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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#213: The Human Touch

For most people, platonic touch is a central part of being human. When words are not enough, a warm hug or a comforting hand on the shoulder can soothe, support, and create a sense of belonging. But the phrase has another meaning; adding a ‘human touch’ to your work and interactions can also be a way to show empathy and compassion without physically touching. And when that ‘human touch’ is missing from someone or something, it can start to verge on the uncanny.

This week’s prompts are centered around the concept of ‘the human touch’, both literally and figuratively — the comfort it can bring, but also that otherworldly and uneasy feeling we can get when there’s a distinct lack of it in the art and creations we encounter.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character looking closely at something, or someone. They can't quite decide if what they're looking at is natural, or man-made.

Science Fiction – 51 stories

Start or end your story with a character receiving a hug or words of comfort.

Dramatic – 101 stories

Write a story about someone who is losing feeling in their hands and/or fingers.

Character – 46 stories

Write about someone with a Midas touch: everything they touch turns to [fill in the blank].

Character – 39 stories

Write about an AI or person trying to inject a ‘human touch’ into their work.

Science Fiction – 49 stories

Stories

“Touch of Death” by Gage Cole

Submitted to Contest #213

Trigger warning: There is death and implied suicide in this story. Read at your own risk. Amanda didn’t mean to kill her best friend. It just happened. It was a warm April day when the two of them were playing one on one basketball in his front yard. Given that he was six inches taller and had at least twice the muscles, he was winning handedly. He had always been winning since they hit puberty. She never gave up trying though. She played half out of fun, half out of stubbornness in her refusal to admit she couldn’t win anymore. He p...

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“Simone and Gerrie” by Andrea Corwin

Submitted to Contest #213

“Simone, what do you think of this line?” He looks up and down the grocery aisle but can't find it. “Gerrie, I don’t like it.” “All right, tell me how to fix it. I don’t like it when you answer without giving a suggestion.” “Gerrie, you asked me what I thought of it and did not ask me to offer suggestions. Since you have asked, my suggestion is that you show action.” “So, maybe it should read: He sees cans of soup and vegetables. At the end of the grocery aisle, he still does not find the noodles. Do you mean lik...

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“The Human Touch.” by Shaun Griffin

Submitted to Contest #213

Mencius was Luc Debord’s baby. True, he was part of a team of programmers working on the development of Mencius, but the bulk of the code had been written by him. Even the name had been his idea. A year ago, their company had won the government contract to provide a programme enhancement to PAX, the advanced AI system which controlled America’s ICBM silos. PAX had been installed in response to rising tensions with their old Cold War foe, Russia. The war between India and China over the Aksai Chin region had not helped matters but the recent ...

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“Feelings Are Natural” by Ela Mikh

Submitted to Contest #213

Eric couldn’t recall when was the first time he saw her. The new studies were rigid, the internship was even more challenging. In his opinion, they really shouldn’t have called it an internship when it required him to work late daily, into the night for just room and board. Some time ago, when he was just a stage one scholar, he studied the history of slavery on Earth. In short, Eric was certain that this is exactly what slavery would have looked like if it existed today. And all the aptitude and personality tests he had to take! Like he was...

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“A Colorful, Colorless Crystal” by Baby Crow

Submitted to Contest #213

Long, almost too long. Yes, it ends somewhere, it is not infinite and it does not go on for all eternity, but Ren would have assumed so if he had not known any better. Seemingly endless strings of white—a bright, blinding, alluring, sparkling white—goes on for ages before disappearing into a liquid glow of periwinkle splashes and cyan ombres. Blinking once, twice, thrice, Ren, with his curiosity and persistence of the truth or what might be the truth or simply something to put an end to his confusion, soaked in what was in front of him wit...

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“I love you” by Pearl Pastry

Submitted to Contest #213

I look closely into the mirror. My expression was odd - it naturally sprung into shape, but tightened like a man-made screw. My chest and eyes burned. I sigh.My father is a pathetic man. Its not just his appearance - its everything. You can always tell where he's recently been because he leaves behind this permeating, thickening, disgusting concoction of men's shampoo, microwaved chocolate croissants and alcohol. He always dresses like a beggar, some century-old shirt that sags and rips in some parody of minimalism. Yet he is never seen with...

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“Role of a Lifetime” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #213

“This is a hard one,” Robert said as he peered closely at the polaroid. “Those tits are perfect, but her pout is so lifelike.” His boss Kendra, the casting director, sat back and watched him closely, amused but betraying no hints. “She’s real. I mean look at that pose. What doll could…” but Robert trailed off, suddenly doubting ...

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“Contemporary Companions” by Josef Lemoine

Submitted to Contest #213

Hugh opened the door for Mae and followed her out of a dim wine country restaurant, across a cobblestone street. They strolled beneath a web of string lights that dangled overhead between rows of refurbished warehouses, now homes to wine bars and high-end boutiques. Mae performed a quick little spin on a brick path that cut through the village center. Her blonde hair billowed, backlit by the setting sun. Hugh smiled and led her, briefly, into a waltz. She wrapped her slender arms around his chest and ran a finger over the glowing tattoo th...

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“Eric's Gift” by Marc Rothstein

Submitted to Contest #213

"People with developmental disabilities are only handicapped by how much we underestimate them." — D. Kirk Eric Lungrun stood near the top of the world in the center of a concrete rocket landing pad. As a cold wind blew through the tangles of his curly blonde hair, he inhaled deeply, and his chest swelled with pride. Never mind that his task for today was to sweep bits of gravel and leaves from the pad; he was, in fact, on the Esrange Space Center team, the pride of the European Union. Just three years ago, like many other locals, he'd l...

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“The Eye” by Harry Buck

Submitted to Contest #213

Jayden’s fingers dug into the soft sandstone behind him. His perch high on the cliff face would catch the first light of dawn. He’d climbed down as far as he could after sunset, from here there was a twenty-meter drop to the eye. He broke off a bunch of crumbling handholds on the way down. The way back up would likely end in an even longer drop. So he waited. And he watched. Either way, he had to move soon, the horizon was already visible against the brightening sky. He adjusted himself to sweep the area one last time. Nothing had move...

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“Take life's challenges a quarter mile at a time ” by Levi Hill

Submitted to Contest #213

Life isn’t like television, although most of us have probably wished it were at one time or another, particularly when we are facing a challenging time in our lives and we need sage wisdom. Sadly, most of us didn’t grow up with an Andy Taylor or a Steve Douglas who could sit us down and, in profound terms, explain the world to us in a way that just made sense. Most of us grew up with honest, hard-working fathers who showed their love in actions instead of words and passed on their wisdom in deeds instead of sermons. When they did impart some...

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“Hours ” by Meli Mangos

Submitted to Contest #213

NOTE: Please be advised, this story is based on a personal true event surrounding the death of a friend. I sat in the passenger seat of my boyfriend's Honda Civic staring at the gravel driveway as we rumbled down it. He parked in the grass behind Jackson’s Volkswagen and shut the car off. We both sat still for a few silent seconds, looking at nothing in particular. All of our friends were here already. Jackson’s girlfriend, Emma, walked out from around the side of the house toward us. We got out of the car and she wrapped me in a ...

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“After the Storm...” by Rachael Hewitt

Submitted to Contest #213

I could feel the tension in her arms as she drew me closer for a long needed embrace. I felt her warmth radiate through every part of my body. Each of my muscles relaxed one-by-one. This is what I needed. I had needed it for a long time, but it was only now standing on her doorstep that I realised it. As she slowly released me I shuddered as the cool evening breeze whipped around me, making me long to be in her arms once more. I wiped away my tears, I had made a promise to myself only two weeks previously that I had cried my final tears for ...

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“No One” by Sissy Fleming

Submitted to Contest #213

“I am no one, I am nothing. I have never been anything and will never mount to anything. I am but a shadow.” The disheveled, young woman paused and looked up at the stars as if searching for answers. She shivered lightly against the cool Pasadena evening air. The bus stop allowed for shelter from rain but her threadbare sweater was insufficient protection against the wind. And this evening was particularly windy! She looked sideways at the elderly woman sitting next to her who encouraged her to continue. In a steady, mon...

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“The Indescribable Joy of New Love” by Sara R

Submitted to Contest #213

** This story hints at some mature themes that may not be suitable for 17 and under **Bryan’s arms wrap around me in the tightest of embraces and I feel as though I am finally home. The adrenaline his presence gives me is something I have never felt before in any previous relationship. He is loving and just so attentive to my needs … all of my needs. He reads my body language and responds in the most sensual of manners – folding his body into the very shape that exactly fits mine. I allow myself to breathe in his scent and enjoy this moment ...

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$250

Prize money

286

Contest entries

124

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 01, 2023 EST

Won by Jonathan Page 🏆

Title: The Porcelain Village

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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