4320+ Speculative Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Looking to explore terrains beyond Earth and stretch the limits of your imagination? Welcome to the Internet’s best source of speculative fiction stories.

🏆 Winning stories

“Sweetbread: An Epilogue” by M. Darrow

🏆 Winner of Contest #274

My sister has always had a soft heart. Soft as sweetbread.She cried after the old woman, despite everything. Maybe because of everything. I remember holding her as she wept, both of us covered in soot, her fingers scalded from holding shut the oven door. After the tears, she was quiet. She trailed me through the awful house with its sweetbread walls and sugared windows. I found the clothes we’d arrived in, offered up her kirtle, and she donned it without a word. She showed no whisper of response when we found the treasure in the attic, ...

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“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 ...

90 likes 45 comments 45

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“The Name of the End” by Gabriel Muers

🏆 Winner of Contest #269

(CW: Grief, depression) There is a bomb in my hometown, and no one speaks about it. The park that surrounds it acts like a nest, grown up naturally around the smooth, rounded metal body that lies half buried in the soil, the ground itself embracing it. Sensible people would put it out of their minds altogether, but ever since my classmates and I discovered it by sneaking past the barbed wire fence into its clearing, I was never able to. At first, I had been disappointed. This, a charcoal grey container, half hidden by moss and bracken, was ...

117 likes 76 comments 76

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“The Bargain” by Sharon Cabana

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #270

THE BARGAIN The old mahogany grandfather clock chimed exactly 4:30 pm on a slow creeping spring afternoon in the soul of the southland. “Well,” Betilda Swanson, known to her book club and church group as Tilly, said as she gazed into the eyes of the figure perched on the old pink Victorian sofa in her drawing room. “Will you do it?” The visitor looked back at her over the coffee table, his large form reclining awkwardly, as if the smooth fabric grated against his skin. On the yellow oak table, their cup of tea sat untouched on its saucer, th...

21 likes 7 comments 7

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“Alone at the End of the World” by Matthew Henry

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #268

John Montague lived alone. While he had lovers in his younger years, he had never settled down with any of them and as middle age set in, he found that he was quite content with his lot. A successful software engineer, he had purchased a private home tucked away in a quiet corner of a popular neighborhood on the edge of town. Some nights, he lay awake thinking of the nightlife downtown and considered getting a Lyft or Uber to a trendy bar to recapture the exploits of his youth, but he always decided he would rather just stay home and watch T...

17 likes 19 comments 19

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“Bubbles” by Helen A Smith

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #265

 Bubbles.Sometimes try. To. Catch bubbles … tiny ones, they float above me. A soft pink ceiling seals me in. A kind of membrane. But where does it go? Where do I go?Very tired. I open my mouth. Yawn it all out. Bend my neck. It needs rest. Eyes heavy under lids. Closing them… so soothing. With them tight shut dark, I go to vanish. Back again on dream journey. Traveling, to where? Memories unfurl. I’m in the unknown. What? Is it?Fragments of life. Memories forming. Past is present. Present is past. I don’t know. Uncoiling. 🫧 🫧Sudden...

48 likes 56 comments 56

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✍️ All stories

“Mythos” by K. O.

Submitted to Contest #278

There was something uniquely enraging about seeing the bold and insistent text of an unread email. Em had naively thought pivoting away from a typical corporate environment would free her from the weighted dread of a full inbox, pointedly mundane in its begging to be managed, crowded with promotional calls-to-action, patronizing tips for Monetizing Your Creative Spirit, and outdated horoscopes. Em had mastered selective blindness for such things, though, making the one email from an unfortunately familiar and ancient name all the more impud...

4 likes 1 comment 1

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“A Blurry Verdict” by Olga CJ

Submitted to Contest #278

The newscaster's voice, a somber tone cutting through the evening air, announced a chilling tale of a woman accused of a heinous crime. "Carla Bail, a seemingly ordinary 30-year-old, was apprehended after five days on the run. The charges against her are grave: arson. In a shocking twist, authorities have uncovered a disturbing connection between Bail and the victim. The two were reportedly close friends, raising questions about a deeply personal motive behind the attack.While the exact motive for the arson remains under investigation, the r...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“FAMILY OF MAN FEUD” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #278

**WARNING: Religious themes**Angel and Devil Messengers had spread word throughout Heaven and Hell of an upcoming event that had been designed to determine, once and for all, the fate of the world.People on Planet Earth had been left to their own devices for long enough. The present polarization of life forms had proved disastrous. God and Satan had observed from their respective vantages and reached the same conclusion. Mortals simply could not figure things out on their own and it was time for drastic measures before Planet Earth...

7 likes 2 comments 2

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“My safe place.” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #278

The little grey man with half glasses asked me what I had to say for myself. I didn’t know how to answer him. I didn't know what he was asking me.I should have known. Someone should have taught me. But no one had ever come back from here to teach us.I learned that most people don’t have a safe place. They don’t need one. I asked Angie once what hers looked like. She didn’t know what I was talking about. Angie lived in a nice neighborhood, where bad things didn’t happen. Bet she’d never heard a police siren or ambulance rushing down her ...

23 likes 24 comments 24

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“The Paradox Of Time Consisting Of Innovation Regarding Commerce, And The Future Of Temporal Exploration” by David Dean

Submitted to Contest #278

Part I: Suiting Up for the PastMy cousin Hannah’s crisis over her lost time travel suit had planted a seed in both our minds, one that sprouted months later into an obsession with time travel suits—past, present, and imagined. The search for the perfect suit became a quest, fuelled not only by practicality but by the allure of history and an aspiration to embody the timeless excellence of icons like H.G. Wells.We argued how she could have been so forgetful and she said she'd left a party and in her hurry had changed in the road and then an e...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“When the World Falls Silent” by Orwell King

Submitted to Contest #278

The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, casting an unflattering pallor across the austere chamber. Callan Hargrave stood alone at the centre of the circular room, his reflection distorted in the glossy black floor beneath his bare feet. The air was heavy with the sterile scent of disinfectant.Rows of masked faces loomed in the shadows above him, their identities concealed behind smooth, featureless visors. They were the judges, the accusers, the audience—indistinguishable and united in their anonymity. Behind them, high on the wall, ...

10 likes 2 comments 2

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“The Innkeeper's Soup” by Cathy Ramos

Submitted to Contest #277

I have no idea how long I've been here, but it feels as though years have passed. I don't sleep. I don't eat. I only cook.The witch who has me in her involuntary employ is an unusually ugly woman, with a face so grotesque it's almost comical. She wears an outdated, massive escoffion atop her head that doesn't detract from the unsightliness of her face, but it does distract from it. Her clothes are ridiculously ornate. Lace and silk, brocade and taffeta, in a myriad of colors and textures that hurt the eye. The clashing prints do a fine ...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Trial of Identity” by S Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #278

​​"Please rise for the honorable Judge." Everyone stands so I do as well. A man in a robe traipses down the aisle, sweeping the dust from the floor though only moving it barely, as if pretending to clean it without making any progress. In fact, it doesn’t even move that much dust, it only makes a long trail on the floor, dust moved to the side as if shamed. As he passes, his air suffocates me. An air of pretentious prestige. An air I will have to breathe to plead my case. What case?  The Judge sits at his desk and bangs the gavel, “orde...

8 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Voice of Thousands” by Bailey Graham

Submitted to Contest #277

You’ve heard the rumors more than anyone. It’s the only way you get to be a part of the conversation. Through the rumors, the conversations that fill the air. They circle around you, filling your head to the brim with hope. A creature, a light, an abomination lurking in the caves just outside of town. People have claimed to see it, have talked to it, and have come back with different descriptions and interactions with the beast. “It can grant you your deepest desire.” Desire is a strange way to describe what you want, but it does the job. ...

7 likes 1 comment 1

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“Don't Blame Me” by Rosa Christian

Submitted to Contest #277

I am Death. I am everywhere and nowhere. I will come 'as a thief in the night', in full daylight, expected or unexpectedly, in agony, peacefully, singly or by the thousands. Of one thing you can be sure. I will come. Yes. I will come for you.However, you have no need to fear me. I am not the executioner. I am merely the tool. So, don’t blame me. Others, much more powerful than I, decide the where, when and how, but the ultimate decision belongs to The Destroyer, who has his own reasons and does not share those with the likes of me.My job is ...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“Wick in the Rot” by Lynn Cunningham

Submitted to Contest #277

Wick in the Rot The burn on my wrist isn’t bleeding anymore, but it still secretes a watery, golden fluid, the color of honeysuckle nectar. The color of sunlight on a winter morning. The color of codeine cough syrup before the most exquisite sleep.  No stench. That’s a good sign. I redress the wound, carefully keeping the bandage beneath my gray sweater cuff. I don’t want questions or pity. There’s no story to tell, anyway. I glance at the clock on the nightstand. I have 20 minutes before bus N8 arrives. Just enough time for a coffee ...

10 likes 1 comment 1

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“The Red Glow” by Jack Thomas

Submitted to Contest #277

Golden sands beneath him. A man in a simple brown hooded robe directs his old red horse towards the red star to the north, deep in the night sky, sprinkled around it a sea of blue and purple stars. Gleel Doth Uhl shines brightly, painting the desert in a faint red glow.I earned my place- worked harder than he ever did. He squeezes the reins and shakily brings them towards his chest, his fingernails digging into the leather. That filth. Disgusting filth. I'll kill him, I'll kill him-The old horse rears, as the man squeezes his templ...

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“Wicked World” by D.W. Salinas

Submitted to Contest #277

It’s the morning. The clouds sit high in the gray sky that glows sickly blue as the sun comes up. Donna stretches, rising refreshed, ready to start the day. Her coffee machine whirls to life. Donna cracks open the machine’s feeding maw, a complex spring and lever system that splits the machine in half, revealing a receptacle the size of a shot glass protruding from the middle of the machine. She drops her coffee pod onto the receptacle, closes the machine with a loud pop, and hits brew. The machine whirls again, but it starts to chug and scr...

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“A Mouse's Tale” by Andrea Krist

Submitted to Contest #277

I was just eating. That's all. I mean, I was smelling what I was eating too. And I was thinking about how nice the evening was. It was cool but not too cold to be out. Frost was on the wind, but not on the ground. Gourds and pumpkins littered the household garden along with turnips, cabbages, and parsnips. The squash smelled so sweet and inviting, their vines still green though their leaves were starting to brown. I just couldn't stand it anymore. I had to sample the produce. So, I sneaked out there with my friend, Squeaks. I go by Squeals, ...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Silk Pillow” by Eliza Troy

Submitted to Contest #277

Rosie’s grandma was razor-sharp.She possessed more knowledge than any grown-up Rosie knew, including her science teacher.Rosie waited in vain for Grandma to miss a Jeopardy question, always stirring sauce or peeling potatoes over the sink while she murmured the answers to herself.Grandma spoke to Rosie in English, but she’d hear her mumble to herself in Greek, yell at the newscasters in Italian, and whisper Mandarin while she watered her plants. Her words folded and flowed like she once lived in the countries themselves.Grandma could explain...

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