Write a time-travel story where a character from the present finds themselves in the 80s or 90s.

Posted in Historical Fiction on Feb 2, 2024

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✍️ 37 stories

“Be Kind. Rewind.” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #236

I would never have thought that Mr. Arnold was a meathead back in the day. That’s the thing about time. It’s like an Instagram post you’ve run through a hundred filters. It gets to the point where you wouldn’t even recognize where that final image started. I believe the film buffs call the story that is about to unfold a ‘romp.’ Buckle up. You’re not gonna believe where this one is going. I sure didn’t.Our story begins when the substitute English teacher drops the “C” word. The tea is that they caught the cancer late—like Stage 4—and spread ...

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“Message from a Traveler” by Honey Homecroft

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #236

It was exactly as you remembered it — your parents’ house at the end of the cul-de-sac — welcoming you as it did when the scrapes and bruises were on your limbs, not your soul. The two-story faux brick monstrosity — pinnacle of middle class wealth in 1990. And in much better shape than you had imagined on your drive here. It was all there. The garden bed your father mulched but never planted anything in. The porch where you and Jen sat drinking pop on hot days. The last window on the left — your old bedroom, and Eric's next to it. Not ...

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“My Father the Artist” by Isabella Krieg

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #236

It had been sitting on my kitchen table for about two months now. It slowly cemented itself in place as unopened letters, shopping catalogues, and magazines slowly piled around it, until only my face was left, reflecting on the small part of the screen which was still visible. After Mom died, I took the computer along with boxes of other things without really thinking. It completely slipped my mind that it needed a password until it was already in my possession. I knew it at some point, but it must've gotten lost somewhere along my time grow...

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“Something in Your Light ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #236

Aquaria missed the artistic engineer, who breathed life into his designs, singing his poetry, and giving her a lighthouse soul.She still missed her original clockwork gears from the 1890’s that rotated the beacon light inside the crystalline, multi-faceted, glass Fresnel lens. Like a giant diamond, it reflected light from all the sharp cuts.Sometimes for fun she made the light pulse against the night sky, bright as a sun then like a dim star in the distance.One night local boy Ray Olson was lurking around the lighthouse. Aquaria did her puls...

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“Hey, Macarena” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #236

In my street, there is a portal. People have been talking about it since I was young. Several people have disappeared into it, never to return. We can only speculate about what it does and where it takes them. Sometimes morbid curiosity is stronger than good sense. For decades, I resisted the temptation to go there. I was quite comfortable in my future facing life. I’ve always been keen on my tech, and I can’t seem to breathe without lifting a device. I’m a full-fledged future lover. But there was always that tug of the unknown, like a naugh...

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“The Big Country” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #236

“No!” “You fool!” “Why!?” I stare at the display on my wrist, wondering just how stupid a person can get. Truth is, anyone can be as stupid as it gets. All they have to do is not think. The truth is I panicked. Then I acted. There was no thought involved, so a default was provided. The default was 1984. I could blame George Orwell for that. We’re quick to blame, especially when we’ve done something that shames us. But then, I’d not even started to read Orwell’s book. It was the next book on my pile. One of the last thin...

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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....

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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...

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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 ...

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“Mr. E” by C.N. Jung

Submitted to Contest #236

It was as if he was staring into a reflection of his past. A reflection that exposed his true self and stripped away all the layers that had made him the hardened criminal that even the most fearsome individuals had come to dread—to tremble and cower before.It felt like gazing upon a distant memory. A pure, untainted fragment of his soul that he yearned to reach out and grasp. Hold it close, embrace it tightly, and never let it slip away.Just as he knew it had... all those years ago.“Gosh, I’m real sorry, Mister!” The little boy dropped to t...

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“Blackbird” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #236

Jack Gregory passed away quietly in his room at the Hartwell Retirement Community. His granddaughter Meghan Young was with him when he passed. He was two months shy of his ninetieth birthday and even though he lived life the way he wanted to, Meghan still shed a few tears as the doctor came in to confirm his time of death. “Condolences.” He said before departing the way he had learned in medical school. “Thank you.” Meghan dried her eyes with a tissue. “Grandpa, I’m gonna miss you.” When Meghan got home, Dale, her ...

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“Tecmo Fest 2024” by Timothy Rennels

Submitted to Contest #236

Tecmo Fest 2024Field Notes for S.I. article I have come to this Minneapolis suburb to pursue a rumor, nay, a legend. My first inkling that I had arrived was the number of parked cars surrounding the quiet cul-de-sac. The second was the ten-foot inflatable Green Bay Packer standing outside the house, checking the guest list with every breeze. I knocked on the thick wood door to no avail. I heard voices inside, so decided to persist. “Go away!” made me wonder if there was a secret knock that I hadn’t been taught. After a ...

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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...

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“Retrograde Amnesia ” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #236

The mid-autumn day was almost as perfect as anyone could ask. The sun in a brilliant blue sky emitted a gentle warmth that tempered the slight chill of the October air. The sunlight baked the red and yellow-hued leaves of the oak and maple trees that now gave off a musky, earthy scent. The aged and somber parade of three sorrowful participants snaked around the yard, coming to a halt several times. The head of the trio stopped to gather strength to continue or to inspect landmarks of interest. It was...

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“The Spin” by Nicole Eaton

Submitted to Contest #236

Friday night. Just got home from my 9-5 and am exhausted. Can't change into my pj's yet, because we are running out to grab a pizza . Only then can I get comfy. In the meantime, I dip club crackers into hot sauce because I skipped lunch and am starving. I flip on the roku and Indiana Jones and the Temple of doom is streaming. I remember when I was a kid, my parents hired a babysitter and went to go see it at the theatre. They got dressed up and went out for dinner. My mom put on a black dress and red lipstick and I could smell he...

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Write a time-travel story where a character from the present finds themselves in the 80s or 90s.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“Be Kind. Rewind.” by Jonathan Page

“Message from a Traveler” by Honey Homecroft

“My Father the Artist” by Isabella Krieg

“Something in Your Light ” by Kristi Gott

“Hey, Macarena” by Keelan LaForge

“The Big Country” by Jed Cope

“Deja Vu Moments” by Hannah Lynn

“Ethereal Expedition ” by Myranda Marie

“Paradox” by HC Edwards

“Mr. E” by C.N. Jung

“Blackbird” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Tecmo Fest 2024” by Timothy Rennels

“A Small Abandoned Reality” by Cajek Veilwinter

“Retrograde Amnesia ” by Vesta Bartholomew

“The Spin” by Nicole Eaton

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character finding a retro piece of tech they don’t recognize.

Write a story about someone finally gaining access into their family’s very old computer.

Write a story about a grown-up sharing their favorite childhood video game with their child.

Write about a character who isn’t nostalgic about their past at all, and show readers why.

Contest #236

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

181

Contest entries

81

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: