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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a near-future thriller where a piece of everyday technology has turned against your character — and only your character.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Jul 27, 2021

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✍️ 130 stories

“The Chef's Kitchen. ” by K.E. Thomas

Submitted to Contest #82

He placed a slice of avocado on the plate next to the poached eggs and toast. He set the plate on the serving table and rang the bell. The waiter came over and picked up the plate. He closed his eyes for just a minute. Being the chef of one of the best five-star restaurants in the country was exhausting. He was working on one of his new recipes when he heard something vibrating against the counter. He thought it was his phone but didn’t see it anywhere. He focused back on the dish adding lemon zest to the mixture. It was several minutes befo...

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“Tech Dump” by Lydi B

Submitted to Contest #82

««« Warning: Language, sexual innuendo »»»I was awakened by a wailing alarm. My dream fingers had been on a course for that lacy bra strap. In reality, I’m lying alone and groggy with my nethers as stiff as a vintage joystick. The alarm quieted. I glared at the helicopter gadget hovering above my bed. It’s the size of a golf ball and rooted into my brain through a transmitter chip in my left temple—my ZeeBudd, Charli.What’s a ZeeBudd? Wow, you must either be someone who kills and cooks their own food or old enough to remember tapping a ...

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“Toasty” by Betsy Remington☕

Submitted to Contest #82

Rich pulled a blackened piece of toast from the toaster.  It was a shiny aluminum toaster with an LED display and was supposed to be able to sync with a smartphone app, and yet it hadn’t gotten a single piece of toast right for him in the week since he and his girlfriend Pam had purchased it. “Pam!” he hollered in the direction of the bedroom where Pam was getting dressed.  “I think we need to take this toaster back.  It burnt another piece of toast.” Pam emerged from the bedroom running a brush through her golden hair.  ...

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“Joe's Battle and Revolution With Robots” by Rutheanna Chang

Submitted to Contest #82

Hi, I am Joe. I am 12 years old and I live in a world filled with robots. I also have a best friend that is a robot. His name is Will. I made him with my bare hands and he can interact with people. I love him so much that I even built a whole bunch of the same prototypes. They are tiny cute little robots. One night, I had a dream about these little cute robots turning against me and attacking me. But I knew that will never happen. One morning, I went down to see my robots and make myself some breakfast because my mum and dad sleep very la...

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“The Refrigeration Extrapolation” by Mark Colflesh

Submitted to Contest #82

TW: discussion of food and weight The Refrigeration Extrapolation By Mark Colflesh “This one is a beauty,” the salesman, his badge read Timbo, said enthusiastically. “The SAL 5000 is our top of the line. Very popular with movie stars and pro athletes.” “Do I look like an NBA player?” I asked with an edge to my voice. Sure, I wanted a good fridge, but I wasn’t going to be taken for a ride. “You could pass for Brad Pitt, a younger version, Fight Club age.” He smiled broadly and stroked the appliance like it was his date for the evening. “What ...

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“Perfect Life” by Claire Jennings

Submitted to Contest #82

TW: disordered eating, emotional abuse “Should you really be eating that?”   Ella jumped, dropping a large blob of cream down her bright pink sweatshirt. She had gone into the kitchen to clear the dishes but had hidden a three pack of cream buns in there earlier. She hadn’t expected Jack to come in, as he never helped with the household chores. She was annoyed and embarrassed at being caught out.   “I am starting a new programme tomorrow” she replied tersely “It’s online and it’s the newest way to transform your life. This is just ...

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“iOceana” by Sibusiswa Radebe

Submitted to Contest #82

Technology as we know it has changed the world, it has taken it into greater dimensions. Into a new vantage point.Creators have now made phones smarter than humans, at a magnitude that even humans will never understand. It’s like a bad science creation which on the outside seems to have turned outright, but on the inside, there seems to be malfunctions.What if technology was in some way connected? I mean like us. We have family, we have connections— people we love. What if it was like that too, technology given family, created to feel, love,...

