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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

11070+ Sad Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Do you ever need to break your own heart? We see you. Grab a tub of ice cream or a box of tissues and settle down with some of the best, really sad short stories to make you cry.

Sad Short Stories – Page 83 of 738

Forward Falling

Submitted to Contest #270

**Author's note** This story can be read alone, but it's a sequel of sorts to Falling Forward and it references Falling Down. **Trigger warning** contains references to domestic violence and sexual assault All he wanted to do was curl up in a cave of blankets and sleep forever, but being the selfless-to a fault-person that he was, he found himself saying yes to his sister’s lunch invitation. He almost immediately regretted his decision; however, when he walked through the door. “You look like shit.” She said. “Gee, thanks Evie.&...

20 likes 11 comments 11
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Deviled Eggs

Submitted to Contest #270

1.    Boil water. 2.    Once the water reaches a boil, gently put in your eggs. 3.    Gently.4.    Be gentle. 5.    Even though you want to throw the eggs against the wall, be gentle. 6.    Let the water boil for 10 minutes. 7.    Even though they say not to, watch the water boil. 8.    It will help. 9.    It will help soothe your heart. 10. The bubbles and th...

10 likes 6 comments 6
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At Dinner: The Scent of Rosemary and Regret

Submitted to Contest #270

Samantha’s rental apartment, was a haven of personal touches and warm colors. Usually, it hummed with the anticipation of intimate dinners and whispered conversations, the soft glow of candlelight dancing on the mismatched china she’d collected over the years. Tonight, however, the air crackled with a tension thicker than the rosemary and garlic scent clinging to the faded floral curtains.David shifted in his chair, the worn wood groaning beneath him like an old man complaining about a long day. He swirled the expensive Cabernet Avignon in h...

15 likes 1 comment 1
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The Milk We Left behind

Submitted to Contest #270

Warning: This story contains themes of domestic abuse, emotional trauma, infidelity, and descriptions of a toxic family environment. Reader discretion is advised.Note: This narrative is loosely inspired by true events.My eyes flutter open, and I lift my right fist to rub the blurry sleep from my eyes. It’s so dark in here, dark enough to give refuge to the shadow monsters that live beneath my bed or in the corners of my bedroom walls. I hear the wooden hallway floorboards groaning under the weight of slow and dubious footsteps, approaching o...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Recipe for a Life in Love

Submitted to Contest #270

This recipe mirrors the ebb and flow of life, where love and loss are inseparable, and where even the most carefully planned recipe can take unexpected turns. It balances the heat of passion with the coolness of grief, creating a dish that is rich, complex, and innately human. Ingredients: 1 reluctant move to a small townA dash of isolation and brooding1 quaint coffee shop (to avoid the house)1 red-haired barista named Jasmine1 awkward cappuccino order1 year of summer friendship (stirred daily with light conversation)1 heart-wrenching realiz...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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Fearless Love

Submitted to Contest #270

 My hands were shaking as I knocked on the door. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be getting an answer or worse yet if the door would be slammed shut in my face. The wind was rustling through the trees and rain was steadily coming down. It was a cold autumn night and honestly the warmth from the inside of the house would have seemed irresistibly inviting if it weren’t for the given circumstances.      I had made a mistake. I had met my girlfriend Gracie about six months ago and she was everything I had ever ...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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Cheap Wine and Woodchips

Submitted to Contest #270

The chicken nuggets simmer beneath the microwave light. I watch as candle wax drips onto the countertop in a mind-numbing descent, illuminating the kitchen in shadows. Beth perches on the head of Dad’s recliner, rocking back and forth til the sun sets and all she can see is her own reflection staring back at her.            The microwave beeps slicing through the news anchor on the TV.           “Dinner!” I call. “Turn of the tv...

15 likes 4 comments 4
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Questionable Differences

Submitted to Contest #270

A server sets a basket of bread between Luca and Harley, followed by a bowl containing four pats of butter wrapped in shiny gold paper. They drove to Antonio’s in their separate cars, both of them having left from work. When Harley got there, Luca was already waiting at their table. He stood and pulled the chair out for her.  As he tears into a piece of bread, lips greasy from the butter that turns out to be margarine, he still can’t recall ever meeting Harley for dinner; he’s certainly never pulled a chair out for her. When high school...

17 likes 0 comments 0
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Grandma's Apple Pie

Submitted to Contest #270

Step One: Open a can of premade pastry and roll into two equal circles.I can’t believe I’ve resorted to canned pastry. After all these decades of making my own from scratch. It’s barbaric. The grandkids swear it tastes the same; that they don’t care either way. I can tell though. I can taste the additives and colourings. The tinge of mass production scarring the dough.Alas there is nothing to be done, my old hands can only handle so much these days. Gosh, when did I lose the smooth, supple things that my mind could will into anything. The fi...

24 likes 11 comments 11
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The Taste of Resilience

Submitted to Contest #270

Pilar has been absent-mindedly mixing the paella, and the familiar motions are a small comfort in her current tumultuous life. Her friends loved her paella and made every excuse for her to cook it. Pilar, being a true Spaniard, of course, accommodated them, after the necessary pleading…. The recipe has been running in the family for generations, mouth to mouth, never written down, as if the secret needed to be safeguarded. Pilar had the recipe passed down by her grandmother, Dolores, who did not trust her own daughter's cooking skills and sk...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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Recipe for a Life Unlived

Submitted to Contest #270

Recipe for a Life Unlived Ingredients: - 1 cup of dreams (fresh, preferably from childhood)- 2 tablespoons of fear (can substitute anxiety if necessary)- 3 heaping teaspoons of self-doubt (finely ground)- A pinch of missed opportunities- 4 generous scoops of routine (well-worn, habitual)- ½ cup of regret (aged, ideally)- 1 tablespoon of social expectations (crushed into a fine powder)- A dash of longing (optional, but recommended)- 2 cups of time (use sparingly, as it evaporates quickly)- A sprinkle of “what ifs” (for garnish) ---Preparation...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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Mia's Garden

Submitted to Contest #270

(TW: mentions of miscarriages, cheating) They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, and I learned that the hard way the day I uncovered my husband’s betrayal. After fifteen years of marriage, I finally trusted my instincts. For months, I had felt the distance between us growing—his late nights at “work,” the hushed conversations that abruptly ended when I walked into the room, and his dwindling interest in me. When I checked his location, my heart dropped: he was headed to a house just around the corner. A house belonging to my best...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Picture day

Submitted to Contest #269

She sat there rummaging through what she brought. The light dimmed and she had to squint to look at anything. The house had a musty smell to it and the walls were a dark gray and she sat there in the midst of it all. She hadn’t looked through what she packed, she had just thrown everything in boxes and then called it a day. She wasn’t sure what she left behind, and she didn’t care. She pulled out a towel. Dirt was everywhere throughout the towel making it hard to distinguish the different colors which once adorned the towel. It’s fabric unra...

36 likes 24 comments 24
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Wrapper

Shortlisted for Contest #269 ⭐️

Before I even saw your face, I had the wrapper picked out. It was made of crimson Ankara, adorned with golden flowers outlined in black. I had others, of course - which Yoruba woman doesn’t? But that one was yours.  When I first pressed you against my back and draped you in the fabric, shifting so you’d be comfortable when your grandmother tied it off, I fought to blink back the tears. After months of hospital visits and late night feeding sessions, you were finally big enough to be backed. I tried to imagine what it would feel like for...

28 likes 11 comments 11
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Frozen in Time

Submitted to Contest #269

The pocket watch was old, the silver color tarnished from being handled so many times. The outside had an intricate floral design, roots and leaves growing from a few roses itched into the middle. It was pretty, subtle, and not overwhelming. The watch didn't have to try hard to catch attention, and it would have made a nice accessory to add to a waistcoat pocket.  But this was a watch owned by Brian Crawford, so at most, it was tucked into the pocket of a pair of blue jeans, stained and faded with time. The watch went with him everywher...

15 likes 2 comments 2
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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