Litmus Year: 2026
‘ARE YOU FOR REAL’ by Lushia Chaplin Handley, Penwortham Girls’ High School
The sky splintered like a cracked screen. A digital robin glitched, frozen mid-chirp, before vanishing into the pixelated clouds. Around me, pedestrians moved with metallic precision. “Hello human,” a passerby buzzed, eyes glowing a faint, synthetic blue. I was the last organic soul in a world made of electricity. Spurred by panic, I sprinted into …
‘The Last Man Breathing’ by Aisha Musa, Penwortham Girls’ High School
I woke to a profound silence. It was thick and heavy, lingering in the air like a held breath. No sound, no life, no feeling. Throwing back the covers, I called out, but my voice was instantly swallowed by the quiet. A sudden panic rising, I ran from room to room in a frantic search …
‘The Plastic Smile’ by Elsie Shorrock, Penwortham Girls’ High School
Dear diary, No one is going to believe me, but I just need to let someone know. If this page gets found, please share my story so no woman or man has to go through what I have. My story starts in my house around the dining table with my husband and three children. My …
‘Creatures’ by Lucy Swift, age 15, Park View School
At a time not far from ours, creatures endlessly roam the streets we used to call home. Creatures with skin pinched and stretched tight over their decaying bones, with lips heavy and bruised.Teeth sharp and straight. Cheekbones bulging, noses moulded, raging scars of conformity burning on their plastic skin. Eyes with no stories to tell. …
‘Unfortunate Circumstances – An Among Us Fanfiction’ by Ross Pearce, age 13, Soham Village College
Cyan stood before a set of large hydraulic doors. Every instinct in him told him to leave, to go kill somebody else, that this wasn’t worth it. But Cyan stayed firmly in place. Lime deserved to know the truth. What he really was. He couldn’t just keep lying to him like this. It was breaking …
‘Are You For Real?’ by Layla D, Year 9, Soham Village College
I looked down at my phone: a new notification had buzzed its existence back into my consciousness. My fingers froze in place at the title. It read: ‘Have Phones Gone Rogue?’ “Huh?” I mumbled under my breath, clicking on the notification. Consequently, I was taken to the page of an authorised newsletter about the AI …
‘Are you for real?’ by Isaac
Are you for real that ai is getting more advanced and getting more intelligent than us humans? Its like there turning into humans and ai is even taking some peoples jobs so they can’t earn money! There is some good things about ai because it can help people in many ways and make a lot …
‘ARE YOU FOR REAL?’ by Charlie
Ai could be taking over the world since people are creating new ai technology for ai. Ai soon might be taking peoples jobs and money by being able to use ai instead of humans for jobs. Also, when making ai it is bad for the environment since you have loads of material to make it …
‘The Whispering Walls’ by Mia, Year 9
The grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight. Its heavy chimes echoed through the empty house like falling stones. Leo sat at his wooden desk, the single desk lamp casting a weak pool of yellow light over his open notebook. Outside, the wind howled, pressing against the glass pane like a cold, wet hand. Leo …