1350+ Urban Fantasy Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From vampires at the bar to werewolves around the corner, our collection of urban fantasy stories will bring the magical into everyday life.

🏆 Winning stories

“The Ungentling” by Katy B

🏆 Winner of Contest #204

Bill’s disappeared upstairs with the little sickly girl but me I’m here to see the blind woman. I hear she did it on purpose, tore donkey tail out of the earth and smeared its milky sap directly in her eyes. It must of stung her hands and face bad and maybe left marks on her fingers. Near Santa Fe, men, women and children are always getting possessed of this sort of ecstasy and seem like taking pleasure in swallowing poison and fire and stepping on scorpions and suchlike. But it ain’t superstition like the government try to tell me in the la...

85 likes 80 comments 80

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“Foretold in Smoke” by Aeris Walker

🏆 Winner of Contest #152

Content Warning: Mild foul languageMarie S. 5/5 Stars Vivienne is incredible! My life has completely changed since my visit. It’s like a light came on and she’s somehow unlocked all this hidden potential. She’s the best, seriously just go. Call today!Bradley J. 5/5Worth every penny. Highly recommend.Kevin R. 5/5 StarsI never thought I’d come to a place like this, but when I was at an all-time low, I just needed someone to tell me if life was worth sticking around for. I wanted to know if it ever got better. Vivienne made me believe that it w...

191 likes 143 comments 143

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“What Happens in Vegas” by Zack Powell

🏆 Winner of Contest #143

Content warning: Swearing My cat, Oreo, is the best poker partner I've ever had. Hands down—no pun intended. Don't let those old Coolidge paintings fool you; dogs really don't know what the hell they're doing once you sit them on that rickety ladder back chair, and their paws just aren't made for holding the cards steady. Trust me: If you want a reliable means of collusion in a game of Texas hold 'em, British Shorthairs are the way to go. Of course, it also helps that Oreo can talk now. *** Last month my boyfriend, Mark, came into th...

157 likes 129 comments 129

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“How I Met the Devil” by A. S. Valen

Submitted to Contest #271

On New Year’s Eve, I sold my soul to the devil.Although it felt silly, I must admit, but he did look devilishly good. Dressed to the nines, with an expensive watch to match the silver buckle on the belt, he adjusted his stylish glasses as he appeared from behind me and instantly fit into the crowd. In his hand, adorned with simple white gold rings, he held a champagne glass, which he didn’t hesitate to clink against mine. The glasses made a faint ringing sound, the rosé crémant splashed against the sides, and I looked the devil straight in t...

2 likes 1 comment 1

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“Morning Drive ” by Maple Ip

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #239

There’s a ghost in the backseat. You catch glimpses of her as the car chases a line of streetlights. It’s hard to focus when your eyes are blurred with sleep. It’s harder still to recognize the beady squint set in a face so thin that you can see the car seat through it. “Eyes on the road,” Grandma chides, like the time you crossed the road without looking and she grabbed your hand. Sweat glued your palms together then. Now, her voice sticks to your ears. An itch that wriggles deep. “How long until we get there?” “Five minutes,” you s...

31 likes 19 comments 19

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“Self Imagery ” by Michelle Oliver

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #225

Florien needed to find a real artist. Well, he was a real artist. Centuries of practice had honed his brush strokes to a level that far exceeded proficient. His landscapes were so vivid that you could feel the warm breeze and the soft sun. Or should that be, feel the soft breeze and warm sun? It had been over two hundred years since he’d set foot beyond these castle walls in daylight hours, so he wasn’t quite sure. But today, he needed to find an artist other than Mrs Bedford at the inn who’d painted the most hideous portrait&...

47 likes 40 comments 40

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✍️ All stories

“How I Met the Devil” by A. S. Valen

Submitted to Contest #271

On New Year’s Eve, I sold my soul to the devil.Although it felt silly, I must admit, but he did look devilishly good. Dressed to the nines, with an expensive watch to match the silver buckle on the belt, he adjusted his stylish glasses as he appeared from behind me and instantly fit into the crowd. In his hand, adorned with simple white gold rings, he held a champagne glass, which he didn’t hesitate to clink against mine. The glasses made a faint ringing sound, the rosé crémant splashed against the sides, and I looked the devil straight in t...

2 likes 1 comment 1

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“Raisins and Almonds” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #271

The petite librarian strolled through the park, entranced by the hauntingly familiar tune that floated through the crisp autumn air. As she turned towards the source, her steps faltered, captivated by the enchanting melody of a guitar. A rugged man, with hair wild and untamed, strummed a tune from a lullaby. The song he played transported her to peaceful nights, where her mother's voice would lull her to sleep despite the stark differences between then and now. The choice to play an old Yiddish Lullaby struck her as peculiar yet heartwarming...

12 likes 8 comments 8

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“Strangers on a Plane” by Jan Melnyk

Submitted to Contest #271

Strangers on a Plane By  Lori Jan  Melnykjan.mikemelnyk@gmail.com 3000 words                                                       &...

4 likes 0 comments 0

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“Agnus Dei” by Elyse B. Wright

Submitted to Contest #270

“Heavenly Father,” a man’s voice rumbles, his sunken eyes rejecting the light. A glint bounces off the cold, hard steel around his neck. “Help the people of this earth by purging the sin from these demon’s minds.” I watch the cross’s glint, its ephemeral figure carving around the symbol’s four edges before wafting away as the man steps out of the window’s light. There is a clattering in the distance before he can carry on with his words. The man turns slowly, his eyes landing on a felled candelabrum. It lays helplessly on its side, wax pooli...

9 likes 4 comments 4

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“After-Midnight Snack” by Holly Gilbert

Submitted to Contest #270

Madeline opened her eyes and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was two in the morning. The moon hung through her window. She sighed. It wasn’t time for Madeline to wake up for her job at the cafe yet. She closed her eyes again. She opened them up again. It was now two-twenty. That’s when she realized she couldn’t go back to sleep. Her stomach growled. She sat up. “Well, if I’m awake, I might as well prepare a past midnight snack!.” she told herself.   A midnight snack would be nice. It was past midnight, of course, but sti...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“Morgan's Story” by Tommy Goround

Submitted to Contest #270

Grandpa had always taken care of Morgan and it didn’t seem fair that he would give his life to California because Morgan was still in need. Out of the 40 million known people in the state, nearly half had offered themselves for human sacrifice on the Dragon Tree in Galt because they were losing their homes. Because the California Aqueduct went through their farms and they were not allowed to siphon water as their crops died. People needed the prices of food to come down. They needed the dragons. Dragon dung is super nutritious and ...

15 likes 6 comments 6

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“The Therapy Pencil” by Dragon The Poet

Submitted to Contest #269

Lightning stuck! Thunder boomed moments later! The birds scattered around, crying to the others. The air buzzed with energy as the battle begun! TheI stopped writing. Writer’s block, fun. I tapped my pen against my notebook, which was sparkly and had a bunch of mythological creatures on it. At little childish for someone in their twenties, but I find it inspiring sometimes. Unfortunately, right now is not one of those times. I’m a hobby writer, my actual job is that I am an on-call CSI. Not the most well paying job and it gets traumatizing s...

6 likes 2 comments 2

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“The Bracelet” by Dawn Locklear

Submitted to Contest #269

The Bracelet She enters an antique shop in the village. Lauren steps up to a glass countertop and at once is attracted to an incredible, ornate bracelet. She instinctively puts her hand to the glass and it turns into a liquid pond. She snatches her hand back in shock and is immediately overcome with lightheadedness, so much so she feels she will pass out. Lauren grasps onto the counter’s wood border to steady herself from the swaying as a sales lady moves toward her in concern. Lauren cannot talk, her throat is constricte...

6 likes 2 comments 2

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“The NeuroSynapse Chip” by Ronald John MacLennan Jr

Submitted to Contest #269

 The woman, gasping for breath, ran down the wet, deserted alley, her heels clicking on the pavement. The rain fell hard, splattering onto the puddles around her, but she hardly noticed. All she could think about was getting away from the men in the bar. She slipped and almost fell, catching herself on a dumpster before regaining her balance. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked back at the bar's entrance, half-expecting to see them emerging any second. But it stayed dark and silent. Maybe they bought her story. Maybe they ...

7 likes 0 comments 0

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“One Man's trash is another Man's... Demon?” by Laura Fred-Smith

Submitted to Contest #269

Come on Imogene! This thrift store is supposed to have the best stuff!” I was not as excited as my sister, Kathy, as she tried to drag me to yet another store to look at what she called “ good thrift store stuff”. Lately, I hated thrift shopping. It seemed like every time I picked up an object, I just felt depressed. Over the last few years, I got better about not picking up the objects with violent histories at least, but in a thrift shop more often than not, the objects were just sad. The dishes sold after their grandmother died, furn...

12 likes 2 comments 2

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“Get a Jobi” by Tommy Goround

Submitted to Contest #269

-1-Once upon a time there was a carload of girls smoking pot and yelling towards the drive-through speaker at Taco Bell. The line of cars wasn't moving but my dog in the passenger seat was anxious because he heard there were just 23 minutes left till the end of the world. Now in the old days, with thirty-minute of warning for Russian ICBMs to fly over the ocean, we could have enjoyed major shopping. The old bombs would have neutralized everything while the new bombs are designed to simply kill people and leave most of the infrastructure...

11 likes 3 comments 3

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“ The Book and the Shade” by Vsevo Polishchuk

Submitted to Contest #269

The lights have just gone out in the restaurant I was passing by. The last waiter left and locked the door. The chairs, taken to the tops of the tables resembled antlers of baby deers. I was almost past the dark window when a long shadow stepped out into the street. It crawled higher and higher, and I had to lift my head to watch the thing grow. Second, third, fourth floor. I see in the shadows something that looks like a head now. A bald head with a fleshy aubergine-like nose, a chewed-up face and maize for the hair. The creature smells lik...

7 likes 3 comments 3

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“The Helping Hand” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #269

1984: Gwen lay on the grass in the circle of mushrooms, drawing Fae-touched Fran, her comic heroine. Like her, Fran was a recent high-school grad, just a hair over five feet tall, with strawberry blonde hair, one green and one brown eye, and a spattering of freckles across her pale face. Unlike her, Fran had been given a gift by the fae, The Helping Hand, a pendant that allowed her to teleport anywhere she desired, that just as often took her instead to where she was needed. Fran had no other superpowers, instead relying on her knowledge and...

10 likes 0 comments 0

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“Early and Late” by Noah Graham

Submitted to Contest #268

Since the Roman Empire it was known in certain occult circles that you could invoke spells to see the future. They required a young child new to life and an elderly person close to death to work together. The elderly person couldn’t benefit from seeing the future because they’d be dead before it arrived, the child couldn’t benefit because they were too young to understand or remember; and so it was mostly useless and unused. By 2000 however people had the ability to make recordings and program emails to be sent  years later. As far as I...

5 likes 3 comments 3

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“The Quiet of Consequences ” by Valkyrie Cain

Submitted to Contest #268

After Must it always be so loud in this place? The thought echoing in my mind, not for the first time since I had stepped into my classroom. Boys ran up and down the walls and all sorts of sports balls tossed over heads. I sat silently as people talked around the desks. It was as is nobody ever stayed in one place for too long. Nothing was permanent or could possibly be stable anymore, could it? No, no, we're beyond that. I sighed loudly, accidently disturbing the quiet chatter of the little group. My eyes slid across the people crowded in t...

3 likes 0 comments 0

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