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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#140: Down Memory Lane

It’s no secret that many writers draw inspiration for their writing from real life, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, when you’re searching for things to write about, taking a memory of your own and altering it is a reliable way to get out of a bout of writer’s block.

Memory is an important concept when writing fiction, as it helps connect the past to the present — so this week, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

This week's prompts

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

Angst – 102 stories

Write about a character with an unreliable memory.

Character – 46 stories

End your story with total oblivion.

Horror – 24 stories

Write a story that involves a flashback.

Fiction – 71 stories

Write a story inspired by a memory of yours.

Nonfiction – 90 stories

Stories

“A Memory of a Lifetime” by Michelle Thomas

Submitted to Contest #140

“I remember…” said Sarah as she gazed out at the sunset, standing in the frigid cold water.The year was 1976, Peter had just left his after school shift at his father’s garage and headed for home. The air was particularly cold that day. He could feel the skin on his hands cracking as he rubbed them together in an attempt to warm them. Luckily Peter had managed to finish his workload before the sky got dark. The walk home was short, but felt longer on those cold winter days.His family lived up north, their house sitting a few hundred feet fro...

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“My Early Days” by Conrad M

Submitted to Contest #140

It was a rainy night in August when I sat on my front porch. The night was peaceful the sun had gone down a couple of hours ago. I remember when I was young, I did the same thing with my father. My father has been gone for forty- seven years. But those memories still live on. I was sixteen when he passed that was the saddest day of my life. He was sixty-two when I was born that was probably what gave him a stroke trying to raise me at that age. He did make it to seventy-nine. Because of his age and his health, we didn't do a lot of things th...

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“THE RED POND” by George Levy

Submitted to Contest #140

THE RED POND IN THE WOODS. 1,034 words I remember the Red Pond. It haunts my sleep these past twenty-five years. Fellow veterans on the Chicago Fire Department want to go back. They still talk about the battle...

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“Forever Your Girl” by Stevie Dotson

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember. Terry, you know I do. Your long thick brown curls, askance from the way you always pulled your fingers through them…a gesture I know so well I can still tell when you’re going to do it. You remember how you used to call me and sing me a song over the phone when we couldn’t be together? Those nights at home, you in your basketball shorts and me in your shirt and thick flannel socks, dancing in the kitchen while we made nachos or whatever we could throw together from the leftovers in the fridge…do you remember pulling me ...

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“Shipwreck and the Sea” by Ashley Fields

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember floating on my back in the waveless ocean, staring into the sun until my retinas ached, until the rest of my insides started to feel okay. I thought of mermaids, and I thought of sirens singing sailors to their demise. I wasn’t sure which I favored more--the sea, oblivious death, or an effortless life purpose. I stayed in the water until I started thinking that maybe I wouldn’t leave the water for a long, long time and rolled my body from my back to my stomach and made myself slowly drift back to shore. I knew everyo...

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“Memories” by Deborah Elliott

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember it all, every single second of it. Let me rephrase that. I remember my version of everything, which is what matters to a person, isn’t it? There is a snapshot album in my head; Kodak pictures of my memories taken with an old Brownie Box Camera. The album has a tattered brown cover with a faded bouquet of wildflowers in the center of it. The title is Life, The Rise, the Fall, and the Rise Again.I was a scrawny little girl with bouncing light brown ringlets. My grandmother would stand me on a chair, dri...

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“The gift that keeps on giving” by R Grim

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember the first time I cried on my birthday I had just turned fifteen. Two of my friends were in the room in various states of slumber, and my age and loneliness pressed upon me like humidity in a thunderstorm. I had to deal with three feelings:1. Gut-retching fear that one day I’m going to die, probably alone. As these people sleep around me, I am alone in this consciousness, which is exactly what will happen when I die, too.2. Sadness that everything my parents, hell,&nbsp...

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“A Real Date” by Shirley Smith

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember the first night we met. It was a Friday night and I was home alone and bored with nothing to do. I didn't have anybody to hang out with. My best friend was out-of-town with her family. So, I decided to go for a walk. My condo was in walking distance of a shopping plaza and a few restaurants so I could easily find something to do but I just didn't want to hang solo. However, I had no choice and I was hungrySo, I grabbed my purse, my denim jacket and slipped on my shoes and headed down the street to see what I ...

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“Superhero” by Darold Hubbard

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember my entire 2nd grade classroom laughing at me. Mrs. Huff asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I said, "A superhero!" I remember even Mrs. Huff laughed. As she went around the room asking everyone, I remember no one else wanted to be a superhero. I have always wondered why more people didn't want to be superheroes.At seven years old I probably had no concept of deterrence. Perhaps, I had never encountered failure either. I do remember I was sure I would be a superhero. So, whether I was confident or delusional, I drew up ...

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“Love in Paris” by Jennifer Taylor

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember sitting in the back seat of my Father's brand new shiny 79' Ford driving over the huge bridge inside the car my younger brother to my left and older sister to my right with me in the middle swinging my feet from side to side in my shiny penny loafers looking out at the blue crimson waters over the Siene river. "Paris is such a Beautiful city" my Mother say as she puts the bobby pin to hold her bun in place and continue to laugh at my Father's jokes. I Remember the songs song and memories created on that road trip it was one of the...

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“Her afterlife. ” by Soul Food

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember. Not distinctly, but like the stroke of summer's breeze on your cheeks. I remember the giggles, the sass, Jake and our tree house, our love for forts, his love for strawberries, and our legs intertwined as we slept in our Ben ten themed rooms, I remember the blonde of his hair, and his perfect smile that mirrors mine. I remember Faye. I remember her so much it hurts. I remember the hours we would spend together and I remember our cries, cries that began immediately we were separated. I remember our friendship, it's purity, I remem...

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“The Pieces of Memory ” by Sydney Umstead

Submitted to Contest #140

"I remember". A simple phrase that means so much more now, expanding beyond the dictionary definition. I remember it all. The way that the crisp Autumn air hit my skin, and how everything felt at that moment. I can still see my mom standing at the foot of the stairs, beckoning me rapidly to come down. The final moments of a normal life. “Hurry, hurry, please,” were the only words she said. I ran as fast I could, and when I finally reached the threshold of our kitchen, I saw it all. The smashed plates scattered around, and my fat...

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“The Day the Kingdom Fell” by Charlie Hall

Submitted to Contest #140

"I remember when you were just a young one, Oliver. Just a little boy learning how to harness a sword for the first time." Sir Reginald's voice was powerful and he gripped the rapier in his hand. Something felts wrong here though. I was supposed to be protecting the princess today, not lectured by the man who taught me how to fight. His eyes were filled with hatred, but I couldn't figure out for what or for who. "I was hoping you would come to understand my ways. The truth behind the royals on the throne. The fact that centuries ago, their a...

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“We Never Found Us” by Carrie Van Hoose

Submitted to Contest #140

Act 1I remember the last time I climbed out of your car. You didn't know it would be our final kiss. We met during Mr. B’s class in the dungeon. You chased me down the long corridor to catch up and ask me to see a movie sometime. I always walked at a hurried pace, fearful of being late for class.I fell in love with your piercing eyes and that gleeful smile. You melted my heart the first time I heard you sing Piano Man. We shared a passion for musical theatre. You were the shining star on stage. I never missed a performance.I cherished the ro...

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“The Special Present” by Parshalla Wood

Submitted to Contest #140

This story has some sensitive information regarding the handling of firearms, but it's not a violent story. I remember that Christmas morning; To use the old phrase, Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house nothing was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung all in a row in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there. So not exactually that dramatic, since all of us were in our early twenties, we were aware of the fact that any presents left under the tree were put there by another family member or parents. My...

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$250

Prize money

333

Contest entries

170

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 08, 2022 EST

Won by Cecilia Maddison 🏆

Title: Old Soul

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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