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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#156: The Mandela Effect

Nelson Mandela was an enormously influential figure in world history: the first president of a new democratic government, South Africa’s first Black head of state, and a global icon of democracy and activism.

This week, our prompts delve into a lesser-known phenomenon that his legacy also sparked. Despite the iconic leader dying in 2013 at the age of 95, many people worldwide vividly recall news coverage announcing Mandela’s death in the 1980s. This mystery led to the coining of the term “the Mandela Effect”, or a memory that is falsely shared by multiple people.

From famous quotes that were never spoken (Vader never actually said “Luke, I am your father”), to facts we swear have changed over time (many recall being taught there were 52 US states, not 50), there are countless examples of the Mandela Effect out there. This week’s prompts explore this weird world of false memories, alternate universes, and all things strange.

🥇 Winner

“We/I” by Sjan Evardsson

🏆 Winner of Contest #156

Something happened in the lab the other night. I’m not certain what but it was something.I powered up the device, and there she…I…the other I…was. It was a possibility I hadn’t considered. By opening a door into a parallel universe, I opened the door to myself in that same universe.Some clarification first. My name is Samuel Worth, I am a thirty-four-year-old physicist that likes doing stupid experiments in my garage. I go by Sam. Her name is Samantha Worth, a thirty-four-year-old physicist that likes doing stupid experiments in her garage…s...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Liar” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

(Trigger: Death)“How you feelin’?” you ask as you adjust the pillows behind Astrid’s tiny five-year-old head. You try to reposition her frail body upright to help drain the excess secretions from her nose and throat. She grimaces. You force a smile.“I heard Santa is visiting today,” you say as you turn the almost-empty IV pump to hold, hang the new bag on the pole taking the stopper off, remove the tubing from the old bag and insert the tubing into the new bag.You see Astrid’s eyes light up. “He is?” she asks, her eyes lighting up with a hin...

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“Pants on Fire” by Sharon Hancock

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

The first time she made me do it was the day after Mama died. That shiny black car stirred up a cloud of dust when it skidded across our dirt driveway. Daddy was nowhere to be found and hadn’t been around for weeks. Anyway, even if he had been there he wouldn’t have done much good. He never did. Before the red dust cloud settled and even before that wheezing woman with the hairy mole got out of the car, my sister, Julie, had me cornered and fully educated on the art of fibbing. She ...

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“Over These Still Rising Waters” by SJ Latrice

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

“Don’t you remember?” his wife — his wife! — says, giving him a purely curious look despite the scorn that Alex knows he deserves. Briana stands at the window nearest to him, its glass having long become miniscule shards on the dusty warehouse floor. The sun’s light gives her large afro a blossoming halo, her dark skin glowing with gold undertones. She’s a vibrant painting, a masterpiece made flesh even with the travel-worn black clothes she wears. “I don’t,” he responds and looks down at his ragged sneakers, they were practically f...

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“The Art of Inventing Untruths” by Richa Jain

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

“I miss you.”I lie through my teeth, knowing that when she gets my message, Jane will be sobbing and begging for me to come back. I lie about it all, telling her I find the way she can’t ravish a meal if two different foods are touching each other endearing, as if she weren’t a twenty-six-year-old woman who behaved like she was ten. That I miss the way she’d wake me up by jumping on our bed, as if I found it comical and adorable and not incredibly aggravating. I tell her everything I know she wants to hear, because I need her to come back. Y...

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This week's prompts

Write about two characters arguing over how a past event happened.

Sad – 34 stories

Write a story where a character is experiencing parallel realities.

Science Fiction – 65 stories

Write about false news coverage of an important event.

Nonfiction – 17 stories

Start your story with a character or a narrator saying, “Don’t you remember?”

Middle School – 59 stories

Write a story about a pathological liar.

Dark – 37 stories

Stories

“We/I” by Sjan Evardsson

🏆 Winner of Contest #156

Something happened in the lab the other night. I’m not certain what but it was something.I powered up the device, and there she…I…the other I…was. It was a possibility I hadn’t considered. By opening a door into a parallel universe, I opened the door to myself in that same universe.Some clarification first. My name is Samuel Worth, I am a thirty-four-year-old physicist that likes doing stupid experiments in my garage. I go by Sam. Her name is Samantha Worth, a thirty-four-year-old physicist that likes doing stupid experiments in her garage…s...

Read story

“The Liar” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

(Trigger: Death)“How you feelin’?” you ask as you adjust the pillows behind Astrid’s tiny five-year-old head. You try to reposition her frail body upright to help drain the excess secretions from her nose and throat. She grimaces. You force a smile.“I heard Santa is visiting today,” you say as you turn the almost-empty IV pump to hold, hang the new bag on the pole taking the stopper off, remove the tubing from the old bag and insert the tubing into the new bag.You see Astrid’s eyes light up. “He is?” she asks, her eyes lighting up with a hin...

Read story

“False Awakening” by Brynn Helena

Submitted to Contest #156

Before I even opened my eyes, I knew I was somewhere I had never been. The smell of chlorine was so strong it was almost nauseating, and the air so humid the stench clung to my skin. When I finally did open my eyes I gasped, breathing in a gulp of water as I floundered to find my footing and stood up, bursting out of the water. I choked, my lungs fighting some of the liquid out of my throat, the chemically taste making me gag. Doubled over, I stared at my feet surrounded by crystal blue water and endless white tiles. They floated before my e...

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“Effigicide” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #156

It’s not murder because I’m killing myself, and it’s not suicide because I’m still alive.Nobody thinks twice when weird lights and noises come from one of the stalls of the bathroom-sty at Shannon’s Pub, which is why I like the place. It’s reliable.I wish I could rejigger my spacial reality trans-shunter so that it didn’t whine and flash like lightning every time I used it, but that’s a problem for another day. The device itself fits into an oval metal case sized for my palm, and I keep it affixed to my belt. My shirt covers it, and even if ...

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“Pants on Fire” by Sharon Hancock

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

The first time she made me do it was the day after Mama died. That shiny black car stirred up a cloud of dust when it skidded across our dirt driveway. Daddy was nowhere to be found and hadn’t been around for weeks. Anyway, even if he had been there he wouldn’t have done much good. He never did. Before the red dust cloud settled and even before that wheezing woman with the hairy mole got out of the car, my sister, Julie, had me cornered and fully educated on the art of fibbing. She ...

Read story

“The Sun, Moon, and The Truth” by Brynn Helena

Submitted to Contest #156

“Don’t you remember?” Moon whispered, leaning against the wall of mirrors as he and Yujun stood alone in the corner of the room. Their bandmates were goofing off all over the rest of the dance studio space while their manager, Q, fiddled angrily with the stereo. It had been hiccuping all day long, keeping the boys from running their choreography properly for the three or four hours they had already spent there that day. The boys didn’t seem to mind though, taking the time to play cards, write, draw or, in Yujun’s case, read. (Although, if he...

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“Sweet, Savage Love” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #156

“Go to hell, you saggy-faced frumpy old bag.”The words hit me, piercing the tender space between my chest and my heart. My daughter. Screaming at me. Rage puckering her acne ridden face, and her limp hair clinging to her scalp as she flicks it in defiance, stopping short of giving me the single middle finger.The door slams. I blink. My Cassie. Screaming at me. How the hell did we end up here?I walk into the kitchen and grip the bench, my knuckles white, heaving shaky breaths to fight off the rising panic and quell the looming self-doubt.I st...

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“Over These Still Rising Waters” by SJ Latrice

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

“Don’t you remember?” his wife — his wife! — says, giving him a purely curious look despite the scorn that Alex knows he deserves. Briana stands at the window nearest to him, its glass having long become miniscule shards on the dusty warehouse floor. The sun’s light gives her large afro a blossoming halo, her dark skin glowing with gold undertones. She’s a vibrant painting, a masterpiece made flesh even with the travel-worn black clothes she wears. “I don’t,” he responds and looks down at his ragged sneakers, they were practically f...

Read story

“Energy Crisis 2023” by Katy B

Submitted to Contest #156

Summer Bummer: Pyrotechnics delayed at 247th annual Fourth-of-Palooza July 3. Gregory Balkema, 28, lost his life this afternoon stunt-driving for South Haven’s most patriotic event of the year. Fourth-of-Palooza, which normally features two nights of fireworks, experimented this year with the addition of jet-propelled truck racing. Balkema drove his stunt truck “right into a fireball of gasoline, on purpose,” according to South Haven native Brendan Kowalski, 59. Kowalski added, “I guess they ran out of fuel after that because they cance...

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“Baphomet” by Hannah P. Simmons

Submitted to Contest #156

I sense his presence before I ever lay eyes on him.It doesn't surprise me, really. Baph is the type of entity who always enters announced.He is the syncopated tap of stiletto heels that echoes across a tile floor.A whiff of musk that rides the air till it finds your inhale.Double doors that open with intention.The crescendo of the music.And now, that announced entrance is staring at me from across a crowded lobby, smiling that sinful smile he knows will make me tremble.I know better than to look away, but I do. Which gives him the advantage....

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“I Am Not A Liar. ” by Seán McNicholl

Submitted to Contest #156

I am not a liar. That’s the truth.Well, I mean, in all honesty, we do all tell little lies, little fibs, half-truths, or omissions. But those aren’t real lies. They don’t make you a liar.You know what I mean; when you tell a girl her dress looks well, or that she hasn’t put on weight, or that you’re still attracted to them. Those little white lies don’t count. There’s lots of different types of lies too. Sure, look at my tinder profile for example. It’s not exactly the most accurate representation of myself but I’m not really lying...

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“Lois and Lucinda Recall the (Alleged) Sinking of the Cruise Ship” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #156

“The first thing I did was put on my life raft.” “No, Lucinda, you put your jewelry on first.” “Did I? No! I put on the life raft first, Lois.” “No, you didn’t. You even said ‘I don’t want the bracelet Harry got me sinking to the bottom of the ocean like that diamond in Titanic.’” “Was it a diamond or a pearl that sank to the bottom of the ocean?” “You’re thinking of Prince.” “Prince who?” “Prince.” “Prince of what?” “Just Prince. The musician. With the doves.” “Ohhhhh with the doves. You never just say anything. Yo...

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“I Saw Tank Man Die” by Janet Boyer

Submitted to Contest #156

“Don’t you remember?"I frowned, drying the last dish. Opened the cupboard with deliberation.Is he gaslighting me…?No, Evan would never do that.He’s not that type of guy.Head games? Not in twenty-five years of marriage.Standing in the kitchen doorway, arms akimbo, mouth agape, eyes wide.“June 4th, 1989. Remember? Officials finally yanked him out of the way.”What the actual hell.I hung the dish towel on the oven handle, feeling as though I was moving through syrup.“Want some coffee?"I turned back to the cupboard, grabbed a jar of coffee, poppe...

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“Betwixt Worlds” by J.C. Lovero

Submitted to Contest #156

This must be what fairy tales are like.Dawn broke crisp and clear, winking at me through the small window opposite the foot of the bed. The cottage evoked memories of my attic back home: from the exposed wood of the floors and walls, to the dust that hung in the air. I rolled over, yanking the covers over me.“Krissy?” “Five more minutes,” I said. It was a luxury to sleep in on the weekends after another late night in the lab. Plus, with many scientists redeployed to the field, the Vraxed threat left us short-staffed.“Come on.” Blair pul...

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“The Art of Inventing Untruths” by Richa Jain

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #156

“I miss you.”I lie through my teeth, knowing that when she gets my message, Jane will be sobbing and begging for me to come back. I lie about it all, telling her I find the way she can’t ravish a meal if two different foods are touching each other endearing, as if she weren’t a twenty-six-year-old woman who behaved like she was ten. That I miss the way she’d wake me up by jumping on our bed, as if I found it comical and adorable and not incredibly aggravating. I tell her everything I know she wants to hear, because I need her to come back. Y...

Read story

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$250

Prize money

212

Contest entries

93

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 29, 2022 EST

Won by Sjan Evardsson 🏆

Title: We/I

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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