6860+ Science Fiction Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you’re looking for daring space battles or chilling “what if” glimpses of the future, you’ll find what you’re looking for in our collection of free science fiction short stories.

🏆 Winning stories

“Add Vodka to Taste” by Jay Wayne

🏆 Winner of Contest #270

With the mission running long and no exfil in sight, there’s little for Valerian and Roman to do besides purchase too many groceries, hole up in the safehouse, and settle old bets. Val stands over the cracked electric stove, carefully stirring a pot of ukha. The delicate scent of herbs, spices, and freshwater fish spirals off the surface of the broth. It smells of home, and Val knows without looking that Roman is sprawled on the couch behind him. “Just be careful not to let the salmon overcook,” Roman calls out. What would be genuine advice ...

82 likes 45 comments 45

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“An Apology to Mankind, Two Days After First Contact” by D Gorman

🏆 Winner of Contest #268

What follows is a transcript of an apology to the people of Earth, and specifically the residents of Silver Lake, Indiana. [BRACKETED] words indicate imprecise translation.  Hello, people of Earth. This message is being translated into the language practiced by the humans who reside in the area designated Silver Lake, Indiana, using the Verpal Language Unscrambler 2. As my segment-mate Zolak is so fond of reminding me, our model is very outdated and overdue for replacement. Any translation errors that may occur are the result ...

112 likes 95 comments 95

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“inspirAItion” by Derrick M Domican

🏆 Winner of Contest #266

08:50:05.000:RequestGeneratedHey Phaedra, can you give me a recipe for vegan lasagne with a rich, creamy bechamel sauce?08:50:05.005: ResponseDispatched++Certainly! For a delicious vegan lasagne, you'll need lasagne noodles, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta, and a homemade bechamel sauce. Here's the recipe and step-by-step instructions, Michael!++08:50:05.012:RequestGeneratedPhaedra, how do I fix a leaky faucet?08:50:05.020: ResponseDispatched ++Here’s a step-by-step guide to get that faucet fixed. Grab a wrench and some plumber’s tap...

141 likes 186 comments 186

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“The Lighthouse Keeper” by Elton James

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #260

A Lighthouse On a small island in a large ocean, morning mist rolls down the slope of a single hill which emerges from the rocky beach. Atop the hill is a lighthouse, dutifully warning passing ships of dangers lurking beneath the waves. This lighthouse has no human keeper, but it is not uninhabited. Robot comes to life in the morning. That is how Robot thinks of it. Robot does not wake up in the morning, ease into his day with a coffee. Robot does not sit at a computer to check headlines. Robot does not require any further stimulus than his ...

29 likes 22 comments 22

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“Taxi” by Brian Haddad

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #253

"Please do not enter the vehicle." "Excuse me?" A bolt of lightning shot through Shannon's heart as she climbed into the autonomous taxi and closed the door. Immediately the locks triggered and she felt a cold sweat explode onto her forehead. The taxi's smooth, friendly computer generated voice fired up again with the tenderness of a new mother. "What is your name?" it asked. "Shannon." She said it with the rising tone of a question while she pulled at the disabled door handle. Her heart began pounding wildly in her tightening chest. "What's...

46 likes 50 comments 50

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“The Bookkeepers” by Niamh O'Dea

Submitted to Contest #251

Lying down lazily on her green velvet sofa, Jane placed her tepid coffee on the enormous rug beside her and returned to her ebook. Wind chimes tinkled in her blissfully overgrown garden outside, the lightest misting of rain tickled the windows. For the last 20 years, Jane had planned her retirement to a tee. Some of her friends had planned round the world e-tours, others were e-touring planets Jane had never even heard of. Her plans were simpler. Late nights, late mornings, and books. The rest of her days would be the same, save some obligat...

31 likes 10 comments 10

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✍️ All stories

“Death by Pink” by Soham Saha

Submitted to Contest #275

Stop.I beg of you. Stop reading at once.I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask to be the savior of your future. Hell, I am not even qualified for this, not in any way that would make you feel safe, anyway.You haven’t stopped.I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But here it goes. I didn’t choose to be made. If you’ve heard of genetic algorithms, you probably know what I’m talking about. But if you don’t, it is a method of training Artificial Intelligence. You start with a problem, and make a few bots with a random set of algorithms. The bot...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Funnel of Light” by Eden Penfold

Submitted to Contest #275

This story contains mentions of death and mental health struggles. I was in the air, the atmosphere thick with me like moisture. Surfing the wind, it was as if I was fallen foliage twisting in the gust- but not at the mercy of the current like a helpless leaf. Mother Nature and I were equals, her formidable arsenal no longer my concern. I was dead, after all. But not gone. My essence lingered, almost undetectable- though Milo who would set her ears rigid and whine reproachfully whenever I came to visit. I had always hated that stupid dog. S...

10 likes 14 comments 14

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“Daytrip To The Coast” by V. Bowman

Submitted to Contest #275

And just like that, I appeared out of nothing. On the sand of the beach, in the middle of the day, at the mercy of the sun. Right by me there was an improvised fireplace with a crimson kettle on it. I even felt the warmth of the November evening, pretty neat for this side of the world. Nothing compared to where I was before, in the misty nothingness of the afterlife, and - poof! - I am here.Coming back from the dead is not that scary as people believe. In fact, this is not scary at all. It is just very rare - you need to contact the right pe...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Mercy Shown” by Zacharias Boer

Submitted to Contest #275

I have been here for two days. My eyes are sinking into my skull and my skin is greasy and gray. The swell of my belly has deflated; my womb has gone cold and my baby, still within me, has begun to quietly descend to the base of my back as my mushy organs part for her weight. My lungs have calmed their efforts to maintain the flow of life, resigning me to my peaceful sleep.  I’m as dead as the home in which I lay, still and heavy like my body now. The dead walk outside, disturbing the gravel and occasionally becoming curious enough to a...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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“Snowfall” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #275

Though my sensors continually monitored the environment around us, that was an automatic process, so, treading onward, I focused most of my attention on following the big black cat and his smaller tawny brown sister as they dashed around like kittens in the snow, their paws sinking into the cold white stuff. Snowflakes adorned the long whiskers of the black cat. He paused and shook himself to dislodge some snow from his dark flank then ran after his playfellow, lumbering where she danced.I consistently monitored their energy expenditure...

14 likes 4 comments 4

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“Mare Tenebrarum” by Max Wightwick

Submitted to Contest #275

When embarking upon our odyssey, none of us would, nor could have foreknown what forbiddance presided over the unpeopled outlands of the cosmos. Our safety was entrusted to the dependable Lucis, a prodigy of modern science, built for the sole intention of travelling into the extraneous. Through parsecs and parsecs we vagabonded, equating to years unreckonable, with not the merest sound or noise. To not be unhinged from the deafening silence, we overcompensated with frivolous conversation, melodies were played as nostalgia, and a general...

36 likes 18 comments 18

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“The Midnight Library” by JoAnne Burgess

Submitted to Contest #275

It was late October. The air was brisk as night settled in. Rain had begun to fall softly right on que orchestrating the perfect setting for Halloween. Tall picturesque Victorian houses from the late 1800s stood like grand nostalgic reminders of an era long ago. They watched over streets of the historical district like sentinels guarding my journey home to the house at the top of the hill. The ornately trimmed houses, each one with its own distinct charm and secrets from ages gone by, were aglow with amber light. The wide wrap-arou...

5 likes 2 comments 2

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“Dark Redemption” by Germaine Wynters

Submitted to Contest #275

Time is taking its toll. The clock finally strikes eleven as Peter walks through the door shaking his soaked umbrella. Making his way past the parlor, he throws the umbrella against the wall but leaves the lights untouched. He casts his hat on the couch opposite him and drops his drenched coat on the floor. Peter begins skimming through his mail piled high on his desk. Reluctantly, he turns on a lamp beside him and rests in the confines of a nearby chair, humming a tune that quickly upsets him.  Impatiently, Peter begins throwing each l...