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“Deus Ex Machina” by Risha Tevins

Submitted to Contest #82

With a single glance, they assess the man. Average height, average build and with a crown of greying salt-and-pepper hair. The sunlight streams through the showcase panels, and it highlights the narrowed features and creases of pale skin. Bleached, like fading metal. It’s in the first stages of decline, they know.It’s really too bad.He has beautiful eyes, they think longingly, and move on.He’s approaching forty years of age now, well past the prime of his youth and by all accounts and expectations, should have already settled down into the r...

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“Phone's Surrender” by Kara Case

Submitted to Contest #82

It was a normal day, or so she thought. Julia got up and checked her phone for any appointments. In the back of her mind, she thought she had a doctors appointment in the afternoon for a check-up; however, her calendar was blank for the day. She was a stickler about appointments and showing up on time. Julia waited until the office opened and called. The receptionist confirmed that she did indeed have an appointment at 1:30 that day. She re-entered it in her phone and thought nothing of it. While she was in the waiting room, Julia had time t...

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“Attitude” by Frank Lester

Submitted to Contest #82

How do you program attitude in a computer chip?  I live amongst an array of electronics in an apartment constructed with the future in mind. I miss the “old things” I once used, but it is what it is, and I must adapt. Progress deems what is necessary and I will acquiesce; surrender; accept. However, I do have my limits. One of the futuristic amenities, the Super Toaster, a puzzle of circuits and chips, takes the simple act of making toast out of my hands, selecting a slice of bread from a loaf stored deep within its arcane bowels an...

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“Tech Madness ” by Olivia Spotter

Submitted to Contest #82

“Mommy give me a phone, I want a new, super phone!” I said holding up a cool photo I saw in a magazine.   “You already have 10 phones. Honey don’t you think that’s enough,” says mommy.   “NO! I need it. All my friends have it. You don’t want me to miss out, do you?” I say with puppy dog eyes. “Ah, I guess we could make an exception for this one, this will be your early birthday present,” says mommy. I can barely focus on my goal because of my mom's hideous outfit. It wants to make me barf.  “Mommy! You're the bes...

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“W.H.I.C” by Conor Thackray

Submitted to Contest #82

I know when I’m not being taken seriously. I can see it, the eyes glaze, the head nods and the mouth agrees far too much. So, when I told Dr Parsons that I thought I was allergic to my W.H.I.C, I could tell at once that she thought I was talking nonsense I suppose that was understandable. W.H.I.Cs, or Wrist Housed Information Capsules, were made of hypo allergenic, semi biotic matter and were implanted hours after birth in every child and were so small that it barely left a scar. So, for me, a 23-year-old, to be complaining now of allergies ...

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“His Turn to Disappear” by Urvi Kulkarni

Submitted to Contest #82

Year 2097 Theo woke up to the blazing rays of the moon. A lot had changed in the future. The moon had taken the sun's place as it disappeared. Water became limited to the people who could afford to buy it. Air masks were developed for people to breathe and trees were now made of plastic. Theo woke up to the sound of his mother’s robot. His mother was always working in her office and her robot had taken her place as Theo’s mother in his house. Of course, Theo didn’t like this. He never liked the present he was living in. He wondered how his...

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“Saara's Cellphone ” by Kumbi Chitenderu

Submitted to Contest #82

She stared at her mobile phone. It lay motionless on the table in front of her. It was harmless at that moment. You’re being irrational Saara, she said out loud. You need to get a grip. Not for the first time that day she regretted having the AI system installed in her house. She was convinced that somehow, someone else was in control. But, who would take her seriously? It had all been exciting at first: how she could open her complex gate from anywhere in the city, how she could get advice on what meals were possible with the ingr...

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“Maid service” by Anes Nia

Submitted to Contest #82

I just came back home from a tiresome day's work at the office, ending one fully packed week. Worn out and feeling like a total wreck. I showered and took a seat by the window, cuddling my cat for some sheer energy while waiting for my Esther to prepare dinner. My phone rings interrupting my meal, It’s a message from my partner Zoe notifying me to examine the files she sent me earlier about a case related to the one I’m working on. I passionately kissed Milo and hugged her one more time, gently letting her know that she encouraged me t...

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