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

11080+ 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 99 of 739

The Man at the Door

Submitted to Contest #262

Refusing to get out of bed, Alan stared up at the ceiling fan and watched the blades spin with a low hum. His procrastination was brought on by something he tried to avoid whenever possible: family drama. Unfortunately for Alan, that was something he would have to face today. Just not in the way he expected. Alan was also not looking forward to enduring the thirty-year high temperature forecasted today. But the weather would be the least of his worries. Savannah, Alan’s seventeen-year old stepdaughter, was caught with some friends in the sch...

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Sticks and Stones

Submitted to Contest #262

“I don’t know how it all went wrong,” her voice trembled as she trailed off, her eyes filling with tears once again. A rush of emotions passed across her face. “It was just supposed to be a normal trip, it was going to be fun. I don’t, I don’t…” She broke down into great, heaving sobs. Her glasses slipped down her nose as she brought her hands up to try to regain some composure, wiping at the tears falling from her green eyes. She sat on a bench in the park her and Cassie had just been in, an officer sat beside her, notepad in hand. “Ma’am, ...

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Heat Hazy Days

Submitted to Contest #262

There was once a life within which I existed. Encased in a fantastical ecosystem designed to cocoon me from the pain of reality. Then it was over. A breeze-block in the face. I didn’t see it coming. The impact of the ending sent shockwaves of negative energy into batteries hidden deep within my body such that every time I thought I might have some respite from the pain of my sudden, shattering loss, those batteries fired up and fried my nervous system, leaving me reverberating with a sickness that I could not comprehend, let alone deal with....

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Tuna Cans

Submitted to Contest #261

It was dawn now, a time when despair could not yet contend with the promise of first light. Bright rays squeezed through the attic window and cast Arthur’s face in a shadowy crosshair. Thoughts began to trickle between the thick debris of sleep. Beneath his eyelids, he began to stir. Something was close. The dam burst, sending a bolt through Arthur’s system. In an instant he took cover behind a pile of boxes, hitting his head on the sloped, wood-planked roof. Beyond the glass, a four-legged silhouette peered into the attic and paused for a l...

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They Should Make a Thank-You Card for That

Submitted to Contest #261

They Should Make a Thank-You Card for That Thank-You for coming!7/17/2013Kate,Thank-you for coming to my grad party! Can’t believe you drove 4 hours but it was great to have you there. How are we adults now? College was amazing, especially the last few years with you. I couldn’t haven’t asked for a better roommate. I’m going to miss you so much. Keep in touch!Love,MaryPS- Good luck on your interview! Thank-you…8/15/2013Mary,Everyone at my new job thinks I have a rich boyfriend now, so thank-you very much for those flowers. You’re the best fo...

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Some Broken Things

Submitted to Contest #261

CW: This piece contains mentions of several sensitive topics, including themes of mental health issues, child abuse/neglect, and sexual harassment. Viewer discretion is heavily advised. Mom,I know we haven’t spoken in a few years, but I wanted to say this before I no longer have the chance. I can’t forgive you for the things you put me through— the screaming, the academic pressure, the neglect of my medical concerns—but I can at least appreciate what you did do that was good, which was giving me a roof over my head and food to eat. Thank you...

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The Cynic's Guide to Gratitude

Submitted to Contest #261

-Please note this story covers topics of death and hospitalization-01/01/24I’m thankful to the guy in the math textbooks who buys 37 watermelons, 80 chimneys, and 15 multicolored clown-vomit rubber band balls. He keeps the world’s economy going. God bless that guy. I know what stocks I’m investing in this year. 01/02/24I’m thankful to the guy who hangs out in front of the local Walmart and sells pocket watches and expired candy bars from the fanciful world of his inconspicuous trench coat. Sometimes, he gives me one of those Velvee...

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Ode To Dakota

Submitted to Contest #261

The table jolted as you set my water on it. I examined its legs for poor craftsmanship but soon noticed your rueful grin betray your clumsiness. I knew then that anything you did, I could forgive.  My dear Dakota, I write you this letter, despite its unlikelihood of ever reaching you, to thank you for forever changing the track of my thoughts and connecting them all back to you. I thank you for the words you have whispered against my ear that still linger during sleep. At midnight I race through countless forests and cities in hopes of ...

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Finding Gratitude

Submitted to Contest #261

Finding Gratitude     By Donna G. Hill 08/01/24 Veteran Everett Winstead was sitting in the office of Dr. Sicily Appradaeah, Psychiatrist, grumbling to himself under his breath.  Filled with rage, contempt for all mankind, especially dogooder types, embittered.  Tours in Viet Nam had left him with many detrimental experiences to overcome, but he considered himself a “real man, made out of the good stuff.”  The only reason he came at all was because his only child, a daughter, Emma, insisted.  His he...

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In Gratitude, In Grief

Submitted to Contest #261

The Lieutenant was staring at the huge, ornate double doors in a vicious sweat. It had been a pleasantly cool evening in Paris, even with the stifling scarlet uniform he wore, it should have been cold enough to dance without breaking a sweat. Yet… he stared at the lacquered wooden door. It showed, in its ornamentation, two horses rampant. The Lieutenant’s breath heaved in his chest, painful and slow. He couldn’t do this. He went to turn away, unable to face what he had to do. The gentle humming of music sounding his retreat. He turned and me...

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Today was...

Submitted to Contest #261

June 8th 2024  As mandated by my therapist I will be writing a gratitude journal every day for three months. It’s supposed to help with my bad mood that everyone is calling depression. Let’s see, today I started the morning by going to therapy so already off to a bad start. Then I went to my job at the city library. The AC shut down and it was a ninety-degree weather kind of day, no clouds. It was so hot I felt like I could’ve passed out from the heat, but I didn’t. So I guess that’s one good thing that happened today.  June 10th ...

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For My Darling

Submitted to Contest #261

Warning: This story includes brief talk of home abuse and other sensitive content Letter #1:                                8/1/2022 I’ve been able to put off the responsibilities of being myself for such a long time but the second you stepped in all of the hurt that’s been deep within me has vanished. You saved me, thank you. It’s something to think about when you're coming from a d...

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Harrison, Harry, My Love

Submitted to Contest #261

Tw: substance abuse, mental health, cussingTo: Harrison My therapist said I should write you a thank you note. A THANK YOU NOTE. Un-fucking-believable. What am I supposed to say? Thank you, for leaving me? Thank you for breaking my heart into thousands of pieces and stomping on them in your wake? How is she even allowed to have a degree? A thank you note. It makes more sense to write you a “fuck you” note. God. Thank you, Harrison. Thank you so much for being the perfect fiancé until you weren’t. Thank you for being so goddamn...

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Hoping We'll Talk Soon

Submitted to Contest #261

Dear Mom, Thank you for the red bag you bought me. I never thought I’d say that. It’s large and, well, forgive me. Obnoxious is the only word I can think of. But you don’t care what other people think, ha ha. It hangs on my shoulder and way down to my knees, as you know because it’s a duplicate of yours. And it can get really heavy and puffy the more I stuff into it. The bag sat deflated in a corner of my closet for the longest time, just hanging there, the side punched in from emptiness. Again, sorry. I didn’t use it until I started going t...

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Survivor

Submitted to Contest #261

“Do you feel guilty that you continue without him?”“I… we’ve been through a lot, I mean… I know Thomas a hundred percent. I always have. He’s the best man I ever met. I speak to him about, like, everything. We’ve been through more than you think. Millions of people follow me; no one knows me like Tommy does. He’s always there for me, telling me he’s proud of me. Honestly, I feel, that’s… what fuels me… to play. Sorry, I’m sorry. All of this it’s a mess – it makes me sad because everything I ha… Thomas. I never wanted him to retire, and he ne...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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