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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.

6110+ 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 7 of 408

In Full Bloom

Submitted to Contest #298

The moon glitters in the sky, throwing a silver cast over the garden. He totters along the bumpy cobblestone path, searching for the plant. He passes beautiful hedges, which tower over him, patches of tiny colourful wildflowers, each one precious and unique, budding saplings, soon to grow into grand fruit trees. It almost jumps out at him, it’s thick, sturdy stalk holding up closed yellow buds. He reaches out to touch it, fingers trailing down the stem, catching on a thorn. A small, shiny bead of blood wells up on his finger. He puts it to h...

11 likes 6 comments 6
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The Do-Over

Submitted to Contest #298

Inside The Threshold of Her Undoing Was it really only yesterday? I honestly can’t remember. My days don’t end. The sun comes up and it goes down again, but my eyes don’t close. I don’t sleep, therefore there is no yesterday. As I sit here playing endless games of backgammon with myself, I have no hopes for tomorrow because tomorrow never comes if you don’t go to sleep, right? I don’t mind being by myself in this tiny two-room space I call home. Oh, wait. I have a bathroom. Three-room space – excuse me. I’ve been sitting on this floor for s...

21 likes 12 comments 12
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To Elsewhere and Beyond

Submitted to Contest #298

When the trap snapped shut around her leg, cold metal biting fur and flesh, she didn’t scream. Others would have chewed their limbs off to get out of this, but she didn’t fight. She simply stared at it, blinking slowly. She knew how to get out of these, but for some reason, she didn’t care enough to react. The keeper would come around six anyway, giving her a few hours to avoid the exertion of being free.This was not the first time she had found herself lost in a moment like this. Once, it was paint. A dried spot on the bathroom tile—white a...

10 likes 2 comments 2
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Ronnie The Brave

Submitted to Contest #298

Veronica Hayes grew up in a quiet, rural community tucked away in the Lowcountry, nestled between rolling hills and sprawling meadows. The town, on the outskirts of Summerville, was defined by its slower pace of life and close-knit neighbors.Once a curious and spirited child, Veronica had gradually settled into a life shaped by steadiness and routine. Now, at thirty-two, a quiet rebellion stirred within her—a yearning to shed the label she had worn for years: the predictable one.Every morning followed the same pattern: At 7:00 AM, the scent ...

11 likes 6 comments 6
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Reset

Submitted to Contest #298

The Spring sun lights the world beyond the window, and she sees it afresh. Where there were drab greys there is now the promise of vibrancy that will be fulfilled as the day itself progresses. There are no empty words here. There is a pending reality to the sun’s commitment to the Spring and Mother Nature is eagerly underwriting this union.She looks upon this scene and there is fear in her. There is no discerning the cause of that fear, only the source. She has been afraid all her life but became adept at drowning out the sounds of her fear ...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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How to Be a Rock Star

Submitted to Contest #298

Hi, my name is Skye. I've just turned 24, and I spent the last eight years studying for and devoting my life to a career of internally fixing computers. Besides the job duties being completely monotonous and draining to my soul, it's good work I can pay the bills with and then some, but I never wanted this line of work. Since before I was born, my life has been carefully designed by my father, who passed away a week after my birthday while under hospice care from cancer of the lungs due to a lifetime of smoking those disgusting cigarettes. H...

11 likes 1 comment 1
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Muffin in the Mailbox

Submitted to Contest #298

A mailbox is no place for an unwrapped dessert, specifically those carelessly plopped on lined paper. But there it was—a muffin—top glistening in rusted darkness. Chocolate chunks stuck out—those tiny mysterious mounds. And after the events of late, they looked more like freshly heaped graves.I took the muffin, latched the mailbox, wincing as the hinges screeched like the strings of a first-time violinist: bewildered. The wind picked up then, having its way with my ponytail, and bending the flimsy note.I trudged up the driveway, tongue click...

12 likes 4 comments 4
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"An Unfinished Canvas"

Submitted to Contest #298

An Unfinished Canvas - a Short Story, by Bruce Enns"Beauty is truth, truth beauty. That is all we know on earth and all we need to know.”- John Keats*****“I’m looking forward to seeing you again," I said into my phone. "I'll be back tonight at 6:30.""Of course, Bruce. We're starting a little early today," Juan replied, his voice carrying the warm assurance I'd come to expect.The converted warehouse that housed Juan's art studio still held whispers of its industrial past. Steel beams stretched overhead like ancient ribcages, and the afternoon...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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Edge of Destiny: A Tale of Light, Love and Truth

Submitted to Contest #298

Below is a novel that weaves together the threads of mystery, occult terror, and the redemptive power of unity—a tale that begins with tragedy and unfolds into an epic confrontation with darkness. Enjoy: --- # Edge of Destiny: ## A Tale of Light, Love, and Truth --- ### Prologue – The Lost Innocence On a cool autumn night at LSU at Sabine Bay, a dreadful discovery shattered the quiet routine of campus life. In a secluded corner behind an old art building, Charlie stumbled upon the body of Lucy Merrill—a bright, young college student whose p...

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Bandi, Awake

Submitted to Contest #298

When attempting to crack open one’s own back, it is useful to have round ball joints in the shoulders, so as to give 360 degrees of movement in the socket. Bandi said a silent thank you to whoever had designed her, as they had had the foresight to give her that. They had not, however, seen fit to give her a user's manual. Or any programmed instructions. It is a difficult situation to find one’s self suddenly awake, alone, in the middle of a field littered with the husks of things that look exactly like you, with no clear indication as to wh...

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A Matter of Perspective

Submitted to Contest #298

"You want me to eat what part of the snail?" Marcus's voice carried across the outdoor Parisian café, causing several heads to turn. Cherry blossoms floated down around him like pink snowflakes.The waiter sighed with the practiced patience of someone who'd explained escargot to Americans a thousand times. "The entire body, monsieur. It is already removed from the shell and prepared with garlic butter. It is spring—the season for trying new delicacies.""Where I'm from, we spray those things with poison," Marcus muttered, poking the gastropod ...

32 likes 12 comments 12
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I Made Her Wait

Submitted to Contest #298

I made her wait far too long.I was staring off into what once was. I had purposely avoided this place for far too long. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel small, weak, horrified. This is where the demons creep in, the kind that show up in the quiet moments, when your hands are still. When you’re surrounded by silence, and your phone screen goes dark. It pulls you back without asking, dragging you to the place you’ve worked so damn hard to forget.I was standing in that place, surrounded by overgrowth and God knows what else might be h...

19 likes 3 comments 3
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Midnight Talk

Submitted to Contest #297

Self-reflection is necessary for growth, when you lose yourself to fear. It might not seem that way, but every day we experience something that changes the way we see ourselves, it doesn’t matter how small it is, if we think it isn't good, it will always affect us in ways we do not enjoy.“Why couldn’t you handle this like them”?“Why didn’t you act like them”?Those are recurring thoughts I have at the end of my day. I don't want them, but this is what I desire from myself, so that’s what keeps rolling around my head every time I go to sleep.“...

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The Strongest Storms Reveal the Strongest of Trees

Submitted to Contest #297

The Strongest Storms Reveal the Strongest of TreesBy: Evelyn CurrieIt was a cold, early spring day when the storm began. The wind came first and went up to speeds of 100 km per hour, which caused a flicker throughout the town; if you looked close enough, you could see a bolt of lightning strike in the sky. They say it all started slowly, and that would be correct. Around half an hour later, the drops of freezing rain came slowly, and as time passed, those drops grew and grew. Hours passed, and the rain kept on. After about 4 hours, the darkn...

5 likes 3 comments 3
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The Cracks in the Porcelain: Hiding a Secret

S B

Submitted to Contest #298

## The Cracks in the Porcelain: Hiding a Secret Elara moved through the world like a piece of fine porcelain, delicate and flawlessly painted. She was the epitome of grace, the model daughter, the trusted friend. Her life, as far as anyone knew, was a carefully constructed tapestry of good grades, volunteer work, and effortless charm. But beneath the smooth, polished surface, a hairline crack ran deep, a secret she guarded with a vigilance that bordered on paranoia. The secret wasn’t grand; it wasn’t a hidden fortune or a scandalous affair. ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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