Write a story about someone whose time is running out.

Posted in Angst on Jan 19, 2024

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✍️ 112 stories

“Deceased and Departed Hotline” by Rose B

Submitted to Contest #234

“Hello, this is Deceased and Departed, how may I help you today?” the bubbly woman answered on the phone. “Iwannatalk-to Mayzee Harper Smith. Birthdate is 10/12/23, Death date is 10/12/2042,” Ezra replied in a frenzied rush. “Ok, could you spell out her name for me?” the woman with the forceful high-pitched voice asked. Ezra paced around his tornado-wrecked, maze-like, shoebox for a bedroom, following the instructions of the hotline worker like he had done the past six times this week while stepping over the items he had...

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“All This Time” by Susan Stout

Submitted to Contest #234

The morning bird song gives me no relief. As I lie dying, I study the composition of my face mirrored in the hospital glass. It is possible to recognise the strange monster looking back at me amidst wires and nasal tubes; my skin still holds the texture and tone of something human, although I begin to sense something more abstract, a withering, wimpering self portrait of a creature fading across time. The sun starts to set around my five o’clock shadow, bone frame. I close my eyes and go to my happy place—surfing the waves. Death is like thi...

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“Songs of Life” by Light Bloom

Submitted to Contest #234

Time is a funny thing. We don't always realize when we're stuck in a moment. We don't always realize when it's passing us by; when we're running out. Yet we always wish for more. Just a few more minutes. One more day, one more year. We never have enough time. When we’re young, we think we're indestructible. As the years pass us by, we quickly learn that nothing is invincible, except for the ever flowing fabric of time. Like most kids, I tried a fair amount of things I was told not to; many things I was told I would regret when I was ...

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“Leaving it to the last minute…” by Stephen Gage

Submitted to Contest #234

The feeling when I woke up was one of confusion. Not the sort of confusion you feel when you have had too much to drink the night before and wonder where you are, how you got there and who pressed the play button on the carousel that is the room. No, more the sort of confusion you feel when you enter a room, full of good intent and with a sense of real purpose, only to wonder a few seconds later why you came in. The room I was in now was a bedroom and had a double bed with one occupant. Me. I was lying, well, actually more sprawled than lyi...

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“Little Deaths by Chocolate” by Kevin Robertson

Submitted to Contest #234

Brittany slid three cake pans into the waiting oven. Each filled to exact level, and shaken before to settle and lessen the air bubbles, the chocolate batter bakes for 90 minutes each before setting and cooling and construction. She already beat two different mousses, one dark and one light. Only two components remained, the ganache, which consisted of melted chocolate and cream, and the meringue, which she would pipe into shapes on the top of this spectacular dessert. To turn the other moms at the Girl Scout meeting green with envy, that’s ...

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“I Don't Have Time For This” by Nicole Ortiz

Submitted to Contest #234

I have five minutes. Just five minutes. Two to find what I need, two to ring up at self checkout. And one as a buffer. That’s enough time, right? I turn a corner. Blood. It was actively dripping as she held her hand tightly to her stomach. Active shooter? And were they still active or had they already left? The other question was would she live without some hospitable interference from every member of the audience. I’m sorry, but I just don’t have the time for it right now. And besides, I’m not medically certified in anything at ...

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“Tick Tock” by Maysan Segueni

Submitted to Contest #234

Life is a game of chase. You’re the mouse being chased by death. The cat. You’re able to outrun the cat for a little while, but as you get older, weaker, and slower, the cat gets faster and stronger. But there are some things worse than death. Tick Tock Tick Tock -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- The room glows a soft blue as the screen of my phone blinks on. I roll over, squinting to see the name written on the white text notification. Victor I instantly sit up, all traces of sleep disappearing. I s...

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“A Polo Field” by Nick Baldino

Submitted to Contest #234

You push your husband’s chair across the grass, the wheels wearing tracks over bent green blades. The lawn is cut proper and square. You can tell because there are stripes that run up and down the lawn, stripes of lime and forest, two shades that are almost the same. “It’s a sign of health,” Frederick used to say. “Polo is best played on plaid.” And then he would jostle the belly of his horse, a crème-colored Arabian he’d imported from a Yemenite he rolled craps with, and gallop down the field. Bits of wind would grab at his graying black...

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“We Made It” by Cassandra K.

Submitted to Contest #234

It is the long-awaited end of the year, when the festive holidays have come to a close and the only one left is the bittersweet day of resolution-writing, ball-dropping, and party-attending. The year has left us all tired and battered, war heroes dragged through a battle, only to be left unsung. To have made it out of the year itself is an impressive feat. Of course, that can only truly be said of someone who faced the mildew yellow sign plastered onto their door, screaming out “EVICTION NOTICE” for all the passersby to see; though naturally...

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“Extinction is Assured” by Jeffery Alvey

Submitted to Contest #234

Extinction is Assured Supernova 1. I open my bloodshot eyes to witness a red sky. My eyes are irritated from a lack of sleep. I’m a terrestrial being marooned upon a seemingly panthalassic planet. I find myself on an island only a couple of meters wide. There is nothing upon this bit of ground, with my empty messenger bag turned rations bag being the only exception. No stones, no flora, though I feel epiphytic in purpose. I see no visible signs of life—extant or otherwise. Maybe there are organisms in the depths of the calm, mirror-...

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“Shangri La!” by Christina Schepker-Pikul

Submitted to Contest #234

"I bought us tickets to Hippie Fest," my best friend told me with excitement over the phone."To what?" I replied with confusion."Hippie Fest... you know... Shangri La!"I was confused by this, and wondered why I had been her person of choice for this adventure.We had been best friends since Junior High. We had experienced all of life's highs and lows together from our preteen years through our early thirties. We had gone through some breaks in our friendship, but always found our way back to each other, and our comfortable friendship.She had ...

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“Beyond Time’s Embrace” by Keke Peek

Submitted to Contest #234

As the serene days of my childhood faded away, the winds of transformation commenced their journey through Atlas and myself, the inseparable duo. However, my experience was distinct. I never suffered from any illness during my childhood or even teen years. My immune system stood as the strongest among my family members, Nevertheless, a few days ago, I unexpectedly began to feel bouts of nausea, which soon escalated to the point of me vomiting blood. Despite my growing concern, I choose to keep this distressing matter to myself, refraining fr...

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“Final Jeopardy” by Mia Hammond

Submitted to Contest #234

We come back from the commercial break and I’m ready to answer this final question. I’m feeling confident. I’ve done really well so far, but I’m still a little bit behind Carol from Cincinnati. If only I hadn’t gotten the question about the Byzantine Empire wrong during Double Jeopardy, then I’d be ahead. That was especially unfortunate since I’m a history teacher, but I’ll chalk it up to nerves. Anyway, I know I can make it up here in the final. I’m deciding to go big or go home and bet it all because the category is board games and I feel ...

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“Unneeded” by Christina Nordlander

Submitted to Contest #234

While I was serving my fourth month, I got marched to the infirmary for a check-up and blood samples, too close to the last one. I didn’t think much of it – that’s not true. Like with everything else that broke the pattern during my sentence, I tried to find foreshadowing in it, some hope of reduced time, or some threat. I couldn’t think of a reason, so the thoughts stopped there. The next evening, I sat in the common room with a car magazine, in an attempt to keep my brain sharp. The common room had the same configuration as the waiting-ro...

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“03/27/74” by Leanna Sanders

Submitted to Contest #234

You enter the library, except this is no ordinary library. You may only visit this library once. The circumstance for entrance is all the same, but the cause for entry is individual. Once you enter you may not leave, but your time expires within the library, entry is not a choice, but is required. In your personal library every book is available for your wandering eyes. The titles upon the shelves fit every genre, but they can never be read by any individual except you. It is your choice which book to check out first, so choose the one with ...

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Write a story about someone whose time is running out.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 112 stories

“Deceased and Departed Hotline” by Rose B

“All This Time” by Susan Stout

“Songs of Life” by Light Bloom

“Leaving it to the last minute…” by Stephen Gage

“Little Deaths by Chocolate” by Kevin Robertson

“I Don't Have Time For This” by Nicole Ortiz

“Tick Tock” by Maysan Segueni

“A Polo Field” by Nick Baldino

“We Made It” by Cassandra K.

“Extinction is Assured” by Jeffery Alvey

“Shangri La!” by Christina Schepker-Pikul

“Beyond Time’s Embrace” by Keke Peek

“Final Jeopardy” by Mia Hammond

“Unneeded” by Christina Nordlander

“03/27/74” by Leanna Sanders

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who wishes they could turn back time.

Write about someone taking advantage of some unexpected free time.

Start or end your story with someone saying, “We have all the time in the world.”

Set your story in a place that’s frozen in time — literally or metaphorically.

Contest #234

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

340

Contest entries

132

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: