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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

150+ 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.

Inspirational Short Stories – Page 10 of 10

The Shape of Mothering

Submitted to Contest #304

“You did good, momma”, I said to the little dog I had just finished fostering. We were on our way to the shelter, where she would meet her (hopefully) new family, when I could no longer contain my emotions. She would also be saying goodbye to her son. I fell in love with this little creature, who had lost much but remained tender. Kimchi was a chihuahua mix that came to our shelter pregnant. Within days she gave birth to seven puppies. She’d been surrendered because her owners could no longer care for her. In the immediate days following th...

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The Moon Only Works at Night

Submitted to Contest #304

No one really remembers when the Moon quit her day job. Some say she ran a call center in Jersey. Others swear she briefly held office in a district where everyone voted by sighing into jars. Either way, she vanished from daylight entirely the day her light grew too subjective to schedule, turning every spreadsheet into a lament and every phone call into an unheard whisper. She just—left.Now she lives in a shuttered observatory at the edge of a quiet town that seems to shift slightly with the seasons. Her desk is a petrified stump. Her chair...

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The last words

Submitted to Contest #304

"Oh Allah, if you grant me the chance to make it through with writing, because I know nothing else... I swear I’ll work hard. Really hard."Those were the first words Ali ever wrote, scribbled on the back of a letter to his parents when he was eight. He had just read a folk tale from an old schoolbook, and that day, he discovered something magical: words could heal and will set him free.From that day on, he never stopped writing — in his head, on scrap paper, in worn-out notebooks, even on walls if needed. Everything was a story waiting to be...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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The last words

Submitted to Contest #304

"Oh Allah, if you grant me the chance to make it through with writing, because I know nothing else... I swear I’ll work hard. Really hard."Those were the first words Ali ever wrote, scribbled on the back of a letter to his parents when he was eight. He had just read a folk tale from an old schoolbook, and that day, he discovered something magical: words could heal and will set him free.From that day on, he never stopped writing — in his head, on scrap paper, in worn-out notebooks, even on walls if needed. Everything was a story waiting to be...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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The last words

Submitted to Contest #304

"Oh Allah, if you grant me the chance to make it through with writing, because I know nothing else... I swear I’ll work hard. Really hard."Those were the first words Ali ever wrote, scribbled on the back of a letter to his parents when he was eight. He had just read a folk tale from an old schoolbook, and that day, he discovered something magical: words could heal and will set him free. From that day on, he never stopped writing — in his head, on scrap paper, in worn-out notebooks, even on walls if needed. Everything was a story waiting to b...

6 likes 2 comments 2
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You must type at least 1,000 words

Submitted to Contest #304

“The first challenge every pro writer must face is deadlines,” After class, Professor Markle put an inbox in the assignment tab and a description. “The most common excuse I here from aspiring writers who never have anything on their paper is that they don’t have the time. Between classes, supporting the family, a full-time job and kids, I can’t make it happen every day. I had all of these things before I was 30, and I made it happen.” Here he goes again with the gloating. “This assignment is a contest. Write a short story about a time, real ...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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You must type at least 1,000 words

Submitted to Contest #304

“The first challenge every pro writer must face is deadlines,”After class, Professor Markle put an inbox in the assignment tab and a description. “The most common excuse I here from aspiring writers who never have anything on their paper is that they don’t have the time. Between classes, supporting the family, a full-time job and kids, I can’t make it happen every day. I had all of these things before I was 30, and I made it happen.” Here he goes again with the gloating. “This assignment is a contest. Write a short story about a time, real ...

5 likes 4 comments 4
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Mosaic

Submitted to Contest #304

Humanity had not collapsed into chaos as many had feared; instead, it had morphed into something far more insidious—an ironclad version of order. Centuries after the Collapse, the remnants of the world reorganized themselves not along the traditional lines of geography or culture, but based on belief systems, sharper and more rigid than any border that had ever divided nations. These ideological constructs came to be known as Orders. Each Order was governed like a sovereign state, complete with laws, institutions, and borders, yet beneath th...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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THE MUSE

Submitted to Contest #304

The term muse is a term that implies someone, or something, acts upon a person to allow or aid them in creating something.Victoria is a muse.She resides at a small retreat for authors, artists, and poets located in Wyoming, making the rounds of the rooms and the inspirational locations around the property. As she approaches a living artist, she passes through them, giving a little of herself to the person. For her, it appears some of her energy is transferred to the artist, but to the artist, all they feel is inspiration.One artist, an autho...

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Between Writers

Submitted to Contest #304

The prickling vine bush hangs down the peeling wallpaper, etching its impression down to the cracked linoleum floor. A soft whirring fan, covered in a myriad of dust, cascades a small dainty kitchen with one working burner and a sink full of dishes. A sink full of dishes that, most certainly, had not been touched in a few weeks. A sliding glass door opens out into an enclosed area with overgrown plants and stacks of books. All the books haphazardly stacked with no real organizational system. Chipped coffee mugs sit absentmindedly on a small ...

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First time Writer

Submitted to Contest #304

Started my first year, double stroke interfered with completing my undergraduate program in the “Creative-self taught Writing, Freelance-Author,” I feel ready and excited to restart my life to living to the fullest, and a new journey on pursuing my dreams to never giving up.🦇My identity is that of Raven-Wolf, a High-Princess within the shaman-druidic order, Energetic witch, blood-hunter, demigod-cleric🦇 whose physical form is as captivating as my spiritual calling; my pale skin provides a stark contrast to my long, vibrant blue-green hair th...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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PTD !

Submitted to Contest #304

Now that I have your attention, let me assure you the title of this story is not a typo and I will herein explain its significance during the following discourse. I’m a person who, if given the choice of coming back again per the unlikely phenomenon of reincarnation, would prefer to be a most successful “Cupid”. Witnessing the cementation of an eternal bond between a man and a woman pleases me.So I chose to produce a manuscript as a way of bringing to life this angelic dream of becoming a kind of messenger of love, and personify an encouragi...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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In The Wee Hours

Submitted to Contest #304

Sarah pulled up and parked, thoroughly disenchanted. Another shift, another round of idiots and zombies to entertain. She looked up at the neon sign, which read “wik-E-Mart”, as the “K” had given up long ago. Much the same as she had. No fireworks or big saga, just quietly stopped working when no one else was looking. She sighed, thinking to herself this tired internal monologue of hers really needed to get a life.She moved as if she was a zombie herself, scanning items and taking payments, completely lackluster and barely there. Low mumbled...

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Bright as the Stars

Submitted to Contest #304

Stars. They twinkle above the heavens. The lights of those who have past. The celestial beings watching over Earth. The fragments of elements lumped together hovering in the vastness above. Nights had been my favorite times of day then. Momma and I would sit or sometimes lay on the ground and watch them for hours. We could do that then because we were in the country. Momma would share stories about each speck of light. The little one that we could barely see was my little sister who was taken away from us too soon. The big bulbous star was m...

3 likes 1 comment 1
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The Dream Weaver

Submitted to Contest #304

Flinn soared across a purple sky, his long coat snapping against the head wind and his dark hair alive amid the current. An intense light rained down from a tapestry of white stars, back lighting him in an ethereal glow. His mastery of the night realm bled from his powerful form in flight. If anyone could see him, he would look bloody awesome. Unfortunately, as usual, everyone else in the world of dreams was asleep. He sighed at the wasted effort he always put into his dramatic arrival, and slowed to hover over the town of Lunar Bay, ready t...

19 likes 9 comments 9
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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