150+ Best Adventure Short Stories to Read Online for Free - Reedsy Prompts

The City That Outlawed Shadows

Weekly Contest #361

It clung to the heel of my boot for less than three seconds before the emergency lights flared to full intensity, erasing it from existence.By nightfall, the Department of Illumination had interviewed me twice, scanned my eyes for retinal contamination, and reminded me that shadows were impossible. I signed the report anyway. Everyone in Lumen knew the first law: Where light exists, life survives. Where darkness and shadows linger, death remembers. The city had followed that law for three hundred and twelve years. Every rooftop carried flood...

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The Griffon Gates

Daniel Hernandez

Weekly Contest #361

The little jeep rolled through the hilly Greek countryside. The footpaths it demolished were better suited to human and animal traffic than to motorized vehicles. Nonetheless, the machine pushed its way over the rocky terrain, smashing native thistle and grasses. Despite the interploping vehicle, it remained an idyllic sight. Birds flew overhead. Flowers bloomed in fields. On a nearby hill, an old shepherd tended to a flock.As Grant admired this view, he spouted to the driver, “Once again, thank you for allowing me to join you, Professor.”“W...

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Tank and the Mouse

Keven B

Weekly Contest #361

It is amazing how swift the tiniest creature still is! So Lila remarked to herself after she knew she had just seen a mouse scurrying across the living room. She had been beguiling the dull, rainy night with her smartphone, scrolling up without any particular aim, not feeling terribly excited about the world, her circumstances, or herself. But now, suddenly, the most opposite feelings fluttered in her heart. “That was a mouse, wasn’t it, Tank!” she said starting up, addressing the Jack Russell Terrier curled up at her feet. He must have cer...

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BOOK ONE — Winter Lamb: Before the Last Grain of sand

Brenda Johnson

Weekly Contest #361

BOOK ONE — Winter Lamb: Before the Last Grain of sandBOOK ONE — Winter Lamb Before the Last Grain fallsWinter settled over the barn on a long cold night, quieting the fields, the rafters, and every small creature tucked safely inside. A thin line of snow rested against the wooden walls. Wind sighed through the cracks. Near the fire, the Winter Lamb lay curled in the straw, his thick wool fluffed around him, but even that warmth could not reach the sadness tucked deep inside his heart. He was not jumping, kicking straw, nudging barrels, or ta...

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South Branch

Matthew Trout

Weekly Contest #361

South Branch The bottle had already been opened, with much of its contents absorbed when Richard tipped it back."None of you boys ever been down this river, so make sure you listen to me," he belted after his drink. "This trip could be dangerous; those rapids will sneak up on you."The backdrop to his proclamation was the shimmering rocks and the rushing water of one of West Virginia's most beautiful rivers. It was early summer, and the water was still a bit high from Spring thaws.We had decided on this trip the day before. We were spontaneou...

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The Summer of 1981

Susan Killingsworth

Weekly Contest #361

I still think about that summer sometimes—the summer of 1981, when the heat settled over the mountains like a heavy quilt and even sweet tea couldn’t cut through it. North Carolina heat was different from the heat I’d grown up with near the beach. This heat didn’t shimmer or dance. It pressed. It lingered. It made the air feel thick enough to chew.I was sixteen, newly uprooted from everything familiar and dropped into a small mountain town where the roads curved like question marks and the people spoke in slow, honey‑dipped sentences. My par...

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Summer at the shore

John B

Weekly Contest #361

at the Shore in the 1960’s My grandparents had a small bungalow by the shore . There were 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom with no tub or indoor shower. There was a kitchen just big enough to turn around in and a dining/living room combination where everything happened .. eating, playing cards, arguing and laughing. Somehow the whole family, 14 of us,managed to fit into that tiny place. My grandparents had one bedroom. One of their 3 daughters took the other. The rest of us, six kids, were scattered like refugees across sofas, rocking ...

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Warm Chills

Ethan Nguyen

Weekly Contest #361

“Come on Crystal! Summer’s gone by in a blink!” Kristina called. Crystal hated going out because she thought summer was a time for resting. But the truth is, all she’s been doing all summer was lounging around. She thinks that going to school is enough going out for the year. “Ugh, what’s the point? Why can’t I just stay home for once?” Crystal snapped. She slapped herself right back on to her bed. Kristina thought that was the perfect opportunity to barge into Crystal’s bright white colored room and scare her, but all Crystal did was whine....

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The Summer I Met Myself

Christine Clark

Weekly Contest #361

Our timing couldn’t have been worse! The large water-taxi launch was bearing down full speed straight towards us as my date, Sandro and I struggled to get ahead of its path. “Paddle for your life!” he shouted above the roar of the approaching motorboat.~~~~~Both in our late sixties, I met Alessandro in our Seniors’ Center carpet bowling club. I had been a widow for over 30 years and my friends relentlessly nagged me to start dating seriously. “If you don’t get out of your house you’ll never meet Mr. Right!” they warned. I had dated randomly ...

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The last expedition

Tracey Smith

Weekly Contest #361

The Last Expedition“Summer was over, and so were we.”Those were the words carved deep into an old, weathered wooden sign standing crooked at the entrance to Whispering Woods. The wood was rough and splintered, faded gray from years of rain, snow, blazing summer sun, and bitter winters. Thick green moss crept along the edges while twisting vines wrapped themselves around the post as if nature was trying to pull it back into the forest. Tiny mushrooms poked through the damp ground below, and delicate spiderwebs shimmered with beads of morning ...

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The Noble Thief

Alyssa Harris

Weekly Contest #360

Ask any art thief which would be worse, reaching the trophy room only to find that the treasure they came for was already gone, or being caught red-handed after successfully obtaining the said treasure, and you’ll get a split response. It all depends on their motives. Are they doing it for the thrill? For pride? For clout? Or are they doing it because they’re desperate for the payout? The ones who want the glory would choose the first answer. Those in need of cash would no doubt go with the second. But what if the reason behind a heist was...

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Four Days to Hold a Summer

Erian Lin Grant

Weekly Contest #360

When Olivia stepped out through the school’s main doors and onto the front steps… Oh! For the last time that school year! That felt fantastic.At that moment, the sun was shining through a gap in the clouds, as if inviting her into an adventure. Birds were singing somewhere nearby, as if cheering her on. Five years of elementary school were over, and soon she would be turning thirteen. It meant SOMETHING to her. Thirteen was the age Gabe had never reached…And now… entering middle school meant more freedom, more choices, more control over her ...

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If You're Reading This, Do Something

Malak Helal

Weekly Contest #360

If You’re Reading This, Do Something13 days, 21 hours, and 15 minutes remain. 13 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes, and 59 seconds remain. It never ends, the constant reminder of my impending fate. I failed. I failed I failed I failed. The day Manhattan was robbed of its beautiful lights and glorious people. 13 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes, and 58 seconds remain. Escape; that’s what I need, escape. Time is running out, and what have I done? Nothing. 13 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes, and 57 seconds remain. Secrets. Lies. Pain. It’s all that occupies my b...

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The Man Who Started Living on a Deadline

Colleen Tovar

Weekly Contest #360

TW: Terminal illness The Man Who Started Living on a DeadlineNico Vale had always believed he would die old.Not just regular old, either. Nico had pictured himself as spectacularly old. Ninety-nine at least. Maybe one hundred and two if he moisturized, stayed hydrated, and continued refusing cigarettes, whiskey, and anything that came with a warning label longer than the actual product.He was the kind of man who read ingredient lists. He wore sunscreen. He flossed. He stretched before moving furniture. He had never smoked a day in his life a...

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The Library of the Passing

Theodore Vaudrey

Weekly Contest #360

He wanted them to be there when he passed away, but their lives had gotten in the way. He didn’t blame them. They all had interesting lives, loving partners to come home to, children growing up too fast, and trips abroad. All of it seemed more important than some dying old man.When the machine was turned off and the last of the momentum carrying his blood finally stopped, Mitch and the room fell still.Then the Curator woke him, and Mitch found himself in the Library of the Passing.He slowly stood. The Curator was tall and dressed in a well-t...

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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Adventure Short Stories to read

Adventure Short Stories – Page 5

The City That Outlawed Shadows

The Griffon Gates

Tank and the Mouse

BOOK ONE — Winter Lamb: Before the Last Grain of sand

South Branch

The Summer of 1981

Summer at the shore

Warm Chills

The Summer I Met Myself

The last expedition

The Noble Thief

Four Days to Hold a Summer

If You're Reading This, Do Something

The Man Who Started Living on a Deadline

The Library of the Passing