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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#196: In Another Life

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the way making a single decision, big or small, can cause your life to fork off in an entirely new direction. There are the obvious crossroads, the big life choices, and then there are the tiny ones; ones we fail to notice are taking place every single day. Waiting at the crosswalk instead of jaywalking, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, spending an extra 10 minutes scrolling through social media — even these non-events can make the difference between a life-altering incident happening, or not happening.

But what if we could access those paths we didn’t take? Would we go back and choose a different route for our lives? What if we could sense those “sliding doors” moments as they happened? This week's prompts are inspired by this classic sci-fi dilemma, and by the coulda, shoulda, woulda’s we all live with every day.

This week's prompts

Write about a character unknowingly experiencing a “sliding doors” moment. Write your story in two halves; what could have been, and what actually happened.

Dramatic – 62 stories

Write a story that includes the phrase “Maybe in another life.”

Dialogue – 74 stories

You’re walking down the street, when you spot a familiar figure. It’s another you. And they’ve come from an alternate reality to warn you about something.

Thriller and Suspense – 32 stories

Write a story involving a portal into a parallel universe.

Science Fiction – 61 stories

Set your story in a world where time travel has been perfected, and people can use it to hop between alternate timelines — but at a cost.

Dystopian – 50 stories

Stories

“Help is not on the way” by Narico Noaa

Submitted to Contest #196

(TW: mental health, animal cruelty) One of her hands was reaching for the darkness and the other was trying to wipe the tears rolling down her face. Rena was wondering how much of what happened to her was real and how much was the result of her imagination. The sky was particularly dark that night, just a few stars here and there, and she was feeling tired. It was not physical exhaustion that she felt, the exhaustion had more to do with her soul than anything else. The kind of exhaustion someone feels after trying over and over but to...

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“Through the Land of Giant Hearts and Precious Dreams” by Arpad Nagy

Submitted to Contest #196

He wasn't much good at waiting but walking into the office of the woman you've loved for decades unannounced wasn't a great tactic. The fact this version of Heath Breeland stood seven inches taller than the original only added to his conundrum. It would be one thing if LeeAnn recognized him and totally another to explain it. The last time they spoke, Heath the OG made a lighthearted remark, suggesting that if he could only find a portal to a parallel universe, he'd show up at her door, flowers in one hand, hope in the other. And, in...

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“I Am Metamorphic” by Shawn Wier

Submitted to Contest #196

CW: Depression, parental abandonment, discussion of suicidal ideation I've been falling for hours. Depictions in movies and TV gave me–and I'm sure many others–the expectation of bright, fluid lights and uncanny imagery like fish with legs or quadrupedal people; they were wrong. There is nothing but darkness. The absence of light is so omnipotent that I had to check that I'd actually opened my eyes by touching my face and feeling that there were two distinct lash lines. Without visual cues, the only indicator I have of my orientation i...

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“Bloom (1871)” by Omar B

Submitted to Contest #196

Art StudentsMr. Bloom ventures to the Museum of Modern Art this afternoon. The line to get in is long and reaches all the way outside where it’s drizzling a little and the rain makes New York City even more grey and inhospitable. Mr. Bloom imagines being inside, the moment he’ll check his navy-blue trench coat, take his little number, and then go buy himself a bottle of water so that he can stay hydrated. In front of him is a group of talkative students dressed in black with A3 sketchpads under their arms and elegant watches on their thin wr...

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“What We Leave Behind” by C.C. Hills

Submitted to Contest #196

Another planet is dying before my eyes, and I feel nothing. The crust breaks open and peels away, revealing flashes of its fiery flesh. It glows like embers in a dying fire, stirred up by a breeze – only to be snuffed out by the thick clouds of the Swarm. The higher we ascend, the more of it is revealed. The Swarm sits attached to Wrenix Four like a cancer; eating, converting, proliferating. A slow, billowing mass, like a mad sculptor’s creation, its tendrils wrapped around its prey like a titanic amoeba, gleaming a silver white in the s...

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“A Kingdom’s Expansion” by Alex Fischer

Submitted to Contest #196

“Dimensional walls have been breached.” “Commence event horizon expansion.” “Deploying Warp Grips.” Dark, cold, and quiet save for a low hum; a laboratory staffed by no more than twenty scientists and engineers surround a centrifugal monolith of a machine where a tear in the fabric of reality lies in the middle, held open by robotic pincers and shielded by a thick glass cylinder. “Has His Majesty been informed yet?” wonders a young researcher. “Word has been sent out.” Reported another, older researcher. “His Majesty should be—” The labora...

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“The Portal Cartographer” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #196

Lydiana found herself walking along a seashore familiar and restful though she had never been here before that she could remember. The last thing she remembered was exploring in a dusty curio shop tucked away in a back alley in a part of town she had previously avoided. She had been looking at old photographic images of a scene. These predated the usual contemporary holographic images of places. The scene she was most captured by was of a seaside, clearly far from her inland desert community where she lived and worked.She was sure she had ne...

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“The White Rock” by Kasey Kirchner

Submitted to Contest #196

On the night of her last disappearance, the Aurora was bright. The snow was stale and the blue bird songs of summer had drifted into memory. It was quiet and cold, completely still. The air smelled like sleep and frosted winter windows. She stood in the doorway of the cottage for a long time, facing the shadowy corners of her youth. The moonlight reflecting off the snow behind her cast a feeble blue light through the open doorway, obstructed in the middle by her warped silhouette. She thought she should feel sad to be leaving, but the sadnes...

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“A date in time” by Chris Chinchilla

Submitted to Contest #196

"I'll be back from my date in two minutes" I called out to my housemate, donning a shirt and buttoning it to the collar. I heard an indiscriminate grunt of acknowledgement and consulted my shoe collection to pick out something that was a suitable balance of casual and smart, and that wouldn't look out of place. This was my 3rd date with Jane, and things were progressing well. I mean, she was an old fashioned girl, and we had just kissed at the end of the last date, but that's the way I like them really, and you couldn't expect more of a w...

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“A Virtual Life” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #196

We all have regrets. Coulda, woulda, shoulda…fill in the blank. It drives some people into insanity. Or into therapy. Or worse. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Shoulda is the worst of the trio. I should have done this, but I did that, and look where it got me. Where is not the preferred place or you wouldn’t have asked the question in the first place. The ideal was a life well-lived, no regrets, and a long look in the ...

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“Overlapse” by Charles Cook

Submitted to Contest #196

Billboards litter even the backroads. If a bird grows weary of flight he rests upon its perch. An elephant ready for a cool patch of shaded grass to lie upon need only drudge toward the enduring vehicular symphony. We all thought we could win the war for our attention by simply giving up cell phones and social media accounts, in exchange for good ole fashion paper letters by mail. We couldn't have been more wrong. Advertising campaigns seemed to get stronger in spite of our rebellion. The only way to get around this mirage of shallow allure ...

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“Steve's TimeLeap” by Steven Scott

Submitted to Contest #196

Steve had always been fascinated by history. As a child, he devoured books on ancient civilizations and dreamed of exploring lost cities and uncovering forgotten treasures. As he grew older, he realized that his passion lay not in exploration, but in sharing his knowledge with others. And so, he became a teacher. For years, Steve taught history at a small community college. He loved his job and was well-respected by his colleagues and students alike. But despite his love for the subject, he couldn't help but feel frustrated by the limitati...

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“Balancing the Ledger” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #196

As John Jordan turned over the first shovelful of soil at the groundbreaking ceremony for his new insurance office in the Rehobeth Beach Coastal Mall he struck an unusually hard object. Although it seemed like a rock, when John reached down to retrieve it, it felt like hardened cardboard. He had found some type of book, like a journal or diary. Badly-smeared ink scrawls revealed the entries on pages stuck together by what looked like dried blood. &...

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“Observing” by Oliver Skywolf

Submitted to Contest #196

The boy woke up as lights glowed into his bedroom. Vivid rays like bullets piercing from the cold night sky. He rubbed his eyes and left his room in search of what may be outside. His parents were asleep —their puffy eyes resting. In the backyard, the boy’s bare feet felt fallen leaves on wet grass. He stared up at something spectacular. A pulsing spaceship, its shimmering brilliance beaming at the boy. He gazed as the spaceship descended in front of him. The boy felt no fear at this sight. No feeling at all. His one reaction was an inst...

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“Broken Circle” by Trevor Lorance

Submitted to Contest #196

1942 “Pa, how’s music going to come out of that box?” Henry asked his father, brow furrowed. “Radio waves, son. Ask Mrs Leonard tomorrow in science class. Settle down now while I get this thing ready” the father warmly answered, stepping back to admire the new RCA console radio that sat proudly as the centerpiece of the living room standing four feet tall. Hands on either side of his department store slacks, oxford sleeves rolled up, doctor approved BMI, and not a hair out of place on his pomade styled head. He was proud. “You kn...

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$250

Prize money

279

Contest entries

149

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 05, 2023 EST

Won by Delbert Griffith 🏆

Title: The Bullet that Esther Stopped

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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