Write a story about a character who is experiencing glitches in their reality.

Posted in Mystery on Feb 3, 2023

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✍️ 85 stories

“Don't Forget The Milk” by Thom Brodkin

Why does everyone buy milk? The thought perplexes you as you traverse the aisles of Jack's Mini Mart. Toilet paper makes sense. I mean, if you are going to be stuck in the house for days, you’re going to need toilet paper. But you've never seen Bear Grylls pack a gallon jug of milk in his knapsack before he heads out into the wild.The original forecast is for a light dusting of snow, but as the hours pass, the predictions grow more and more grim. Two inches, then four, then a foot or more....

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“Glitches are Unjustified ” by Sahil Monhotia

“Take them.” The doctor said as he handed me the pills. “I know that these won’t provide you with a ‘sudden alleviation,’ as the majority of my patients expect from these drugs. It takes a long time for an enormous loss to be forgotten. Naturally, you can’t forget it forever. Even your mother wished for your happiness, right?” “I agree, doctor.” I recalled that she used to ask me this question: “Ana, ...

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“A 5-Day Trip” by Suma Jayachandar

Day 5 There are countless tea shrubs lurking outside. Each one, a half-painted face of a Kathakali dancer, ready to ensnare me with their eye movements. So, I don’t dare to stare through the window from my four-poster bed. Instead, I glaze at the elaborate carvings on the wooden ceiling; giant chocolate squares sprinkled with golden blobs. My stomach growls but I have no appetite.For how long have I been lying here?Days? Months? Years!?No, it can’t be years, silly me! Though the gossamer...

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“The Light Dies if I Close My Eyes” by Dan Coglianese

Dear Reedsy community: my fellow writers and readers, You’re all in on it, aren’t you? The truth is, you’re all pretending, right? Believe me, if just one of you said you knew me, I might believe it. Do you know me? Frankly, this is the last place I still exist. I fear that soon this will be gone too. Wait, let me guess: You have no idea what I’m talking about? You thin...

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“LIFE CAN BE A GLITCH” by Susan Catucci

“KP-6, what’s taking so long? I need more coffee, you clotted bot!”I was in a foul temper. I’d gotten up early this morning, realizing I had a story due today. I’d been working on it, but not as diligently as I should have. Now I was smack up against a deadline. My piece had to be proofed and ready to go before noon if it was going to make this week’s edition of Tech Life. Where was that coffee?“KP . . . oh, great, about time. You’re really dragging this morning; I’m g...

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“Killer Kyle and Multiverse Mike” by Graham Kinross

Parental Warning: contains mention of public urination, gore, violence,drugs, and frequent pop/geek culture references.Ever feel like the walls are closing in? I definitely had a bed when I went to sleep. Next thing I know, I was lying on the cold, hard and sticky ground. There were some magazines there that I think have been out of publication for years. It was cool getting to know Kerrang's hottest artists of 2014 all over again, but I missed my bed.Then there’s my flatmate. Don’t get me wrong, the photos on the...

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“Worded” by Ash Egan

SOMEONE NEARBY HAS CHALLENGED YOU TO A GAME OF WORDED.Rob looks up from his phone as the train pulls away from the station.Standing by the door, his shoulder pressed against the handrail, he observes his fellow passengers.Eight seats face each other in the center of the carriage, occupied by commuters bathed in the glow of their smartphones and tablets and e-readers. It's busy as always and everyone is squeezed in, shoulder to shoulder. Hunched and swaying in rhythm with the train's st...

8 comments 8 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Panic” by Liz Dubelman

Lucy always set the alarm tone on her iPhone to harps because it reminded her of angels. Angels gave the day a spiritual start, though she usually woke up a few minutes before and grabbed the phone to check her texts, email and news. Sometime during this process the harps would play, but not today. Perfect lines of sunlight painted her walls, projected from the Venetian blind slats. The room was sparse because...

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“Gut Feeling” by Teresa Eder

The last thing I remembered before the fall was the look of absolute horror on my roommate‘s face. I almost felt bad about it, but honestly, who wakes up at 6am on a Sunday morning? It‘s not my fault he decided to go on a run at the brink of dawn when most people come home from a night out. That‘s what I‘d been doing- trying to sober up enough to enjoy the last cigarette before bed in my usual spot on the little balcony ...

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“Patient 1194036” by Evelyn May

Note: This story contains graphic imagery, inappropriate language, violence, some gore, and mental health related issues.The large sloppy burgers were placed down in front of the couple. The woman pulled hers closer and began to devour it, grease squeezing out and trailing down her fingers. She made loud sounds of pleasure as she sloppily shoved the burger into her mouth. The man stared at her in shock and disgust at his companion’s manner of eating.“Do you know this is the best burger in a 5-mile radiu...

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“Virtual Dead” by Kitty Turner

Lines. A grid of intersecting lines. Texture like birdshot through fine white paper. I moved my eyes. The glare was blinding at first. Blue sky and the leaves of a tree resolved through a window. Where am I, I thought. Woven in between the beep, beep, beep of my heart, I heard my name.“Lydia, are you there?” The sound came from a woman in white who I recognized as my doctor. Her name escaped me, but the knowledge that I was in a research hospital dawned—I had volunteered for bio-augmentation. I was here by choice....

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“When Two and Two Make Five” by Mike Panasitti

Sick people can do the craziest things.There was the time I came back home to Las Vegas from Orange County, where I’m a resident in a care home, and I ripped out all the carpeting at Max’s house. My mom, Maria Elena Grimaldi, has been seeing Max for fourteen months, twelve days, and nine hours. I know because I remember her telling me she met Max when he started working at the Gold Coast casino where she’s been employed for five years, eleven months, two weeks and three days—a total of three-thousand, seven-hundred, eight...

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“Life Without You” by Daniel Allen

When I become conscious, I’m not lying in bed. I’m not lying anywhere. I’m walking. My stomach lurches. I’ve had another episode. I sit down on the park bench and take a few deep breaths. It’s okay, I tell myself. Everything will be okay. You’re safe. You’re alive. They’re the same things I tell myself every time I black out. On each occasion, they become a little harder to be...

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“Memories and Dreams” by Jane Andrews

Sensitive content: mistreatment of indigenous people; mental healthIt started with the nightmares.Jed was jerked out of sleep by a frantic hammering on the door of his house. Stumbling a little in the darkness, he fumbled for his pants. He couldn’t let the townsfolk see the sheriff in his long johns.Hal Avery’s boy stood there. Wild-eyed. Staring. Behind him, his mother clutched a shawl about her shoulders with one hand, the other soothing Tom the way you’d gentle a horse.“It...

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“Bad genes” by Danae Marshall

Sarah had been vegan for so long, the thought of eating animal products was no longer just a principled stance, she was quite sure that they would make her violently ill. She was confident she had passed the point of no return. She had a vague memory of what beef tasted like - her parents frequented the local Macca’s for burger meals in her childhood - but she wasn’t sure she could trust her sense memory. She’d...

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Write a story about a character who is experiencing glitches in their reality.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 85 stories

“Don't Forget The Milk” by Thom Brodkin

“Glitches are Unjustified ” by Sahil Monhotia

“A 5-Day Trip” by Suma Jayachandar

“The Light Dies if I Close My Eyes” by Dan Coglianese

“LIFE CAN BE A GLITCH” by Susan Catucci

“Killer Kyle and Multiverse Mike” by Graham Kinross

“Worded” by Ash Egan

“Panic” by Liz Dubelman

“Gut Feeling” by Teresa Eder

“Patient 1194036” by Evelyn May

“Virtual Dead” by Kitty Turner

“When Two and Two Make Five” by Mike Panasitti

“Life Without You” by Daniel Allen

“Memories and Dreams” by Jane Andrews

“Bad genes” by Danae Marshall

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone saying “Houston, we have a problem.”

Set your story during a complete city or nation-wide blackout.

Write about someone who has chosen to disconnect and live an analog life.

Write a story where a character has to decide whether to press the button or not.

Contest #184

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

295

Contest entries

130

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: