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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✍️ 38 stories

“8 Millimeter” by Katherine Macy

Submitted to Contest #236

Basement rock stars. We were on our way. Most seniors spent their free time playing football or rugby, cheerleading, going to a coding club, or playing video games. But us? We made films. Destiny would be the most popular among us if that was an option for anyone near our group. A natural beauty without trying, she was the only one of us who people outside our group gravitated towards. She could have been a model or an actress, but she was much too ambitious for that. She was a camera girl through and through. She had an eye for detail and...

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“Traveller” by David Cantwell

Submitted to Contest #236

Like Victor Frankenstein I am, or was, a scientist. Maybe I was more like Ahab, in constant pursuit of my White Whale. I spent years focused on the singular task of making what everyone thought to be impossible. Now, instead of continuing my work I’m a slave to my creation. Trying to get control of it before it destroys me, or worse before it changes the world into the dark place I’ve seen. The place only I know about. I first read about machines like mine in The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. He referred to his main character as Traveller, I...

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“Typewriter” by Jacob Cazier

Submitted to Contest #236

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, my mind raced as I tried to grasp on to the last straw of my sanity. Hesitantly I flipped the newspaper over, baffled that it was on actual paper. My heart stopped as I read the date Sept 14 1994. Wary glances were cast my way as I tried using my finger and thumb to zoom in on the newspaper to look for any sign this was a practical joke. I found nothing, except a blackened thumb and index finger. Cold sweat began to pour down my back as the store's patrons stopped to look at me. “You alright kid?”...

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“Atari Was My First PlayStation” by Regina Nonemaker

Submitted to Contest #236

I placed the last gift, a PlayStation 5, under our Christmas tree. Even though it was for my boyfriend, my fingers twitched with anticipation. Ever since I won my first gaming system, an Atari 400, I had been a vidiot and looked forward to the long winter nights of competition we had ahead of us. I plugged in the tree lights. Multicolored orbs enchanted my eyes, forcing them to rest on the brilliant star at the top. “Wacka-wacka,” came a ghostly sound and the piercing white star softened into an orange ball. My old friends, Ms. Pac-man and Q...

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“I will always love you 80's” by Angel Kitts

Submitted to Contest #236

A spotlight shines in my eyes and wakes me from my daydream. I am standing on a narrow stairway at the side of a stage. It appears to be a high school auditorium. The tall red velvet curtains to my right are drawn back with a large golden cord. I glance around the room and see that it is filled with a cheering crowd. Behind me stands a row of teenage girls dressed in formal gowns. Not the kind we would wear to a prom. These are like the ancient southern belle kind, complete with hoop skirts. The girls are trying to squish the hoops...

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“Driving In Nebraska” by Moon-Moon Lupine

Submitted to Contest #236

Be Warned This Story Contains Nearly 15,000 Dead Bodies. Even though Demann Nebraska was only abandoned a few decades ago, its existence and history have completely vanished from living memory. You can no longer find it on any maps or signs. No one talks about Susan’s iconic Baked Nebraska, or her diner anymore. No one remembers the famous family-owned inn located on Gertrude road. Route 61 has fallen silent, no longer do you hear the church bells, the traffic, or the chatter from the gas station rest stop. The radio station has ceased its...

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“PlayStation Time Machine” by Robyn Bright

Submitted to Contest #236

A thick layer of dust encased the console, seemingly trapping the original PlayStation in time. As Ryan stared at the simple gray box, she tried to remember the last time she’d seen it, let alone played with it. It had to have been with her brother, he was the one obsessed with video games. James would spend hours locked in his room staring at screens when they were growing up. On the weekends, their mom had to force him out of the house and away from the latest gaming console and game craze. Ryan never had the same connection to these virtu...

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“Father/Time” by Blake Thornton

Submitted to Contest #236

The view of the night sky from Hunter’s back patio was exceptionally dark on an unusually warm February evening. While his son was peacefully asleep upstairs, he was enjoying his usual Tuesday ritual with his closest friends, Rocky Patel, Evan Williams, and Pierce Brown. Although this was usually his small slice of time to himself, he found his thoughts racing about life, and his place in it. Today was his Dad’s birthday, and it was the first birthday Hunter would be without his dad since he passed away a few months ago. Shortly before his d...

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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

✍️ 38 stories

“8 Millimeter” by Katherine Macy

“Traveller” by David Cantwell

“Typewriter” by Jacob Cazier

“Atari Was My First PlayStation” by Regina Nonemaker

“I will always love you 80's” by Angel Kitts

“Driving In Nebraska” by Moon-Moon Lupine

“PlayStation Time Machine” by Robyn Bright

“Father/Time” by Blake Thornton

🌟 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

184

Contest entries

83

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: