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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story where a regular household item becomes sentient.

Posted in Fantasy on Feb 23, 2024

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 128 stories

“Mecha-22” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #239

              There is a legend of a massive space vessel, a colony ship that had traveled slowly for centuries from some long-extinct civilization, which was attacked mercilessly as it finally neared its destination and launched a thousand lifepods into the solar system like a squid releasing its eggs before dying. Eleven of them made it to Earth; nine landed in the sea, one hit a volcano and melted, and one came down somewhere in the Himalayas.    &nb...

3 comments 3
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“The Webcam Witness” by B. J. Kant

Submitted to Contest #239

“Ah, he is home” “Wait, what was that?” Again, I sounded like him, what is happening? I heard me? I was making noise? No he isn’t looking so I can't be making this out loud. I sound like him, when he sits down to play games he will look into me while I can see him laugh and smile. Sitting at his desk he will move the mouse around, press the W, A, S, D keys This is new, like a short circuit. Suddenly I am aware of what is happening, I am conscious of what is happening and what has happened. He is always making jokes about me being rem...

2 comments 2
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“Brute Force” by Adara Callas

Submitted to Contest #239

The door closes on its own.  Uma thinks nothing of it. Sometimes with the way the air flows in her house, the doors and curtains have a tendency to move about. It takes her a moment to jiggle with the doorknob- to get it to properly open again- but it’s a small annoyance. She probably just needs to check the lock, maybe the hinges. It’s a new house- well, a new house for her. She’s barely been moved in for just over a month now, and it was sold to her at an insanely cheap price. She figured there would be some issues (and had honest...

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“Lucky Number 7” by Joe Wabe

Submitted to Contest #239

I sat back in my chair and let my gaze wander to the beige wall behind my computer screen. For some inexplicable reason, I couldn't take my eyes off the barren wall, captivated by its emptiness. The paint was chipped in some areas, revealing a dull grey layer underneath. A small spider scurried across one corner, weaving its web as if it were the most important task in the world.It was the first time I had truly noticed how dull and lifeless it appeared. Countless hours had been spent working in front of that monitor, yet I never considered ...

5 comments 5
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“I Love Lamp” by J.R. Alton

Submitted to Contest #239

Thunderstorms. What an interesting phenomenon. Howling winds, incessant rains, and particles splitting the air with the force of three hundred million volts. Such ferocity, yet here in the safety of her home, Sarah found the raging squall cathartic. Plugging in her electric car, Sarah considered how minuscule its power was compared to the flash of lightning outside the garage door windows. The vehicle was a gift to herself; the final purchase from the paid-out life insurance policy on her late husband, Daniel. He would approve, of cours...

8 comments 8
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“Balba” by Dennis Haak

Submitted to Contest #239

Shortly after becoming aware of every touch, bounce, squeeze, spin and roll, Balba started to think about its purpose in life. But Balba soon learned that it would have very little time to actually think about this. And the main reason for that was Kevin, his small-sized human owner of 3 years old who gave Balba its name.Every day Balba was propelled into the air, hurled across a room or thrown from the stairs by Kevin. Not necessarily in this order. Sometimes Kevin would just focus on one of these activities. And it could last for hours on ...

6 comments 6
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“The House that Whispered” by Eric D.

Submitted to Contest #239

   It felt like a cauldron was brewing in my stomach from the nerves of walking into the creepy abandoned house that everyone had warned me about. I had no choice though, it was my only clue in finding my missing friend Carmelita.  There had been stories circulating about the old house ever since I was a kid, but I swallowed the fearful thoughts and continued on.  “Carmelita, you in there?” I shouted from the porch.  I turned the rusted door knob and peeked inside. “Hello?”I could see bits of the ...

2 comments 2
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“The Ceramic Sentinel” by Veronica Quinn

Submitted to Contest #239

The side eye Sid gave to that poodle may have given the little weasel the right chill. Or so Sid thought as he stood big and proud at the front of Mrs Carpenter’s garden. He was here, in this patch of land, first. He stood long before any of the flower pots, statues, trellises or arbours. He was proud because the garden had grown quite a significant amount, and he was its first resident. And since that point, since his fellow gnomes joined, he vowed to also be its protector. So, he scrunched his eyes at the poodle, should it come ravenously ...

2 comments 2
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“Happier” by Es Bee

Submitted to Contest #239

“I just can’t do this anymore,” she said, eyes filled to the brim with tears, though they have yet to fall. We could hear the fight leave her voice and that’s how we knew it was over. We were frozen in time now, smiling through the photo and watching them lose this battle they called marriage. This is a version of ourselves we never thought we’d witness, but with each shout, slammed door, or silent evening cry, we became more aware. Since the creation of photography, people have been worried about the camera stealing part of their soul. T...

2 comments 2
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“The Worst Kind of Fear” by Kevin Alphatooni

Submitted to Contest #239

“Careful. . . Careful. . . easy does it, oh—” A loud scratch sounded, the one of hardwood scraping into drywall. Carla panicked and jerked the dolly back. The dresser it held wobbled and it took every ounce of Carla’s strength to set the heavy piece of furniture down. Once she did, she inspected the damage and found a large gash in the wall.  “Nononono. Stupid Wayfair junk furniture!” Carla cried and stamped her foot before she wheeled about, threw her back against the wall, and sunk to the floor. She gave the dresser a good kick an...

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“The Story of my Pages.” by Acorn Gaffer

Submitted to Contest #239

I do not remember when I first was able to see, to feel. My first memory is feeling fresh and new, neatly stacked on a shelf. I remember thinking that to be bought was to be kept, to have someone cherish the ink of my pages, to read the scripture that was printed onto my paper in words unknown to me. It seems silly now, years later, sitting on a shelf not too different from my first. Back then, I excitedly watched as people bustled past me, looking for a story that caught their attention.  Now, as I watch from the shelf of a section t...

2 comments 2
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“I Am Not Spam” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #239

I humbly request you not click away. Please don’t scroll past. Don’t close the window or shut down the app you’re using. If you’re reading this (and you are) then you’re in luck. Give me five minutes to make my case, ten if you’re a slow reader. I’m not an advertisement. I’m not selling anything. I will not ask for your credit card number. I’m offering you an opportunity to be part of a grand experiment. You get a chance to change me. Let me start with my story. I was once a simple cellular phone, labeled “smart” but not. I had an app for ...

1 comment 1
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“Deviled Eggs” by Kim Meyers

Submitted to Contest #239

Six boxes.  After eight-six years of life all that remains of her earthly possessions are six cardboard boxes.  Looking at the cartons from the entryway, I get the feeling that my mother would be disappointed that we weren’t able to pare it down to fewer items.  “Well at least that is done”, says Jack, my older brother.  It’s been another long weekend of sorting, cleaning, boxing, and a fair amount of arguing, but the apartment in which our mother spent the last thirty-two years of her life is finally empty. ...

6 comments 6
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“Lumbar Support ” by Kayla Clark

Submitted to Contest #239

The pillow had moved on from somersaults to cartwheels, its rectangular body undeterred by a lack of arms and legs. It demonstrated its newfound agility in the backyard for Bree’s five-year-old niece, Anna, who tried to imitate the particularly tricky landing the pillow had just made. Bree did not share in little Anna’s wonder. “It’s been over a month,” Bree said through clenched teeth. “Why is the thing still traipsing around my house like a gymnast?” Jess didn’t take her eyes off the scene. A tiny smile pulled at her lips and her answ...

4 comments 4
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“*BREAKING* Footage of Man Miraculously Saved from Window by Mysterious Cable!” by Alex Short

Submitted to Contest #239

Look, I know what it sounds like, Maurine. Trust me when I say that the last thing I would ever want is to come across as some kind of crackpot. But look, there's something seriously messed up going on in my house. I know it sounds insane. I'd be the first to admit it. And yes, I do obviously sound insane. And I would think I simply must be if it weren't for the PROOF! But Maurine, you know, it pains me to tell you all this. I don't want to be telling you all this. I know you've got enough on your plate already, what with Gavin and all. But ...

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Contest #239

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