Set your story in a town disconnected from the rest of the world.

Posted in Dystopian on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 36 stories

“Saint Eden's.” by Charles Dean

Submitted to Contest #115

Saint Eden’s.September 24th, 1949.To be honest, this feels weird but I must try and write. Doctor’s orders.My name is Valentin Bianchi, I am/was a demolition expert for the 301st Airborne back in the States.We are in-route to Saint Eden’s and if you’re wondering, where is that? I don’t know. I know nothing really.What I know is that I was framed for something I didn’t do. See, back home I had some…problems with my C.O. I tried to get rid of him, he did the same but nothing worked until last week. The platoon went out drinking to a bar nearby...

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“There is a Place” by Walinda Pollard

Submitted to Contest #115

Tossing, turning, sweating through the night. Waking up every morning listening to the news. Every day, every moment, every hour, and every second you will hear on the news a kid has die from a gunshot. Today was not the day. I cry out asking God why? Our children are born to die before they can live.Whatever happened to love, peace, understanding and helping a neighbor. So much hate I cannot stand it. There must be a way to save our children. I will plan a trip and invite fifty children to come. The name of the bus is Wings of Shield. We wi...

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“Bathel Alta” by J. W.

Submitted to Contest #115

There he sat, the true person of ages, at his great typewriter, writing his stories for the masses to read. He has no name, and nor should you think to give him one. You should refer to him by a title of no importance: The Writer. He sits still, his mind wavering on the words that should but be placed on the portrait of his world. His inspiration limited only to his imagination, he strives for the world in a new light. "Bathel Alta," he says, his eyes flittering across the paper propped in his typing machine. "My name, should it ever arise...

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“What Lies Beyond” by Prithviraj Suryawanshi

Submitted to Contest #115

“Aren’t you curious?” Liona whispered, straining her bare toes trying to look over the wall. Her face barely made it to the top. It was too cold for them to be in their nightgowns, and too dark for them to be out of their beds. But there would never again be an opportunity so perfect. Alina was summoned back to the palace, and Maya was fast asleep having drunk a bit too much at the feast. Something a server had called a lager. Liona had thought she had misheard. The word oddly reminded her of wood. And why would anyone ever name a drink afte...

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“Dimly Lit Stars ” by Saadiq Smith

Submitted to Contest #115

Hello there, my name is Sindy. Yes you there the reader of this epic tale, now I know what you may be asking "why am I reading this story" well if you have to ask that question now dear reader then you must not know what you’re in store for. Because this is the story about me and my great amazing fantastical friend named Rosey-Sam, we both live in this township called disconnected falls ironic right my Rosey-Sam thinks it’s a little to on the nose about things here but I think it’s quite charming we live in this town completely disconnected ...

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“Eggs For Breakfast” by Avocado Universe

Submitted to Contest #115

“Mmmhhuhhh,” I moaned. My face was deep in a sea of pillows. I was sprawled out on my unmade bed, light leaking through the closed curtains making gold and pink sunrise patterns on my wall. My arms were far in front of me, my feet were dangling over the edge. I had my phone in my palm. I could smell eggs and toast through my tightly closed door. I love eggs for lunch, but I hate them for breakfast. It's just the way things work, my mom should get that by now. Being a professional cook and all, for her sake, I hope she learns it soon. “...

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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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“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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“Reconnected” by Kristupas Sirvydis

Submitted to Contest #115

‘The hell am I supposed to do now?’ Mathias said with a huge sigh mixed with a growl, as he laid his head onto the table. ‘Two days without any connection… How am I going to get anything done?’ A long drive last night through the serpentines, then the woods lastly making his way through a thick fog covering the already unclear off-read track with a malfunctioning GPS. The trip tired him enough to forget what he had promised. But now, being somewhat rested, the memory resurfaced. ‘You need to get out’ Hekate said, concern ringing in ...

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“The Tale of Hamathy” by Elizabeth Camp

Submitted to Contest #115

Once, when I was very young, my mother told me the story of a place called Hamathy. Now, Hamathy was a small town, more of a village, really, nestled deep in a faraway mountain range where the snow shone pure as starlight and sharp white peaks stood stark against the blinding blue of the sky. Hamathy's few streets were lined with fine wood houses, and though their windows sparkled with frost, inside each fireplace flames burned hot and high, and the people of the town were warm and safe and in the company of those that they loved. One day, t...

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“We're All Very Simple” by C. M. Sinnott

Submitted to Contest #115

I stood at the edge of the forest, my town far enough behind me that the noontime bell was a not even mere flutter in the wind. I stared at rigid rocks that jutted outward and upward from the mossy earth and into the hanging clouds above me. From a distance they were dauntingly mysterious, but these mountains seemed no more impressive than the quarry at the north end of town. They were our protectors, as my mother would say, blessed by our elders with the safeguard of something greater than us. They overlooked a thick and vast forest like an...

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“Jacob’s Well” by E.T. Little

Submitted to Contest #115

The air is still, the sea is like glass, the fishing boats are all back at port, the fuel lines for the lamps are closed, everyone is in their homes, and the tripwires are ready. I closed my front door and the shutters on my porch windows. I worked my way over to the kitchen where I saw my neighbor give a questioning thumbs up. I gave a thumbs up back and received a nod in return. I closed the wooden shudders on my kitchen window as he did, also making sure the faucet was off. I turned the gas lamp off on the windowsil...

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“Georgia's Hills” by Julie Roten

Submitted to Contest #115

“That’s the Nights went out in Georgia, muhhhmm, blahh, hummh, that’s the night that they hung an innocent man”. Mary Beth couldn’t recall all the words to that classic song, so she kept repeating the words she did know, and blahh blahhing though the rest of it. She was trying to determine if she liked Reba McEntire’s version better, or whatever the name of the artist that sang it before, her was it maybe Vicky? She wasn’t sure of any of those answers, and she recalled how she would have solved this dilemma in the past. She would have pulled...

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“Hi, Facebook friends!” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #115

Hi, Facebook friends!This is my last post for a while. If not forever…I’m in a beautiful town in central Italy but I’m not going to tell its name, because I don’t want to be found. Actually, I’m saying goodbye to the old me… The cynical me… The don’t believe anything or feel anything me.3 days earlier…After a breakup with my girlfriend, I decided to head to Italy to clear my mind and regather myself. I was born in Sydney and my parents are Italian, but I always thought that this was the birthplace of my soul. Especially the region of Abruzzo...

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“Below Bellena” by Renie Simone

Submitted to Contest #115

DAY ONE TAPE ONE, SIDE A: 00:00 I found this recorder in a drawer somewhere. If I'd remembered where the drawer was, I’d go back and look for more tapes, but I guess I’m good with the few tapes that I have left. Well gee, you’da had more if you ain’t wasted the others on all yer ‘Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3,’ and yer ‘Is this working yet’ and yer ‘OW! I jammed the buddon’... 02:01 Ok, PepperJack, thanks for your input! But you know I don’t know how to work these things. That’ll happen sometimes–the interjections. You see, when a ...

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Set your story in a town disconnected from the rest of the world.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 36 stories

“Saint Eden's.” by Charles Dean

“There is a Place” by Walinda Pollard

“Bathel Alta” by J. W.

“What Lies Beyond” by Prithviraj Suryawanshi

“Dimly Lit Stars ” by Saadiq Smith

“Eggs For Breakfast” by Avocado Universe

“A Story of Panton” by Cassidy Gray

“the difference” by Ensley S

“Reconnected” by Kristupas Sirvydis

“The Tale of Hamathy” by Elizabeth Camp

“We're All Very Simple” by C. M. Sinnott

“Jacob’s Well” by E.T. Little

“Georgia's Hills” by Julie Roten

“Hi, Facebook friends!” by Mark Nero

“Below Bellena” by Renie Simone

🌟 Similar 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.

Write about a character who feels like they're cut off from something.

Start or end your story with a character scrolling (or doomscrolling) through social media.

Write a story where a device goes haywire.

Contest #115

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

175

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: