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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

“Rise Above” by Nichole Anderson

Submitted to Contest #115

I stack the logs in the oven and make it real hot before I put my biscuits in. Mama says if you want to make a good biscuit, you have to cook them high and fast, no one wants a half bake biscuit. I’m only thirteen but I think I can make them just about as good as Mama’s. I watch them carefully as they bake; they rise into a nice golden brown but I’ll wait just a little longer. We all like them crispy in this house. “Ooh-wee, what’s that you got cookin’ girl?” Daddy asks cheerfully. He grins revealing a full set of teeth, which is rare for...

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“For My Father” by Greacian Goeke

Submitted to Contest #115

Trigger warning: Suicide, mental health Some mornings the feeling was of old lace, touch it and it falls to dust. On others she saw their little rat tails disappearing under the soffits and couldn’t grab even one to yank it back and see what it was. Most days it felt more like seeing cockroaches zipping away and gone before she was even sure they were there. It had been going on a long time, this disconnection from her dreams. They just did not stay long enough in her mind to even form an image. She tried all the remedies for remembering—s...

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“Looking For Directions” by Catherine Kwalton

Submitted to Contest #115

“If we’re together, I would like for you to actually be here with me.” “I know, I’m sorry, I’m just scrolling.” “Exactly, you’re just scrolling. It would be more fun to hangout. I mean, that’s why we’re here, right? After asking it I was swept with a cold sweat of shame. From my eyebrows to my lower belly. We were lying on the bed in a tiny hotel. Why were we here? He was just scrolling. I should do the same. I should be on my phone too. But I didn’t want to. We had met online several months prior. I had just moved to Italy for a relationsh...

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“A door ajar” by David Hubber

Submitted to Contest #115

Trigger warning: Addiction, suicide “Julie, get your things ready now, the bus won’t be long here!” “In a minute, dad” - Julie said quietly while rolling her eyes, slumped in the armchair, left hand hanging loose with the right hand holding her smartphone. Mark raised his head as he was packing his suitcase and could glimpse through the small gap in the door; she was at it again, skimming through more pictures on social media on her phone, some of her friends, but many of herself. No doubt checking if anybody had commented on what she wa...

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“Circuit Bender” by Mike Garrigan

Submitted to Contest #115

Truman Moore hit the rewind button on his father’s double cassette deck. The tape reels spun quickly, like two tiny washing machines whirling in tandem spin cycles. After a few moments, the tape’s end triggered the deluxe deck’s auto stop function and the cogs clicked. Truman hit eject, popped the warm, unlabeled tape in its plastic j-card box, and placed it in a larger cardboard carton among other newly duped cassettes. He took the box, labeled Jefferson High School AV Club, downstairs to the basement and placed it with the other parcels.&n...

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“Head Issues” by Brian Janko

Submitted to Contest #115

Mortimer Schmeed was tremendously nervous. He was holding his smartphone, turning it over and over in his hand, moving his fingers up and down its edges. He felt it vibrate. “OK, Sally,” he said. The phone responded, in her typical half-woman, half-robot voice, “Please don’t handle me this way in public.” Morty stopped his fiddling, looking blankly at the phone. Finally, he said, “Oh, sorry.” Fortunately, the receptionist broke the tension of the moment, calling out to Morty’s phone, “The doctor will see you now.” Sally, ...

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“Lucky Duck” by Catherine Burford

Submitted to Contest #115

TW: Brief mention of a hanging. Piper always played on the safe side. If you dared her to tiptoe through a path of broken glass, she’d suggest replacing them with Legos. If you invited her to a party, she’d only go if there was a cat or dog for her to interact with. If you invited her to go bowling with some friends, she’d make up some story of how she’s allergic to bowling balls. The only way to crack open that shell was to give her no other option. That shell finally started to crack when Piper spent the night at her friend Quinn’s hou...

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“the difference” by Ensley S

Submitted to Contest #115

Our town, the houses, the people.Everything is gone.Something went wrong, or everything was right.We don't know. All we do know is, our parents are gone.And we were alone.All of us were on a school bus. Heading for a field trip. And as we woke up, we were somehow in our beds again. At home, in our town. Instead of on the bus, like we were supposed to be.This morning we woke up and it was like any other!Except it wasn't.It's like the world flipped upside down. And we were thrown out into space.Except we weren't, and the world wasn't.And now i...

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“A Story of Panton” by Cassidy Gray

Submitted to Contest #115

The epitome of average is Tuesday. It's not Monday, the beginning of the week, not Wednesday in the middle of the weekly drama, just Tuesday. It was summer break and the kitchen counter wasn't even close to being spotless as usual, random items scattered across the surface. But something caught my eye, something that wasn't there before. There was a postcard sitting peacefully on a small patch of clear counter. It was addressed to our house but there was no return address, no message, and no date. The picture portraye...

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“50 Years Past” by Michael Wexler

Submitted to Contest #115

For fifty years the road stood unchanged. The road upon which an old man appeared. It was a cold day, gray as the man himself, who stood fixed upon the near ancient gravel glowering at the brownish cottage with white trim standing upon his right hand. His eyes turned away but his step failed to advance. He simply stood immobile, as if lost in thought, his weathered face and narrowed eyes reflective of a man struggling with a memory, a pattern of thought that would not form. The old man stood thus for several long minut...

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“Midnight Special” by Christina Jones

Submitted to Contest #115

In her head, in the last hours of 1994, Morgan had been exactly the person she is tonight. The bar is crowded and loud. A live band is playing the most popular, upbeat songs of the fading year from a tiny stage, and tipsy revelers sway and sing along with the familiar lyrics. They are wearing an array of flashing headgear and plastic jewelry announcing the new year. “2000” they glitter, a new millenium. Morgan tips her head back, staring up into the warm darkness of the ceiling lost in shadows. She is only on her second drink, but ...

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“Crystals have energy. ” by Gigi L' Amoroso

Submitted to Contest #115

"Bro, I'm on my way, I'll be there in 20 minutes". I don't know why I expected any different. Things change when your friends have families and kids. I was on my way to my friends wedding, driving with a glimmer of hope that I won't be going alone to another social event. My friends Jason and Karla were getting married. We all met in physiotherapy school. Jason was with another girl when he started seeing Karla. Jason was stuck in Karla's group for an assignment, he hated her. She was bossy, mean, and did I say bossy? Eventually, he start...

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“Grapevine” by Kat Davis

Submitted to Contest #115

In early spring the grapes are finally ripe. Gramps and I walk down the gravel driveway to the vines he planted last winter. They coil around the wooden poles and reach for the sun like threatened snakes. I listen to the sound of our shoes churning the small pebbles beneath our feet. We stop so I can pick a dandelion. Before I blow it out I make a wish, pretending it is a birthday candle. The wind sends the flaky white seeds spiraling into the air. When we finally make it to the vines, Gramps pulls out two large buckets, one for me and one f...

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“Aimless” by Karen Lethlean

Submitted to Contest #115

Aimless So boring. No one her age. Already run out of books. Less to do than being at home. Sandra felt her feet get heavy in loose beach sand as she tried to dispel inertia by taking a walk. That’s what her mum said, ‘Sandy! For God’s sake go for a walk.’ Without missing a beat folding towels, not making eye contact. ‘Get out and find something you enjoy. Nature is therapeutic you know.’ Why the hell did her mum think therapy was required? What is so special about miles of sand, thick coastal Banksias growing almost to high water lines?...

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“Of personal growth and acceptance” by A. Kangiser

Submitted to Contest #115

Looking back at the other night, it seems so long ago. Not because it was nearly four months in the past but because of how much I have changed since then. Maybe it’s still fresh in my mind because of how many times I played it back in my head, only to return to it over and over again.I don’t know exactly what it was that I was making but it was something wrapped in a tortilla. There was melted cheese involved and I had gotten some of it on my finger. I was standing at the counter to the right of the kitchen sink when I turned to wrap it up ...

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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!

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