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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

150+ 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.

Speculative Short Stories – Page 2 of 10

Dead Man Walking: A Story of Stars and Goodbyes

Submitted to Contest #315

The stars were missing tonight.Not gone, exactly, just hidden behind something heavier than the thick coat of featureless clouds.The streets were empty, the silence only broken by the steady slap of his shoes as they collided with the pavement. He glanced upwards, half expecting to catch the familiar glimmer of millions of white lights dancing, but the sky offered nothing. Just a solid sheet of black — no stars, no moon, just absence.He stopped for a moment, hesitating. His finger reached to push his glasses further up the bridge of his nose...

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Copy and Paste

Submitted to Contest #315

I take a deep breath, smoothing the lapels of my tux and running a hand over my hair. The sensations still feel off, like I’m experiencing each a microsecond after it happens.Part of it is due to the Transfer, neural lag as my restored consciousness acclimates to fresh nerves. And part of it is purely psychological.After all, I’m still getting used to being alive again.Nerves settled, I push open the double doors and stride into the cavernous room beyond. A swell of noise greets me, cheers and applause from the crowd waiting there, rattling ...

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Then and now, When and now

Submitted to Contest #315

It’s just another day, just an ordinary day, nothing special, blah de blah. That’s what they all say, right? But it is. Isn’t it dull when life is so cliche?I’m halfway home from the shops, miles away on my phone, when I glance up. He’s standing next to the bus stop, slouched and completely relaxed. His confidence is what draws my eye at first, that whole body confidence that isn’t forced or situational; he knows who and what he is, and he’s at peace with that. I’d kill for that surety.While I’m eyeing him up- quite subtly, so I think- he wi...

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To Purge the House of Mammon

Submitted to Contest #315

[Be Advised: This work contains depictions of physical violence, gore, and self-harm.] To: Braydon.Overmeier@GFBD.com 8/09/25 10:27 AM Hey Braydon, just wanted to check in with you. You haven’t been returning my calls of late. I realize that it may have been hasty sending you to Dubai solo, but I really thought you were ready for this promotion. I hope you reach out. I’m not saying this as a businessman; just as your friend. I promise that I will make it up to you soon. Sincerely, Paul Duchard To: Braydon.Overmeier@GFBD.com 8/15/25 1:43 PM...

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After Midnight

Submitted to Contest #315

She couldn't sleep. There was a howling wind that scattered the earth into hiding. The soil retreated beneath the rocks, leaves dissipated from their trees, foxes cried, and the bats stayed inside. Nothing and nobody was able to sleep on a night like this. It was as if the world was consumed by envy and was finally taking its revenge upon any living being that got in its way. It was times like this when she thought it would be the end. She would die here, alone in her bed. In her mind, she had a picture of her life as it was: lonely, boring,...

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Cake and Candles

Submitted to Contest #315

“Cake and candles G!” was the first message Gerard saw when he opened his eyes. He assumed this was a new way guys said happy birthday, but Deran had been 36 for a full five months. In other words, he was too damn old to be saying cake and candles. Instead of texting that, he wrote, “Thank you fam!” Deran had been his boy since freshman week at Prairie View; no need to take his frustration out on him. “Happy birthday baby,” a voice drenched with sleep murmured from behind him. He could feel Tiffany’s cool breath against his shoulder with eac...

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A Fateful meeting

Submitted to Contest #315

Tren adjusts his bow tie and tuxedo before stepping into the casino, which just happens to be on a space station. It revolves around a gas giant that orbits a blue star on the edge of known space. It has no real name, just a combination of letters and numbers on a star chart. Locals call it Big Blue.The doors hiss shut behind him. Tren strides forward confidently (all part of the act) and affects a swagger. He feels the same giddy thrill of his last mission, suit on, flying high on stims, a kiss his lucky gold charm, adrenaline pumps, both i...

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Good Cake

Submitted to Contest #315

The day was special, unlike any other. Of course, there had been birthdays before, and seventy-two wasn’t exactly a special number, but it was the present that made the day so special. A warming, heartfelt thing that was not easily acquired. Robert had spent months putting all the pieces in place, but it was worth it in the end. His father was going to love it and, in turn, love him. At least, more than his stupid brother Mitch, who surely got their old man another useless set of tools. Robert had never been an adept liar, nor a good secret ...

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Welcome to 2524

Submitted to Contest #315

“Hello. How are you doing? Are you ok? No, don’t sit up, not yet. Shhh... Don’t try to talk either. I know all of this is confusing. Please let me explain a few things. You had a procedure done. Your body needs to acclimate for a minute before you can talk or function. Right now, a drug is coursing through your veins to keep your body relaxed. Your mind is awake, but your body isn’t. Anyway, welcome to 2524.” “You’re on the planet Wolf 1069b, about 31 lightyears from Earth. I’m going to let you rest for a bit. Relax, go through the informati...

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A King's Burden

Submitted to Contest #315

The night air in Sparta was a sharp, clean blade against his bare skin. Leonidas stood on the small stone balcony, the chill a welcome shock to his system. Below, the city was a deep, silent ocean of slumber. Every house, street, and soul was cloaked in the heavy blanket of pre-dawn darkness. He was a lone statue, chiseled from granite and determination, a silent sentinel watching over the city he loved and was about to leave behind forever. He wasn't cold, not really. The heat of his resolve was an internal furnace, burning away any physica...

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Report: Talaki Nine Date: Azan+Plesi+Ty Subject: The Morsu Child

Submitted to Contest #315

I live between the Morsu trees, their tangled vines like cascading waters. The vines produce a sweet sap that coats our hollowed homes. It bathes it in hardened armor, and glues the stones to natures flesh. Our people have lived in the Morsu trees ever since the migration. We can still peek at the sky in the half sun's light from between the tapestry. Long ago Mikiah, the weaver, took the stranded lonely vines of Morsu and climbed high above to knit them together with his staff. We lost the sky, but we gained the animals that feed in the s...

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Happy Birthday, Mattie Rockwell

Submitted to Contest #315

Ah, Mondays… The most disliked day of the week. Some rebuke it outright. Others deny its existence entirely, carrying on with their poorly planned weekends that cause them to miss their alarms and shout obscenities at the morning light. But not Mattie Rockwell. The Sunday Scaries hadn’t spooked him, and he did not shout any colorful curse words this morning, because today wasn’t any ol’ Monday. It was THE Monday. Not only was it Mattie’s birthday, but it was the Monday that would make him a rich man—better yet, a free man. Today was the day ...

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Expected Attendance

Submitted to Contest #315

The smell of a birthday cake, once a symbol of celebration, now carried the bitter taste of obligation. August 20th was approaching, along with the annual performance of the "grateful family" for the patriarch's 89th birthday. But how do you honor a man who was a silent accomplice to your pain, a man who consistently chose the path of least resistance, sacrificing his family’s well-being for a fragile peace? How do you celebrate a father who enabled his covertly narcissistic wife, allowing her to weave a web of emotional abuse that ensnared ...

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Passion stew

Submitted to Contest #315

I am but a girl who’s strange. I’ve been a boy before for a split second. Confusion swirled around my puberty creating illusions. But now, I love being a girl. A human woman.People don’t always say it to my face. They’ll say it behind your back where they think you can’t hear them. Where they feel you’re out of arms reach. But I’m still there. I’m always there listening in the dark.Eyes closed, ears open.But I'm no longer running from my peculiarities. You can never run away from all that you are. Maybe attempt to cover her with a cloth, but...

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A Horrific Birthday For Pam

Submitted to Contest #315

I had just gotten off the phone with Marsha Kramer. She was my sister’s best friend and my best irritation—like a rash. Marsha has that high-pitched baby voice that I find as grating as nails across a chalkboard and she has the nasty habit of speaking in ’up-talk’. Not to mention her perpetually greasy hair, her horrific halitosis, and her constant hugs. She included me in the planning of Pam’s surprise birthday party, however, so for the sake of my sister, I was going to be cordial while we worked together. Marsha arranged for the...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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