Start your story with the line “We have plenty of time,” and/or end it with the line “We were never going to make it.”

Posted in Angst on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 47 stories

“My Mother's Dreams.” by JanetthePlanet 66

🏆 Winner of Contest #110

In her dream she is fourteen, running home from work on precarious little heels, down the paved street, as molten metal plip-plops around her, dotting the cement with perfect silver discs. Her mother lags six feet behind, following her footsteps, urging her to tread carefully. A V2 rocket launches overhead, triggering the timer in her mind. She waits in the signature silence for the rocket to find its mark, as it careens noiselessly through the night sky. “One,” she shouts, “Two. Three. Four.” “We have plenty of time, Lizzy, plenty of time.”...

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“Too close for comfort ” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

Submitted to Contest #110

Just the first morning after he told her, "We have plenty of time," Suzan Mayweather adorned herself with a low hanging top and made her way across a wide expanse of land, unaccompanied. She did not take her umbrella or her hat or the sample sweater that usually smelt of patchouli. At some time, the cold would settle on her skin and drag her down the grass, screaming in her head. She was not to worry herself with the trivial knowledge that it was winter or maybe near winter and she could die from insomnia. What was important was that...

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“Before His Time” by Cassidy Lewis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” Mum said. The whole world was practically on fire, but she made it seem like everything was cool beans. Ever the optimist, Dad thought, only half-cynically. Usually her idealism annoyed him – he called her a dreamer with her head in the clouds, which usually came out “Where’s your head at, woman?” But right now, he couldn’t have been more grateful to her. For daring to hope. “It’s fine, darlings, don’t worry” she said, “go and pack your favorite things. You can’t take everything remember, only as much as you can...

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“But Do We Have Time” by Shelby Schwartz

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time.” He says to me, a smile playing on his lips. He is always tries to make lighter of the situation. Sometimes it works. Other times it doesn’t. He always says we have plenty of time. I don’t think he realizes that my time is running out. “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves.” Another famous saying. He grabs my hand and drags me along with him through the amusement park. I follow him with ease, trying to catch up to his long strides. He looks back at me, blue eyes beaming with delight. Any chance we get, he takes me here...

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“I’ll Get Back to You on the Butterflies” by Dell Bell

Submitted to Contest #110

We have plenty of time That’s what my mom said when we were at the pool together. It was second grade. We’d met 2 weeks before and were already inseparable. You were wearing a ladybug swimsuit and we laughed at the ruffles that made you look like a fancy cake. I got so cold that my lips turned blue, but when mom said we were leaving in 30 minutes we both rioted in protest. “We have plenty of time left,” she said, “now let’s go get some ice cream.” I got strawberry, you got chocolate and we both got it all over our faces. Your mom t...

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“Scavenger Night” by Kayise Mosotho

Submitted to Contest #110

CW: violence We have plenty of time to scavenge tonight. The outside world has quietened down early.There must have been a snowstorm in the outlying Hotapo region. That translates to Joburg's worst cold front of the year The problem being that this year, it arrived late.We were already in spring way longer than the lack of rain indicated. This cold front has been in the making for the past four days. Forcing the rats to contain themselves longer than their patience allowed. The downside for me in these temperatures is that my exos...

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“Two Seconds” by Damien Roberts

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time." "Time isn't the problem." "It never is." The world hung silent around them, Agents Aleph-6 and -14. Between them, an upturned manhole cover held a tangle of multicoloured cables around a digital display on a steel case. Aleph-14 blocked the light from the street lights, but the beams of a black London cab struck the device from just a few car lengths away, casting a web of shadows through the cables and over the road beyond. A confused crowd watched silently around them. Although the agents shared thoughts a...

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“Goodbye Walter” by Elizabeth Maxson

Submitted to Contest #110

The car had been giving us trouble for weeks, but we could not get rid of it. It was our only means of transportation. The vibrant blue of its youth had been riddled with rust holes, dents, and scratches over its fifteen years of ownership. It had been my parents’ car. A 1989 Dodge Omni that had seen more of the country than most people do in a lifetime. When I finally moved out after my third year of college, my parents gifted the car to me. It had always been a trusty ride and Walter, my affectionate name for him, always go...

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“Prepare to meet thy demons” by Sharon Williams

Submitted to Contest #110

Sister Marinian had tossed and turned in her single bed all night. She had had an occasional dull ache in her back tooth for several weeks. She had ignored it and carried on about her business. It soon passed. After yesterday evening’s Compline, it started again. From the initial dull throb, it escalated to a feverish stabbing, which extended from her left ear, down her jaw to the front of her mouth. Whichever way she lay, there was no respite. She tried praying, but the pain intruded, interrupting her concentration and reducing her to tears...

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“Time is up.” by Anna Victoria

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time." I don't know how many times we had uttered those 5 words to one another. Running for the school bus in the morning because we decided to have one extra slice of toast, getting a flat tire whilst he was driving me to my very first job interview... holding his hand while he was told he was dying. Nobody can prepare you for the absolute sadness that consumes you when you are faced with such a bitter reality. We had always thought that we would have plenty time. Tomorrow would always be there to do the shopping that...

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“Heist” by Rowan Legend

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” he told the driver as they were going through town. This was more for reassurance than anything else, he was really worried about what might happen to the plan. Tonight was the showing of the sacred jewel ‘Wahipot Wuwunagotmi’ from Huterjar a long-lost kingdom in the undiscovered jungles of the Amazon. It was said to at the jewel had special powers and many were out to seek that power. Including himself.Hunter Jack Row, a 26-year-old man with nothing left to lose and looking to die tonight. ...

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“There’s Always Time for Temptation” by Elizabeth Fenley

Submitted to Contest #110

There’s Always Time for Temptation We have plenty of time. And I have plenty of work to do. Then we have plenty of time. There’s no “we” here. Fine, “I” have plenty of time. Deep breath. Ignore it. I’m in your purse. Shut up. I’m right here, right up here in the cabinet. Leave me alone. I’m working. It’ll only take a second. You know you want to. I’m ignoring you. No, you’re not. Inbox: 121 Unread Emails Overnight. Corporate Email Hell. In a six hospital health care system with an email addiction, everyone is cr...

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“One-Way” by Omar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time.” said Angela as she loaded her bag up into her brother’s 2001 Ford Mustang. The black-in-color car blended into the nighttime landscape as she begrudgingly got into the passenger seat. Tommy fell into his sun-worn leather seat as he rolled his head over and annoyingly stared into his sister’s discontented face. He sighed, turned the key and the roar of the engine started up. “Why can’t we just leave tomorrow?!” she beckoned. “It’s Vegas! We can hit the casino early! I’m feeling lucky!” exclaim...

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“Paralyzed with Fear” by LAURA Spiritualquest@earthlink.net

Submitted to Contest #110

A huge dose of gratitude has been flooding me for the past 36 hours. They always say bad things happen in threes. We are fine, but we had a scare coming into the Teton Mountains. It was my idea for us to come through the Teton Pass as a short cut down into Jackson Hole, Wyoming even though the elevation was 8,300’ and we were towing a 36’ Montana fifth-wheel. We both felt sure our dual-wheeled Dodge 3500 could handle it. We’d been through Loveland Pass at 11,300’ a few months earlier with no problem. But there didn't ...

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“Pentagon Twelve” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time, Sis.” There was much to learn and organize. In warp speed, they invested every waking moment to this idea. It seemed like the possibilities could be endless. The beauty of a plan like this is it can be used over again. Once established, it’s all reusable. Complete details were to be logistically thought through and ironed out. It would be some time before this business would be able to be put into action, but time wasn’t of the essence, perfection was. “Hello.. anyone home? “Quietly she steps inside liste...

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Title: My Mother's Dreams.

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Start your story with the line “We have plenty of time,” and/or end it with the line “We were never going to make it.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 47 stories

“My Mother's Dreams.” by JanetthePlanet 66

“Too close for comfort ” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

“Before His Time” by Cassidy Lewis

“But Do We Have Time” by Shelby Schwartz

“I’ll Get Back to You on the Butterflies” by Dell Bell

“Scavenger Night” by Kayise Mosotho

“Two Seconds” by Damien Roberts

“Goodbye Walter” by Elizabeth Maxson

“Prepare to meet thy demons” by Sharon Williams

“Time is up.” by Anna Victoria

“Heist” by Rowan Legend

“There’s Always Time for Temptation” by Elizabeth Fenley

“One-Way” by Omar Alvarez

“Paralyzed with Fear” by LAURA Spiritualquest@earthlink.net

“Pentagon Twelve” by Noelle C. Lee

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a roadside diner.

Write about a couple who fall out on the road.

Start your story with a vehicle pulling over for a hitchhiker.

Write about a character on the road — and on the run.

Contest #110

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

209

Contest entries

144

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: