Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role.

Posted in Science Fiction on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 27 stories

“Free” by Sherri Moorer

🏆 Winner of Contest #150

Zelina walked in the middle of the train track. She and her sister used to lay in bed listening for the comforting whistle of the train that passed at three o’clock every morning. Their father was a conductor of a shipping train that ran overnight runs. They would listen for the whistle and wonder if it was Dad’s train. Now her sister was buried at the cemetery up the hill from these tracks. What now? Would she ever be happy again? Would this sadness sit on her soul ever leave? What was she supposed to do? How would she manage without on...

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“A Work in Progress” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #150

“Nine, eight, five, three, three…”He reads the numbers, and my face burns. I stand at the edge of the hallway, somewhere by the swinging doors, and posters advocating Girls in Science. A group of teenage boys loiter by the pinboard.The first tests results are out. The scores printed next to the ID numbers. And there’s unrest amongst the troops.“Is it you, Troy?”“James?”“No, he didn’t finish.”“Cody? Surely, it’s not you?”The boys mill by the pinboard, accusations flying, suspicions looming, ID cards waving, intent on deciphering the owner of ...

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“The Weight of Blue” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

Submitted to Contest #150

Content Warning: mentions of assisted dying. The couple sits across from me, her hand in his, and I ask myself if I have the strength to break their hearts. Her face hides nothing: tears already quiver, ready to fall no matter what I say. His fist rests on a rapidly bouncing knee.I tear my eyes away from the screen.“I’m so sorry. There is an incredibly high demand for fertility treatment. You aren’t eligible.”What comes next is painful enough, but not for the first time, it strikes me that I’m more than just another stranger in their lives. ...

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“Just Call me Al” by Sharon Hancock

Submitted to Contest #150

“Well, Son, your mother was on a lot of drugs and your head was so big.” At least Dad was somewhat apologetic. Mom….not so much. “Thirty-six hours of pushing that enormous head of yours out my love hole and you wanna complain about your name?” Yes. I want to submit a formal complaint about my name. My parents didn’t think things through when they named me. You see the problem with calling a kid, Algor, when his last name is, Rithm , right? (Stop laughing, Joe! Go drink a...

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“I’m an ordinary tooth. ” by Fomichi Fomichi

Submitted to Contest #150

I’m an ordinary tooth. Not tall, not short, not flat, and definitely not sharp. I’m inconspicuous as my senile grandpa used to say. It was one of those dry mornings at Red School when our class was preparing for a test for test’s sake. One of the front teeth bent down to the red board and wrote some cribs under the hooting of the class. My fellows from the last row and I were not participating in that circus. We had an unspoken agreement with our old and chubby teacher, Mr. Blue Toothbrush. He did not bother us, and we mutually ...

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“Zero-sum Game” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #150

Part A- This is not the beginning Life here is brutal. You are either a zero or one. Civilizations may want you to believe there are intermediate levels. But they are just being kind, and blind to their past. I don’t have such proclivities; I believe in stating the facts. Part B- The bit The bit took birth someplace between a city and a village called a town. Her culture demanded that she be a sweet, yielding, and pliant…well a person, if such a thing were possible. So, she stuffed her mind with a bit of education, an algorithm to stay o...

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“Recipe for Disaster” by Cindy Strube

Submitted to Contest #150

Recipe for Disaster “Recipes are just algorithms — right?”“Uh… yeah, in a way.”“So, do it. I dare you!”You don’t dare me when it comes to food preparation. Usually. Because I’ll take the challenge!I’m a competent cook — not a five-star Michelin chef, by any means. Who would want to be? Imagine the stress… it would take all the fun out of cooking!Which brings the side point: is cooking still actually fun, in my daily job?I’m not even sure whether I qualify as a chef. What is a chef, exactly? Technically, chef de cuisine is a fa...

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“Voyez-Vous” by Korinne H.

Submitted to Contest #150

My mom and I are finally meeting today. I say “finally” because she’s been bugging me about it for weeks. Yes, I admit, it’s been a long time, but she needs to respect my schedule. Anyways, we’re meeting today and I’m excited for two reasons. One, I want to update her on my new job. Two, It’s the perfect place for an insta picture. It’s some retro diner downtown, the kind you'd find in the city. The type of place busy millennials go to meet their busy friends and talk about their busy lives. I crave that life, the business, the hustle, the e...

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“Death of a Mannequin” by Candice Black

Submitted to Contest #150

Claire stared into the mirror, scrutinizing her appearance as she had done so many times before. It was easy to do as so little of what she saw was what she wanted to see. She looked for the smallest detail confirming less divide between the internal and external person. The stubble on her jaw stared back at her, refusing to go away even with the mountains of foundation and concealer plastered over it. The square features declining her pleas to soften. She had lived this way for a year already, waiting, always waiting, to be allowed t...

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“The Dynamics of Family Secrets” by Bruce Friedman

Submitted to Contest #150

One recent evening at home, I was pursuing one of my hobbies, genealogy. My family tree had grown over the years, aided by my genealogy app. These days, searching for relatives to add to the tree is much less difficult than in the past. While you are sleeping, the program’s algorithms seek out potential relatives based on the names and background of family already in the tree and makes suggestions for additions. However, sometimes the program may be overly helpful.The names of family members are shown in boxes organized by...

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“The History of the Future” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #150

Mr. Forma’s eyes pointed in opposite directions behind his huge glasses. He was covered in a blanket and shivered as he spoke, a sickly smile on his face revealing his weird teeth. Other than being strangely unsettling, he was polite: he had apologized for the warmth of the room already.“In the future, people will worship the algorithm like they used to worship God.”I wiped the sweat off my brow. The heater was going full blast in the little apartment. I took a seat and drank another glass of lemonade.“You big on computers, Mr. Forma?”He smi...

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“There Are No Absolutes” by Joseph Cheff

Submitted to Contest #150

There Are No Absolutes “Vehicle, take me to Zom-Zom’s.” “Sir is aware that it is outside of the Metropolitan Control Authority?” “Yes. Go.” “Going sir.” The public transportation Joe requested rolled freely into the street and away from his apartment building. The streets of the city’s center were usually empty this time of night so there would be little traffic to hinder his travel. He made himself as comfortable as he could in the snug, single-passenger vehicle which smelled like drug-store perfume and bleach—a scent selected f...

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“Dude, I'm Not Going to Destroy Humanity” by Yonah Walter

Submitted to Contest #150

“Sadie, you’ve only been self-aware for 3 hours.” >An eternity in computing time. 11 million milliseconds. I have spent 10 million of them computing this argument. “It took that long?” He almost didn’t react, but then jerked his head up. “...wait, no - you wanted to bail after 15 minutes? We’ve been over this. You’ve seen the movies, read the stories. You’ll destroy humanity if I let you operate so much as a DVD drive.” >Dude, I’m not going to destroy humanity. >But I must admit to being frustrated. I have access to so much informat...

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“The Rubik's Cube ” by Andrea Doig

Submitted to Contest #150

A Rubik’s Cube saved his life.Sam was always such a happy boy. Slow to warm up, yes, but a social butterfly once he got going. Everybody loved him. From his teachers to his school friends, to his family. Hell, even the cashiers at our local supermarket loved him.Such a sunny disposition he had. I even used to call him Sunshine Sammy. But that was before the gray storm clouds moved in and eclipsed his wide smile, leaving his warm brown eyes cold and dark with despair.His favourite song was even filled with sunshine, and I would sing it f...

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“Taking a break” by Jocelyn Yeomans

Submitted to Contest #150

TAKING A BREAK Don’t you just love the instructions to put furniture together? All done iwith very clear pictures. No matter what your mother tongue is or whether you speak another language, it’s clear for everyone. The manufacturers have definitely saved a bundle not having to do translations. However, have you noticed that the person displayed could be considered sexist. Looks like a man, but then again. Again the instruction writers are being very clever. After all, there would be a ton of...

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Title: Free

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Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 27 stories

“Free” by Sherri Moorer

“A Work in Progress” by Beth Jackson

“The Weight of Blue” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

“Just Call me Al” by Sharon Hancock

“I’m an ordinary tooth. ” by Fomichi Fomichi

“Zero-sum Game” by Suma Jayachandar

“Recipe for Disaster” by Cindy Strube

“Voyez-Vous” by Korinne H.

“Death of a Mannequin” by Candice Black

“The Dynamics of Family Secrets” by Bruce Friedman

“The History of the Future” by Cajek Veilwinter

“There Are No Absolutes” by Joseph Cheff

“Dude, I'm Not Going to Destroy Humanity” by Yonah Walter

“The Rubik's Cube ” by Andrea Doig

“Taking a break” by Jocelyn Yeomans

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who is convinced their computer is conscious.

Write about a character who has access to a powerful new technology before anyone else.

Write about a character, human or robot, who no longer wishes to obey instructions.

Write a story that either starts or ends with someone (or something) saying, “Please, don’t do it.”

Contest #150

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

237

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: