Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.

Posted in Fantasy on Aug 12, 2022

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✍️ 62 stories

“Blood and Cookies ” by Daniel Allen

🏆 Winner of Contest #159

TW: Contains some descriptions of blood and violencePhilip smiled at me as I shuffled towards his counter. ‘Morning Frank, how can I help you?’Good. If Philip was in a cheerful mood, that would make this much easier. I smiled back at him. ‘One course of antibiotics, please.’He eyed me with concern. ‘You’re sick?’‘No,’ I replied. ‘Katy is. She’s got crimson fever.’Philip’s eyes widened. ‘I’ll get your meds right away.’ He put on his spectacles and turned to rifle through the bottles and packets filling the shelves behind him, the harsh white ...

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“The Great Equality Act” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #159

Astrid buckled her seatbelt and turned on her seat warmers. “Ahhh,” she sighed as she waited for her toosh to unthaw from the frigid air outside. She clicked on the AM radio station, her morning ritual, and backed out of the driveway towards her, now regular, route to work. “We want our lives back,” a lady on the radio announced, “Ever since The Great Equality Act was put into effect last year, those of us hard-working individuals who actually paid for our college and worked hard to earn our big money, are the ones who are losing out. It...

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“Kramblitt” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #159

Malt Anderson stopped vacuuming when a Brussels sprout rolled out of the hallway and bumped into his foot. He scratched his head and picked it up to make sure, and yes, it was indeed a Brussels sprout, out for a stroll in the living room.He looked down the hall and saw another sprout roll out of the kitchen. It bumped off the wall and also wobbled towards the living room. Mom always said the apartment was tilted to one side, so he supposed it was true.Then he heard a noise from the kitchen, and frowned. It was a grunt, a thud, a rip. A wet m...

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“The cost of dreams” by C.B. Chribby

Submitted to Contest #159

Nova’s first reaction to getting shot in the heart was to freeze. It could have been the shock but in her mind, she thought if she just held still, maybe it would be okay. Maybe she could assess the damage and maybe things would return to normal if she just held very, very still. But alas, the bullet had torn her heart in half, torn her future to ribbons. The next thing she knew, the world rotated around her and she was suddenly on her back. Her body wouldn’t respond. She felt scared, but for the first time (and last), her pulse was ...

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“Amber Code Hell” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #159

Last week after getting off a flight in Hong Kong and being sent into a 3-day hotel quarantine, I was naked, alone and afraid. Admittedly, only naked when I needed a shower, but alone and afraid much of the other time. After disembarking the plane, I notice the authorities have worked out all the detours I might make before showing up at the hotel. Shops. Bars. Walks in the park. I'm channelled out of the airport and straight into a taxi with locked doors. In the early days of quarantine, more than a few tourists had stopped for ‘a...

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“How Much Does A Memory Cost?” by Camille Mockingjay

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #159

“How much does this cost?” I asked the seller, holding out my selection of bread and fruit. “Just a small memory,” he answered. “A happy one, if you don’t mind, Estelle.” I nodded and pointed to my head. He did the same, and I thought of a small happy memory. Fifth grade, answering a question right. Small but happy. The seller smiled, satisfied. He would watch the scene once, but the memory was not his to keep. It would go in The Book, full of memories playing over and over like a long movie. He would receive food for every me...

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“Down in the Dark, Where the Hunters Lark” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #159

TW: Swearing, guns and black mold. Esmerelda banged a sack of skulls down on the bar. The barman looked at her with disgust. “You know we don’t conduct business here Es, take them through the back.” He pushed open the door beside him printed with the words STAFF ONLY. The door creaked on brass hinges. Behind it was a room of kegs and bottles. Behind that, another door. Hammering the reinforced door...

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“The Dreamer” by Sable Rivers

Submitted to Contest #159

On a night when the stars shied behind a cover of clouds, Imogen Salor visited the shop of the Dreamer. It was a squat building sitting alone at the edge of a field, eaves hanging low over the entry. Imogen paused at the threshold, reigned in her nerves, and turned the glass knob. Inside was a dim lobby area lit by a single candelabra. Though it was vacant, she could hear conversation through heavy velvet curtains on the far wall. Imogen paced as she waited. After some minutes, a man whose shiny shoes reflected the yellow candlelight appe...

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“The 8th Iteration (second part)” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #159

(Shibboleth: a word or emblem that distinguishes members of one social group from another.) “Do you really think he’ll commit suicide here in Beijing?”“No waaay. It’d be the last time a 22nd Century Entertainment artist is allowed in China.”Morris James©, presiding world monarch of grind music, overhears a couple of teenage girls on line 13 of the Beijing subway system. The train is headed toward Wudaokuo, a sector of the capitol known for its universities and night life. James mounted a subway car that didn’t requir...

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“Little Things Lead” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #159

“We’re gonna do big things,” said Graham as he shook hands with James, the shop-keeper. James smiled, but did not look happy. Martin watched them talk. You could hear the wheels turning in his head. James glanced at Martin with anxious eyes. Martin said, “Graham’s my point man, Jim. I’ll be traveling more. Graham will always be accessible.” James nodded. “Safe travels, Marty.” Martin guided Graham toward the door. “Come on. We’ve got things to do.” Graham spoke over his shoulder. “I’ll come in. Update your paperwork. Answer your questions...

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“The Crafter” by Jocelyn Nelson

Submitted to Contest #159

The line outside of the “Blood Pen” was shorter than Elloise had expected but twice as grim. The Crafter had only arrived in town yesterday with the sign that now hung over the shop slung on his back. Mayor Dyal set him up immediately in the abandoned building reserved for such a tradesman. Their town had not seen a Crafter in over five years. They did not have much to pay one with. The Scarmen took their toll on Elloise’s town. It was close to the capitol, high in population, and did not provide necessary goods to the kingdom like the farmi...

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“Due Payment” by Taylor Greny

Submitted to Contest #159

That morning, Ivy’s alarm was the smell of cinnamon. Her nose, red from the air vent directly above her head, twitched and her dark eyes fluttered open. Sitting up, she felt her bones crack and crinkle. Her pale, freckled arms were creased all over from the blankets. She must’ve slept like a baby. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes with clenched fists, she looked around. Sabel’s room was something out of a fairytale. Ivy was used to her laundry littered studio apartment, and the sanctuary she was sat in now was the complete opposite. The ...

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“Traders” by Sally Morem

Submitted to Contest #159

Josh Einsley stood on the basement’s concrete floor as he adjusted flow rates on the control board for the Switzer Universal Toner System while Jinjo checked the tank. “Ah, there. The microbes just needed a little more protein.” “Yep. She’s runnin’ good now, boss.” This system was the best for generating pure toner for six of his 3-D printers upstairs. It was pretty good for the other 16. Josh looked up at the ceiling. All the feeder lines running up to the first floor were clean. No leaks. But with two printers down and three getting cr...

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“A Goddesses Theory” by Emily Pollan

Submitted to Contest #159

Quick Note: A friend gave me the idea of using time as a currency. Without him, this story wouldn't be possible! Time is such a simple thing, yet humans struggle to comprehend it. A second is gone in a blink of my eye, and each second passing brings you closer to something. Whether that something be a life changing moment, or simply picking a rock up off the ground, that is left up to another force in the universe. This concept is so easy to understand, yet humans wrack their brains with theories… “Is there a way to get time back?” “Has...

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“Rational Choices” by J P Fierkens

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #159

I like to imagine Earth, that ancient blue gem where humanity was born. If I could I would lay myself down in a shallow pool of clean water so that it covered every part of my body except my nose and eyes, and stay there forever. Much better than laying on top of rough magnite with moldy, gray synth-cloth covering me. There is so much water on Earth that even the sky was blue. Reedie says that’s roach spit but I’ve read stuff. Typically I only get pieces of magazines like International Geographic or the occasional download of data from the o...

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Title: Blood and Cookies

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Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 62 stories

“Blood and Cookies ” by Daniel Allen

“The Great Equality Act” by Kathleen Fine

“Kramblitt” by Michał Przywara

“The cost of dreams” by C.B. Chribby

“Amber Code Hell” by Scott Christenson

“How Much Does A Memory Cost?” by Camille Mockingjay

“Down in the Dark, Where the Hunters Lark” by Graham Kinross

“The Dreamer” by Sable Rivers

“The 8th Iteration (second part)” by Mike Panasitti

“Little Things Lead” by John K Adams

“The Crafter” by Jocelyn Nelson

“Due Payment” by Taylor Greny

“Traders” by Sally Morem

“A Goddesses Theory” by Emily Pollan

“Rational Choices” by J P Fierkens

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character accepting a bribe.

Write about somebody down on their luck who unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money.

Your character checks their balance at an ATM and is surprised by the number they see.

Write about a character who’s never encountered a problem they couldn’t buy their way out of — until they do.

Contest #159

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

216

Contest entries

88

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: