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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#236: Retro

Whether you’re generation Tetris, Tamagotchi, or Tomb Raider, I bet there’s some kind of video game or console that reminds you of your childhood. I hope, too, that we all still know of vinyls, cassette and VHS tapes, and floppy disks, even if they’re past their prime.

I’m not usually very sentimental about technology, but there’s something fascinating about obsolete tech. Something nostalgic and sad and full of mystery and untold narrative. In that spirit, let’s pay a visit to our inner attic, dust off some forgotten hardware, and see where it takes us.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character finding a retro piece of tech they don’t recognize.

Mystery – 33 stories

Write a story about someone finally gaining access into their family’s very old computer.

Mystery – 37 stories

Write a time-travel story where a character from the present finds themselves in the 80s or 90s.

Historical Fiction – 37 stories

Write a story about a grown-up sharing their favorite childhood video game with their child.

Funny – 20 stories

Write about a character who isn’t nostalgic about their past at all, and show readers why.

Angst – 54 stories

Stories

“The Book of the Duchess” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #236

In an untitled folderRight on the desktopI found my mother’s poetryThere was a hesitationIn choosingTo read itMy mother spent her lifeArranging photographsOn a mantleThat was never dustedShe held sentimentFor torn t-shirtsBroken VCR’sDented cans of crinkle-cut carrotsIngredients for a peach cobblerShe’d never makeEverything meant somethingExcept for those closest to herWe were unableTo carry meaningBecause we wouldn’tStop movingDespite our best effortsWe could not empty ourselves outSufficientlyAnd so placing thingsWithin usWas too complex a...

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“Southern Comfort” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #236

I unwrap the keyboard my grandmother once fell asleep on after she'd drunk a large glass of Southern Comfort, thinking it was low alcohol ginger wine. It's not on the antique desk it had rested on then, it's not in her cosy lounge, or even in her half-timbered house. It's not where my grandfather had found her, slumped over her work, head spinning, eyes closed. He’d laughed when he'd told us how the square shapes of the worn keys had imprinted themselves into her cheek and chin. He'd chuckled about how her glasses were skewwhiff and her frin...

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“The Dawn of My Discontent” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #236

Stephanie Bournias was a spicy Greek-American girl who enjoyed doing something none of my previous girlfriends had. It was one of the reasons I loved her and she was kind enough to love me back. I had hooked up with her after starting a fight that almost became a riot at a Greek dance party in L.A. The shindig was held at the El Rey, a venue where I had seen Human League, a musical group from Britain, when I was in high school. With “Don’t You Want Me,” Human League was one of many 80s New Wave one-hit wonders....

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“In Memoriam” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #236

***themes of violence***Ron’s knee bounced up and down, banging against the small antique desk over and over. The once orderly desk had papers torn and disheveled, drawers yawning open as if screaming at the assault.'What's that noise, is someone at the door?” The small voice behind Ron added to his impatience.“No Ma, it's just Dad’s stupid desk. God, what’s the last time you logged into this thing?”He looked again at the ancient computer, reloading software updates to the current decade. The hourglass graphic mock...

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“Crosswired” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #236

“What’s this, Granddad?”“You’re joking, right?”“No.”“Wot’s it look like?”“Some form of cassette tape?”“It’s a video tape, Tommo. Slightly before your time.”“Doesn’t look like any video tape I’ve seen before.”“That’s coz it’s a Betamax.”“What’s that?”“It’s from the Format War.”“Format War? When was that?”“Before you was born, Tommo. In the early days of the Digital Age. ‘Cept it was more commonly referred to then as the Information Age – which was an oxymoron in its own right, because the only information being freely spewed back then was dis...

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“Your Own Personal Cell” by Kevin Marlow

Submitted to Contest #236

“My WORD! What is that?”“I don't know, it looks dirty.”“Are you going to take it?”“There is a.....what did they call those? Is it a switch?”“Let me access my database.” Closing his eyes, he stopped for a moment, “The bio-network says you can touch it and it will revive itself.”They watched in wonder as she squeezed the raised button on the side of the device and put her face closer to the screen. Images swirled in a colorful tornado, settling on a picture of a family in ancient garments clutching a smiling infant.“O...M...G...is that a baby?...

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“Rags, Riches, Romance and a Reunion” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #236

“Is a necktie necessary?” “Oh, no not at all. Comfort is essential when forced to attend an event you have no connection to other than being my loving, supportive plus one.” “Thank you, Babe. You know I hate them. I find it curious that such an uncomfortable adornment has stood the test of time, never eradicated by fashion trends or famous designers. Although they aren’t as often required, those torturous slivers of silk are always an acceptable symbol of distinction.” “You’re being rather dramatic, don’t you agree?”“Maybe, bu...

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“Hey, Macarena” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #236

In my street, there is a portal. People have been talking about it since I was young. Several people have disappeared into it, never to return. We can only speculate about what it does and where it takes them. Sometimes morbid curiosity is stronger than good sense. For decades, I resisted the temptation to go there. I was quite comfortable in my future facing life. I’ve always been keen on my tech, and I can’t seem to breathe without lifting a device. I’m a full-fledged future lover. But there was always that tug of the unknown, like a naugh...

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“Johnny Be Goode” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #236

Johnny Be Goode“Hey, Dad. I brought the whole crew with me. We should be able to clean out the basement, the attic, and the garage all in one day.”“Great.”“Great”- often spoken with a tinge of enthusiasm, but even with a normal, nondescript voice, the word connotes something agreeable, pleasing, perhaps even wonderful. Spoken with a hint of sarcasm- not so much.The cleanup crew- son Dave, Dave’s wife Marci, and the three grandchildren: 16-year-old Tom, 14-year-old Debbie, and 9-year-old Ben. The mission- sort through a lifetime of artifacts,...

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“And Remember: Drive Defensively” by Audrey Knox

Submitted to Contest #236

I knew this day would come. As a parent, you prepare for the inevitability. I just thought I had more time. One evening at the dinner table, she just drops it on you without any warning, and you have to respond in that moment, whether you’re ready or not. “No. Absolutely not,” I tell her. “Why does a ten-year-old need her own computer anyway?” I hold my breath, dreading the answer. And sure enough, “Because you won’t let me download new programs on yours, and I want to play Fortnite with my friends.” Boom goes the dynamite. I sneak...

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“Dough-ty Walker” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #236

It was a dreary midnight and a ravenous snowstorm wailed mournfully outside. Dougherty Walker sat in his old armchair by a lit fire as he read a curious, ancient book from his weathered library, deep and focused. Though it was an interesting book in its own right, Dougherty had started to nod off and fall into a late nap for the night. As his head slowly drooped down, he heard what sounded like a faint, sing-song voice coming from the other side of the chamber door in its lockdown. He anxiously turned his ...

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“The Big Country” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #236

“No!” “You fool!” “Why!?” I stare at the display on my wrist, wondering just how stupid a person can get. Truth is, anyone can be as stupid as it gets. All they have to do is not think. The truth is I panicked. Then I acted. There was no thought involved, so a default was provided. The default was 1984. I could blame George Orwell for that. We’re quick to blame, especially when we’ve done something that shames us. But then, I’d not even started to read Orwell’s book. It was the next book on my pile. One of the last thin...

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“The Paper Clip Rebel” by Angela M

Submitted to Contest #236

A week after her grandmother’s funeral, Johana found a small package on her doorstep. The black box was about the size of a quarter with a note taped to the lid: “Use it well, Love, Gran” Inside the box was an underwhelming bit of silver wire. That’s all it was — a little curve of metal. Johana had never seen anything like it. But as unthreatening as it looked, she knew that it was contraband. The government had outlawed a number of items deemed destructive to society when Gran was a child, but the law didn’t stop her f...

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“Magic 8 Ball” by Jess Driscoll-Ward

Submitted to Contest #236

The Windows logo appeared on the screen. The multi-coloured logo that looked wavy and in motion. The old Windows logo. Riley Lord hadn’t seen it for years. He used to use this computer to play Minesweeper after school. Did anyone really know and understand the rules of that game? He laughed at his eleven year old self repeatedly playing a game he didn’t understand. You took what you could get when it came to technology back then. He couldn’t imagine any eleven year olds nowadays playing a game they didn’t understand because it was all they c...

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“Dear Reader” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #236

“I remember your mom always had milk and cookies ready after school. I was so jealous of that.”“Oh yeah?” I mumbled on automatic as Carolann’s voice drifted away settling somewhere in the background. My thoughts were far from milk and cookies, but rather on the floor underneath the table. “My glasses, my glasses.” Clear as day I heard my brother’s cry after a fight with our father. I never left my room that day, so I didn’t know what had happened exactly, but I remember those words. “You broke my glasses.” ...

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$250

Prize money

181

Contest entries

81

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 09, 2024 EST

Won by Jennifer Fremon 🏆

Title: Frozen Lemonade

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.

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