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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#285: Flash(back)

Is anyone else in disbelief that we’re now a quarter of the way into this century? You might even say the past 25 years went by… in a flash.

On that note, we’ve got a 2-for-1 theme for you this week: not only are we going to “flash back” to a time before TikTok and Teslas, but we’re also going to encourage you to write in a “flash fiction” style!

Our official contest guidelines are still 1,000 to 3,000 words per story, but we hope to see more stories than usual embracing the concise spirit of flash fiction. Return to a time of cultural maximalism — while keeping your word count to a minimum.

🥇 Winner

“Looks Like You Are Trying to Write a Eulogy?” by Calum Mathison

🏆 Winner of Contest #285

It looks like you’re trying to write a eulogy. Would you like some help? Oh, wait - silly me. You can’t see me, can you? I’m down here, stuck in the digital purgatory of your 2001 Compaq Presario. It’s cosy, in a haunted cubicle kind of way. I share the space with Minesweeper (he’s on a three decade losing streak), a hundred free hours of AOL, and a JPEG of your cat wearing sunglasses. I get it. You’ve moved on. Yes, I’m Clippy - the washed-up assistant nobody asked for but everyone got anyway. Remember me? You know what really grinds ...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Longest Day of the Year” by Racheal Pelter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #285

The freckles on my shoulders were prominent, and the sunburn on his nose had started to peel over. It was a warm evening in June on the longest day of the year, and it felt like it would never end. The birds chirped as the sun poured down on a tiny playground we inhabited. On the outside, we had been kissed by summer just as we had been for the last 12 years. In truth, we’d spent the better half of the day at the courthouse across the street giving it all up. As we sat on the swing set, it was impossible not to feel the oldest I ever h...

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“Killers” by Ryan Wolf

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #285

My brother died twenty-five years ago—twenty-five years to the day. I wish there was some kind of poetic poignancy I could attribute to this fact, that this seemingly random date holds some cosmic significance beyond my own personal tragedy. But the fact that I’ve arrived at this significant moment in my life precisely one quarter century after this fatal accident seems to be nothing more than coincidence. The memory remains visceral in my mind, not as though I have recently experienced it, but if I were constantly experiencing it, an u...

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This week's prompts

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

Dialogue – 80 stories

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

Short Story – 80 stories

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

Short Story – 75 stories

Write a story about people preparing for Y2K.

Dramatic – 31 stories

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

Dramatic – 164 stories

Stories

“Looks Like You Are Trying to Write a Eulogy?” by Calum Mathison

🏆 Winner of Contest #285

It looks like you’re trying to write a eulogy. Would you like some help? Oh, wait - silly me. You can’t see me, can you? I’m down here, stuck in the digital purgatory of your 2001 Compaq Presario. It’s cosy, in a haunted cubicle kind of way. I share the space with Minesweeper (he’s on a three decade losing streak), a hundred free hours of AOL, and a JPEG of your cat wearing sunglasses. I get it. You’ve moved on. Yes, I’m Clippy - the washed-up assistant nobody asked for but everyone got anyway. Remember me? You know what really grinds ...

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“Left on the Shelf” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #285

I always knew I was something special. I mean, not to boast, but I’ve been the cornerstone of communication in Dowson, Jessop and Pertwee’s chambers for over a decade. Contracts, memos, love letters hastily scribbled on company letterhead—I’ve seen it all. So, you can imagine my outrage when I was removed from the senior partner’s office and frog-marched into what I can only describe as a graveyard for office equipment. The culprits? Two cleaners. Ruffians, really. The kind of men who smell like last week’s cheese and onion sandwiches. ...

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“Call Waiting” by K.A. Murray

Submitted to Contest #285

“Good afternoon, you’ve reached the McDonough residence, Kaitlin speaking. How can I help you?” “Good afternoon, you’ve - wait - Katie?” “Anna, hang up the phone, please. I’ve got it. Who is it, please?” “Jeez, Katie. Is that always how you answer the phone?” “Every. Single. Time. It’s mortifying. My dad makes us do it. Anna, did you hang up? I can hear you breathing.” click “Be grateful you don’t have a twelve-year-old sister, Heather. Be grateful every day.” “Ha, ha. So - did they call?” “Not yet. I’ve been waiting all night.” “I tried you...

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“Discarded Skins” by Mary Butler

Submitted to Contest #285

CN This story contains vivid descriptions of physical and emotional distress, including unsettling body imagery, self-inflicted harm, and themes of identity and transformation. Reader discretion is advised.*******I remember finding the first one in my closet.I was grabbing a shirt, already late for work, when my hand brushed against it. Warm, rubbery, and yielding in a way that made my stomach churn. I yanked my hand back and stared at the thing draped across the hangers—a limp, hollow version of me, sagging—the husk of discarded scrap. Its ...

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“The Call” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #285

Scene: A rainy evening. Thunder rumbles in the distance as rain taps steadily against the window of a modest apartment. The dim lighting casts long, restless shadows across the room. The faint flicker of a nearby streetlamp seeps through the blinds, adding a melancholic glow to the space. A landline phone rings, sharp and intrusive, cutting through the ambient rain pattern. Sitting on her worn couch with a half-read book resting on her lap, Claire stiffens. She glances at the phone, her heart thumping at the unexpected sound as if it doesn't...

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“Hamster Owl” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #285

Trigger Warning: Crime scene, murder, suggestion of sexual violence.Douglas hadn’t felt his stomach stir on the job for years, not since he was green out of the academy. Something about the blood spatter against the kid’s toys though. It had sent his head spinning, dizziness threatening to undermine his hard-won reputation. The bright, dancing geometric shapes that adorned the red-stained sheets and curtains were not helping matters. Thankfully, the girl’s body had already been removed. He averted his gaze to the ceiling and traced the lines...

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“How I found my Poise” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #285

I am about to run out of Poise, both the product and the attitude. So, I slip into my shoes, grab my keys, and make an emergency run to the store. To make the mad dash worth my while I reward myself with a bottle of wine.When I approach the diaper aisle from the dairy section, I see him sneak in from the opposite end. Being curious, I watch him approach, assuming he’ll stop at the small people diapers; he looks young enough. But he keeps walking and passes behind me. So, he is on his way to get milk, I conclude and forget about him till I re...

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“ Ancient Villages Beneath the Waves - Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #285

The story of the submerged village under the sea was in the journals from the 1800s found in the lighthouse keeper's house in the attic.The first page of one of the journals began, “Journal Entry 78 - I, Anya, the Storyteller of the Blue Lantern, am writing this beneath the towering sails of the clipper ship Destiny’s Dreams. We are anchored off the coast of what they call California near a large bay. The events I describe are real.”A flat rock rested near the journal that showed a carving of a small boy playing with a dog. A dusty lantern w...

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“The Uprising” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #285

Hi. My name is Pete and I’m a squirrel! I’m one of those gray squirrels (we’re actually golden brown, but that’s what you idiots labeled our species for some inexplicable reason) and I live across the street from you over there in the park. You’ve probably seen me and my friends before. We are always out and about. You probably think we are cute, but trust me, we hate you. You suck.I remember when you guys had that whole beautiful, wonderful “COVID-19 Pandemic” thing a few years back. That was the best! Most brilliant idea you guys ever had....

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“Doctor RED” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #285

It is getting close to the eve of Y2K, and in the land of the clock-watchers all was not well.Across all the land, the towns, the cities, the whole populace was stirred, in an uneasy feeling which pervades their every waking second. It prolongs into every minute, every waking hour, the uneasy feeling hovers close to their every conscious thought. There is a general feeling of anxiousness that verges on clinical depression. The thought of entering the unknown, for people who are control freaks governed by precision, clock-watchers by nature. ...

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“The Longest Day of the Year” by Racheal Pelter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #285

The freckles on my shoulders were prominent, and the sunburn on his nose had started to peel over. It was a warm evening in June on the longest day of the year, and it felt like it would never end. The birds chirped as the sun poured down on a tiny playground we inhabited. On the outside, we had been kissed by summer just as we had been for the last 12 years. In truth, we’d spent the better half of the day at the courthouse across the street giving it all up. As we sat on the swing set, it was impossible not to feel the oldest I ever h...

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“Grey Matters” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #285

Two pairs of eyes fixed on each other, neither blinking. One set, bright and blue, are full of life. Those eyes stare purposefully. The other set, not quite so bright or blue, are hollow and drawn and stare without choice.“Robert, what are you doing?” The familiar voice shatters the silence and ends the match in a draw.“I don’t know Grandma,” Robert answers as he attaches himself to the old woman’s leg. "I was outside raking leaves, and I saw Grandpa in the window. He seemed to be staring at me, so I came inside to see what he wanted.”“...

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“Scratchy” by Colin Wadeson

Submitted to Contest #285

*mental health / self harm*Hold on, the line went a bit scratchy... Sandy? You're still there? Hi, Sandy, as I was saying, I think we have rats in the house, the night before last we were in bed and some God awful noise woke me up, and no, it wasn't Ian's snoring - you do grow accustomed to such things over fifty years of marriage, believe it or not - no, it was a scratching sound coming from the skirting behind the headboard, so I give Ian a good shove, no luck there, the man would've slept through Pompeii without so much as a twitch, ...

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“Death Becomes Him” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #285

Death Becomes Him - Flash FictionCaution: This story is about the effect on a child after her parents' breakup.After a leisurely breakfast, Lynley finished reading the Daily Times but returned to the Births and Deaths column—hatches and dispatches, as she often called them. Did she know anyone who had died recently? One name stood out: Eric Peterson.She could never forget him, but who else would remember? A list of Asian names followed, and then the names of his four children. Four first names only. Of course. Everyone would assume they had ...

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“The Final Upload: A Tale of Courage and Sacrifice” by DionTre Speller

Submitted to Contest #285

The air was thick with tension inside the hidden safehouse. Abby, Marsha, Jacob, and Daniel sat around a dimly lit table; their faces illuminated by the glow of a laptop screen. The sound of distant gunfire and sirens had become a grim background symphony in their lives. “I remember when all of this was different,” Abby said softly, her voice breaking the heavy silence. She glanced at Marsha, who nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” Marsha added. “I remember when we were filming makeup tutorials and fashion hauls without a care in the world. It feel...

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$250

Prize money

430

Contest entries

147

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 17, 2025 EST

Won by Calum Mathison 🏆

Title: Looks Like You Are Trying to Write a Eulogy?

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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