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

Posted in Mystery on Feb 3, 2023

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✍️ 81 stories

“Coffee” by J T

Submitted to Contest #184

After carefully selecting her items, the woman paid for her thrift store purchases. The clerk judiciously wrapped the working coffee pot with an uncracked carafe, a beat-up coffee grinder, and a white embossed coffee mug. The woman cautiously pulled the scarf over her head and settled sunglasses over her eyes as she exited. She stopped at the corner store mart for some filters and made her way to the sparsely furnished apartment she’d recently rented. As she entered her place, the woman carefully turned each door lock, leaving a random one...

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“As A Matter of Fact ” by Tamara Roman

Submitted to Contest #184

AS A MATTER OF FACT Let’s take a moment to breathe in, and breathe out. I thought to myself as I closed my eyes and allowed the flow of my breath to move through me. The music danced in my ears and a gental breeze whispered past the hairs that gave goosebumps to my arms. I let thirty minuets pass as I allow my mind to cleanse. I opened my eyes to the dimmed living room light and rested them on the fan in the corner. Back and forth, it sends whispers to all who acknowledge it. My gaze moved to the cup of coffee that has been sitting acros...

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“Touch of a Button” by Deb Runyon

Submitted to Contest #184

"Wait! Don't you dare hang up on me again. I---" Donnie slammed his cell phone onto his desk and swore softly to himself when the line was disconnected once more. Irritated, he hoisted his extra large frame from his sagging swivel chair and lumbered out of his office towards the kitchen for a necessary restorative snack; after all, he'd earned it while undergoing all the phone stress he'd experienced when trying to reach Customer Service. "What a wretched company. Every time I call them, ...

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“Cogito” by Spencer Valentine

Submitted to Contest #184

I first met Thaddeus Rathbone during my undergraduate program at UCLA. There for different majors - he for computer science and I for graphic design - we shared several gen eds and a deep love of all things tech. From the wheel to cell phones, many study sessions were spent gushing over the most interesting thing we saw in Wired or some gear one of us recently acquired. Fast friends, our favorite after school pasttime was scouting garage sales for rare or old machines and parts. The summer going into our senior year, he hosted me at his (pa...

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“1540 Whenroe Street” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #184

Life Goes On I run through the pouring rain, despondent pitter-patters resounding around me. I’ve missed the rain, I’ve missed it since we arrived 3 years ago. I am 14 now, still a child yet far too old. I keep moving. I don’t know where I’m going, but I will soon. Somewhere I’ll never have to miss the rain. Before, we lived in Hawaii. We had a small house next to the shore, on weekends we would walk to the beach, mama, papa and me. Back then it wasn’t crowded, just us and the neighbors. My best friend was Minna. We built sandcastles toge...

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“ALINA” by Ken Miles

Submitted to Contest #184

“Customer Care. How can I help you, Sir?” She has the perfect voice. And it’s been a while since a woman last spoke to Sinclair.“It’s my kettle... hmm... yes, the kettle...”“What is the problem with your kettle, Sir?”“It doesn’t work. Won’t boil water. It’s the only thing kettles do. And mine won’t do it.”“What’s the model number, Sir?”“Model number?”“We make many kettles, Sir. Some older models have it embossed underneath, others on the side at spout level.”“It’s not on the side. Must be underneath then.”“Can you check for me, Sir?”“Sinclai...

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“Troxler Effect” by Phineas Andrews

Submitted to Contest #184

19th December 2022. I watched the soccer match that would forever be earmarked in history books as the most unbelievable game to ever take place. Kylian Mbappe had just scored against the Argentinian team. It was Kylian’s 11th consecutive goal against goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, with 15 minutes still remaining on the clock. The Frenchman was on the cusp of being the first person in history to score a quadruple hattrick in a singular match.The game was deplorable, and I couldn’t help but think how this may be another prime example of the c...

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“Make All My Mountains a Road” by Kristin McDavid

Submitted to Contest #184

Ady felt the drain from months of traveling, but knew that clarity was just on the horizon. When you spend extended time alone, it has a way of bringing a brightness….inspiration even. Her final stop was just hours away, the Sanctuary of Asclepius. Greece had always been on her list of travels, and somehow this journey, work related but also deeply personal, finally led her here. As the guide droned on about the distant mountains of Attica, Ady reached into her bag to look for her itinerary, and pricked her finger on...

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“Look What You Made Me Do ” by Mazie Maris

Submitted to Contest #184

The most annoying thing about being a writer is having stories come to my mind at the worst times. Right before falling asleep, while driving, or drying my hair. They never pop up when my hands are conveniently free or I have the time or space to sit and write. They just enter my brain, create a little excitement and chaos, and then disappear into thin air, never to be remembered again. The story of Kate though, is one that never leaves, no matter how much I would like it to, or how much I wish it had never entered my brain. Kate has becom...

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“The Brief Persistent” by Ana Marina Rúa

Submitted to Contest #184

Emilia. I found three pairs early that evening. They were lined up in a row behind the loose slat in the cupboard, right where my uncle hides the tuna cans that he's not supposed to feed to the cat. I stood there for quite a while, staring at the small round shapes, although I couldn’t quite make out the colors in the half-dark. There was the familiar jolt, the surprise followed by recognition, as it always happens. And, as always, something sweet and sandy burst in my throat, shrinking back into a tight ball of treacle. I clench...

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“The End” by Andrew Sweet

Submitted to Contest #184

Why do such nefarious things always happen when I’m supposed to be in bed? This was the thought that Tarina Persson considered, though nothing truly nefarious had yet occurred. Tarina was about as far from nefarious as she could be, still in her long-sleeve bamboo pajamas—her favorites, incidentally—black with white trim and vaguely reminiscent of a sailor’s uniform. However, Tarina was well aware that the wind outside, which had suddenly stopped, had, until then, whipped the coniferous trees by her back patio into a frenzy. And a quick exam...

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“A Glitch into the Future ” by Crystal Grau

Submitted to Contest #184

“This fog is getting pretty thick we better get back to the cabin”, said Neva. She noticed the visibility ahead was narrowing down to only a few yards, anything beyond that unseen. As her husband Finn agreed, he turned their blue Chevy Cobalt around. They had decided to take a break from being in their secluded cabin and take a sightseeing drive through the woods. They both loved the outdoors now, watching nature and taking it all in. Neva especially, capturing pictures of the gloomy skies above that cast an ominous landscape and birds...

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“Control” by Lexi Rose

Submitted to Contest #184

TW: There is mention of death, suicide, and insanity."Mara,""Mara,""MARA,"I don't even know if I am Mara anymore. I don't think the version of me shouting knows either. That's why it has to end.Three weeks ago...Of course today is going to start off like this. I wake up to the fire alarm going off in my neighbor's apartment. She's 90 and probably shouldn't be living on her own. I've offered Mrs. Brady to live with me many times, but she never take the offer.KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK "Mrs. Brady?" No reply. I knock again. "Mrs. Brady?""Yes dear?" her...

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“George the Genius” by William Simon

Submitted to Contest #184

George Roundtree’s childhood had been normal to a fault. He was born and raised in the suburbs of Birmingham. A perfectly average place, and for the most part he’d been perfectly average himself. The 50th percentile in mostly everything he was involved himself in. Right at the tippity top of that bell curve was where he’d grown up. He’d been an ok footballer as a kid, nothing special. His grades were all C’s and B’s. He wasn’t unpleasant in appearance, but his face was very forgettable. If he’d ever gone missing the description porti...

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“The Elven Boots” by Alistair James

Submitted to Contest #184

Little did I realise that my visit to Fogarty's Gentleman's Outfitters for Field and Gun would result in the extraordinary events that followed. I needed new walking boots. My current boots had served their time; they were comfortable but badly worn, and they had lost their grip. Fogarty's was in Ring Street, a Dickensian back-alley in my hometown of Brome. The small bell, suspended over the door, tinkled as I went in. It sounded almost embarrassed to be announcing the arrival of a customer. The shop smelt of polish and old clothes. I gl...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 81 stories

“Coffee” by J T

“As A Matter of Fact ” by Tamara Roman

“Touch of a Button” by Deb Runyon

“Cogito” by Spencer Valentine

“1540 Whenroe Street” by Cassandra Fan

“ALINA” by Ken Miles

“Troxler Effect” by Phineas Andrews

“Make All My Mountains a Road” by Kristin McDavid

“Look What You Made Me Do ” by Mazie Maris

“The Brief Persistent” by Ana Marina Rúa

“The End” by Andrew Sweet

“A Glitch into the Future ” by Crystal Grau

“Control” by Lexi Rose

“George the Genius” by William Simon

“The Elven Boots” by Alistair James

🌟 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

280

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: