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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

“What's the Diagnosis? ” by Shawnalynn Cromwell

Submitted to Contest #107

Mary-Ann could not believe her luck in finding a three-bedroom apartment with the utilities included! Now all she had to do was convince her two best friends - to move into the three-bedroom apartment. They all made a pact to go to the same university. She could have moved into an on-campus dorm - but she wants to know about the feeling of independence and freedom - from her parents. "Kate, Steve, please, please!!!" Mary-Ann pleads with her two friends to share the three-bedroom apartment. Kate pipes up...

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“Home” by Mandy McCool

Submitted to Contest #107

This is my home, complete with the sun-bleached wooden floors and the dirty storm windows. It’s old, but it’s peaceful, you know? It’s just an old house that transformed slowly into a dream escape. It is our escape. Well… it was. It didn’t take you very long to move another woman into our home. You didn’t think I would notice, did you? She’s beautiful. Skin glowing like a summer sunset, eyes reflecting crashing waves, and hair perpetually damp with salt water. You caught a fucking mermaid. Okay, maybe not… but she is gorgeous still. A s...

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“My Little Sesame Seed ” by Elizabeth Wrong

Submitted to Contest #107

I stared at the two lines, and they stared back. I knew my period was late, but we’d only been trying for about a month. One line was a bit more faded than its friend, but it was definitely there. I showed the test to my husband, pointing to the back of the box which depicted an example that mirrored the test in his hand.“I think you’re pregnant,” he said to me, running his fingers through his hair and placing his hands on his knees.“I think I’m pregnant,” I whispered, slowly erupting into joyous laughter. We looked at each other, tears thre...

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“Petals of the Irises” by MJ Murphy

Submitted to Contest #107

I was always told that if you had nothing nice to say, than gosh darn it, you might as well just say it all. Filters were never a rarity in our home, so why make it so in the world to the people that need to hear it most? I grew up proud to be who I am, and why shouldn’t I be? Louisiana is a great place to be, and I daren’t say it isn’t because I knew it best to be true. Walking through swamps never made me feel ill because I could always count on the mud to run through my toes and the leaves to brisk through my hair when everythin...

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“Lovers” by Alex Howe

Submitted to Contest #107

Morning broke over the island of Sikinos. As far as the Greek islands went, it was completely unremarkable; it had just two towns connected by a single road, one of which sat on the shores of the Aegean and received the occasional ferries of tourists misled by their travel guides’ claims of Sikinos’s picturesque beauty into believing that it was a place truly worth visiting. To be sure, it was beautiful, but it was an intangible, natural kind of beauty, the kind that had so captivated Byron to fight and die in a land over a thousand miles fr...

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“The Lousy House Guest” by Kay Martin

Submitted to Contest #107

Agony wasn’t allowed to enter The Host’s house tonight, and I was instructed to keep the windows shut to ensure he couldn’t sneak in. In fact, the invitation made it abundantly clear that every possible entrance must be closed and locked as soon as it was opened to avoid letting in any uninvited guests. This request was odd, considering that no party that The Host had thrown before ever required us to lock anyone out, but nevertheless, I scribbled multiple notes on my arm as a...

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“If I have the words...” by Kellie Lager

Submitted to Contest #107

“I can’t do this.” I rubbed my little brother’s spine, ignoring the way his sweat coated my skin through his button-up shirt. In the darkness backstage, I was grateful no one else was here to see how clammy he was. My mom should never have forced him to sign up for debate. I mean, really. This kid? Up in front of the entire school? He was much more comfortable holed up in the library. In the back, curled against stacks of musty old philosophy books. I was pretty sure he’d read every single one of the ancient philosophers and was now making h...

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“The Table” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #107

We sit here together around this table that your father built before you were born, and we eat the rich olive bread from the wooden plate at the center of the table; thirteen hands sharing bread, and I wonder at the intimacy of it, especially now when we all feel as distant as strangers. I keep trying to catch your eye, but you keep your head down and eat very little, and if there were not so many others around us I would maybe reach out to take your hand, or to ask you what is wrong that I cannot soothe. The wine is spicy and auburn, ...

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“Hurricane Lives” by Darby Walker

Submitted to Contest #107

He worked at a Japanese restaurant, in Arizona, which felt ironic given how far from any ocean it was and how the food served was almost exclusively seafood. Most days he worked both the lunch and dinner shifts and in between the two the restaurant was closed for two hours, from 3:00 o'clock to 5:00 o'clock. This always left him an uneven amount if time, uneven in that it was too long to stay and wait for it to re-open, but not long enough to walk all the way home and back. He could have, but the time it would’ve taken to make both trips wou...

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“Now Manuel can play” by Lisa Greghi

Submitted to Contest #107

“Manuel spilt a whole bowl of soup today! I try to educate him but for now, I guess he is too little to pick up on my reproaches. What I was one-year-old I bet I didn’t listen to my parents either! - laughter emoji, laughter emoji. Has your child ever done this? I try to remain calm and teach him instead of carelessly screaming at him, he will understand, he will grow up. I really hope he didn’t burn himself too much, that soup was so hot! – despair emoji. I would love to know if you had a similar experience with your child. How did y...

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“Imposter Syndrome” by Sarah Bird

Submitted to Contest #107

“And your sleep?” the voice crackles through my headset after a pregnant pause due to the time delay. “Your sleep was disturbed by nightmares a few weeks ago. How are you sleeping now?” “Better,” I answer truthfully. “Exactly eight hours last night.” “Good, good,” the man says. “And how are you feeling about your habitat now? You indicated anxiety about your habitat. Some worries and concerns. Do you want to explore that today?” Paranoia, he means. “I am feeling much more settled, thank you. It was difficult to adjust at first but I am much ...

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“The Big Little Lie” by Germaine Welch

Submitted to Contest #107

The Big Little Lie Dear Reader: Here are a few facts you need before you read this story. I had just turned four when WWII was declared. My father was Gerard Burchard descendant from an old German family. Meige (the I is long) Burchard was my mother. Because of their commitments to the Navy, I have no memories of my parents until I am almost eight years old. During the war years I lived in Bremeerton, Washington with Meige’s mother, Eva, a small, spirited Irish woman. My ...

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“Cues” by Helen Single

Submitted to Contest #107

The faint reek of cigarette smoke tickles my nose as I push into my hometown’s dingiest dive bar for the third time this week. My mouth waters as the aroma of cheap, greasy fries and fatty meat cuts through the dank mix of sweat and liquor breath. I drag my gaze across the room to find nothing of particular interest; two grizzled men sit at the bar mumbling to each other as a couple of college kids play a very unconvincing game of pool in the corner. I flash a crooked smile at the bartender and hop into my usual seat by the wall. He rolls hi...

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“When Opposites Contract” by Grace Ogren

Submitted to Contest #107

Joe was a man of few words, but the ones he spoke were more valuable than anyone else’s. His speech was in bold, swaying in italics, in constant capitalization and always underlined. To me, at least. It was hard to even hear him sometimes. I was used to leaning in, getting closer to his dark, ever-changing hair and the juniper smell he stole from the woods. The extra effort was worth it time and time again. In groups, sometimes he would duck his head to mine and mu...

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“Unknown Rooms and Rosaries” by L.J Sunwing

Submitted to Contest #107

“Truth or dare?” The boy slips down next to his girlfriend, pulling his knees close to him while mirroring her stance. He ruffles his blonde hair and tugs at it. She had asked him to play a game, something to engage with each other after several fights, the two had had tension for the past two weeks. Usually ending in a squabble, with one of them being upset with the other. This was supposed to be a reckoning, an olive branch. Would it work though?“Dare.” The girl rolls over, her large eyes peering into him. She smiles at him with all the ad...

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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!

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