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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

“Lens to the past” by Tasfia Tahsin Prokrity

Submitted to Contest #236

In the malevolent heart of the North Atlantic Forest, where majestic and elegant sunlight shines even through the dust like magic, green algae tore and spread from the thick trees like carpet clouds, and ivy grew through cracks in barks and branches, evoking a sense of antiquity and timeless beauty. The trees whispered of unspeakable horrors; their mottled form recalled forgotten stories of a bygone era, and each scent held a nostalgic memory of a distant past. That abandoned field and this forgotten one stood, a solemn tribute to the loss o...

3 comments 3
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“The Next, Next Level” by Bookworm TheReader

Submitted to Contest #236

I slunk up the old attic stairs. Every time my feet (softly) hit the partially disintegrated wooden planks, I cringed, listened for a minute, and continued with my delicate charade once more. Looking back, it's a wonder I was ever able to reach the top. My parents were asleep in the room directly below, none of my steps were as quiet as I deluded myself into thinking they were, and just by judging my frame, you could tell I was very ill suited to be sneaking anywhere. I looked eighteen, but was really three removed from that number, was th...

3 comments 3
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“Reunion ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #236

Bags by the door, waiting for his car, Dashiell Holt rang up Aria, his ‘sig-o.’ Their shorthand for ‘significant other,’ ‘sig-o’ recently went viral on social media.Hearing her phone, Aria called for a break in the modeling session. The photographer nodded. Aria waved the make-up girl away.Dashiell said, “Hi, sorry to interrupt, babe. Calling to tell you I’m off to my reunion.”“You’re leaving now? Don’t go alone. Catch the next flight…”He said, “It’s okay. You’re busy. It’ll be dreary torture. And probably embarrassing.”“That sounds like a t...

15 comments 15
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“Beyond the Veil of Drowning” by Morgan Aloia

Submitted to Contest #236

“There was a god here, once.” Adysl recited, feeling out across the wallstones of the crumbling and emptied temple, the last of Myarsa, “I know this to be true.” “You have such faith, conservator.” Kadius basked in an awe that radiated disquietingly towards his precious charge. His axe was still heavy in hand from their escortment across the swamp. He had brandished it at the penitents that usually flooded the temple, picking away at its intruding roots, and had not seemed to have had compunctions about using it if they had disobeyed his c...

4 comments 4
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“Dead Girls Tell No Tales” by Abbey Light

Submitted to Contest #236

“Detective Gray?”  Thea’s head turned toward the voice of a crime scene tech. “That’s me.”  The tech wiped his brow with the back of his coverall sleeve, despite the cool autumn air. “This way.” The man turned and began walking toward a vast field. Thea fell into step beside him as he filled her in. “Jasper Hastings, a local farmer, bought this land a little over a month ago, but it was considered public property before that and hadn’t been touched. Hastings was in the middle of plowing the field when he hit something.” They wer...

1 comment 1
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“Echoes of Dust: Unearthing the Past in a Digital Age ” by Gail Ormsby

Submitted to Contest #236

The year was 2124, and Anya was on a quest to uncover the secrets of her family's heirloom, the "Personal Computer." The ancient device was said to have accessed a vast digital sea called the "Internet," a concept archaic to Anya's generation. She had spent years deciphering the device's password puzzle but had yet to find a way to do so. Years of Anya's tinkering had yielded nothing. Deciphering ancient manuals and scouring virtual archives, she'd pieced together fragments of the password puzzle: a childhood nickname, a beloved pet's name, ...

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“When Jake Seen All The Drama He Gasped” by Antasia S Armour

Submitted to Contest #236

Jake's family was as close as can be; they were known to hang out and make beautiful babies a reality. They were a thinking clan of winners who wanted to be happy at all costs. For these last few years they were extremely happy but then one day it became painfully clear that something was amiss. When the night came and fell it began to seep into his bones kind of like a fallen angel appearing in his slumber.  When thoughts hit him that his will was done, he looked into a mirror that was sitting on the table and didn't want to flip it o...

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“Secrets” by Eleftherios Konstantinidis

Submitted to Contest #236

He’d just returned from college for summer holidays, and after having dinner and enjoying the company of his parents and younger brother, Harry lay down in his bedroom. He had left his computer and PlayStation 5 back in his apartment in Leeds, where he had moved in September to study Economics at Leeds University. Right away, he felt remorse for leaving them behind, as he realised his parents' house had limited options for entertainment. To make matters worse, his childhood friends, who had also moved to other cities to study and work, would...

2 comments 2
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“A Rhapsody of Willows and Weeds” by Liam Welch

Submitted to Contest #236

Warning: This story contains death and the use of tranquilizers. A Rhapsody of Willows and Weeds By Liam Welch Chapter 1         My vision slowly came back as I awoke in the dimly lit dinner. “Hey!” Said the man in the clean Italian suit across from me at the booth, “You’re finally up. I didn’t want to knock you out but you are quite a feisty one.”                   &nbsp...

2 comments 2
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“This Old Attic” by Tee Farewell

Submitted to Contest #236

As I tackled the never-ending chore of cleaning our home, my gaze wandered towards the door on the ceiling. It leads to the attic. The sight of it caused me to shiver, stirring up memories long buried beneath the weight of time. A single rope dangled off of a lever. It swayed as if trying to call me to it. Pulling the rope would release the stairs, granting access to a space I hoped never to visit. I hesitated, though I should have walked away then. The last time I ventured into an attic was in the old house where I grew up. Now, it exists o...

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“A Small Abandoned Reality” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #236

Samantha had been at the same corner table of the greasy spoon since six in the morning. It was eleven twenty-three, post meridian, Pacific Time Zone. On the big, boxy television on the other side of the room was what Sam understood to be an “advertisement” for something. A lone figure with red, electric eyes and clad in leather emerges from the darkness as a deep-voiced narrator says, “In the twenty-first century, a weapon will be invented... like no other...” Suddenly, Sam was stirred from her reverie.  “Can I get you some mor...

6 comments 6
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“THE MORNING DONUTS” by Joe Forgue

Submitted to Contest #236

Crap! Jake still couldn't let himself say: O shit! He remembered it was his turn to bring the donuts. There was still time to drive over to the Kroger bakery. He'd be back lickety split with the donuts, long johns, and bismarks. The motley crew of old guys, come every Monday morning, always looked forward to the sugar and starch treats. Not a one was under seventy; but, to listen in on their conversations, the fifteen year old in each came out in style. Yet, after the risqué double talk subsided, another pattern repartee surfaced. Funny thin...

2 comments 2
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“Whisper Voices in her Head” by Kami Drake

Submitted to Contest #236

Eris, Whisper to her Sisters, rarely left the comforting glow of her computer monitors. With all the technology at her command, she never had to leave the server room. But today was her prescribed day outside. Her Sisters, ever with Whisper’s best in mind, made her go out during the day at least once a month. Today was that day.  “Whisper, damnit.” Blast was panting when she caught up with Whisper.  “The faster you walk doesn’t mean we go back faster. Slow down, enjoy the scenery”. Blast waved her hand around the stre...

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“The Hawthorne Snake” by Emily Heneisen

Submitted to Contest #236

Grandpa’s funeral was what I like to call a shitshow. The old man couldn’t even get an hour of peace before he had family members bombarding his casket, desperate to get a glimpse of him, maybe see if the rumors surrounding his death were true. The thick bandages still wrapped around his neck proved that they were. I think the main issue with the funeral was its publicity. The guest list was too long, and few names had any objective relation to Grandpa. I opted for a smaller, more private event. They outvoted me. “He would’ve wanted the wor...

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“Heritage” by Brittany Jung

Submitted to Contest #236

“I’m sorry but we don’t carry that part anymore.” The salesman looked at me like I was the crazy one. I sighed, with disappointment enveloping me. I could tell the salesman was anxiously waiting for me to leave, but my feet didn’t want to move. If I stared at him long enough maybe he could magically make the part appear. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Impatience in his tone. “No thank you,” I replied as I turned around, my feet finally making their way to the automatic glass doors. The computer was ancient anyway, all bul...

5 comments 5
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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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