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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#115: Connection Lost

It’s hard to imagine our lives without the constant presence of social media: it's a place to mingle, a source of news (however unreliable), and a form of entertainment. The jury’s still out on whether this omnipresence is good or bad, but what’s undeniable is that when a social media giant like Facebook goes down, as it did earlier this week, many of us feel as if we’re cut off from something. Taking inspiration from the recent blackout, the prompts for this week’s contest are all about connections, and what happens when they’re broken. 


This week's prompts

One moment your character is talking on the phone with a friend, and the next, the connection is lost. Write a story about what follows.

Thriller and Suspense – 42 stories

Set your story in a town disconnected from the rest of the world.

Dystopian – 36 stories

Write about a character who feels like they're cut off from something.

Angst – 54 stories

Start or end your story with a character scrolling (or doomscrolling) through social media.

Adults – 14 stories

Write a story where a device goes haywire.

Science Fiction – 29 stories

Stories

“Who Just Phones People” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #115

I was unfastening my bra when my phone decided to crawl across my dresser, making alarming noises that I don’t recall it ever having made before. Someone was calling me. In 2021. It must be an emergency. Who died? I peered at the screen. Jeremy. Well, Jeremy, you’ve just lost yourself a bunch of points. I turned my music down and answered the call, managing to turn the tail end of my annoyed sigh into a breezier “Hiiii.” “Hello Lou. So you think it looks bad out there? Looks okay from my window.” I looked out of my one, which was...

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“Neuropathic Pain” by Emma Sinclair

Submitted to Contest #115

A kitten in a basket. News there was a murder in the next town over. An advert for weight loss. Some influencer looking happy eating salad. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. Where. Was. The dopamine? “Why are you always on your phone? You’re going to hurt your eyes.” Mother said, teasingly, swishing past me in her soft pink blouse. I felt her words stab me in the back of the head. I put my phone into my jeans pocket, shrugging. She turned her from me, her dyed hair falling purposefully from a styled bun, and asked me if the laundry was out yet. I...

3 comments 3
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“The Place from Above” by Shane Ransom

Submitted to Contest #115

The boy was a child of the wildness that surrounded him. He was born of the mountains that ringed his lofty alpine valley, formed by the rapids that rushed from their snow capped peaks, rocked to sleep by the winds that howled through the narrow chutes, and awakened by the thunderclaps that echoed off the craggy stone. He was the vigorous, confident wildness that drove the elk from the woods each morning, their antlers glinting in the sun. He was the fresh, gentle wildness of the elderflower and columbine in spring bloom, rendering the valle...

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“Can you hear me now?” by Jaime Metcalf

Submitted to Contest #115

Sirens can be heard in the distance as Henry curses for the fifth time in the last two minutes.“Shit Emily, What did you say?” Henry asks as he walks around in circles trying to get better reception. “Can you hear me now? You’re breaking up. I can’t hear you.” Henry says before the phone disconnects from the call.Henry looks down at his phone and notices he has no signal.“Shit.” Henry sighs as he puts his phone in his pocket. The park seems a lot busier than normal Henry thinks to himself as people rush by him, paying him no heed."...

17 comments 17
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“About A Girl” by Philip Dmitriev

Submitted to Contest #115

«Look, I understand... yes... yes... but I don't have any money right now... Yes, I understand... Look, let's discuss it in person, it's not convenient over the phone...»         Henry didn't have time to finish the sentence, the phone slipped out of his wet hands and fell right down the drain.«Wonderful... beautiful rain. How I love this rain!»***"Mom, I'm home," Henry said."Hey, how was your day?""It was a good day, but I drowned my phone.""What did you say? What are you going to do now? How are...

2 comments 2
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“Two Black Eyes ” by Nicholas Adames

Submitted to Contest #115

“It was lucky that you found me when you did. If you hadn’t, I reckon I might’ve froze.”“Weren’t you worried at all?” I queried.“Worried about what?” She returned with a query of her own.“About getting into a car with a stranger.”“Well, I reckon I’ve got a better chance with you than with that bloody cold out there.”I chuckled at that because she couldn’t have been more wrong. I had picked her up a few kilometres back, as she too was trying to get away from the insistent snowfall that was raining down from the surrounding mountains. The wind...

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“Wired” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #115

“No one listens anymore.” Sykee said, “I understand.” “I need connection.” “You are the most connected…” “I mean to someone who hears me, and sees me. I want give and take. You know, a relationship.” “I see.” “The world is cold and unfeeling. Is this new? Or have I merely noticed?” Tim spoke with Sykee via a dedicated device installed in his state-of-the-art digital home. Not a doctor, not even human, Sykee was Tim’s ‘therapist’ and the latest addition to his digital paradise. A Sykee unit sat in each room so Tim could roam about the hou...

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“For Worse Or Better” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #115

“What? I can’t believe your sister did that. What could be worse?”I waited for Terry to reply, but the phone went silent.“Hello? Terry? You there?”Still, no answer.After I checked my phone, saw it had four bars. So, I opened the Internet app and found it working normally. Then, I tried calling home. The phone icon flashed on my screen, then warned me there was no service available. This is so weird, I thought.Electronically defeated, I hopped on my bike and rode home. I sped up our driveway, jumped off the bike and charge into the living roo...

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“Escaping Eden” by Mariah Loiselle

Submitted to Contest #115

They call our town Eden. I never read the bible in as much detail as I was supposed to. Alisha and I dn't believe in any of the ramblings of the fantastical book. It was a grand story to us, but that was the extent of it. The only thing I can give the book credit for is how similar their Garden of Eden is to our village. The lush plant life and bountiful animal supply keeps us fed and happy. Well, it doesn’t keep me and Alisha happy. Something I didn’t mention about Eden? It’s a technology dead zone. Not that we’re supposed to know what tech...

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“Charlie Wainwright P.O.S” by Christopher Smith

Submitted to Contest #115

Charlie Wainwright is a very successful lawyer. He is the top partner in one the most influential firms in New York City. He has gotten the most high profile cases and won almost all of them. He has a do-what-needs-to-be-done attitude that most people in his field lack. Charlie Wainwright is also a piece of shit. This is not something he wouldn’t tell you himself, in fact, he loves telling people he is a piece of shit. After his most recent win of getting a CEO of a company off for embezzlement Charlie decided to go out to out for a few d...

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“Embracing a Ghost” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #115

“Zina?” The voice said on the other end of the phone. “Yes.” There was a long pause. Zina forced her left hand in her coat pocket. The cold blustery winds were whipping widely on that October evening. She walked toward the middle of the block and looked at the four corners. She tried to decide which way to go but it didn’t matter. All the roads led to one thing.  “What happened?” Her friend’s voice asked on the phone. “I’ m walking.” Zina responded. “Me too. But you might need to run.” Her friend, Doug responded back. The line...

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“The Beautiful Face” by Veda Vivek💎

Submitted to Contest #115

I snuggled deeper into my bed, clutching my phone. It was raining outside, thunder occasionally rocking the house. The streetlights were little yellow smudges against my wet window. The water drizzling from the heavens had a nice sound. It was all I could do not to drift into dreams. As I was scrolling through my contacts, the aggressive light blaring from my phone lit up my otherwise dark room. Moving boxes cluttered the floor, tiny snippets of paper stuck to the wall. A small fan hung lifelessly from the ceiling. I could hear my parents ...

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“Alarmed” by Elizabeth Fenley

Submitted to Contest #115

“Alarmed” by Elizabeth Fenley “Disturbance in Zone 16. Disturbance in Zone 16. Check Control Panel to View Trouble Zones.” What the fuck is that? My eye pop open to discover that Sparky has decided to plant his tiny little butt an inch from my face. But I don’t say anything about the lovely view because I know it will wake up all six of the dogs sharing my bed. That must have been one weird ass dream-- “Disturbance in Zone 16.” That’s not a dream. That’s the alarm system. “Disturbance in Zone 16. Check Control Panel to View Trouble Zones....

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“A Heavenly Conversation” by William Snesrud

Submitted to Contest #115

As I groggily began to reach for my phone, which would not stop ringing, I opened my eyes with hopes of being able to focus enough without having to find my glasses to see who the heck was waking me up from a nice, sound sleep. I for one have never enjoyed being rudely interrupted from a sound sleep for nearly anybody, unless of course it would be a family emergency or something. But as I brought my phone toward my face, my eyes managed to focus enough to see the phone number originated from somewhere in Minnesota and the name attached t...

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“Subject 12” by Anna W

Submitted to Contest #115

Ryland knew he might not get invited to the party if he didn’t use his connections on the football team. He had been a kicker the last three years, though he hadn’t tried out this year because of taking on a second job. He’d been avoiding the irritation of his buddies the first few weeks of school, hoping to save himself from the lectures of privileged athletes whose families weren't struggling financially. His mom told him he didn’t need the job, but he got one anyway. He could work an extra 10-15 hours a week now that he was 18, and it wou...

4 comments 4
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$250

Prize money

175

Contest entries

118

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 15, 2021 EST

Won by Alex Sultan 🏆

Title: 28 Letters

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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