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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

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

Posted in Mystery on Feb 2, 2024

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✍️ 37 stories

“When Jake Seen All The Drama He Gasped” by Antasia S Armour

Submitted to Contest #236

Jake's family was as close as can be; they were known to hang out and make beautiful babies a reality. They were a thinking clan of winners who wanted to be happy at all costs. For these last few years they were extremely happy but then one day it became painfully clear that something was amiss. When the night came and fell it began to seep into his bones kind of like a fallen angel appearing in his slumber.  When thoughts hit him that his will was done, he looked into a mirror that was sitting on the table and didn't want to flip it o...

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“This Old Attic” by Tee Farewell

Submitted to Contest #236

As I tackled the never-ending chore of cleaning our home, my gaze wandered towards the door on the ceiling. It leads to the attic. The sight of it caused me to shiver, stirring up memories long buried beneath the weight of time. A single rope dangled off of a lever. It swayed as if trying to call me to it. Pulling the rope would release the stairs, granting access to a space I hoped never to visit. I hesitated, though I should have walked away then. The last time I ventured into an attic was in the old house where I grew up. Now, it exists o...

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“Heritage” by Brittany Jung

Submitted to Contest #236

“I’m sorry but we don’t carry that part anymore.” The salesman looked at me like I was the crazy one. I sighed, with disappointment enveloping me. I could tell the salesman was anxiously waiting for me to leave, but my feet didn’t want to move. If I stared at him long enough maybe he could magically make the part appear. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Impatience in his tone. “No thank you,” I replied as I turned around, my feet finally making their way to the automatic glass doors. The computer was ancient anyway, all bul...

5 comments 5
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“The Hawthorne Snake” by Emily Heneisen

Submitted to Contest #236

Grandpa’s funeral was what I like to call a shitshow. The old man couldn’t even get an hour of peace before he had family members bombarding his casket, desperate to get a glimpse of him, maybe see if the rumors surrounding his death were true. The thick bandages still wrapped around his neck proved that they were. I think the main issue with the funeral was its publicity. The guest list was too long, and few names had any objective relation to Grandpa. I opted for a smaller, more private event. They outvoted me. “He would’ve wanted the wor...

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“Computers Now and Then” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #236

It was Ralph’s first experience attending a funeral. It was held to honour his grandfather Griff, for whom Ralph had a lot of love and respect. There were a good number of people there. Ralph’s father had whisper suggested to him what he thought the reason for that was. Grandfather Griff was quite rich, and there was going to be a reading of the will immediately after the funeral. Raw greed led to significant attendance of family members, friends and the staff that worked for him in his business. Ralph had planned t...

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“ZimMedved” by J. Westley Baird

Submitted to Contest #236

Contains mature language. ZimMedved “I dunno about this George, shouldn’t we just hire a professional?” “I already told you. I’ve taken it to every tech store this side of the Golden Gate. Silicon Valley just doesn’t care about this stuff anymore. But I know what I'm doing.” “Crash-coursing on YouTube doesn’t make you a professional.” “Listen, Rich,” George huffed, looking down at his younger brother. “If you’re not gonna do anything helpful, then I’ll see you later. But I for one happen to care about what Granny and Gramps left behind.”...

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“Windows in the Past” by JP G

Submitted to Contest #236

Had it been five minutes or an hour? I wasn’t sure how long I had been standing there. The autumn breeze carried a hint of nostalgia as I stood facing the door to my past. I hadn’t visited my grandparents’ house since Grandpa had followed my Grandma to rest two years ago. This was a visit I had been dreading. But out of everyone in the family, I drew the short straw. Now it was time to roll up my sleeves and dig elbows deep through a lifetime of memories to see what needed to be kept and what needed to be sold.  I slowly pushed the wo...

4 comments 4
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“Finding Equanimity ” by Samantha Barrett

Submitted to Contest #236

The smell assaulted her before she ever reached the top of the stairs- old and musty.  The property looked as if it had been deserted for ages but according to the attorney, it had been occupied until three weeks ago when her paternal grandfather died. The smell mixed with her uncertainty and disbelief was making her nauseous. Searching for courage, she stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back toward the driveway leaning on the porch rail. Looking over the front yard and into the field across the street, she saw rolling green...

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“Digital Girl” by Agris Engelis

Submitted to Contest #236

It’s been three years since Scarlet moved away for college. She came back this summer to visit her parents for a month. “Scarlet. Can you clear out the shed, it’s really filled up with a lot of unnecessary rubbish?” Mom has been trying to get Scarlet’s dad to clear the shed since she moved, and he still hadn’t done it. “Sure mom. I do have to meet my friends later today, but I’ll help as much as I can.” After breakfast, Scarlet walked towards the living room where dad was resting. “Don’t even try. He hasn’t moved his ass around the house si...

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“State of the art.... When I bought it.” by D.C. Reed

Submitted to Contest #236

213243 Finally. I’ve learned better than to yell or curse out loud. The first few times people understand, the next dozen you get looks, after a few hundred you are an outcast, and the thousandth, well, at that point you’ve moved past the place of caring that people think you have leprosy. Only cursing the gods a few thousand times is praiseworthy, considering how many password tries it has taken to crack this ancient tomb described to me as: “state-of-the art… when they bought it.” Since the summer of my sophomore year, I’ve spent ...

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“What Happened to Riley White?” by Emily M. Reiser

Submitted to Contest #236

I was intrigued when I found the dusty computer in the attic. My parents claimed they had never laid eyes on it. I brought it back to my room, wondering what a mysterious computer was doing in our house.  After plugging it in, the screen lit up right away. The background remained black with words trickling across the screen. The same word in green filled the entire screen in seconds. Adams. It took a quick internet search on my phone to pull up a few people with the last name Adams that lived in town. Curiosity fully engulfed me as I...

2 comments 2
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“If Only. M.C.” by KellA Frioli

Submitted to Contest #236

The Cooper family. The best family in town. The family way always happy. The family with the brown eyes and dark hair who never fought.No problems. No secrets. Nothing. Right? “Charlie! Get out of my room!” Yelled Mary, the middle child. She had the worst relationship with all of them. Even her parents. She just couldn’t wait the day to leave that house. Those people. And she would do what ever it was required to just not have a single fight.With her brothers, or parents, or friends, or anyone. She would do anything for peace. Anything. “You...

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“A Computer for Practice” by Jake Asbell

Submitted to Contest #236

What would you do if you were born the son of a brilliant scientist? I’ll tell you what I would do, what I am. I’d always be curious. Though I can’t remember much from when I was younger, my father told me I was always a curious kid. While other kids played outside, I observed what was around me. One day, my father was too busy to answer my questions, so he gave me access to his library to look up the answers independently. Looking back, that was probably when I stopped going outside as much. At the time, I thought there was no point in expl...

3 comments 3
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“Computers Now and Then” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #236

It was Ralph’s first experience attending a funeral. It was held to honour his grandfather Griff, for whom Ralph had a lot of love and respect. There were a good number of people there. Ralph’s father had whisper suggested to him what he thought the reason for that was. Grandfather Griff was quite rich, and there was going to be a reading of the will immediately after the funeral. Raw greed led to significant attendance of family members, friends and the staff that worked for him in his business.Ralph had planned to ...

0 comments 0
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“The File” by A.J. Williams

Submitted to Contest #236

Suburbs of Allen Commune of Boston, Massachusetts 2044 A woman in her middle years, with black hair turning gray, was using an older desktop computer. It was a Dell model with important information inside, information she urgently needed. However, she couldn't access the computer's main user without the required password. Feeling frustrated, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and thought about her father's favorite activities: fishing, hunting, volunteering, stamp collecting, and raising dogs. Trying different passwords, she atte...

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Contest #236

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Title: Frozen Lemonade

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