Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#125: Better Late Than Never

Everybody has that one person in their life who’s perpetually late. For those unfortunate souls, time is never quite on their side, no matter how hard they try. 


Whether your characters are rushing to make it, or deliberately taking it slow, this week’s prompts are an ode to the latecomers among us, and to those who don’t give up, even when time is running out.

🥇 Winner

“The Heart Specialist” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

The esteemed Dr Maharaj was the only cardiologist at St Agatha’s Hospital. Although I met him many years after he first arrived from Kashmir, the nurses told me everyone had taken to him right away. How could they not? There was a sincerity in the way he spoke; a strength in the hand he put on your shoulder. And when a patient’s heart was beyond repair - because there was no way he could save them all - he held their hand and promised to help them through until the very end. Dr Maharaj was the doctor that patients would kneel next to thei...

141 comments 141 WINNER 🏆
Read story

⭐️ Shortlisted

“Medic” by Alex Sultan

According to the Geneva Convention, firing at a medic wearing a clear insignia is considered a war crime. The rule, by no means, rendered medics invulnerable. Rowe sprinted across the battlefield. Frozen branches snapped under his boots. Snow broke beneath him, artillery fire shook trees, and the rattling of machine guns echoed throughout the forest. Bullets struck the ground beside his feet as he ran.He held onto his medical kit, slung around his shoulder, light and low on supplies. Rowe ignored the calls to take cov...

70 comments 70 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Late Forever, Amen” by Rob Ryter

Monday 20 December 19:30UTCMax Swanson sweated in the back of the Uber and read the electronic boarding card on his phone for the fifty-fourth time. Flight BA247 from London Heathrow to São Paulo, scheduled departure 21:10, gate to be announced, last bag drop 20:10, one hour before departure. Snow fell lightly, flakes melting and sliding down the windscreen before the intermittent wiper blades swept them away. They edged forward in the solid traffic.The driver didn’t seem to have much sense of urgen...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Exactly The Way It Is” by Shari Tiedens

Arlen didn’t know that graveyards could close. Yet here she was, idling at the front entrance of Holy Hope Cemetery, iron gates frowning at her tardiness in an all too familiar way. Brick posts blushed and glowed in the sunset, embarrassed on her behalf. “I want something in time for her birthday,” Mom had said. “It’s just so hard to get out there, with the shut-downs and holidays coming.” “It’s fine, Mo...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character who is always running late arriving somewhere just as it closes.

Thriller and Suspense – 20 stories

Write a story about a late bloomer.

Spring – 13 stories

All clocks suddenly stop. Write about what happens next.

Science Fiction – 47 stories

Write a story including the phrase “Better late than never”.

Angst – 68 stories

Set your story in an airport, as someone rushes for a flight.

Thriller and Suspense – 21 stories

Stories

“The Heart Specialist” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

The esteemed Dr Maharaj was the only cardiologist at St Agatha’s Hospital. Although I met him many years after he first arrived from Kashmir, the nurses told me everyone had taken to him right away. How could they not? There was a sincerity in the way he spoke; a strength in the hand he put on your shoulder. And when a patient’s heart was beyond repair - because there was no way he could save them all - he held their hand and promised to help them through until the very end. Dr Maharaj was the doctor that patients would kneel next to thei...

141 comments 141 WINNER 🏆
Read story

“Medic” by Alex Sultan

According to the Geneva Convention, firing at a medic wearing a clear insignia is considered a war crime. The rule, by no means, rendered medics invulnerable. Rowe sprinted across the battlefield. Frozen branches snapped under his boots. Snow broke beneath him, artillery fire shook trees, and the rattling of machine guns echoed throughout the forest. Bullets struck the ground beside his feet as he ran.He held onto his medical kit, slung around his shoulder, light and low on supplies. Rowe ignored the calls to take cov...

70 comments 70 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Restore Point” by Jon Casper

Kieran Greene knew that in a moment, Doctor Albert would clear his throat and say, “Tell me again about doomsday.” It was the same every time, and Kieran was tired. So tired of knowing how this would play out.Doctor Albert steepled his knotty fingers and pursed his lips, raising his eyebrows at the patient across from him. His coiffed white hair gleamed under the LED bulbs that dotted the ceiling of the conference room.The doctor cleared his throat and said, “So, Kieran, tell me again about doomsday.”

41 comments 41
Read story

“The Christmas dinner” by Ruth Porritt

Note: This story is a funny, Christmas-themed horror tale. Trigger warning: Self-harm, and mental health. However, these themes are not the primary themes in this tale. Story rating: PG-13 until the end of the story, which I give an 'R'.*****"I honestly don't know what takes you so long, sometimes," said Brian. "It took fifteen minutes for you to put the goose in the oven.""Really?" said Naomi. "You were counting? Don't you have anything better to do?""Why don't you let me help you?" said Brian, as he started t...

41 comments 41
Read story

“Moved On” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“No.”“Hear me out.”“No. No-no-no. No. Get out.”“I can explain.”“I’m sure you can explain, and I’m equally sure I don’t want you to. Goodbye.”“It’s been three months. We should be able to talk about it.”“No. No-no-no. No. Get out.”“Don’t shut the door on my—DAMMIT.”“Move your foot.”“Move the door.”“Move your foot or I will decapitate it.”“That doesn’t make any sense. You decapitate heads, not feet.”“Move your foot or I will de-foot you.”“That’s not e...

42 comments 42
Read story

“Fix it” by Thomas Giorgione

The boy stood in the center of the kitchen with a blue disposable razor in his mouth, and his father paced around him. He would fix the boy’s speech impediment at last. He worked on the device most of the previous night: he removed the blades, melted a small plastic block into strips, and arranged them to the speech therapist’s specifications.Mark looked at his five year old son, Jerry, whose red shorts sagged, and his white t-shirt hung down below his knees. Jerry was such a late bloomer that it was hard to find clothes...

18 comments 18
Read story

“A Christmas Fire” by Daniel R. Hayes

(This story was inspired by "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.) Hearts weigh heavy worldwide as Christmas Eve springs to life. Overdue bills and too much spending tend to make most people weary with doubt, and they often forget what the holidays are all about. Wealthy people hold on to their riches and care not for the agony of others. The poor gather what they ha...

19 comments 19
Read story

“Late Forever, Amen” by Rob Ryter

Monday 20 December 19:30UTCMax Swanson sweated in the back of the Uber and read the electronic boarding card on his phone for the fifty-fourth time. Flight BA247 from London Heathrow to São Paulo, scheduled departure 21:10, gate to be announced, last bag drop 20:10, one hour before departure. Snow fell lightly, flakes melting and sliding down the windscreen before the intermittent wiper blades swept them away. They edged forward in the solid traffic.The driver didn’t seem to have much sense of urgen...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Lunchbox Delivery” by Michelle Colpo

      Derek checked his watch for the third time as the plane slowly pulled into the docking area of the giant maze of an airport. Everybody on the flight was restless about the hour delay, but him especially.           His legs bounced anxiously under the large white box he was cradling on his lap as the smooth, yet dull voice of the flight attendant announced over the intercom, “Ladies and gentleman, today’s weather in Atlanta, Georgia is a bliss...

20 comments 20
Read story

“In Sickness And In Elf” by PJ Aitken

“Did you get the red onions?” asked Jackie surveying the items she had put into the fridge in the last five minutes. “What are you talking about?” Matt looked in the fridge over Jackie’s shoulder trying to compute his girlfriend’s latest line of questioning. “Don’t you remember? I specifically told you to get some red onions.” Jackie pointed to the list Matt had discarded on the kitchen table. Matt picked i...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Knots” by Jon Casper

They’re louder than usual tonight. Angrier. Everything is blurry as I wipe my eyes. Curled on the top step, I clench my stuffed tiger with one frayed knot for an eye. Mom yells something about ‘that whore from the office.’ Maybe whore is another word for secretary. There is a clatter of dishes and then Dad’s boots thump towards the door. His eyes meet mine as he pulls on his coat, and he turns away, grumbling. Go ahead, Dad. Go stay with that whore. At least when you’re not here, Mom sometimes smiles.“Tom! Did y...

33 comments 33
Read story

“The Late Doctor Late” by David Brown

Doctor Jack Late slumped on his drawing room couch, and nursed the last dram of his third fifth of London Dry gin directly from the bottle, while lamenting his latest failure. His throat burned and his nostrils were imbued with juniper when he quaffed the final nip and threw the empty flask into his fireplace. Shards from the glass container skittered across the hearth where two other bottles were already shattered.He hadn’t properly bathed in over a week, and his jet black locks drooped onto his shoulders, matted and ta...

9 comments 9
Read story

“Thirteen” by Sarah Rich

Tick. Tick. Tick. The clock thumped with a peaceful echo in the dimly lit hallway. As it always had, the pendulum swayed with the turn of each second. It was one of Theo’s favorite sounds. He appreciated the exaggeration of it whenever the house was empty of everyone but himself. Sometimes, he’d mindlessly pace to the beat and knocking. Today, for Theo, it was one of those days. ...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Rabbit Moon ” by Anna K Firth

He only intended to bring down the moon. That was what the rabbit in the tall hat and red cape told the boy. A simple trick, he said, though it had to be done exactly right. “Wait and see,” he said, winking one of his big black eyes in the boy’s direction. He sat down on a bale of hay and began gently plucking at the strings of his violin, putting down his long ears over it and twisting the little...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Memories of Time” by Ruby Bishop

The freezing salt-water splashed his face as he pushed his tired arms through the surf. He’d been swimming for what seemed like forever---his heart was racing and breath struggled out of his lungs. The soaking wet tuxedo he wore only managed to make it harder for him to propel himself through the water.  Thomas had been traveling from his home in England to a new adventure with his bride-to-be, an American woman...

8 comments 8
Read story

$250

Prize money

169

Contest entries

116

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 24, 2021 EST

Won by Shuvayon Mukherjee 🏆

Title: The Heart Specialist

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