5600+ Inspirational Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From tales of the miraculous to stories of extraordinary people overcoming incredible odds, you’ll always find something uplifting in our collection of inspirational short stories.

🏆 Winning stories

“Eleven Years of Hope” by Victor David

🏆 Winner of Contest #265

When the doctors asked him if he wanted to hop into a frying pan, Alexander of Severe Level III, long acquainted with doctor tongue, knew they meant they wanted to trial a new drug or a new treatment. Alexander said okay because he was tired of being shut up all day in the institution, and wanted to travel to the testing lab. More importantly, he had lost a central piece of himself to shrapnel when he stepped on a landmine eleven years earlier, and continued to perplex what was left of his cerebral cortex with the hope of its recovery.The do...

112 likes 124 comments 124

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“Vegan Hamburgers” by Ariana Tibi

🏆 Winner of Contest #233

Vegan Hamburgers February 1st 11:11pm WOW. I cannot believe that just happened. I went to AJ’s studio and almost walked out with a record deal. I was sober, too. He started rolling a joint and offered me some but I immediately said no. Last week, I had drinks at Lighthouse Studios and the executive was totally judging me when I got into my car. Anyway, AJ wants to record me!!! This sounds weird but on the drive home, I swear I felt the presence of god or whatever in my windshield. I paused at a stop sign to see if I could bottle up the...

84 likes 25 comments 25

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“The Lantern of Kaamos” by Jonathan Page

🏆 Winner of Contest #232

The melting Arctic is a crime scene, and I am like CSI Ny-Ålesund. Trond is the anonymous perpetrator leaving evidence and clues for me to discover, like breadcrumbs leading back to him. “Jonna,” he had said, the day we first met at the research institute, “If you are going to make it up here, don’t lock your doors.” It seemed like a life philosophy, rather than a survival tip.It is ironic. Out on Kings Bay, the coal miners came first, then the science outposts. Trond was already out here mining the Arctic when I was still just a bright-eyed...

99 likes 65 comments 65

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“Visiting Time” by Penelope Stansfield

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #272

This story contains themes of grief, loss, and trauma. Mentions a car accident, death, physical injuries, and emotional pain.Early Sunday morning, the bus station is quiet with just the remains of last night's takeaway wrappers rolling around the stands, like dirty greasy passengers who’ve disembarked but have nowhere to go. The November chill turns my breath into little lost clouds and the slight breeze carries the scent of autumn, tickling my nostrils. Of all the places to be on a Sunday morning, this isn’t what I’d choose. ...

27 likes 16 comments 16

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“The Faces in the Mirror” by C. H.

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #271

Hannah sat in her wheelchair, staring out the window as dusk settled over the world outside. The silhouette of the treetops absorbed the fleeting light of the setting sun. As another day closed, she found her mind wandering back before. The once bustling life of adventure and ambition she had in her twenties felt like a distant dream. In 24 years of MS, she had lost mobility and independence. Now, at fifty, multiple sclerosis had shrunk her world to the size of her home, her broken body, and her wheelchair. The days blurred together, each on...

25 likes 16 comments 16

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“The Tempest” by Summer Larson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #257

Promise turned in her bed, pushing at the snake that had settled its weight across her chest as it did every night, "Move," she commanded, heaving the monster with all her strength. The snake slithered off her chest and pressed up against the length of her body. When she had first enslaved Caliban in her empty home, it felt like a guardian. She had welcomed the monster; it had kept her safe from the reporters and intrusive acquaintances, all hungry for a piece of her story. It was a comfort. She had begged it to protect her and never leave h...

20 likes 4 comments 4

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✍️ All stories

“The Chat” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #280

“At the end of the day,” I look out over the vibrant, green valley and I take it all in. I read the landscape and I listen to it. I feel it within me, and not for the first time I wonder whether it is real, or just something my unconscious projects before me in order to make this life bearable, “it’s a beautiful world.” I sit in the noisy silence of the hilltop and allow myself just to be. The rest of the words spill out of me with my next exhalation, “at the beginning of the day, it’s also a beautiful world. Trouble is, we busy ourselves to...

6 likes 9 comments 9

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“Bite Me” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #279

Bite Me“All those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”-Fredrich NietzscheShady Lawn Hospital for People Who Have Gone Woo-woo“Doctor Flang, your next patient is here. Mr. Z. Omby. He has insurance and his appointments are fully covered.”“Good, good. And what’s his problem, Becky?”“He thinks he’s a zombie.”“Wow, the guy must really be off his rocker. Show him in.”Mr. Omby shuffled his way into Dr. Flang’s office. He was a tall man, with weathered skin and shaggy hair. He walked stiff-leg...

29 likes 8 comments 8

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“The Unbonded” by Wayne Brandenburg

Submitted to Contest #279

He occupied a socially acceptable amount of space on the sidewalk of the urban greenspace. The crowd moved around him like a stream flowing around a stone, each absorbed in their own world. He caught snippets of one-sided conversations: a businessman chuckled at a joke, a woman kissed the empty air beside her, and a little girl holding her mother’s hand spoke to thin air, “Well, mom doesn't fucking care if I call her April.” Eli watched as every single person was engaged in a dialogue with someone only they could see. Each wore augmented rea...

9 likes 7 comments 7

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“Muse-R-Us ” by Viking Princess

Submitted to Contest #280

Trigger warning: stuffed animal abuse :p“Hhh, what am I doing here?” Timmy sat in his truck, contemplating leaving. He had run out of ideas, and desperate Tims do call for desperate measures and all, but he was embarrassed to be seen here. It was so cliche, so beneath him. Even the word muse made him cringe. Yet there he was, staring at the store front with big red letters, ‘Muse-R-Us.’Pulling up his jacket collar, pulling down the bill of his hat until it almost covered the sunglasses he was wearing, he exited his truck and swallowed his pr...

14 likes 13 comments 13

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“A musing connection” by Michael Mufasa

Submitted to Contest #280

"Are you busy?" "Matter of fact, yes, and you?"  “Just waiting out the spin cycle so I can start the dryer." “Yep, these are exciting times here at the laundromat."  “Hey, do you believe in angels?" "Excuse me?" "Angels." "What about angels?" "I saw one here, last week." "Really." "Yes, really. I came back today, but I doubt I'll see her again." "Oh, it was a her. Pretty good-looking, was she?" "That's not the half of it." "What’s the other half?" "I was sitting here, minding my own business. I'm here every week. I know everyone. T...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“My Aptitude Does Not Belong to Me” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #279

When I first opened my eyes, they thought my pupils were dilated. But it’s a rare mutation, aniridia. Not so rare here, though. We’ve all got it besides Jacob who’s got coloboma. His pupils leak into his irises like a cell failing to divide in two, stuck in telophase like some metamorphosed insect halfway out its chrysalis. If a chrysalis were an inkblot, that is. The Rorschach test. What do you see? It’s strange, eye contact with Jacob. To stare into the leakage, the oil spill.He said looking at me was just the same. Like staring into two b...

9 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Labyrinth” by Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #279

I lost my heart. It didn’t vanish suddenly. If it had, it might have been easier to find- like my mind too, which I always rediscover in some drawer. But no, I lost it slowly and imperceptibly. All our hearts shine- green for hope, yellow for joy, and red for love. Long time ago, mine glowed neon red, covering my entire being. Some gazed with joy, and those with a hole where their heart should be, with envy. In fact, trying to fill other people’s voids, I lost my own heart. And it worked. In my presence, all hearts began to glow. Some people...

7 likes 2 comments 2

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“The Granite Cliffs” by Raye McLaughlin

Submitted to Contest #279

My eyes opened, suddenly, pulling me from my sleep in an instant. I looked around my room, wondering what had woken me up, but all was still. The moment I closed my eyes again, a sound came. Click! A pebble hit my window. I sat up, wide awake now, and looked at my alarm clock: 1:00 a.m. . Blinking away the last remnants of sleep, I stood and walked to the window. It’s Probably a serial killer waiting to kill me victorian-style. I mean, who throws pebbles at a window to get someone’s attention this century besides a cereal killer? The thought...

7 likes 7 comments 7

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“Powerful Delivery” by Nigel Holmes

Submitted to Contest #279

Breathe in for one, two, three, four. Hold for one, two, and breathe out slowly for one, two, three, four, five, six. The fluttering in his chest was still there, so Daniel tried again. His lungs filled, his chest swelled, then he focused on pushing air out through his mouth. He felt calmer, but the fluttering continued, birds beating their wings inside his ribcage.“Are you okay Daniel?” Kayla, standing next to him, spoke in a hushed whisper. “You seem more nervous than me.”Daniel nodded as he slowly released the air from his lungs. He tried...

10 likes 1 comment 1

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“Peace” by Karalee Ratliff

Submitted to Contest #279

The dismal lighting created a depressing aura. Cobwebs drooped low about the corners of the room. Dust, thick as the field outside the kitchen window, had gathered over the years on the panes which made it difficult to see the weeds and tall grass. Years of neglect and abandonment had taken their toll on this forgotten place. Sophia was determined to find peace amidst the broken hallows of her own, old forgotten home. Painfully, she caressed the hallways. The solemn paces of concern and tenderness, whilst she leaned dependently on her cane....

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Echoes of Home” by Cynethea Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #279

Noah stood at the edge of the forest, looking into the vast sea of trees. The sun was setting, casting long, eerie shadows. He took a deep breath, feeling the chill of the evening air. Then, he stepped into the forest, and things took an unexpected turn.He had visited the forest before, but only the edges, painting nature’s vibrant colors and serene landscapes. He never stayed long, and he was never there until dark. But this time, his anger had driven him too far.Noah was always carefree, a dreamer with a wandering spirit. He loved sketchin...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“Looking for Lily” by Louise Croese

Submitted to Contest #279

Embrace the UnknownLooking for Lily“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde“It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland      Boots thundering, Lily rolls face first into the gutter. She wants to throw a tantrum to suck her thumb but can't, her fist is in her mouth to stop the scream coming out.      “Get her off the road, HURRY.”      Lily’s is curl...

9 likes 1 comment 1

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“Lost & Found” by Lina Lambert

Submitted to Contest #279

Lost & Found   The train lurched forward, jolting me out of a melancholy daydream. The hiss of escaping steam did little to soothe my pounding head, as the clattering wheels screeched away from the station. My stomach churned in protest as I stared out the window, expecting the usual blur of industrial grime and graffitied walls. Instead, a sparkle caught my eye. Perhaps it was a trick of the sun, or the tequila talking, or maybe it was the spirit of Christmas coming to call. Whatever the reason, the shimmering light ...

28 likes 74 comments 74

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“Inn The Thick Of It” by Sumaira Ahmed

Submitted to Contest #278

“Please, stay.” wasn’t said. “I’m sorry for hurting you.” wasn’t either. What started out as a pingpong of words turned into a tumultuous game of Scrabble-Padel. Both husband and wife ended up battered and bruised, as tensions reached mountain tops and neither willing to see the red in the other’s red eyes or the red drool dripping from the other’s blue and purple face. Whiplashed, both fell backwards to the ground, after a 2 hour battle neither conceded to. On the floor, they lay still and flat. Both had blacked out.  When the tenuous ...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“Oh my...Goodness or Mercy?” by Sia Carmella

Submitted to Contest #278

Grace has been the most difficult tool to grasp. The voices have only ever had one protector. The extension of a healing is so; Just be patient before participating too quickly. Be anxious for nothing. Don't dive in! The slope of a horizontal line is always zero and the slope of a vertical line is always undefined. Simply identify if the equation or graph is that of a horizontal or vertical line and then the slope is known. Premature emotion aren't quite ready for outward expression.I've leaned into hurt proudly first, discipline later, and ...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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