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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.

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

“Fighting Fire With Firearms” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #156

“Sir Calum Sorley killed five flaming monsters saving Sir Longbow’s life,” whispered a woman in the city bathhouse in Leonor. “I heard it was ten,” said the woman next to her. Both grey haired women were naked as the day they were born, as was everyone else. “You’re both wrong,” said Danielle Longbow, who had heard the whole conversation while she pretended to sleep in the soothing waters. “It was tw...

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“Only Words” by Caroline Smith

Submitted to Contest #156

We strayed in far corners of your library, slow-dancing in a wood-paneled and wool-carpeted room. The paintings stared at us in disapproval, even the canvases with nothing but inanimate objects painted on their once bare bodies.I can just see a paintbrush tickling the white rough surface. The brush’s ends are stained a deep purple, the color of your favorite kind of grapes. Once purple meets white, there is no returning, no going back to a blank slate. You finish what you started or you get a new canvas.But new canvases are expensive. And a ...

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“Don't You Remember” by T Rourke

Submitted to Contest #156

Don’t you remember?I had been standing in my brother’s kitchen when he asked me that question earlier today.Well sure I remember, I think.How could I forget?My brother was looking at me with that exasperated look he used to give me when we were kids and I had misplaced his baseball glove after using it as a bed for my doll on the grass. Only now it included bewilderment as to how I could forget something so important.Did I see concern in his eyes too?“Of course, I remember, Brad,” I said with a small smile. “Time just got away from me and th...

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“Under the Raft” by Kendra Lindholm

Submitted to Contest #156

I felt like a kid again swimming under water with my goggles on, cooling off from the day's heat, diving deep enough to feel the layer of cool water underneath the warm surface. Underwater I approached the raft that's been there for as long as I could remember. Despite my love of swimming, I used to always fear going under it because of the schools of fish hiding in its shadow. Now, as an adult, I knew the fish would flee in an instant by my presence. I figured it would be fun to finally swim under it. I thought about going back up for a ...

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“Don't You "Bro" Me” by Davie McGuinn

Submitted to Contest #156

“We dated for four years, Chad.”“I thought we were more like, you know, friends-with-benefits, or whatever.”“For four years, you thought we were just one prolonged casual fling? No strings attached? Jesus that explains a lot. I wish I could go back and see just how shallow you really are. Shallow as a cheap Walmart inflatable kittie pool; the kind toddlers relieve themselves in.”“Bro, don’t you think that’s a little harsh?”“Bro? Bro?? Don’t you bro… Oh, Hell no. Do. Not. Bro. Me. Chad.”“Jeez, relax, woman, I call everyone ‘bro.”“Oh, okay. So...

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“Sammy Not-So-Real” by Kate Winchester

Submitted to Contest #156

***Author's note: This story deals with death and mental health issues. This story is the aftermath of Sammy Not-So-Fast. It is also related to Light at the End of the Tunnel.*** “Don’t you remember? God, how can you not? Sammy is dead. DEAD. He’s not coming back and we wouldn’t have been in this situation if you had just remembered too.” Penelope remained stone faced in her seat like a scorned child. Her eyes fixed on the police station in front of them. “I don’t…I can’t.” “You had the police on a wi...

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“The Jade Jaguar ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #156

“That’s not how I remember it,” Amber said leaning forward, the meerkat’s clawed hands rested on the desk as she stared down the occupant opposite her. It was hot and overcast outside - creatures braving the wet heat to get to their jobs looked like ants down below. “Really? Then how do you remember it?” The hardboiled rat detective behind the desk responded. Amber leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. “I’m so glad you asked, Skreet,” she replied sarcastically. “I was following a tip from one of my sources: a lead...

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“Stirring the Dust” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #156

A wet bar towel hit Josh in the back of the head. He turned to see the bartender point at the door. “I know who you are. Get out.” Josh looked at the full buffet table. Quiches, quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps and more, displayed for the taking. So much food, hardly touched. He’d never seen such a spread. Customers watched with vague curiosity. Josh said, “Happy hour’s almost over. I thought…” “I didn’t see you come in. That’s for customers…” Josh hesitated. “I said, ‘clear out.’ No dogs allowed.” Patrons laughed. The bartender tipped an ima...

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“Sessions” by Ela Mikh

Submitted to Contest #156

March 18“You are very quiet today. What’s on your mind?”“Mmmm…I don’t know if I want to talk about this just yet.”“I can see it bothers you. Why don’t you try?”“It will sound silly… I … Well, in the last couple of weeks I keep seeing the same dream. It comes to me every night. It was curious at first but now… now it bothers me.”“Do you think about it during the day?”“Well, NOW I do. I didn’t at first but the more it happened the more I couldn’t shake it off.”“Do you want to tell me what it is about?”“Eh. Not yet, not in detail anyway. It’s a...

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“Forgotten” by Zoë Page

Submitted to Contest #156

Don’t you remember? The way her betrayal stung you like a wasp to a rash, the way you swore furiously under your breath in the chilled midnight air that you’d never forget the feeling. And you meant it – don’t you remember looking up at the stars, your eyes glossy and threatening to shut from exhaustion? I begged you to sleep, but you insisted you count each one and swear upon it that you’d never forgive her. You promptly moved out of the city to nestle in the countryside, and you swore you’d never fall in love again. You wrote in your tatte...

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“I Am Disappearing” by Robert Gilgoff

Submitted to Contest #156

Don’t you remember? I remember. I remember how four of us drove from Brussels to Pamplona. 7-7-7. July 7, 7:00 am. Running of the bulls. I had been reading Earnest Hemingway, caught up in the machismo and bravado. We had white shirts, red neckerchiefs, I think red berets. The Spanish men wore white pants and white shirts to complement their red neckerchiefs and berets. You couldn’t run, Valerie. Only men could demonstrate their idiocy on 7-7-7. You took black and white photographs. Your daughter brought them to me, after yo...

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“Multiverse Mike” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #156

TW: Swearing. A featureless, sexless being of pure black light held my hands and told me I would be a wanderer. Clicking my fingers would take me to the next universe. Clicking the other fingers would take me back. With no more explanation, the multiversal god vanished. I stood alone in the car park of a fast-food restaurant, drunk. “Yeah right,” I said, clicking my fingers. Night became day. Tarmac became a field of red poppies. I became the multiverse’s biggest moron. I could only click the fingers of my right hand. ...

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“A Vivid Dream” by Sasan Sedighi

Submitted to Contest #156

The first thing Robert noticed was the damp smell of a tropical forest. A strange mixture of the scents of fresh plants and rotten leaves filled his nostrils. Though the mercury was in the mid-seventies, the excessive humidity made it hot. His forehead was covered with sweat beads, occasionally getting to his eyes, burning them like hell. He dried his forehead with his shirt’s sleeve. He felt the rough texture of the fabric on his skin. It was pitch black, and he could barely see more than a meter in front of himself, but he could sense heav...

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“Midnight Snack” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #156

CW PREGNANCY LOSS For my little sister, who makes me laugh more than anyone else. Cheyenne has round toes. Very round toes. With round, little nails. It’s not something I noticed until we were sitting in the car, riding home from Denver International Airport. My husband is driving, her long term boyfriend is sitting in the passenger seat next to him. She’s typing furiously on her phone. “Sorry,” she breaks the silence, “An emergency with a patient.” Cheyenne sets her phone face down on the leather seat triumphantly, “Ok, I’m done.” S...

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“Life, After Life” by Randy Murrell

Submitted to Contest #156

Bobby Boyd bit the big one. And he is the subject of our following tale. It is important to know a little bit about Bobby before we go any further. Bobby as a child was not like the other children; he had wild ideas and an even wilder sense of adventure. He also never got along well with the other children in his school, he was different and hurt him because he knew he was different too. Bobby became a young man who lied, cheated and stole and he did so as naturally as we all breathe. So you can imagine that the...

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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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