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Mandy Lane Valentine

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2024

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15 Followers
25 Following

10 Stories

49 karma pts

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EVERYONE GETS ONE LIE

On the morning the rule changed, no one noticed. That was the most dangerous part of it. The rule had always been simple: everyone gets one lie per year. One intentional falsehood spoken aloud, with conviction, without consequence. Anything beyond that—any second lie—was punishable by disappearance. No trial. No warning. Just absence. A chair left empty. A name that stopped being used. The Lie Registry tracked it all. Births. Deaths. Lies. People said the rule saved civilization. Wars ended when generals couldn’t lie twice. Politicians spoke...

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Beyond the Screen: The Game That Bridged Time and Hearts

Rain lashed against the attic window, drumming a staccato rhythm that mirrored the nervous flutter in Leo's stomach. He shuffled through a dusty treasure trove of forgotten belongings, memories swirling like leaves in a whirlwind. There, buried beneath stacks of childhood comics and a moth-eaten teddy bear, it lay - the Nintendo cartridge that held his greatest adventure. His daughter, Lily, bounced at the foot of the ladder, her eight-year-old enthusiasm a stark contrast to his nostalgic trepidation. "You found it, Dad? You really found i...

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The Price of a Borrowed Eternity

Rain lashed against the windshield, blurring the desolate highway into a watercolor of gray and red taillights. Tony gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, eyes darting from the rearview mirror to the endless stretch of asphalt unfurling before them. The radio sputtered out static, like the dying breaths of a conversation they refused to have. Mandy slouched in the passenger seat, a sullen silhouette swallowed by the shadows. Her silence was a storm brewing in the confined space, crackling with unspoken accusations and the weight of a...

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Island of Illusions: Finding Truth Beyond the Mirage

The salt-laden wind whipped Justin's hair across his face, each gust a stinging reminder of the distance between him and the life he'd left behind. His boots pounded the moonlit sand, echoing the frantic rhythm of his heart. Every creak of the rickety fishing boat sounded like pursuit, every splash of phosphorescence in the inky waves, a pair of searching eyes. He shouldn't have let curiosity bite like a sandfly. He shouldn't have stumbled upon the old man whispering secrets to the tides, shouldn't have pried open the dusty chest overflowi...

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Through Tears and Giggles: A Love Story That Defied the Final Punchline

Kevin's world shrank with each tick of the clock. It wasn't a grand hourglass perched on his nightstand, no. It was the relentless thrumming of the city outside, the siren's song of a life he wouldn't get to finish. Melissa's hand, warm and surprisingly sturdy against his clammy one, was his only anchor in this ocean of dread. He'd met her a week ago, in the sterile purgatory of the hospital gift shop. He, lost in a labyrinth of stuffed bears and sympathy cards, searching for some token to appease the impending darkness. She, browsing with...

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When the City Whispered Adventure: A Story of Stolen Time

Rain pummeled the office windows, a chaotic symphony against the hum of fluorescent lights. Inside, Ethan stared at his screen, mind as stagnant as the puddles collecting on the sidewalk below. His boss, ever the raincloud, had just canceled their afternoon meeting, leaving Ethan's schedule with a yawning, unexpected void. "Free time," he muttered, the words tasting strange on his tongue. His calendar, usually a battleground of meetings and deadlines, offered an expanse of white, a landscape devoid of obligation. A thrill, tinged with trep...

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Frozen Time's Echo: In the Tapestry of Eternity, a Single Thread Unraveled

The sands of Eldoria had ceased to whisper. No breeze played with the crimson banners adorning the crumbling watchtower where Anya perched, her leather jerkin creaking against the bone-chilling stillness. Below, the once vibrant city lay choked in eternal twilight, buildings half-built, cobblestone streets etched with the fleeing steps of those who never reached their destinations. Eldoria, frozen in time at the moment of a forgotten siege, its inhabitants trapped in petrified poses, their screams etched into the very air. Anya wasn't like...

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The Clockmaker's Daughter and the Sands of Forever

"Hurry, Elara!" Elias hissed, his voice strained as he pulled her through the shadowed alleyways. His grip on her wrist was tight, his knuckles white against her pale skin. Elara stumbled, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. The cobblestones were slick with the recent rain, each step a treacherous dance. The city sprawled beyond the narrow alleys, bathed in the cold light of dawn, but in here, darkness still clung to the damp brick walls like cobwebs. They were running from time itself. Elara had grown up within the...

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Where Time Weeps: A Tapestry Woven Beneath the Willow

Elara sat by the willow tree, its weeping branches mirroring the ache in her heart. The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of bruised purple and fiery orange, a bittersweet reminder of another day lost, another regret etched deeper into her soul. Ten years. It had been ten years since that fateful summer, ten years since the careless laughter and whispered secrets beneath this very willow had been silenced by a single, shattering decision. Elara traced the rough bark, the familiar grooves now filled with the ghosts of y...

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Where Dreams are Bottled

Weekly Contest #233

The neon bled the last of the twilight as Anya pushed open the heavy door. Inside, the aroma of a hundred simmering teas washed over her, chasing away the chill of the alleyway. Mismatched mugs hung from the ceiling, each a whimsical canvas whispering forgotten stories. Behind the bar, Milo, a mountain of a man with a beard tangled like ancient roots, chuckled at a gnome-like woman in a rainbow shawl, who clutched a bottle of "Dragon's Breath" like a precious jewel.Anya's stomach fluttered. Places like this usually screamed raucous laughter ...

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