Write about a character who tells a lie which turns out to be true - or a truth which turns out to be a lie.

Posted in Dark on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 30 stories

“Petals of the Irises” by MJ Murphy

Submitted to Contest #107

I was always told that if you had nothing nice to say, than gosh darn it, you might as well just say it all. Filters were never a rarity in our home, so why make it so in the world to the people that need to hear it most? I grew up proud to be who I am, and why shouldn’t I be? Louisiana is a great place to be, and I daren’t say it isn’t because I knew it best to be true. Walking through swamps never made me feel ill because I could always count on the mud to run through my toes and the leaves to brisk through my hair when everythin...

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“Lovers” by Alex Howe

Submitted to Contest #107

Morning broke over the island of Sikinos. As far as the Greek islands went, it was completely unremarkable; it had just two towns connected by a single road, one of which sat on the shores of the Aegean and received the occasional ferries of tourists misled by their travel guides’ claims of Sikinos’s picturesque beauty into believing that it was a place truly worth visiting. To be sure, it was beautiful, but it was an intangible, natural kind of beauty, the kind that had so captivated Byron to fight and die in a land over a thousand miles fr...

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“Home” by Mandy McCool

Submitted to Contest #107

This is my home, complete with the sun-bleached wooden floors and the dirty storm windows. It’s old, but it’s peaceful, you know? It’s just an old house that transformed slowly into a dream escape. It is our escape. Well… it was. It didn’t take you very long to move another woman into our home. You didn’t think I would notice, did you? She’s beautiful. Skin glowing like a summer sunset, eyes reflecting crashing waves, and hair perpetually damp with salt water. You caught a fucking mermaid. Okay, maybe not… but she is gorgeous still. A s...

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“My Little Sesame Seed ” by Elizabeth Wrong

Submitted to Contest #107

I stared at the two lines, and they stared back. I knew my period was late, but we’d only been trying for about a month. One line was a bit more faded than its friend, but it was definitely there. I showed the test to my husband, pointing to the back of the box which depicted an example that mirrored the test in his hand.“I think you’re pregnant,” he said to me, running his fingers through his hair and placing his hands on his knees.“I think I’m pregnant,” I whispered, slowly erupting into joyous laughter. We looked at each other, tears thre...

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“What's the Diagnosis? ” by Shawnalynn Cromwell

Submitted to Contest #107

Mary-Ann could not believe her luck in finding a three-bedroom apartment with the utilities included! Now all she had to do was convince her two best friends - to move into the three-bedroom apartment. They all made a pact to go to the same university. She could have moved into an on-campus dorm - but she wants to know about the feeling of independence and freedom - from her parents. "Kate, Steve, please, please!!!" Mary-Ann pleads with her two friends to share the three-bedroom apartment. Kate pipes up...

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“Clowning around” by Sharon Williams

Submitted to Contest #107

The first clown appeared, as Sarah putted her ball towards the doorway of a three-foot model windmill. His white face, red nose and mouth, bald head surrounded with fuzz of fake red hair were traditional guises. He appeared for a few brief seconds, peeking from the back of the windmill, and then he was gone. She wondered if it was a trick of the light, or her imagination. She felt her concentration falter as her anxieties began to escalate. This weekend was difficult enough for her without beginning to see things. Crowds made her nervous, an...

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“Five Years Later” by Elizabeth Maxson

Submitted to Contest #107

“We didn’t start the fire…” the Billy Joel song faded out as I regained my focus on the door. I knew Simon would be here soon and I was going to hold my ground. We didn’t need to argue anymore. It had been five years, he still blamed me, and he was not getting Sammie. I was over this, and I wanted it to be finished. He told me he didn’t love me after one year of marriage. Actually, he said he didn’t love me as much as he thought he did. Either way, it wrecked every part of me. He said it was because I changed. It was...

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“Liar Liar” by Paul McDermott

Submitted to Contest #107

It was thirty-five years since he’d qualified as a teacher, and the Reunion Dinner was being held to mark forty years since the college opened. Paul stood behind two or three others waiting to register their arrival at the Reception desk. The others all had small cases with them, suggesting they were from out of town and would be staying in the halls left vacant during the summer vacation. Paul lived nearby, and had decided against the residential option. Mentally, he shrugged. The phrase “que sera, sera” floated through his mind – and appar...

