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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

“Down memory lane with ghosts from the past ” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember Madeline like it was yesterday… I don´t know about you, but to me, certain houses proclaim a character of evil. Maybe it´s just an unalterable conviction, after having seen one too many horror stories. Some houses seem to communicate an atmosphere of secrecy, an aroma of evil deeds, which make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A mixture of the scent of the evildoer and the horror of the victim. Madeline lived in such a house. An ordinary house. It stood crowded in a corner of a square and looked exactly like its ugly neig...

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“I Remember You” by Cleodene Charles

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember tiny pieces of why I could never let you go. Why you just had an unexplainable impact on my life. It’s been such a long time since I laid eyes on you but I can still remember what it felt like when your soul reached out and touched mine. I remember turning to look at you and staring into those beautiful green eyes where all my hopes and dreams decided to reside. In those eyes I saw possibilities that perhaps a guy like you could fall for a girl like me. A girl broken and bruised, afraid to open up again. A girl who yearned for y...

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“I remember... ” by Tess Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember… January 25 2020: Cebu, Philippines I’m on my CNY break. We decided to go to Cebu, today I saw on the news about a virus being shot around China. Probably just a flu or strep, no biggie, right? 2 hours later I get an email from my principal, “School will be shut down for the next two weeks, classwork will be sent to all of you and you will do it from home.” AWESOME! Two weeks off school !!! January 26 2020: Cebu International Airport Since when did everyone start wearing pollution masks? Why is my temperature g...

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“I'll Love You Until the Multiverse Implodes ” by Charlie Bright

Submitted to Contest #140

“I remember…” Havoc had been expecting the detective for a while, but not like this. Not with blood oozing out of slashes in his clothes, not with bruises across his eyes and nose. His eyes were focused on her, glazed with pain. Despite how many times he’d tried to kill her, despite the decades of one-sided animosity, Havoc rushed forward to catch him before he collapsed. His dead weight nearly caused her to drop him. Carefully, she lowered him to the dirty wooden floor, his back against her chest, his head over her heart. Her colors, ...

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“Ouroboros Part Five - The Dragon” by Nova Smith

Submitted to Contest #140

The blog woods had never looked so beautiful. With the dove gray sand cushioning Ophi’s feet and the dark connectrees shielding the clearing from the sky, Ophi stood in awe as though he had never been there before. Could it be? The Internet user cocked his head to whistling coming from a gray bush, and saw a bright pink ad-bird wading out of the bush. Ophi recognized the bird and something lit up inside him. He turned back and saw a clear path leading to a leafier area. Thick, dark green wood greeted Ophi with a list of the users that lived...

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“Trying to Help” by C N Dakus

Submitted to Contest #140

“Sweetie.” I heard her say, just barely. “Sweetie, get up, you’re going to be late!” My eyes flew open and I bolted upright in bed, tossing the covers off myself. My mother was standing in the doorway, fully dressed for the day. Wondering how I could have overslept, I looked over at my clock. “Mom.” I said softly, trying to keep my voice cool, but unintentionally filling it with ice instead. “It is 4:30 in the morning. I don’t have to be up for another two hours.” “Is it really only 4:30?” She asked with her mouth agape. “Yes, Moth...

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“Simulated Donut” by T Powers

Submitted to Contest #140

“What happened, Mabel?,” was shouted louder this time, and it reverberated through her skull like a thunderclap. Behind her eyelids, shards of light followed close behind, tiny fissures that slowly, ever so slowly, evaporated into tiny little ethereal fireflies, flitting about her peripheral vision as her eyelids painfully fluttered open.Mabel could hear the impatient, deep, huffing male, breathing above her. As the last of the swimming lights in her vision dissipated, she extricated her fingers from the tangled, golden curls at her temples....

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“The Stories We Carry” by Dave Bolin

Submitted to Contest #140

Will pulled into the parking space and put the car in park. He reached to turn off the ignition, but paused, closing his eyes and letting the air from the vents wash over him for just a second longer. He exhaled slowly, settling himself. He made this visit three times a week, but it had never gotten any easier. The hard, unspoken truth of having a parent with dementia is that you have already lost them, but you can’t begin to grieve the loss because they are still here. Having gathered himself, Will grabbed the plastic grocery bag from the...

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“Fox Got Your Tongue?” by Jasz Garrett

Submitted to Contest #140

Percy scribbled in his notebook; his back leaned against an oak tree. He scrunched his peppered nose as he always did while in deep thought. His dark gray eyes scrutinized every detail his charcoal pencil scratched against paper. He sat on a hill perched above his creaky wooden middle school. The dead grass whipped in the wind. He focused on capturing each wave and bend of the beige high stalks. Sheltered on the rolling hill with him was a scarlet fox. Percy caught the flash of her hide through the grass below and intently gazed after her, h...

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“Through the Edgeless Expanse” by A.G Mitchell

Submitted to Contest #140

Bob floated in the void, perpetually flipping end over end. The endless tumbling wasn't so bad when he didn't have a point of reference. He got super nauseous when he passed a nearby star or planet. Lucky for him, that hadn't happened in a few thousand years. Or was it unlucky? After all, he had been floating through space for hundreds of millions, maybe billions of years. Getting sucked into a star, gas giant, or even a black hole would have at least been a refreshing change of pace. But Bob wasn't that lucky. In fact, Bob was probably...

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“Scorpion-Fish” by AV Audrey

Submitted to Contest #140

"I drank coffee and read old books and waited for the year to end." ...

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“Shock” by Elliot Sunburst

Submitted to Contest #140

April 12th 2091 Dear Diary, Have you ever seen that little cartoon of that person with the angel and devil on their shoulders? Probably not, apparently it’s old enough that only my grandfather has seen it. The idea of having a demon and angel telling you what to do is what inspired the government to implement the technology they did. If it were not for that damn cartoon maybe we wouldn’t be here today. Shock. Controlled by society the government has gotten strong enough that those in po...

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“The Raveler” by Jay Wayne

Submitted to Contest #140

When she kills me a third time, I start to take it personally. She knows how much energy I need to recreate myself. My fourth body in as many days is gaunt, all angles and harsh lines. I’m nearing my limit.So I run. It won’t stop her, not if she actually, truly intends to kill me, but it could buy me enough time to come up with a plan.I leave the country stowed away on a steamboat, having bribed the dockhands with the local currency. Money is easy to create and I won’t miss the speck of power it requires.I wake up the next day in a bustling ...

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“Familiar” by McKenna Cardona

Submitted to Contest #140

Quick Content Warning: Slight mentions of racial violence (based on a fictional race, but still) I do not often question my visions. I have learned, in my years of dreams and destiny, that they always tie into something. Some fortunate or unfortunate experience, some weird encounter. They’ve led me to the greatest of riches yet also the darkest of moments. But this one confuses me. This kid confuses me. Having seen the tavern in a dream one night, I figured my next fateful event would happen within its walls. I did not expect it to...

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“Ciao, Bella” by Taylor Sedwick

Submitted to Contest #140

2022 As she walked through the door of her Manhattan apartment, a sense of familiarity rushed over Cara. Another weekend, another date that was going absolutely nowhere. Almost 30, she thought, and I'm still alone. She sat down on her perfectly white loveseat and weakly kicked off her heels, signaling Roscoe (her beloved eleven year old dog and best friend) to come sit at her side. He hardly shed, which was why he was allowed on the couch, but because of his old age, she probably would have let him get up anyways. It wasn’t like the ...

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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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