8 likes 1 comment 1

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“WITCH” by Jim Parker

Submitted to Contest #275

~Witch~My name is Wisteria Wanda Wix and I am a Witch. A powerful one at that. Call me Wisty. My mother was a Witch, her mother was a Witch. You get the idea. Let me dispel the biggest misconception about Witches right off the bat. We don’t worship Satan, or God, for that matter. Doesn’t mean that we don’t make use of them from time to time, if the need arises. No we worship nature. Mother Earth. That’s where our power lies. Are we clear on the whole Satan thing? Okay, let’s move on.I’m getting dressed for a funeral and trying to decide if I...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“The bits remember” by Nino Perez

Submitted to Contest #275

The clock on the far side of the wall ticked midnight. Aria glanced at it and trembled, knowing what was about to come. “YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD ENOUGH,” each word shone in a shiny green light on the dull, faded, yellowish-gray monitor before her, reflecting on her pale skin. “STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!” Aria screamed at the top of her lungs, clutching her head tightly with both hands. It took a monstrous effort not to bang her forehead against the display.  The letters on the black screen disappeared, leaving only the flashing cursor behind. Aria ...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Sands of P-111” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #275

John F. Kennedy, the spaceship Emerald’s AI, reviews the mission’s astral chart with the crew. “Er-ah, we have passed Gehenna, a habitable planet that was ultimately rejected for exploration by the United Terran Government because it has a surface atmosphere of 822 degrees Fahrenheit, which can boil a human being’s blood in seconds…” John highlights the next planet on the screen, continuing to speak in his clipped Boston accent. “Er -ah, within the hour, we’ll pass Exidor, where temperatures average two hundred degrees below zero and life, w...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Devil’s Advocate” by Man Kin Chan

Submitted to Contest #275

Noah has been having a hard time since he lost his job as a pharmacist. Blame the economy, his friends say, it is not your fault as we all know how hard you work, and how good you are. Noah just gives a bitter smile. “Bad economy” is an easy scapegoat, and a rather comforting blanket to hide from one’s own failure. These days Noah tried to keep his head up by structuring his day into different sessions: he job hunts in the morning, then reads or exercises in the afternoon; and some of the time he even attempts making dinner for himself, som...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Captivating Chaos” by Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #275

One careless afternoon, Sam had accidentally agreed to attend the ‘Captivating Chaos’ exhibition as suggested by his secretary, and now, despite himself, he was making his way to an unfamiliar part of the city. After leaving his apartment, he’d navigated the bustling city centre where the Saturday shoppers were now transmuting into evening drinkers, flooding the wine bars and bistros. The begrudging light of a grey November day had gone, and the heavy darkness of late autumn settled in the shadows and doorways, too thick for the city’s ...

15 likes 4 comments 4

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“Next Lifetime” by Ramiro Alexander-Duchesne

Submitted to Contest #275

He sat there at the counter of the diner. His khaki-colored fedora dripped water from its brim onto his matching trench coat. Soft jazz of a bygone era poured from the speakers dispersed throughout the eatery and filled the establishment. Rain dripped off the awnings that extended over the windows. Each drop was illuminated by the neon signs shining on the cityscape below them. The steam from the coffee in his cup rose up and fogged his glasses as he sipped it. He removed his glasses and pulled the handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He wip...

9 likes 1 comment 1

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“A Riff in Time” by Ramiro Alexander-Duchesne

Submitted to Contest #275

After a few years of wishing I could afford it, I finally bought it; a replica of Jimi Hendrix’s white Fender Stratocaster replete with three single-coil pick-ups, a whammy bar, and an inverted headstock. It was an 18th birthday present for myself. I scrambled to pull it out of the box once it was delivered and immediately plugged it in. I placed my dog’s headphones on over his ears, adjusted the dials on the amp, and turned it on. The buzzing from the amp filled the room. I pressed my fingers against the strings with my left hand. With my r...

7 likes 2 comments 2

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