Write a story where a character is experiencing parallel realities.

Posted in Science Fiction on Jul 22, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 66 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...

43 comments 43

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...

30 comments 30

Read story

“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 ...

65 comments 65

Read story

“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...

35 comments 35

Read story

“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...

18 comments 18

Read story

“The Traveller's Gift” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #156

Growing up, my father taught me two things.Don’t talk to strangers. And never try to turn the clock back.Yet, the precarious situation that I find myself in, demands that I do both. Or at least one of them.I stop the turban-clad man on the high street and ask “Where am I?”He is taken aback. I’m sure he doesn’t get asked this question every twilight by a proper white girl in her teens, strolling past a temple.He communicates through incoherent speech, head nods, and movement of his forearms. I catch ‘Mysore’, ‘mem sahib’, ‘danger’ and ‘go hom...

12 comments 12

Read story

“Truth” by Sherri Moorer

Submitted to Contest #156

Emilyn stared at the harsh green light glinting on the silver cuffs around her wrists. She knew that people sat on the other side of the mirror studying her, but what was there to see? A defeated and broken person, guilty but not of what they accused her of? One thing was for certain: she didn’t belong here. In more ways than one. The door opened. A tall, skinny man and a dark, stocky woman walked in, sitting across the table from her. The man consulted a file, then closed it and dropped it on the table in front of him. “Emilyn Miano?” ...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Choose Your Own Adventure” by Emma G.

Submitted to Contest #156

When you think about it, life is really no different than a choose your own adventure game. Sure, maybe we’re not choosing whether or not we want to travel back in time to meet the dinosaurs, but we do get to choose whether or not we want to break up with our partners, move to a different state, or have a cup of coffee in the morning.We’re presented with millions of choices everyday from the moment we take our first breath. Some decisions lead us down mundane paths while others force us into situations far more exhilarating.With every choice...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Out Of Time” by Tiana Malhotra

Submitted to Contest #156

The ocean always gave me a tranquil, soothing feeling of serenity. The glistening waves giving comfort of the infinite possibilities that stretched on as long as the ocean did. The dancing palm trees swaying to every blow of the wind as they welcomed a surge of green, amid the neverending oasis of blue. Best of all, the baking, golden sands leading a pathway to the waters like it was the heavens. Each step was ingrained with memories of the sandcastles, and picnics that had filled our childhoods. It had always been a place of comfort and hap...

9 comments 9

Read story

“The Glimpse of Falcon Heavy” by Arthur Ni

Submitted to Contest #156

On February 6th, 2018 Falcon Heavy launched into the galaxy. I’ve waited weeks to tell my story; to try and understand what exactly happened that day. I wasn’t 3 miles from the launch, I wasn’t even 50 miles away. I was over 100 miles down the coast when Falcon Heavy launched. It was by pure coincidence that I even saw it, my wife wanted to go to the beach and get some sun. We parked our car in the unusually full parking lot. Making our way up to the beach over the sandy hill, we noticed something peculiar. There were a bunch of, fully c...

4 comments 4

Read story

“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 ...

9 comments 9

Read story

“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. ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“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...

7 comments 7

Read story

“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...

0 comments 0

Read story

“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...

1 comment 1

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Sad – 34 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 – 38 stories

Contest #156

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: The Mandela Effect

$250

Prize money

214

Contest entries

93

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 29, 2022 EST

Won by Sjan Evardsson 🏆

Title: We/I

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story where a character is experiencing parallel realities.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“We/I” by Sjan Evardsson

“False Awakening” by Brynn Helena

“Effigicide” by Michał Przywara

“Sweet, Savage Love” by Beth Jackson

“Betwixt Worlds” by J.C. Lovero

“The Traveller's Gift” by Suma Jayachandar

“Truth” by Sherri Moorer

“Choose Your Own Adventure” by Emma G.

“Out Of Time” by Tiana Malhotra

“The Glimpse of Falcon Heavy” by Arthur Ni

“Under the Raft” by Kendra Lindholm

“Multiverse Mike” by Graham Kinross

“Stirring the Dust” by John K Adams

“Sessions” by Ela Mikh

“A Vivid Dream” by Sasan Sedighi

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Write about false news coverage of an important event.

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

Write a story about a pathological liar.

Contest #156

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

214

Contest entries

93

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: