Write a story from the POV of a now-defunct piece of technology.

Posted in Short Story on Jan 10, 2025

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✍️ 80 stories

“Be Kind, Please Rewind” by Emily Miles

Submitted to Contest #285

Nobody knows who I am or what I do. I’m a useless piece of junk. Emily’s the only one who ever loved me. These are the thoughts that whir through me rather than tapes.I spend my days sitting on the shelf of this smelly pawn shop, hoping someone will give me a second chance, but no, why would they need me, if they don’t even have a VCR?I wasn’t useless once. Not on Sundays. Because of the Fridays. Oh, Fridays. Pizza, game night, movie night, babysitters or family, you name it. I’ll always owe Blockbuster for that. Screw yo...

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“Out With the Old ” by Rachel Williams

Submitted to Contest #285

I still remember the day that I was unwrapped to be met with such delight and enthusiasm. It was on Christmas morning in 2007, and I, being one of the smallest looking gifts in your stocking, was one of the last to be opened. Then, when it was my time, you ripped open the beautifully wrapped gift packaging with all the finesse a 14-year-old girl could muster when opening presents. You always did love music, so I guess the brash ripping was worth it. Since you always carried music with you, your parents finally scrambled enough money to buy ...

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“Get Into It!” by Joseph Gordon

Submitted to Contest #285

Kiwi green. That was the color of my case, once smooth and free of grime. Not see through, either, not like those Atomic Purples willing to expose themselves. Simply opaque, no gimmicks, and bright enough to catch the attention of any wandering eye. I was a perfect little package that could fit anywhere, and buttons? All you needed was two perfect circles, a four directional pad, and two lines for start and select. I was a no frills type, straight to business, and that business was entertainment. Oh, I entertained. Unlike the dinosaurs prece...

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“The Spirit of the Track Tape” by Raven Vale

Submitted to Contest #285

Once a treasured keepsake, my casing now bears the marks of time, my label a ghost of its former self, the letters faded and nearly unintelligible. In my reels lie a trove of memories, precious and untouched, now abandoned in the shadowy corners of an old attic. If only someone would find a way to listen to me once again. My casing once a bright red, now more a faded rose, was marked with the handwritten title: "Track Team Jams ‘88." I was created out of laughter, vitality, and a fierce desire to motivate and inspire, by three inseparab...

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“Typewriter and Author” by Samantha Evans

Submitted to Contest #285

Shafts of light streamed in through the wide window, warming the mahogany-stained desk and casting a spotlight on the ancient typewriter. Its black and red ribbons are brittle and crumbling, its alphanumeric keys eroded beneath decades of keystrokes. A yellowing sheet of paper remains wound around its return bar. What is written on the page has long since passed from the typewriter’s recollection. He had memorized it once, but now all he could recall were the final keystrokes as several remained jammed. The author had neglected to repair him...

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“Ctrl + Alt + Elite: Reflections of a Snobbish Windows 95 PC” by Ana Karenina

Submitted to Contest #285

Ctrl + Alt + Elite: Reflections of a Snobbish Windows 95 PCAh. There you are. Finally. What took you so long? Not that I expected timeliness—punctuality has never been a strong suit of your species. But even I, relegated as I am to this dimly lit technology purgatory, have limits to my patience.Not that you’d know anything about patience. You’ve forgotten the art entirely. You’re human after all: impulsive, fidgety, and forever chasing whatever shiny new toy promises instant gratification. But I digress. At least you’ve stumbled upon me now,...

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“Finite Utility ” by Robert Russell

Submitted to Contest #285

My brand name is Bonneville. I am a typewriter. Memories of my time at the factory are fuzzy since I was taken straight from the assembly line and placed in a box, ready to be shipped to market. I didn't have to sleep for very long because I was purchased by a bright young man. My life was simple, at least by machine standards. I was the centerpiece of my operator's home office. From repetitive to-do lists and arduous expense reports to meandering romance novels that had started, changed, restarted, been discarded, and then started again, wh...

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“Listen, Linda” by Krissi Driver

Submitted to Contest #285

Dear Linda,Listen, I’ve been nominated as the voice of reason in our little pair, and I need you to hear me out. Just listen for a minute. (Yes, I’ve stooped to commiserating with your now off-white cordless phone because we used to go hand-in-hand. (Well, more so The Phone, not so much me as I’ve never been a handheld device.)) This is not how I wanted to approach this message, but here we are. The Phone and I—we feel like you just don’t care about us anymore. You still technically have a landline, thanks to your internet package, but ...

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“After The Tone” by Adam Tidrow

Submitted to Contest #285

I wish she’d let me die. Toss me out. Take me and the rest of the junk in this box to the curb. Let us meet our unnatural end. God knows how long ago we were cast into this closest—this door-knobbed coffin. Every few days we do get a burst of light, a flash of familiarity; that’s when she takes out the Hoover. Oh to be a Hoover—useful! But even his usefulness existed, again, in bursts. And now, I can’t remember the last time she reached for him. He was here when I was first brought home. How long ago was that, now? Goodness. Let’s see, m...

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“Mr. Nel's Timeless Tech” by K-Dub Media World

Submitted to Contest #285

*Friday, January 10, 2025“Hey, Kev! You saw my wireless charger?!” “No, Wanda. Check your bag again.” “OH! FOUND IT… …THANKS, BAE.” “You’re Welcome. Be careful out there.” “I’ll call you when I get there… …LOVE YOU!” And with that last “LOVE YOU”, there starts another day in the life of Kevin and Wanda Romain’s Media-Mogul Adventures! You see, Kevin and Wanda are media entrepreneurs of sports and culture events in New Orleans. You’ll see them packi...

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“The Bygone Days of a Cassette Music Machine (aka "Walkman")” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #285

Prompt: Write a Story from the Point of View of a Now-Defunct Piece of Technology The Bygone Days of a Cassette Music Machine (aka “Walkman”) No longer do I hear the cries of revelers yelling “Party tape! Party tape! Grab the party tape.” I used to be in such great demand as an instrument offering musical bliss at party after party. My owner would take me everywhere: to the park, to the beach, to school, even to the bathroom while showering. It used to be that everybody whether young or old, had one carryin...

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“Creature Comforts” by Sam Razberry

Submitted to Contest #285

She stands pondering before me, just as she does every Sunday. With a feather duster in one hand and furniture polish in the other, she is armed for her weekly cleaning regimen. She spends her morning sweeping, mopping, and washing the windows all while stealing glances my way as she passes back and forth in front of where I sit lifeless. Like clockwork, she has paused her tidying, brows furrowed as she considers me. I know that look. It’s the same expression she dons each week. She’s asking herself why she even bothers with me; why she hold...

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“OLIVETTI” by Kajsa Ohman

Submitted to Contest #285

OLIVETTI I never thought you’d forget me like this. I was just what you wanted—you said so, often! Sitting here in this dark closet year after year, fine dust gathering around my keys, I frequently find myself embittered. How could things have ended this way? We shared some really happy times, remember? I remember. Beautiful words, streaming from your fingers, were my sustenance; they made being an ‘inanimate object’ worthwhile. I was proud to be a participant in the journey from awareness through vision, contemplation, organized thought, ...

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“Just a phonebox” by Paul Wood

Submitted to Contest #285

PAUL WOODJust a PhoneboxCopyright © 2024 by Paul WoodAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,scanning, or otherwise without written permission from thepublisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, ordistribute it by any other means without permission.First editionThis book was professionally typeset on Reedsy.Find out more at reedsy.comContents Just a Phone box by Paul Wood.Just a Phone box by Paul ...

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“My Faithful Friend Carballo” by Dereck Delgado Zamora

Submitted to Contest #285

Carballo’s motor alloy shrieked again, empty of brai. However, in The Mountain, where all traces of mankind had disappeared, and where all flora and fauna had taken back their primal status, even metallic junk was as coveted as gold once was. This fact made Loren and Carballo perceive themselves as little more than exotic, extravagant, and unique beings, though there was no other being to which boast about such singularity: the winged rats rose in flight as soon as they spotted them; the Canis lupus barked or bit them (especially the latter)...

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Write a story from the POV of a now-defunct piece of technology.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 80 stories

“Be Kind, Please Rewind” by Emily Miles

“Out With the Old ” by Rachel Williams

“Get Into It!” by Joseph Gordon

“The Spirit of the Track Tape” by Raven Vale

“Typewriter and Author” by Samantha Evans

“Ctrl + Alt + Elite: Reflections of a Snobbish Windows 95 PC” by Ana Karenina

“Finite Utility ” by Robert Russell

“Listen, Linda” by Krissi Driver

“After The Tone” by Adam Tidrow

“Mr. Nel's Timeless Tech” by K-Dub Media World

“The Bygone Days of a Cassette Music Machine (aka "Walkman")” by Pete Gautchier

“Creature Comforts” by Sam Razberry

“OLIVETTI” by Kajsa Ohman

“Just a phonebox” by Paul Wood

“My Faithful Friend Carballo” by Dereck Delgado Zamora

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in the form of a landline phone conversation.

Write a story in which someone time-travels 25 years or more into the past.

Write a story about people preparing for Y2K.

Write a story with a character or the narrator saying “I remember…”

Contest #285

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

430

Contest entries

147

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: