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Discover weekly, the best short stories

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

150+ Funny Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. The world can get dreary and overwhelming, so when you’re looking to have a good laugh, take a scroll through our free collection of funny short stories.

Funny Short Stories – Page 4 of 10

Putting a Damper on Thanksgiving

Jennifer Stowell

Weekly Contest #340

I have never understood holidays. The concept of putting a large group of family members together in one place for hours has always led to arguments, tears, swearing and loud slamming of doors and cabinets. I am often told how smart I am, but I guess I’m not intelligent enough to see the significance of such a gathering. I’ve heard my mom say, “We don’t choose our family, but we do have to put up with them,” or my dad say, “Next year, we go on a vacation instead of catering to these people.” Yet, every Thanksgiving, the same group enters our...

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Officer's Report

Jennifer T

Weekly Contest #340

Rain threatened the horizon, but the pavement still shimmered dry under the afternoon sun. Officer Jenkins called in as he and the Buick LeSabre he followed pulled onto the shoulder of the county road. “Dispatch, 156 will be 10‑38 with an erratic driver on 1142.” As he stepped out of the patrol car, dispatch answered, “10‑4, 156.” Jenkins strolled to the driver’s side and leaned down to the already lowered window. His mirrored sunglasses reflected a nervous face — Mr. Hamilton, a man in his late fifties wearing a fedora and an expression of ...

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The Inevitable Fate of the Insufferable Outlaw

Weekly Contest #340

Somewhere in a perilous desert, a hardened outlaw squinted toward the horizon. The rolling dunes were bathed in the warm glow of sunset, and the sky above stretched endlessly. Silence pressed against his eardrums as blood seeped through his shirt from a deep gash under his protruding ribcage. This would be a good time to panic if he wasn’t too weak to do so. His— “Hey! You.” “Yes, I’m talking to you, typing away on that damn keyboard like some trigger-happy sadist.” “Is this meant to be a Western? Do you know anything about writing a Western...

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Ah Nuts

Weekly Contest #340

The sun had been up for hours, dragging the bright blue sky with it. Birds sang harmoniously; refreshing dew still lingered. It was the start of a great new, productive day. Chippy sat on a tree limb, plotting revenge while the lanky biped tormented him with his mere presence. He was accustomed to the slow, earthbound beings acting as if they were friends, or even, almighty forbid, as if he were a pet. He didn’t mind most of the vertically challenged people (as he had heard them referred to), but this brown-haired, bearded one was different....

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Revision

Chris Steely

Weekly Contest #340

Revision Cassandra walked home from work with the kind of effortless grace she didn't know she possessed. The late afternoon sun caught the auburn highlights in her chestnut hair, and more than one passing stranger found their gaze lingering on the elegant curve of her calves beneath her pencil skirt. One man actually walked into a parking meter. She was, of course, completely oblivious to the effect she had on people. How could I miss a guy walking into a parking meter? Cassandra dismissed the thought as she climbed the stairs to her third-...

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On Food, Time, and Other Things Humans Get Wrong

W. L. Caelum

Weekly Contest #340

My name is Dave. I am a dog, which means I understand the universe far better than humans do. This is not arrogance. This is observation. Let’s take food, for example. Humans think food is something that happens at “mealtimes.” They put it in bowls, look at clocks, and say unhinged things like, “You just ate,” or “Dinner isn’t for another hour.” This is adorable, but incorrect. Food is not an event. Food is a state of being. It is a constant, like gravity, or the urge to bark at absolutely nothing at 2:17 a.m. Food exists at all times. You s...

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People Watching

Larry Parks

Weekly Contest #340

“Robin, Robin, Robin—how was your day today?” Raven asked.“Oh, productive,” Robin replied. “I spent it by the lake. People watching.”Raven nodded approvingly. “Ah. Observing the dominant species in its natural habitat. A classic.”“Exactly. They gather near water, stare into glowing rectangles, and throw food everywhere. It’s like a buffet with mood swings.”Raven snorted. “Have you ever landed on their windowsills? Especially the bedroom ones?”“Oh, constantly,” Robin said. “It’s educational. And horrifying.”“I’ve seen rituals in there that ma...

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Here’s A Reason Why Dogs Say “Thanks A ‘Rot!’”

