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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.

This week's prompts

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

Thriller and Suspense – 19 stories

Write a story about a late bloomer.

Spring – 12 stories

All clocks suddenly stop. Write about what happens next.

Science Fiction – 45 stories

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

Angst – 67 stories

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

Thriller and Suspense – 21 stories

Stories

“THE DAY TIME STOPPED: A CHRISTMAS STORY” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #125

Ashley Burnham awoke on December 24th with her heart aflutter in anticipation of her family’s Christmas Eve celebration planned for that night. She had no premonition that the world as she knew it in the twenty-first century would be in chaos before any Christmas celebrations began. It was a tradition in her family’s church to have Christmas Eve service during the day of Christmas Eve, because most of the congregation’s families celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve in their homes. That morning her family gathered for breakfast and then dr...

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“The Princess that had three suitors” by Daisy Yi

Submitted to Contest #125

The story tells that King Oba had a beautiful and delicate daughter who represented everthing to her father, she had three suitors named; IKU, ARO and OFO. Everyday the Princess complained to her father that she couldn't decide which of the suitors to choose for a husband. FOr Oba this represented a problem, he didn't want to generate conflicts and revenge because he was a man of peace, but time was of the essense and he knew that if he gave his daughter to one of the suitors the other two would seek revenge. So as not to anger the life of h...

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“Something New ” by Mackenzie Hebner

Submitted to Contest #125

Something New Mackenzie M. Hebner It’s easy not to realize how fortunate you were until what seemed like a burden slips away, and suddenly there’s a hole you never realized had needed to be filled. It grows a little more as you sit there watching everything you had with a new light. This time there is a tick inside your mind, counting down the moments you have left with this fresh perspective, and you don’t want to waste the moments hurting, but it’s hard to feel any other way than a plain fool. You see, it’d been a roug...

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“You'd be late to your own funeral....” by Stacey Iannazzo

Submitted to Contest #125

S. Hileman Iannazzo (Better Late than Never Contest Entry) I didn’t know morticians don't bother with shoes until I was hauling ass to the church in my stocking feet. I also didn’t know that even though I was the guest of honor, I’d have to ‘walk’ to my own funeral. They loaded my corpse into a shiny black car driven by a somber looking fellow dressed in a neat charcoal suit. While they were arranging all of the flowers around my coffin, I tried to slide in, but I was too late and cursed myself for having stopped to smoke a cigare...

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“The Economics of Time” by Susan Whitlock

Submitted to Contest #125

Nate Haskins had a very loose relationship with his watch. He glanced at it now and then, but more often than not his mind went to the man who had given him the watch, his maternal grandpa, Ray Lever. Sometimes he saw the time and was likely to leap up and take off for some appointment he had completely forgotten. He managed to race in five minutes late to most of his college courses, dates with his pretty girlfriend and basketball games he had drummed up himself. Nate was not a rude person; it was not that others time and feelings were less...

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“Red Eye” by Maribeth Mundell

Submitted to Contest #125

I shoved my overlarge black purse under the seat in front of me, hoping that its level of stowage was enough to satisfy the air hosts on the New York to London flight. I had the aisle seat; there was a young woman in the window seat, with short blue hair and ear buds, and the seat between us remained empty. I checked my phone; they’d close boarding soon, regardless. Theoretically it was a full flight, but the early December weather was stormy, and heavy traffic on the roads might leave the center seat unoccupied. I took the in-flight magazin...

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“Better Late Than Never” by David Nesbit

Submitted to Contest #125

Meggie didn't know if she was going to make it - in more than one meaning of the term. The taxi driver was doing his best to weave in and out of the ever-thickening traffic, but Megs, as she preferred to be known, wasn't feeling hopeful. It wasn't just the prospect of reaching Singapore's Changi airport in time to catch her scheduled Garuda flight back to Surabaya, Indonesia, that she was worried about, but whether or not she was going to be able to make it out of the taxi before she vomited. Because vomit she would. She knew that. ...

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“Holiday Time” by Brenda Daniels

Submitted to Contest #125

It was dark as we made our way along the country lane. I mean, really dark. ‘Where are you?’ read the text message on Robyn’s mobile as I peered through the windscreen of the black Hyundai Elantra. ‘There it is,’ said Robyn, too late, despite her excellent navigation skills. I did a U-turn where the dry-stone wall curved outwards and crawled the car back to the one tiny light on the dark stretch. Our host was waiting, anxious and puffing vapour into the night air. ‘It’s just back the way,’ he said. ‘At least you’re here. Better late tha...

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“Re-writing History ” by Vera Oluwafemi

Submitted to Contest #125

I was born into a family where I was the only child who had survived. I was definitely the apple of everyone’s eyes in my whole community. Everyone looked after me and my well-being was paramount to everyone’s happiness. Many people liked me a lot because they said I looked like my mom who had passed on a few years ago while trying to bare another child. Sadly, she had passed away alongside my baby brother who had just been birthed to the world. Due to my keen resemblance to my mother, my father ensured that I was well looked after a...

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“Milkshakes” by Douglas J. Veverka

Submitted to Contest #125

“You two are late.” Stan barked as two bright-eyed boys walked into the modest kitchen at the back of the house. “Better late than never grandpa,” Dominic said with a grin. He and his younger brother David, both winded, shoved each other before grabbing chairs surrounding a square table tucked in the corner of the tiny room. They spun them around and hopped up onto the shiny cushions. “What the hell are you jumping around for? Goddamn it! Just sit,” their grandfather demanded.Stan took a deep breath. He moved his attention to ...

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“The Way Things Should’ve Ended” by Alyssa Spohrer

Submitted to Contest #125

Six twenty. Six forty-five. Seven fifteen. No, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. The flight was suppose to land at six o’clock, giving Clara an hour to make it to her connection. She’d be off the plane and waiting in the lobby for her next by at least six thirty. She’d have time to kill. She would have no time to kill. She may not even make her connection. The plane landed promptly at six twenty. That’s alright, she thought, as long as we’re off of here soon, I’ll have plenty of tim...

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“Bon Voyage, Mum” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #125

"Hurry!""The gate's closing soon.""I'm going as fast as I can, my dear boy."I held my tongue. My mum is always late for everything. For as long as I can remember, she would keep people waiting until she was ready for them. Should you have the audacity to want to be somewhere early or on time, my mum would turn that into a fantasy - if she was along for the ride."I've checked your bags through.""Here's your boarding ticket.""You are a good son!"Not knowing whether that was sarcasm or sincerity, I just replied with an emotionally detached, "hu...

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“THE BOX” by Mike Williams

Submitted to Contest #125

It was a good day for Grace Templeton. It was a bad day for Jonas Bard. Jonas managed to reach the bank just a few minutes before it closed. The teller frowned as she looked at the withdrawal amount. The other tellers were starting to close their cash drawers, while she was trying to garner up the large amount that was being withdrawn. Jonas had carried a small wooden box with him to the bank. The teller put the stack of bills in two envelopes. She gave the two envelopes to Jonas. He placed them into his box and...

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“A Stein From Beyond” by Ace Nagly

Submitted to Contest #125

The digits on his watch read 5:03. “Damn, damn, damn,” Del Wragley mutters. His shoulder grazes off one person coming the other way. “Sorry,” he says without looking. Both the double doors of the funeral home entrance are open and plugged with people coming out. “Doesn’t anyone follow the ‘keep to the right’ rule anymore?’ he thinks.Del turns sideways and shuffle-steps to squeeze into the building, his back scrapes against the left-side door jamb. He hustles across the tiled floor of the lobby. He passes a sign announcing “Hazel Harris, view...

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“Never Too Late to Love...” by Olivia Jackson

Submitted to Contest #125

She got married at 40.Her family laughed. More specifically, Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Mike laughed because they simply were not pleased. Somehow Aunt Charlotte "butt dialed" her bride-to-be niece who heard her rather loud Aunt Charlotte telling her Uncle Mike that getting married at such an old age was just as much a mistake as her third marriage, and she had been married four times. Her niece shouldn't even have children at this age! Uncle Mike was heard replying that love did that to people, gave them illusions of grandeur that almost alwa...

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$250

Prize money

164

Contest entries

113

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!

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