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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#107: Liar, Liar

Oscar Wilde was right when he wrote that ‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple.’ The truth can be complicated, messy, liberating — and subjective! Which doesn't make it easy to draw a clean line between fact and fiction.


We’ve all been affected by someone telling a lie, and no doubt all told some ourselves — whether that’s swearing to our teacher that the dog ate our homework, or attempting to cover up for something much bigger. This week’s prompts encourage you to think about the ripple effects that telling the truth or a lie can have, and the gray area between the two. 

This week's prompts

Write a story about a white lie which spirals out of control.

Angst – 27 stories

Write about a character pretending to be someone they’re not.

Angst – 43 stories

Write about a game of ‘truth or dare’ that goes horribly wrong.

Fluff – 20 stories

Write a story where a character finds out the truth about something they thought they’d known their whole life.

Horror – 30 stories

Write about a character who tells a lie which turns out to be true - or a truth which turns out to be a lie.

Dark – 30 stories

Stories

“Duke's After Dark” by Lonnie Russo

Submitted to Contest #107

CW: Several mentions of bloodThat morning, the young man found himself clogged—his stomach with lukewarm French fries; his lungs with smoke; his pores with oil from the grill; his lower lip with pus, from the cheap piercing he had maybe not taken care of; and his chest with irritation, frothing, bubbling, and demanding release.This sensation was enough to make him stumble back and deliver a single kick into the building’s wall. It shattered only his toes. Pain shot through his foot like a cracking whip. And reeling back, he threw his head up...

6 comments 6
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“Hippolyta Goes to Market” by Alexandria Stubblefield

Submitted to Contest #107

Hippolyta hooked up her cart to the old mule she kept just for the purpose. The poor creature was humpbacked with age, and it was missing patches of fur. The dark, damp conditions of the Hottentot Woods had not been kind to the beast.  She had purchased him off a traveler at the Crow’s Foot Inn in Hazletown. The traveler had been a shabby drunk from Whitecaps who was in need of more drink to soothe his nerves. Hippolyta had got the mule for a bargain. The drunk was just a bonus.  Business was running out in Hazletown, and she now...

6 comments 6
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“The Game” by Rego MC

Submitted to Contest #107

RING! ‘Ah, finally.’ I thought to myself. ‘The bell that frees all students to a Friday afternoon.’ No homework today meaning I could immediately start gaming for two hours when I arrived home. I glanced through the window while packing my school supplies only to find it heavily raining. The perfect weather to be isolated inside. While I was walking out the door, I received a text from my mother. ‘Hey kiddo! Sorry for the rain check. Get it? Sorry lame mom joke. A car crash occurred so I will probably be home late. You will have to take t...

1 comment 1
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“Ghost” by Sorcha Wilde

Submitted to Contest #107

Content warning: suicide Ghost.You made me into a fucking ghost, didn’t you?Shameless. You ungrateful fuck, after everything I gave you, all those hours, all my love, all my attention and affection and sincerity, I gave you my body and mind, and worst of all, my fucking heart, yet on a whim you so glibly chose to make me disappear from your life, to toss all the precious things I gave you away like they were nothing at all, like I was nothing at all, a worthless bitch, not a life partner but a meaningless one-night stand, not the woman who l...

1 comment 1
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“A 500 rupee note” by Spondon Ganguli

Submitted to Contest #107

Over a vast land in the Terai region of Darjeeling, there was a governmental dairy farm. The place had a pleasant and pristine environment smeared with tranquility. The farm was sandwiched by the forest on one side and the tea garden on the other side which spread far and wide. The farm's office employed ten to twelve people to look after the official works whereas for other groundwork like milking the cattle, feeding them, looking after them, the office hired local people from nearby villages on daily wages. One such person was Budhua, of a...

5 comments 5
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“Ain't Genealogy Great!” by Matt Ward

Submitted to Contest #107

Ain’t Genealogy Great! (Based on a true story) Walter Hanson was from East Tennessee. He was a proud southern gentleman. Maybe not so proud of the south’s slavery history, but still loyal to the memory of his ancestors. Proud that his great-great-grandfather had fought in the Civil War for the South. Proud of the tombstone in the local cemetery that, while not marking the grave of his progenitor, it did commemorate the man’s loyalty to the south with the inscription, “Jacob L. Arbeiter, Cpl. CSA, 1834 – 1865.” Jacob Arbeiter was a Germ...

1 comment 1
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“Heart of Gold” by Brandon Uddstrom

Submitted to Contest #107

TW: murder“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered, extending my arm. “I don’t deserve you.” Her delicate blue eyes grew wider in the moonlight. You could spot every star inside of them.“Don’t say that, babe,” Grace implored. She laced her fingers with mine. They were barely poking out of her grey sweater. She was always so cold. “What we have… it’s wonderful. Real. You’re everything.”The fire crackled in the background as crickets sounded off, maybe cicadas. They were undoubtedly nestled in the pine trees that circled us. If you kept still and ca...

4 comments 4
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“The Box” by Paige Ishii

Submitted to Contest #107

The Box  What was in the box?  There have always been glimpses of that box.       Dad would take that box out and hold it close. We were never to touch it. Dad would let us try to open it, but it was no use. We didn’t have the key.  The beautiful, intricate box was a puzzle. Only he knew the key to open it.       But now that Dad was gone, here was the box. Again.       A few months before Dad died, he told me very specifically, to take...

4 comments 4
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“The True and the Daring” by Danh Chantachak

Submitted to Contest #107

*CONTENT WARNING: Horror, gore, and references to suicide.* *** “I would have to say…” Chad mused. “In the anthropology section of the Baillieu Library.” A collective groan came from the entire group. “You’re so gross,” Cindy said in disgust. Chad held up his hands in defense. “Hey, you asked.” “Is that the section with all the dinosaur books?” Seth queried. “No, dumbass,” Bethany replied. “You’re thinking of paleontology. Anthropology is the study of humanity.” “Well,” Chad said, raisi...

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“Reconciliation” by Omar Khalif

Submitted to Contest #107

"And that's the nine o'clock news." The anchor on TV said right before the screen went black. "Ugh." Said the man holding the remote in his hand, stretching his upper body with a big yawn. As he was putting his arms down, he looked at the sight of his wife coming down the hallway to the living room. She came and sat down next to him. "What are you doing?" he said in an upbeat tone. "I'm staying up tonight!" she exclaimed proudly, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around her body. "Ha-ha, you haven't stayed up past nine ever since Max was born...

2 comments 2
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“Miss Popular” by Nova Wallace

Submitted to Contest #107

Miss Popular I sat at the lunch table and picked at my food with disinterest. I heard laughter coming from two tables away. I tried not to stare. The noise came from the blue table. That was where the cool kids ate. I was stuck at the green table. The green table was where the rejects like me sat. I hated it at the green table, but I had no friends at any of the other tables. I picked at my food and wished I was someone different. Not just anyone. I wanted to be someone in particular. I wanted her hairstyles, her clothes, and her friends....

1 comment 1
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“The Evolution of Butch's Views” by Pako Dunwhile

Submitted to Contest #107

The changing world made increasingly less sense to Butch. His Caucasian complexion had become more of a liability. He recognized that not so long ago its display would all but guarantee him what the kids were calling “privilege.” Having the upper hand in society had been something that the 56 year old enjoyed. As a straight, White, Christian male, he believed himself to be a living representation of everything correct with the the country. In his opinion, after all, straight, White, Christian males tamed the natives, built the railroads...

4 comments 4
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“A STORY OF DOLLS” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #107

A STORY OF DOLLS Alice and Norma had known each other for a lifetime. They had gone to school together, they had done sports together, skiing and cycling. They had been in the same cultural and environmental associations. Now they were both over forty,  both divorced. Alice had three teenage children, who lived with her. Norma instead had no children and, after the divorce from her husband, she had decided to live with a woman, Adele, who was twenty years her senior. Alice had always felt an instinctive dislike against&nb...

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“A GRAVE MISTEAK” by Max Otho

Submitted to Contest #107

           “Yeah, it’s delicious.”Andrew Herbert wasn’t necessarily a man known for his honesty, but this may have been the biggest lie he’d ever told. As he sat looking at the decrepit and atrocious excuse for a meal in front of him, he repeated once more, “It’s absolutely delicious.” He then added an “I love it,” in for good measure. Andrew of course meant no harm by this little white lie, but it’s effect would be detrimental. The lies Andrew continued to spout off for the next se...

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“Sisters” by Ananya Voss

Submitted to Contest #107

  The sister was shaking as her hand tremulously unlocked the front door using the key on the small key ring with a miniature slipper. She let herself into the familiar flat and looked around. The light shone in and threw dappled shadows of the tall Parlour Palms gently onto the cream walls. She turned the salt lamp on in the corner and a soft, hazy orange glow diffused through the room. The flat exuded style and taste. She was sure she had left the boots by the entrance- yet there they were by the window: slim, tall, polished and ...

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$250

Prize money

150

Contest entries

204

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 20, 2021 EST

Won by K. Antonio 🏆

Title: The Intrusive Demon

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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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