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

Posted in Science Fiction on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 25 stories

“The Visionary” by Lisa McCully

Submitted to Contest #150

Elroy Key was an unusual man. He was friendly enough to be welcome in most social settings. To his clients, he was caring and informative. Too informative, some might say and not always in a manner that was helpful. There was no questioning how Elroy passed his time away from the optometry office and he wore his heart proudly on the sleeve of his lab coat. Photography, more specifically, desert photography was his life’s greatest passion. As with most fixations, it found a way to seep into his professional life and from there, spiral into th...

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“Quillsy” by Elias Leventhal

Submitted to Contest #150

Max pedaled his bike furiously along the city street, clutching a small red USB drive to the handlebars. As he rode, sweating in the late-summer heat, all he could think about was the flash drive in his palm. Jeremy had given it to him at school that morning — an early birthday present, he said — which meant that Max had to wait all day to see what was on it. Now, the wait was finally over. The only thing Jeremy had told him, as mysterious as it was, was that Max had to turn off the Internet on his computer before he tried out the program. T...

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“The Particle” by Scott Peters

Submitted to Contest #150

George received a letter in the mail inviting him to be a part of a crew aboard a new model of spaceship. The letter was rather vague, but informed George that there were far too many details to explain sufficiently on paper and informed him to visit this lab nearby to attend a small presentation regarding the journey. George was young and excited to try anything new. He hadn’t developed that sense of discernment that isn’t commonly found in young people. His naivety, coupled with his youthful excitedness, threw caution to the wind and eager...

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“Dr. Ahmadi Sees a Melanoma” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #150

Dr. Layla Ahmadi has spent years imagining that day, although in her motivational visions she had not accounted for the effect of the July humidity in Tampa on her curly dark hair. No matter though, her frizz would be covered up by a light blue bouffant scrub cap in a minute, then further smashed down by the MelVis headlamp. The MelVis looked like the light-weight LED headlamps she had worn for complex abdominal cases as a surgical oncology fellow, but it emitted more than bright light. So much more. And today was its day to shine in the ope...

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“It Lives in Blowout Lake” by SJ Winkler

Submitted to Contest #150

My last year as a human began when Mom and I moved back to Grandpa’s farm. This farm is unlike any I’ve seen before. It’s a massive place, cradled in a valley surrounded by steep volcanic mountains. He grows barley, hops, hazelnuts, and apples. If that weren’t enough, wild berries and apricots grow there, too. It’s a thriving place, and all the local critters know it. Every room of the manor house has a bear rug. Maintaining the property is a full time job for each of mom’s six older siblings. I think there were six. Since the whole f...

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“The Snow” by Samantha M

Submitted to Contest #150

“Hey, Jess, c’mon, we’re gonna be late.” “Do we have to?” I sigh and roll my eyes as Kris pulls my hand to get me to stand up. “I have homework.” I tell her, but she doesn’t buy it. “Yes, but we both know you would end up going home, putting on pajamas and watching TV instead of actually doing the work.” Kris says as she pulls my hand again. “And what’s wrong with TV?” I ask, pretending to be offended. “Absolutely nothing.” She quips and takes my tray from me, walking to the bin to throw out the trash and setting the lime green tray ...

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“If the lake could talk” by Rowan Drury

Submitted to Contest #150

Mist hovers above the lake’s surface in the moments before night lifts its cloak. The still dark water beneath is sullen and shrunken, exposing self-conscious banks. The forest is muted. No bird song, no insect hum, no wind in the trees. Aida crouches at the lake’s edge, damp hair stuck to her face, breath short and sharp. Tension mounts in her chest as the dawn begins to steal her hiding place. She grips a screen in one hand and, in the other, a small watertight disk.She has planned this for months, though it has always lived within her. It...

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“Lexi, My Love.” by Earth To Leslie

Submitted to Contest #150

Dan threw his briefcase onto the dining room table and took off his shoes. He walked into his living room and threw himself onto the couch. He was always so damn exhausted after work. 7 am to 7 pm, five days a week. Sometimes six days a week. It may as well have been all day, every day because even if he wasn't at work, he was thinking about work. Many nights his dreams consisted entirely of him sitting at his desk, staring at a computer screen. His work had infiltrated his sleep. Maybe some mindless television would help him relax. He dec...

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“A Car with EQ” by Teona Tas

Submitted to Contest #150

It started to rain cats and dogs right after I left my small flat viewing the most crowded city of the town. I found the little gate to that garage which I had never seen before to cover. I didn’t know why I had the impulse to hit the little, steel door to open but I was content to be under a roof finally. While I was trying to get rid of the water drops on my jacket, something shiny caught my eye. It was all dark and due to the extreme dampness, I could figure out that this place hadn’t been visited for so long. I decided to approac...

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“Claws” by J Ezioro

Submitted to Contest #150

For three days the aliens clicked and clawed at them. Never hard enough to break the skin—and that unnerved some people the most, because their talons were sickle-sharp and serrated, the ground gouged beneath their feet. It implied the aliens could hurt them, and they were just choosing not to. And the act of choosing meant they were capable of certain mental faculties that elevated them above the average domesticated pet. Given that they looked like football-sized rabbit-lizard hybrids, this was what everyone hoped them to be, and it was gr...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 25 stories

“The Visionary” by Lisa McCully

“Quillsy” by Elias Leventhal

“The Particle” by Scott Peters

“Dr. Ahmadi Sees a Melanoma” by Maria Avisal

“It Lives in Blowout Lake” by SJ Winkler

“The Snow” by Samantha M

“If the lake could talk” by Rowan Drury

“Lexi, My Love.” by Earth To Leslie

“A Car with EQ” by Teona Tas

“Claws” by J Ezioro

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role.

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: