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

“The Fallen” by Paula B

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time." The voice called out from behind, a throaty, chilling voice that was just as out of breath as I was, choking up on the dust that flew into their mouth as we ran. My feet pounded the floor, scraping at the rocks and sand in this torturous desert as I feel my heart ramming into my ribs, my body begging for me to stop but I won't. I breathe out, leaning forward and jumping over a rock here and there, running past into the mini village that lay settled between two abnormal canyon rocks. You'd occasionally hear the t...

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“Greenland” by Charlie A

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” I say casually to my best friend Tulok as we make our way onto the beach. We were fifteen when the Invaders first came upon us on those “long kayaks” we called them. Tulok and I were tasked to maintain a lookout this year and we were beyond excited. It was the first time we’d been chosen for this. This beach was the edge of the world and no one wanted the job. We took it because we’d be that much farther from the village that we hated all our lives. We were supposed to stay here for almost a year with seasonal ...

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“Congratulations” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” reassures Mariah. She smooths a strand of my flyaway hair as I purse my lips in the mirror. I toss the lipstick on the dresser and push my sister’s long fingers from my head. I grab her arm as strong as I can and pull her out of the room towards the car. She drops me off at the pier 15 minutes later. 2 hours later. She is the kind of woman who is wearing a little, lacy, black thong underneath that royal purple pencil dress which displays her cleavage like two eggs, sunny side up-his favorite. I am th...

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“Duet” by A. Smoak

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” Sophie had muttered to Kara under the early morning sun that first day. Kara had closed her eyes and with a smile pressed to Sophie’s neck, she dreamed of music and love on a deadline. A year can be as long or as short as you make it, and that’s been something Kara’s been thinking about for a while. For most of her life, her years moved quickly, like when you’re standing completely still on a moving train while the world flashes by through the tiny porthole of a dirty window. Her life had been mapped out f...

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“Adventures of Moira” by Natalie K

Submitted to Contest #110

Adventures of Moira “We have plenty of time, Moira.” Jack Litheson said with a glance at the girl next to him. She was about ten years old, she had black hair that resembled molten ore, and her eyes shined of purest black. She wore an old, tattered dress that was a hand-me-down from her orphanage. “We're never going to make it on time.” Moira complained as she sunk lower into the seat. “We’re already late, and Auntie Kate -must I really call her that?- is already waiting for us to arrive. If we started earlier, like I said, we would’ve gotte...

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“We Were Happenstance” by Mackenzie Hebner

Submitted to Contest #110

We Were Happenstance By: Mackenzie M. Hebner Based on true events “Wanna grab lunch?” Goosebumps decorated my arms as I saw his name seep into the pixelated color combinations of my phone screen and proceeded to open his text. We’d been anonymous friends for ages, and everyone I knew thought we were what the kids call “endgame” material. By anonymous, I don’t mean the people who met online and don’t know a thing about each other but deal out personal information just for the heck of it, just that we became friends long...

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“Where is home (if not with me?)” by Marve Micheal

Submitted to Contest #110

We have plenty of time. I turned away from him as he carried a basket load of laundry up the stairs. His heavy feet stomping each stair as though he was climbing the dark side of a mountain into battle. I sighed and fought the thoughts that hoped he missed a step. Those words made my blood boil! In his world time waits for him, and in reality, time screws us over again and again and like idiots, we repeat the same patterns. Him, rolling his eyes and insisting that time is his mistress, and me in the corner agreeing through gritted te...

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“Just enough time” by José Ramos

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time," Jason said nonchalantly. Ellie’s gaze immediately turned to her other friend Lisa, fearful of what her response was going to be. Lisa’s dark grey eyes turned to him. “Are you kidding?” She almost yelled at him. “We have to be out in five minutes or we won’t make it!” She quickly resumed packing her belongings into her duffel bag. Ellie knew she could trust Lisa. She had been protecting them for so long, Ellie couldn’t even remember a time without Lisa in her life. ...

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“My Life Teacher” by Victoria The Pirate

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time!” She said, after I failed.It’s funny, how she would always say “us”, she had always felt close to me. “You can go to ‘Hites’ anytime you want. You’ve got plenty of years of school ahead of you. You don’t even have to try to get in next time, and this isn’t a failure. You will continue to learn in my theater school! That’s better anyways. You’ll have more fun!”After I failed, I didn’t try to get in to ‘Hites’ - the school of high theater education - ever again until it was too late. I was twenty already. Two...

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“The 7 year road” by Liza Blake

Submitted to Contest #110

We have plenty of time, I repeat to myself for the hundredth time and continue folding my towels into perfect rectangles. Bending to get the last one from the dryer I pause as another contraction waves through my abdomen. A quick check of my watch tells me it’s been 10 minutes since the last one. I load the next load of laundry into the dryer and carry the towels to the linen closet. It’s just after 5pm, so Drew should be arriving home any moment. I have plenty of time, I whisper to mysel...

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“Emani's Mission ” by Chyna Wells

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time; it will be quick!” I screamed as I picked up every rock I could find. Our experiment was failing, and it was only a matter of time before NASA sent us back home. We needed those rocks, and the fate of humanity was in my hands. “We have to go now if we plan on making it back to the ship!” My coworker and wife slapped her hand on my back as I picked up the last space rock and headed through the desert. We were on a planet that looked just like earth. There were forests and plains, and of course, we had landed in the wo...

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“Never-ending Trip” by Alex Rose

Submitted to Contest #110

We have plenty of time. The rain falls with the determination of lightning hitting the ground and I wonder why I’m here. Sometimes I feel like that’s all I ever do; wonder. His breathing is heavy, almost like he smokes a pack a day, and the only other noise is the tires against the roadway. The window opens, with it smoke surrounds me but with every cloud that touches my face, it’s rushed out the window. Just as desperate to escape as I am. I secretly love the smell of cigarettes; it reminds me of home. Soon, they’ll remind me of him,...

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“La Mort des Apparences (The Death of Appearances)” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” Zelda said, reaching across the space betwixt she and her husband of eighteen years. She lovingly caressed his forearm in an attempt to assure him that his despondent thoughts were due to nothing more than the gloomy weather that had filled the day.“We have plenty of time to go all the places and see all the things your heart desires, Jacques. Life is still young and full of possibilities. Why in heaven’s name are you speaking as though your world has suddenly screeched to an unexpected stop and will never resume?”J...

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“The Speed of Music” by Ashley Larsen

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” Mom waved a hand at the dashboard clock. “You’ll get there with minutes to spare.” 7:45 am. It took twenty minutes to get to school and classes start at 8:04. I rolled my eyes and fiddled with the radio dial—a soft voice crooned about a new love. Mom started to hum along but it was too slow so I moved to the next station. “You know, first period is the only class that I’m ever late for. If I get two more tardies, I’m going to get detention. What if that goes on my record and hurts my chances of getti...

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“Carson Kelly's final tour” by Isobel Tynan

Submitted to Contest #110

Then We have plenty of time, Carson said, with that crocodile smile, as he pulled me through the door of his hotel suite and into his tight sandalwood and brylcreem embrace. His lecture notes, the printed slide deck and my first chapter which he’d promised to read, spilled from the manila folder I was carrying and scattered over the deep-pile carpet. Leave it, he urged, hurrying me onto the bed with its pristine gleam of sharply cornered sheets and festoon of puffed-up pillows and velvet throws. After, I pulled the tangled sheet ar...

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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

“The Fallen” by Paula B

“Greenland” by Charlie A

“Congratulations” by Amanda Lieser

“Duet” by A. Smoak

“Adventures of Moira” by Natalie K

“We Were Happenstance” by Mackenzie Hebner

“Where is home (if not with me?)” by Marve Micheal

“Just enough time” by José Ramos

“My Life Teacher” by Victoria The Pirate

“The 7 year road” by Liza Blake

“Emani's Mission ” by Chyna Wells

“Never-ending Trip” by Alex Rose

“La Mort des Apparences (The Death of Appearances)” by Cindy Calder

“The Speed of Music” by Ashley Larsen

“Carson Kelly's final tour” by Isobel Tynan

🌟 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: