challenging my ability to distinguish between reality and the possibility of spirits existence however far fledged it sounded.The cheek of it I thought, after all Shu Ping is herself a fictional narrator, me...

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Four Years

Submitted to Contest #306

May 20th, 2023 I signed up! Today, the Marine recruiter came to school, and mine was the first name on the paper. Telling Mercedes was hard, but we’ve already talked about it so many times. She knows enlisting is my dream. We both knew we’d face this eventually, and we decided we would work harder to stay together. There were tears in her eyes, though. I think she might be changing her mind… I think I recognized the recruiter from one of dad's dinner events, but I didn't say anything. I know I could say something ...

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Plain Cakes

Submitted to Contest #306

Plain CakesTrigger warning: Off-page sexual assault May 8, 1875My dear Joan– I received your last from St. Johns and am glad to hear that your journey met with no more difficulty after the carriage wreck and that your headache is gone. I would wish for your master’s leg to heal slowly and with great pain and am ready with suggestions as to how this might be accomplished without anyone’s being the wiser, but Beth refuses to include them. She is writing this out for me, being the village schoolmistress now—absurd; I am sure Beth ...

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1901

Submitted to Contest #306

December 31st, 1900It’s the very last night of the century. Mother and Father have thrown a grand gala party for all the blue-blooded families. My callow nature is the reason I am up in my room now, rather than downstairs enjoying the festivities. But I don’t mind too much. I would rather be up here writing in my diary than downstairs engaging in conversation with some of the most loathsome people I know. Mother says my temperament is childish, but even at 14 I don’t think I’m too old to point out the bad manners of Ernest Aster, or the terr...

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The Sea Blinked

Submitted to Contest #306

A Captain’s ConfessionProloguePresent DayMauritiusThe waves licked the white sand of La Morne as Aaron and his little sister chased each other along the shoreline. The Indian Ocean sparkled like glass under the morning sun."Aaron, that’s disgusting!" his sister squealed, backing away as he lifted the object from the surf.It was a old glass bottle, coated in barnacles, seaweed wrapped around its neck like twisted green ribbon. Aaron grinned, holding it high."Come on! It's a treasure!" he shouted, chasing her playfully.Their father’s voice cut...

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The Diary of Miss Elizabeth Perry

Submitted to Contest #306

Monday, 3 June 1695Golden Venture of Portsmouth3 weeks west of the Canary IslandsMy dear Diary,It has been almost two months since we left Portsmouth, and the Golden Venture now lags behind both the convoy of frigates with whom we travel, and our contracted gunship. The Canary Current and trade winds—so vital to any Atlantic crossing—seem to have left us behind. We have not seen their sails in days, and the captain grows more irritable each time I ask.I know the fault does not lie with the winds but with the ship herself. The ship groans wit...

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The Violet Hour

Submitted to Contest #306

(This story deals with themes of domestic violence.) On a stormy night, the wind howled through the rain-soaked streets, rattling the shutters of my small abode. I sat at my worn writing desk, quill in hand, ready to write a letter to a long-lost friend. A surge of memories flooded my mind, each tangled with the next.I felt a weight in my chest, reminding me of the illness that was slowly approaching. Like shadows in the evening, I expressed the deep feelings I had hidden for too long.*****October 1, 1850 Dear Flora,I find myself grappling ...

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Lincoln's Special Horses Team, Mission Sheri Lynn, a silent film

Submitted to Contest #306

Lincoln's Special Horses TeamMission Sheri Lynn***These days, folks are well aware of elite Special Forces units. Few people are aware of President Lincoln's covert Special Horses Team and their early martial arts training. One team specialized in covert Congressional oversight. During my time at the National Archives, I discovered, buried deep in the basement, a report from a Black Ops Unit penned by Captain "Doc" Elijah Humphries. The sole report referencing the team, I assume, was misfiled from its proper place in the President's archives...

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The Journal of L.C.-1906

Submitted to Contest #306

April 2, 1906Morning fog still clings to the garden wall. I watched it from the third-floor window today, the one that rattles when the wind blows through it. Nurse Allen says I mustn't write these things down, that they "feed the fevered mind." But what else am I to do with all this remembering?I found this journal hidden in the bottom drawer of the old sewing room desk. The pages smelled of lavender and something else—dust, age, or maybe secrets. I've hidden it beneath the thin mattress on my cot, behind the spring that juts like a crooked...

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Excerpts from the Maplewood Falls, Vermont Town Day Recipe Contest Winners

Submitted to Contest #306

1911 – Mrs. Edith TempletonMaple Apple Brown BettyExcerpt from the Maplewood Broadside, October 1911:“It was with great pleasure that the Ladies’ Committee awarded first prize in the inaugural Town Day Cookery Contest to Mrs. Edith Templeton of Church Street. Her Brown Betty, humble in ingredients but noble in flavor, warmed the hearts of all who partook. It is said the Reverend himself returned for seconds.”Recipe:Ingredients:4 tart apples¼ cup brown sugar1 teaspoon cinnamonA pinch of nutmegA scrape of lemon peel6 slices of stale bread4 ta...

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Ancient Hebrew Advice Column

Submitted to Contest #306

Ancient Hebrew Advice Column ~Canaan Chronicle Archives (English Translation) Selections from Gabriel’s “Dear Gabby” Column Canaan Chronicle – c.1947 BC – Dear Gabby, Some time ago the Lord told me that my wife, Sarai, would be with child and I would become the “father of many.” What a shock! Sarai split her sides laughing, because we were both well beyond child-bearing years and the chances of our having a child were slim to none. We wondered if it were possible for a childless couple in their 60’s and 70’s to become paren...

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Claude gets out

Submitted to Contest #305

Claude left the meeting with the Barone brothers with a sense of cautious relief, he wanted to get Daisy out of town before the next conversation with Lenny Barone. He was done. He hurried back to his apartment to meet Daisy. He walked into the apartment and saw his girl lounging on the couch, reading a magazine and eating an apple. “What are you up to?”“I’m resting for a while then I’ll be getting ready to go to the club this evening. Joe's got a whole band for this weekend, with that new singer I can’t remember the name of.” “I would re...

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The Honest lies of a Secret Service Agent

Submitted to Contest #305

I take a wide step forward until my toes hit the black duct-taped X in the center of the stage and inhale a silent breath. My audience is a conglomeration of artificial white light and though I’m a old man now I still pretend they’re test dummies devoid of judgement and internal snark, but I know they’re there seated quietly, as we all anticipate my talk I titled “Open Books know better” at the prestigious Stupivard University. A buddy professor of mine personally referred me to the board of trustees. He probably told them, “I have this guy ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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