Cuz Roye

Weekly Contest #340

Here’s A Reason Why Dogs Say “Thanks A ‘Rot!’”Once upon a time in a huge metropolis called Danville, Va., there lived a really nice black rottweiler. He was the runt of 10 puppies and his parents just flat ran out of names to call all of their little-ones. The girls each had lovely names because their parents had high-hopes that they’d each grow up to be some faithful, beautiful dogs who’d have many more puppies to carry on their family tree which, “wooden” be a bad thing since they’d go out on a, “limb” to make sure their, “bark” was much b...

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Delete, delete, delete.

MaryLee Blackwell

Weekly Contest #340

*Some language* God, he hated funerals, he thought as he drove the parched road, dust billowing up behind his late model Mercedes. The windows were rolled down to let the hot air in and move around to at least simulate a cooling effect. The air conditioning had been broken since he bought the clunker 6 months ago. He let the sand blow in with the air and stick to his damp face. He ran his fingers through his too-ample hair pulling it back off his forehead. “You can’t say too-ample hair,” my character commented. “It sounds dumb. gloriously t...

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An Apocalypse Subject to Terms and Conditions

P.J. Lowry

Weekly Contest #340

When the prophecy arrived, it was on fire. This was not unusual. Flaming prophecies were, statistically speaking, the second most common way for a destiny to announce itself, right behind mysterious glowing fairies but just higher than old men walking about with stone carved tablets. This parchment had burst into the village square in a theatrical swirl of smoke, sparks, and ominous chanting echoing about. It even accidentally singed three chickens and one moderately important goat. Some of the townsfolk were not impressed with that as the g...

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A Rock of the Ages-Finding Purpose

Weekly Contest #340

Prompt: Write from the POV of a pet or inanimate object. What do they observe that other characters don’t? A Rock of the Ages-Finding Purpose Hey you! Yeah, I’m talking to you! Stop swiveling your head right and left. Look down toward your feet. Now you get the picture. No, stop looking at the bugs. They sure are not talking to you. I am the palm-sized rock with the coarse exterior. If I were human, I guess I’d have a serious acne problem. Please pick me up and take me home with you. It’s lonely out here with no one to talk to. Plus, I am...

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The 'Fridges of 'Meowdison County

Gail Cohen

Weekly Contest #340

The Beginning It’s late July. One of those hot, sultry, days that makes a cat’s hair feel like moose hide. To make matters worse, I’m sitting without a fan of any sort, trying to coax a story that will not be written out of my weary brain as my paws slip softly off the pads of my trusty Smith-Catrona. You might ask me why I’m not using a catputer. Most everyone does. Truth is, I’m finicky. Old school. A writer who’s been kickin’ around forever who just can’t seem to get used to the feel of that keyboard under my paws. Don’t even ask about t...

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Feline Catalyst

Aprile Alexander

Weekly Contest #340

NB: Minimal references to (non-violent) consensual sexual behaviour in a humorous context. ———- ’Feles in matta sedit’. It sounds better in Latin than the clichéd saying, ‘the cat sat on the mat’. I, the ‘Feles’ in question, am sprawling on the ‘matta’, not averse to tripping up anyone silly enough not to look where they’re going. Something weird is going on in this household. To explain, I need to take you back to last Monday. Breakfast. Imagine the scene. ‘Nerdy Daughter’ is practising her Latin out loud, to annoy her brother, (whom I h...

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Nollie and Luna Have a Conversation

Weekly Contest #340

Nollie was racing across an infinite green lawn of grass, the rat was just with in reach, her paws were peddling faster and faster suddenly she was flying through the air. With a yipe she woke herself up. She loved the dreams where she caught the rat but she almost never had that dream, usually the rat was so fast, just too fast. Now she was in her own crate. She adjust and shifted. Then she curled up in a doughnut. It was dark and warm. She sighed and stretched her head out.Was it time? Where were the peoples? What were they doing? Did they...

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The Winner's Circle

Weekly Contest #340

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Where even did that sing-song rhyme come from? Someone should turn it into a hip-hop song. Maybe 50 Cent or Snoop Dogg—somebody from the “OG” crowd, not these weird kids singing about gangs wearing Gucci.And why isn’t there a poem/rhyme/rap about other momentous occasions in life? Why only weddings? Why shouldn’t we all find something second-hand and green for milestone birthdays, or something broken and yellow, plus a pint of your favorite ice cream for the day a divorce ...

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