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

Posted in Short Story on Jan 10, 2025

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✍️ 75 stories

“Chambound Lake, Population 2300” by Blake Hall

Submitted to Contest #285

~2025~ The sweltering heat of the summer sun, which was hoisted so far into the cerulean sky as if to narrowly escape the grasp of towering skyscrapers. They were some of the tallest structures Audrey had ever seen, in fact. She almost failed to conceive how these gargantuan masses of concrete and metal could be concocted by any mere human. After all, she had grown accustomed to the dreary and mundane reality of rural life. In contrast, the bustling city was wondrous enough it could have been built by gods themselves. Audrey parked her prize...

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“A mulligan gone awry” by Monika Denham

Submitted to Contest #285

They say you become the person you will be before you turn 5. I guess for me, that is a good thing because life was pretty good for me in my first few years. I still can’t help but wonder how much my school years ended up molding me into the person I am today, though. Would I have turned out differently if I hadn’t been bullied? If the self-confidence I had as a young girl had been left intact, would I have made something of my life? Would I be happier? Would I be somewhere else entirely, or would I still have turned down the road I did? Wel...

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“I Wouldn't Bet on it” by Darren Horton

Submitted to Contest #285

A couple of months ago, following a two-year onslaught of misfortune, I found myself with no option but to move back into my childhood home and spend some time with the folks. On the Friday night of my second week there, longing for a place to drown all the sorrows I’d accumulated, I made the twenty-minute walk to The Royal Oak, a traditional pub built over two centuries ago that sits at the halfway point of a steep hill in a nearby village. A regular spot for me in my early twenties, I figured if the sorrows resisted my attempts to drown th...

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“Timeless Magic: The Secret of the Pocket Watch” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #285

“Timeless Magic: The Secret of the Pocket Watch” By Edward J McCoul Edward had always been fascinated by the idea of time travel. One day, while exploring his grandfather’s attic, he discovered an old pocket watch with intricate engravings. As he examined it closely, he noticed a small, almost invisible button on the side. Curious, he pressed it, and a hidden compartment popped open, revealing a series of tiny gears and a delicate, glowing crystal.Intrigued, Edward began to tinker with the mechanism. He realized that the crystal needed to be...

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“Time for a hug.” by Frankenwayne Frankenwayne

Submitted to Contest #285

Time for A Hug Time - 11:55 AM. Date - Friday 03/14/25 Location - Military Bunker #13 Project - #HP223 - Time Travel Sally, Frank and Bob were double checking the gauges. "Sally, what's the reading on number five?" She replied back to Frank, "Five thousand and holding." "Bob, what's the voltage input?" "Holding at 75,000 volts." "Well, this is it." Frank speaks into a recorder. "Test subject number fifteen. Healthy primate, male, duration thirty seconds. Recording device active, location, central parking lot upper level, two day...

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“A Long Street” by Nolan Pierce

Submitted to Contest #285

Gabriel’s head hurt. He was afraid to open his eyes. It was one of those headaches. When he eventually pried the lids open, he did not like what he saw. He was lying in the middle of a suburban road. It extended in both directions as far as he could see. House after house after house. He did not recognize any of them. Well, that is not entirely accurate. They looked familiar; they reminded him of houses he had seen before. But he had no idea where he was or how he got there. Now that he was paying attention, with his eyes wide open, somethin...

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“Orange Cake” by Paul Kearns

Submitted to Contest #285

Orange Cake I’m just here to report the facts: “..historical facts, not schoolbook history, not Mr. Wells's history, but history nevertheless."” John Huston ..and it's not for everyone. If you have neither interest nor comprehension of any past beyond your own - well, don’t waste your time reading this. It has no more relevance for you than yellowing newspapers, where positions; if not honestly held, were at least factually defended; nor old tv series, so compelling, they were eagerly anticipated and seen ‘by appointment viewing only”,&...

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“The Last Call from Yesterday” by Vlad Surdea-Hernea

Submitted to Contest #285

“Hello? Operator, can you connect me to Săpânța, please? Yes, that’s the village in Maramureș. I’ll wait.”(Hiss… click… another click.)“Adrian? Are you there?”I tightened my grip on the rotary phone. My grandmother’s dim hallway smelled of old wool and menthol salve. The year was 1990, at least according to the frayed calendar by the door. A breath crackled over the line. Then a voice—my voice, only older—said, “Don’t hang up. Listen closely.”I swallowed hard. “Who is this?”“It’s you, calling from 2025. Don’t bother asking how. Just check yo...

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“Time traveling” by Susie Bennett

Submitted to Contest #285

The hum was a low, persistent thrum that vibrated through Dr. Alistair Finch’s bones. It was the sound of the Temporal Displacement Unit, tucked away in the repurposed bunker beneath his family’s ancestral estate. He’d spent the better part of a decade perfecting it, fuelled by a relentless need to understand the past, not just read about it. Tonight, that need had become an obsession.Alistair was a man of order, of meticulous planning. Yet, as he adjusted the chronometer, setting it for June 12th, 1998, a tremor of something akin to fear ra...

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“The Carson Effect” by Ryan Bigley

Submitted to Contest #285

“But what kind of music is most popular?” I’m not really sure how to answer this, because I don’t really listen to that kind of music in my older age. “I don’t know, pop music?” “So, we’re listening to the same music that we are now?” “I mean, I guess.” “Well, who’s the president?” “Donald Trump.” “Seriously? That attention hog that is always in the news with the terrible haircut and ugly gold buildings?” “Yep, same guy.” “Wow, we must have lost some serious war to be in such a crappy future.” It occurs to me that we have not really progress...

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“The Weight of Knowledge” by Tiersa Remisha

Submitted to Contest #285

Please note some sensitive themes may be portrayed in this work, including gore, suicide or self harm, and mental health. Please keep your own safety and health in mind before continuing. Thank you.--- A blinding flash. My stomach drops and churns. I drop to all fours and heave, but nothing comes out. My ears are ringing. My mind is foggy. I force myself to breathe through the disorientation. Slowly, my vision clears. A thickly gloved hand emerging from a stiff yellow sleeve is beneath me, supporting my weight. Curiously, I wiggle my fingers...

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“Barneys Time ” by Barney Defanfaler

Submitted to Contest #285

Barney, “High Suzie. I’m on my way. I should get there on time.”Suzie, “Oh, Barney. You’re the keynote speaker. You can’t be late to present our county's sustainable development proposal.”Barney, “I know. I had to fix a flat on my bicycle.”Suzie, “OK, but hurry. I don’t want to be late. Please don’t get distracted. You know how your genius gets tangential. Bye.” Barney is peddling his clunky bicycle to Suzie’s, thinking, ‘Ah, heck, I forgot my cell phone with all my data on it. I need to let Suzie know I’ll be late,’ when he...

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“The Willow Brook” by James Plante

Submitted to Contest #285

The Willow BrookByJim PlanteIt’s been a busy week at work. Everyone in the racing industry seems to be doing business with us. We were all holding it together, but keeping the pace has been challenging. I can't tell off the top of my head how many pallets of rims we’ve shipped out this month. I’m glad I’m older now, so I don’t have to do all the grunt work like I used to. Today, I work in the office, sitting behind a desk alongside Adam, the owner. He has his private office, but I sit in what we like to call the bullpen. It’s a big open room...

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“Mario Time” by Stefan Lasker

Submitted to Contest #285

I was at home playing my retro-NES system. Super Mario Bros. was a classic game that I knew well. I was runner-up for the first Nintendo World Championship in 1990. I thought I did a good job, but I didn't win. I didn't even place. Now, I am just a lowly database administrator. I have no big titles, competitions, or impressive jobs at Nintendo—just a $1,000 savings bond. I always think about what would happen if I had won that competition. I was on the second level and went to the warp zone to go to the warp zone for the 9th level. I s...

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“The Power of Love” by Cindy Miller

Submitted to Contest #285

August, 1985; Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Morrison, Colorado“I can’t hear you!”She continued clapping, turned her head and repeated, enthusiastically, “I love Huey Lewis!”The boy next to her was laughing with his friends, so, undoubtedly, that was one reason he could not hear. Naturally, being in the middle of a Huey Lewis & the News concert, singing and dancing along to “the Power of Love,” with scenes from “Back to the Future” on the big screen ahead did not help the audio in the concert venue.“Me, too!” he finally acknowledged and yelled ...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 75 stories

“Chambound Lake, Population 2300” by Blake Hall

“A mulligan gone awry” by Monika Denham

“I Wouldn't Bet on it” by Darren Horton

“Timeless Magic: The Secret of the Pocket Watch” by Edward J. McCoul

“Time for a hug.” by Frankenwayne Frankenwayne

“A Long Street” by Nolan Pierce

“Orange Cake” by Paul Kearns

“The Last Call from Yesterday” by Vlad Surdea-Hernea

“Time traveling” by Susie Bennett

“The Carson Effect” by Ryan Bigley

“The Weight of Knowledge” by Tiersa Remisha

“Barneys Time ” by Barney Defanfaler

“The Willow Brook” by James Plante

“Mario Time” by Stefan Lasker

“The Power of Love” by Cindy Miller

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

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: