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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

“Imposter at Heart” by Michaela Mencacci

Submitted to Contest #236

How lovely the nightmare seems when you awake to an even more horrific reality. I jolted up in bed and tried to catch my breath. In the darkness I realized my eyes were covered in silk fabric. I have never owned a sleep mask and yet here I am peeling one off my head. Terror took over as I scanned the room. Where am I? I immediately squeezed my eyes shut thinking my sight had deceived me. Peeking with one eye after a moment and a few breaths, I realized that the large windows with long flowing white curtains and the mahogany bed pos...

6 comments 6
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“Deja Vu Moments” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #236

I’ve never been a fan of time travel movies. They confuse me as I try to connect the dots of the back and forth events for them to make sense. I’m better off just relaxing and enjoying the ride rather than factchecking along the way to see if it all adds up.“I just don’t get it,” I groaned to my husband, a big sci-fi fan. I was attempting once again to watch a remake of a remake of an old classic movie. “How did he get back to his father’s childhood?” He looked at me almost disdainfully. “I explained it already....

10 comments 10
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“Such Sights” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #236

The featureless plains of his eternal prison stretched out in all directions.Nirnasha screamed. He had always been screaming; time meant nothing inside the configuration. The professor had locked him in here a second ago. The professor had locked him in here an eternity ago. Endless nothingness, forever. Eternity was more prolonged than you’d think.There was no sky, only the colourless earth as smooth as a stone. It had no texture; it had no temperature. The ground faded into the not-sky in the distance, giving the impression that all was on...

10 comments 10
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“Scar House” by Martin Marriott

Submitted to Contest #236

When I was a kid, I thought Scar House was a colossal place for two people to live. In my young mind, it was not only the grandest house in Cape Argo but also in Cedar Ridge County. Scar House was a testament to old American luxury. The hallway was spacious and welcomed visitors with warm, ambient lighting and sleek, polished floors. Each of the four bedrooms was a sanctuary of comfort, featuring large windows that bathed the room in natural light and bespoke wardrobes that added to the bygone opulent American luxury. The heart of Scar House...

2 comments 2
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“Neurosurgeon” by Marina Nugent

Submitted to Contest #236

The sun pierces through the crack in my dark turquoise curtains and burn holes into my eyelids. I scrunch my eyes and turn to my side, away from the sun. The clock reads 6:35am. I roll out of bed and smack my head into the corner of my bedside table. “Fuck!” I sit up and hold my head in pain but still have go to the hospital. I cover my eyes, laying on the antique wooden floor as I let out an exasperated sigh. I crawl off the floor after my cat comes yelling at my face. “I get it! When are you not hungry?” The automatic food dispenser goes o...

5 comments 5
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“Marble Madness: Reconnecting Through Pixels” by James Moore

Submitted to Contest #236

Kevin tossed and turned in bed, before waking bleary-eyed.“Another one of your dreams, baby?” his wife Clara asked from the other side of the bed.“Yeah, crazy,” Kevin said looking around the room “It was like I was climbing a pyramid, but this snake was chasing me up, and for some reason, I tried to outmaneuver it by going sideways and then down again. We ended up running all over the side of this pyramid, and my feet were covered in some fine yellow sand, so I could see everywhere I’d run.”“Crazy!” said Clara sarcasticallyClara got up to ma...

5 comments 5
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“Kray-zy in Love” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #236

‘Oh, hello stranger’ bellowed a familiar voice as Tilly made her way around the maze of book displays in her favourite bookshop in town. The book selection was ok, a bit too mainstream for her liking but the café was pretty cool and the waft of grinding coffee beans was the ultimate pick me up.‘It hasn’t been that long but give me a hug gorgeous’ Tilly sank into a huge hug from her friend Vicky.‘Vic, where on earth did you get this coat? You look like Elizabeth Taylor and why is your make up always immaculate?’‘Well it kills the time, shoppi...

6 comments 6
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“Ethereal Expedition ” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #236

Semiramis waited patiently for her turn; after all there is no more virtuous being than a Guardian Angel, is there? She sat, hands folded, posture straight, luminating smile; all consistent with the proud feeling of being chosen. Pride, not as much a sin as it once was, considering it was perfectly acceptable and quite encouraged to take some pride in this type of work, God’s work. Oh, but the word still sat heavily with Semiramis as she searched for a more appropriate, holy, angelic descriptive, honor, yes honor. She was honored to be selec...

6 comments 6
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“Dreaming of You.....” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #236

Two am, it was Lord Bow Wow again. Sighing, the senior nurse on night duty in the Urology Unit answered the buzzer. Sally's feet were aching, it was a busy evening. Still, she smiled as always, fully competent and proficient in all her nursing obligations. Fate had seen Sassy Sally divorce her husband's roving eye and abuse some years before. She had long ago decided he did enjoy being miserable, so she had brought their two offspring up on struggle street. Her children were all grown up now, off to their own careers and futures. She was nev...

5 comments 5
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“Paradox” by HC Edwards

Submitted to Contest #236

The man dragged Billy by the sleeve of his denim jacket, muttering what seemed to be nonsense. He‘d said his name was Phillip, and he was strong, belying the wiry frame and the malnourished cheekbones. His eyes were set deep inside his skull, beady and haunted, full of secrets that had never been uttered in the light of day, and yet they were familiar at the same time. Billy had tried to struggle at first and received a clout to the head, not hard enough to make him bleed, but enough to make him fearful. The man had snatched him on his walk ...

8 comments 8
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“Echoes of Analog Dreams: Unearthing Nostalgia in the Digital Attic” by Zahra Jamal

Submitted to Contest #236

As the rain kept falling on the library windows, Alex stayed in the library and looked at the old things that E. M. had left behind. The librarian touched an old camera that used film, something that people used a long time ago to take pictures. They had to wait for the film to be ready before they could see the pictures, and that made them more excited. Alex held the camera and looked at the old pictures that were in the box. The pictures showed happy people, school events, and summer nights with bright bugs. Alex understood something: the ...

5 comments 5
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“Died of Dysentery” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #236

Thirty-nine-year-old Aaron sat in the minivan, waiting to pick up his ten-year-old son, Noah, from soccer practice. Facing the field, he watched the gaggle of preadolescents practice dribbles, passes, shoots, and an occasional trick shot from the head or chest--just to show off for each other, no doubt. They were an impressive bunch for their age, he’d give them that. Albeit, Aaron was always a more avid viewer of sports than an active participant. Athletics were never easy for him. Noah must get his propensity from either a recessive trait ...

1 comment 1
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“Two Chairs Remain” by Bradley Miller

Submitted to Contest #236

"Two chairs remain" by Bradley Miller Everyone has a god. In this place or person, they find safety from the wickedness of men turned to monsters and monsters living in men. Safety, security, solitude.  Should I continue, please know my lips should never dare to speak such a story, so I prefer to write it. When a small child sees the darkness in men, that monster in the hallway, no words have been instructed for such a sight.  Mother rests her feet on one of three kitchen chairs. Her eyes bloodshot from the graveyard shift an...

3 comments 3
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“A Prized Fly” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #236

The small bell tinked in my ear, and I found myself stepping into the familiar dark, dusty entrance of Lady Theresa's Antique Store. The chime seemed to pull me out of a trance, and I couldn't even remember why I decided to stop by in the first place. I had the sneaking suspicion that I should just leave. My head felt cloudy anyway. I heard the flu was going around. Perhaps I was coming down with it. Though it's funny that I wound up here. And I definitely didn't need any more shit. I was pretty certain I'd spent at least a year's salary...

1 comment 1
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“The Typewriter” by Stacey Cooper

Submitted to Contest #236

A writer is cleaning out her basement and is sorting through some of her old boxes. She comes across a few boxes labeled “College Items” and opens one of the boxes. Underneath a few folders, she comes across an item in a plastic cover. She does not recognize it at first, but once she removes the cover, she sees it is the typewriter she used in college. She is not sure what to do with it. It is too old to sell, but she also knows that it has some value, and should not be thrown away.Underneath the typewriter, is a pac...

4 comments 4
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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.

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

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