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“Sirens” by Anna Dunworth

Submitted to Contest #107

She heard the sirens behind her before she saw the flashing lights. “Oh, brother.” Glancing at her speed, Barb realized that she was going 40. It was only ten over the speed limit! “Give me a break,” she thought to herself, as she wondered if she would be late getting dinner ready. A tap on the window. She rolled it down. “Good afternoon, officer.” “Do you know why I pulled you over?” the officer asked, with a small smile. “I do not,” Barb lied, hoping that the officer wasn’t one of the difficult ones. If she was being honest, she would sa...

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“Illuminate” by Tyler Hanson

Submitted to Contest #107

An air of stillness hangs in the apartment as Layna scrubs the next pan from the pile of dishes. One dish, then the next. Fixated on a singular task. Occasional sounds of running water or a dish bumping the sink break through the silence that Layna has created for herself. Even as the apartment lock clicks and the door opens, Layna grabs the next item and continues to wash, paying no attention to her partner, Aella, hesitantly entering the kitchen from behind. Startled out of her trance by a hand on her shoulder, Layna drops the knife she ha...

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“Life Unending” by Jacob Fosse

Submitted to Contest #107

Captain Silas Mart felt his bare feet press firmly on the ground. He knew the sensation well. Reinforced steel that fit together like a nice hardwood floor. He took a deep breath of the stale air that felt like metal shavings in his lungs. Crisp, sharp, and painfully dry. The room felt cold, but not miserably so, still he couldn’t control the violent shivering that suddenly swept over him. He didn’t resist the urge to rub his arms on his elbows to warm them up. Waking up from Cryostasis had come a long way since its advent, but it still was ...

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“WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND” by Shelly Wota

Submitted to Contest #107

Linda and her two sons, Mark, 8 and John, 12, just moved from a small town about two hours north. Her sons did not want to move, but she felt people here were getting suspicious so she felt it was time to move on. She wanted to find another church, so she picked the one closest to their new apartment, since she didn’t own a car; she wanted to be within walking distance. They were quite happy with the welcome they experienced on their first visit. Ma...

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“Project D2” by Luella Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #107

In the end, they had to steal Project D2 and let me tell you why. It was the single most effective operation ever run in American history and they wouldn’t be here without it. It would have all but destroyed their power.Robert Knightly was the creator and the lead researcher on Project D2. He stares down at us every morning from his place of honor on the sweeping expanse of our entranceway, the only painting adorning the otherwise cheerless office vestibule. Robert Knightly was a big man in his early 50s, with dark skin, a bald head, a mostl...

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“Delta 16 COB Nail” by Joshua Barry

Submitted to Contest #107

The key to any good trap is to entice the prey. You can’t snap a neck if the animal doesn’t pass over your pit. But what kind of trap do you set for an unknown? Really...please ask yourself. Especially if you are kind of short on time. When you are hunting illegally on someone else's land. When you are poacting, trespassing, a spy and most likely seen as crazy. Crazy because you are hunting a monster. Not by choice. That is GySgt Ahmad Al-Sagar's problem. And his problem is because of a pissing contest between the US Air Force and the...

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“SO CALLED FRIEND” by Kayhan Egeli

Submitted to Contest #107

" Hi Mike, I am on my way to 'Red Lion' see you soon," " I am already there. I shall get your pint, it will be ready for you," *** " It's freezing out there, let me warm up first. I want to play a trick on Andy. Do you think you can join me ?" " I do not really like games or jokes. They usually turn nasty. I don't want to annoy Andy. We are very good friends. Last six months in London we supported each other. If anything goes wrong we may lose the friendship. By the way, What is your joke? something...

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Contest #107

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Write about a character who tells a lie which turns out to be true - or a truth which turns out to be a lie.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 30 stories

“Petals of the Irises” by MJ Murphy

“Lovers” by Alex Howe

“Home” by Mandy McCool

“My Little Sesame Seed ” by Elizabeth Wrong

“What's the Diagnosis? ” by Shawnalynn Cromwell

“Clowning around” by Sharon Williams

“Five Years Later” by Elizabeth Maxson

“Liar Liar” by Paul McDermott

“Sirens” by Anna Dunworth

“Illuminate” by Tyler Hanson

“Life Unending” by Jacob Fosse

“WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND” by Shelly Wota

“Project D2” by Luella Schmidt

“Delta 16 COB Nail” by Joshua Barry

“SO CALLED FRIEND” by Kayhan Egeli

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a white lie which spirals out of control.

Write about a character pretending to be someone they’re not.

Write about a game of ‘truth or dare’ that goes horribly wrong.

Write a story where a character finds out the truth about something they thought they’d known their whole life.

Contest #107

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

150

Contest entries

204

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: