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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

“Christmas Dreams” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #115

Fourteen-year-old Jessie loved Christmas. With the thoughts of presents, sweets, and no school, what young person didn’t? While Jessie loved those things as much as the next person, Christmas also meant travelling to a place of Christmas dreams, somewhere she has been able to go since she was a little girl.For a while, Jessie went to this place by way of her grandparents’ house, who lived thirty miles away on a hilltop acre with spotty cell phone service and basic cable. She would politely greet her family when arriving before finding her wa...

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“The Watering Hole on the Fringe of Forever” by David Brown

Submitted to Contest #115

A haggard cowpoke spurred his weary mount to the edge of the small settlement that had been steadily rising from the desert scrub for the last hour. A single, uneven, dirt road ran through town between a smattering of dilapidated wooden buildings. The place seemed as isolated and cut-off as a leper colony; there was no railway, no telegraph, and certainly no electricity. Kerosene street lamps were already burning in the evening dusk to stave off the rapidly approaching darkness.Dust caked the man’s black beard and face; the trail grit collec...

7 comments 7
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“Connection Lost, Connection Found” by Mary Fitzgerald

Submitted to Contest #115

Content Warning: Sexual Content: I had been on this new dating site for almost a year without a single date, not even a promising prospect. I had little expectation of finding anyone today either as I logged in and starting scrolling. I had to scroll to the right so much, my hand just seemed to automatically flick the images in that direction, then I saw him. He was gorgeous and his eyes just seemed to speak to me. Yes, I’ll admit it, in that moment I wanted to bear his children. He was that fine! Just as ...

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“A Two Way Mirror” by Lee Kendrick

Submitted to Contest #115

            A Two Way Mirror As I walk down the street, I can hear the droning sound of German night bombers getting closer. The sirens soon screech out for everyone to rush to an air-raid shelter. Suddenly, I listen to the high-pitched whistle of bombs as they fall everywhere, smashing into and blowing up people’s homes. Civilians run screaming as they try to find somewhere safe to hide. Then - I hear a strange high-pitched whistling sound, “boom!” A bomb destroys a row of terraced...

2 comments 2
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“Cheri, Set Scent to Lavender” by Amanda Fox

Submitted to Contest #115

Abby woke up nauseated.She flung off the heavy blankets and ran to the bathroom, barely kneeling in front of the Cheri-integrated SmartJohn toilet in time. Abby hated throwing up; it made her feel like she was still in grade school. She hadn’t thrown up in years, not since her wedding night with Parker when they both had too much to drink. After cleaning up, Abby needed to use the toilet for other things. As she sat, she realized the auto-set morning peppermint scent from her SmartAroma diffuser was incredibly strong.&nbs...

8 comments 8
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“Three Bars” by Melanie Varkey

Submitted to Contest #115

44% “Dad? Dad? Can you hear me?” Static roiled through his cell as the train passed through another tunnel, but he held on to the connection. “Yeah, I can hear you, Jamie. As I was saying, you don’t have to pick me up this afternoon. Libby has to head into town anyway, so I’ll tag along with her.” “Are you sure, Dad? I just got off the station.” That was a lie. A stupid one. His father would have heard the squeals and rumble of the car as it cruised over the tracks. Whether his father knew, though, he didn’t indicate.  “No, son. It’s fi...

3 comments 3
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“The Fire Within” by Caitlyn Cline

Submitted to Contest #115

Rain glanced out the window blocked by gray metal plates with holes so small she could barely see the Sequoia forest they came here to help protect. Though she just spent twenty-four hours immersed in the open ashen area mopping up, sitting in the inmate vehicle confined her spirit every time. It didn’t help that she was the only woman crammed back there with thirteen raucous guys. The other woman, Alma, sat up front with the fire captain. The louder the twenty-two year old boys grew, the more quietly Rain sunk into her earphones.The wild la...

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“Head in the Clouds” by Noel Corrigan

Submitted to Contest #115

John held the pliers in both hands, on the table were a selection of tools he used in his working days taken from the old satchel beside the coffee table.    “What are these for?” He asked the empty room. It was the strangest thing, he knew there was a reason he held them in his hands but in that moment his mind blanked. He put the pliers down and frowned as he tried to remember the reason. He clicked his fingers and realised he most likely set a reminder to do a job that needed them.   “Medi-pal, what jobs have...

3 comments 3
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“River Falls” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #115

I suppose when the four horsemen came up to my car, I should’ve known to put it in reverse. Or perhaps their grim faces should’ve sent me running. Either way, I swallowed the hot stone lodged in my throat and lowered the windows as they approached. Their lanterns bathed the dirt road in a ghoulish orange glow. Not vibrant, but tempered and sickly - as though someone had placed frosted glass around the Mona Lisa. The hooves clopped on the ground and a horse whinnied as it stopped by my door. A man slid off, his coat dark and graced by a shimm...

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“Adrift in a Sea of Nothing” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #115

     Following World War I, veterans newly released from military service looked for ways to feed their families, “work the land” and enjoy an honest day’s work in the fresh air of the Midwest.      Among many agricultural areas throughout the Midwest, they gravitated to central Iowa and soon mapped out a new small town in which to plant their family roots as well as their crops. They came together in 1930 to establish a completely new community they named Winding Mountain Pass along the bank...

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“Caught in your own web” by Michael Bishop

Submitted to Contest #115

Satisfying steps crinkled coffee brown leaves as Emmit walked through the park. Looking up from his phone the sun melted its gold around the trees above and warmed his face. It’s been too long since he's been out and enjoyed the moment, feeling the sun drip down his face as if it were the hot water a hairdresser uses to rinse his hair. His phone interrupts the bliss, a call from a friend that comes off as annoying and intrusive in spite of their otherwise good relationship. Just the act of diverting attention gets to Emmit in that way, It’s ...

1 comment 1
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“Blood Moon” by Elizabeth Fenley

Submitted to Contest #115

“Blood Moon” by Elizabeth Fenley I hate people. So breakable. The skin under my tattoo starts to itch again. I try not to scratch it. I recite the lyrics to Tool’s “Eulogy” in my head but give up after “You claimed all this time that you would die for me” and dig my chewed up nails across it until it bleeds. I tug my black sleeve down over the blood. I don’t bother looking at the tattoo or the damage. In an hour it will be healed-- again. Tonight is the blood moon—and the vernal equinox. Intense, in a bad way. And why my tattoo itches...

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“Dark Web. Darker Sleepover (Trigger Warning)” by John Hamour

Submitted to Contest #115

  Finally, me and Maggie were done with our homework and now was time to chill for a bit. I opened Instagram while playing Drake's new album. My LED lights were dim red, the setting was so relaxing. While scrolling on Instagram, I come across a video of a guy getting his head cut off. I honestly didn't feel grossed, can't say the same for Maggie though. I'd show her gore on purpose and she'll push me away and cringe. It was funny. I decided to look for gore websites to get more gore to annoy her with. My search took me to the Dark Web....

4 comments 4
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“Somebody's Watching Me” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #115

As Fiona stepped out of the Forever 21 and into the airy brightness of the mall, the chorus of ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ sounded from behind her. She spun around; her long auburn hair swirled like a satin sheet. No one there.‘Ah, my phone.’ She thought, though she still sported a furrowed brow over a frowning mouth. She wiggled it out of her jeggings back pocket and looked at the screen.Penny came out of the store, carrying a humongous yellow shopping bag. She said, “What is that?”Fiona glanced up at her cherub-like blond ...

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“History Doomed to Repeat” by Emily Snyder

Submitted to Contest #115

“I don’t get why you’re always on that thing.” Dawn waved her hand in front of Kelsey’s face. “What?” Kelsey kept scrolling. “I’m just reading the news.” Dawn raised her eyebrows. “News? Really?” Kelsey shrugged. “You never know. Maybe they decided to cancel school again.” “Doubt it.” Dawn snatched the phone and scanned the first few headlines. “This stuff is always the same. Look at today: ‘Five Year Old Boy Dies of Covid’; ‘Accident in Quarry Leaves 13 Dead’; ‘Mayor Announces Plans to Restore Downtown’: it’s all depressing garbage!” K...

2 comments 2
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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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