Civic Duty - An Original Short Story by Don McDonald

About this episode

Civic Duty is a speculative short story about a retired teacher navigating a future where personal lives are reduced to data points and compliance scores.

This story is not about the America we live in. It’s about an America that could exist—slowly, legally, and quietly—if people stop asking questions. Civic Duty follows a retired teacher whose life is reduced to data points, compliance scores, and administrative decisions. A speculative warning about what happens when systems replace judgment and loyalty becomes measurable. This story is being presented on Litreading for limited time to help build the audience for its eventual primary home, New Tales Told part of Short Storyverses . New Tales Told is made up of totally original modern stories written with the feel of classic short stories (suitable for all ages). There are now more than a dozen original stories so please check them out. We are expanding our universe of short story podcasts on our new podcast channel, Short StoryVerses . Listen to some of Don's new, original short stories on the "New Tales Told" podcast. Look it up on your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Don McDonald, Don

Topics covered

• speculative fiction
• society
• education
• data privacy

Keywords

• Civic Duty
• Don McDonald
• New Tales Told
• Short Storyverses

Mentioned in this episode

Products: New Tales Told, Short StoryVerses

Books & works: Civic Duty, New Tales Told, Short Storyverses

Places: America

More episodes of LitReading - Classic Short Stories and Timeless Tales

• Care Protocol, Episode One — When Self-Driving Cars Start Killing · September 11, 2026 · 40 min
• The Garden’s Wall by Don McDonald — The Cost of Kindness in a Perfect Society · September 8, 2026 · 32 min
• The Reticence of Lady Anne by Saki — His Wife Gives Him the Silent Treatment · September 1, 2026 · 9 min
• The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte — Exiled into a Deadly Sierra Snowstorm · August 23, 2026 · 28 min
• NOT A STORY · August 21, 2026 · 12 min
• A Wasted Day by Richard Harding Davis — The Wisest Man on Wall Street Goes to Criminal Court · August 18, 2026 · 34 min