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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#154: The Right Timing

It has come to our attention that Backstreet Boys (you know, the famous boy band from the 90s) recently announced that they'll be releasing a Christmas album. Naturally, this week's prompts are all about timing.

In a rapidly changing world, it can be hard to keep up sometimes. The newest TikTok is old almost as soon as it has gone viral, and trends come and go quicker than the seasons. And yet, some things are timeless classics. Taking inspiration from the ebb and flow of time, here are this week’s prompts:

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone saying, “We’re running out of time.”

Middle School – 77 stories

Write a story about someone who feels increasingly irrelevant.

Sad – 57 stories

Write a story — romantic or not — about two characters who can’t find the right timing.

Romance – 32 stories

Write a story about an object that has been around for centuries or passed down generations.

Kids – 46 stories

Write a story featuring an element of time-travel or anachronism.

Science Fiction – 68 stories

Stories

“Tarnished Gold” by Joseph Monachino

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time”, said Jack to Sam. Jack was aware that the ticking time bomb had to be deactivated in less than 5 minutes. The consequences would be that it would blow up and destroy a trailer that contains 2 million dollars of gold bars. --- Sam and Jack had been plotting this heist scheme for over a week. It’s amazing how they got their hands on such a valuable lot of goods. The partner, who became aware of this lucrative haul of goods, was Sam. He is employed as a security guard at a rich oil executi...

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“Spider and the Heist of the Brood Crystal” by Jeffrey Moncrief

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time. Zylon forces are closing in on your position.” Sylas says to Spider as he primes his holo-clone generator. Spider rolls his eyes and says “You’re just being paranoid. For a female interface, you sure complain like you’re a human.” Sylas responds “That's because this is an intercom link and I am human.” “Oh yeah. Y’know you sound like one of the female A.I voices.” “This is why people hate you Spider.” “That was rude. What are you even worried about anyway?” “The Galactic Federation is sending bou...

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“A Passage of Time” by Jocelyn Yeomans

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time.” I said to myself. “Or at least I am!” I don’t think I said the words out loud but they were certainly in my thoughts. Very soon we will be told to put down our pens and pass our papers forward. And I havn’t even answered one single question. My mind has just gone blank. I am just sitting staring at the questions. Why was I having problems. This was one of my favourite subjects. English Literature and miraculously the book chosen was Shakespeare’s Merchant in Ven...

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“No Year Ends in June” by Hannah B

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time.” But I know that. He tells me again when my silence fails to give way to the fight he wants, or to the decision, or to anything, and then he says, Look at me. He begs. I can’t – no – that’s not true. I don't. I find an ant wobbling across the ground and I watch it. We can’t rid the house of them. Every windowsill, every place where wall meets floor, I’ve traced over and over with peppermint oil, and then with salt, as though an ant could be treated the way a foul spirit might be treated. When we still cooked in ...

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“Please Don't Cry” by Jim Hirtle

Submitted to Contest #154

Please Don’t Cry “We’re running out of time,” she tells him. He knew the look. He had seen it a thousand times. When she gets this way, he knew to just remain calm. Anything he said that was not a confirmation of her assessment would lead to crying. He couldn’t tolerate her crying. He loved her more than words could ever describe, but her crying was…it was just ugly. Glistening snot accompanied by the vexatious gulping of air like a beached whale choking on a truckload of sand, and then the end…the end was the worse. Hiccups always followe...

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“Just One More Time.” by Derrick Behm

Submitted to Contest #154

"We're running out of time!" Fifty-seven seconds left. "Of course, we're running out of time. You always seem to be running out of time when you try and stop a bomb it’s stomping a Bomb 101." Paul kept up with Calvin as they jumped to the sub-level floor. "Remember, pull the wires from their ports. Blue, yellow, purple, then green in that order." Calvin mumbled to himself as they landed on the floor. "Fifth door on the left. About thirty seconds left." Thirty-six seconds left. The corridor seemed endless by the time they reached the door....

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“1st Attempt” by Zi Poromon

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time!” “Please, tell us what’s going on!” “Madame, you need to stay back in the waiting area. We’ve got it from here.” “I’m not leaving her side until you tell us!” “Madame— Nurse Patel, can you please take the family to the waiting area. We will update them soon.” Update on what? An update on how much closer to death I am? The desperation in their yelling and pleading lower in sound, and I am left to wonder about who the voices belong to. Oh God, I swear if this didn’t work… “She’s losing a lot of blood...

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“Didact in the Playhouse, or I'm Game” by J K Mactavish

Submitted to Contest #154

NOTE. One mention of a body part. We act and play in simulated realities but not for keeps. Thus no urgency even though on the world's stage, "Let's get outta here" is arguably the most frequent line spoken. So from this mark to the next on today's, or this evening's, stage we act or are acted upon; and it doesn't matter whether we have confidence and command of our lines or feel our wordless cameo appearance but irrelevant fluff. Or does it? With that prologue, attend. "We’re running out of time," Janie said to Alice. "We've got a bab...

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“The Ruined Lighthouse” by A.T. Westbrook

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time,” the nurse muttered as she recorded my father’s vitals in her folder. She finished scribbling her notes, clicked the pen with a satisfied nod, and then, remembering that I stood across the bed from her, offered, “I suggest if you have anything you’d like to say to him before he passes, you do it soon. Otherwise, you might be too late.” I watched as she waited for my response, her eyes bulging at my placid expression. I nodded to release her from her state of indignation. Now freed, she raised her eyebrows and sp...

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“The Voice” by Swetha Sankameswaran

Submitted to Contest #154

“We are running out of time” soft but cold feminine whisper echoed. “We are running out of time” the gentle voice reverberates. Couldn’t figure out where it is coming from or from whom it was coming but there is a hint of terror in the warning not in a way that frightens me. Instead, I could empathize the fear in the voice. All I can see was tons of tunnels around me all equal in circumference also big enough for me to squeeze through, no ends or beginnings. But each has a different appeal to it, few have a rough inner surface and is pi...

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“A Stone's Throw” by Nina Strelov

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time. We have to hurry,” said the man rushing me through the woods to safety. My friend had told me he could help me, that if I got myself to the edge of the forest before dawn, he would arrange for someone named Michael to meet me there who could help me escape. I had run out of choices and time. I couldn’t ask what he knew of this man, or why he had the skills to escape the law. The government had issued me a warning after my last art exhibit, and after the show I performed last night, they weren’t going to let me wal...

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“Bushwacked” by KBK Miller

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time,” he said, yanking my arm harder, “come on.” An hour earlier… My breath quickened as I started to wake. The air was stale and tight. My eyes only saw darkness due to the black handkerchief tied tightly around my head. Thoughts were running through my mind like a train that had just hopped off the tracks, but I attempted to focus on the outside noises. I flinched as the van sped, hitting a bump causing me to flop, slamming my tailbone into the cold metal. Wincing as I resituated, I listened. I could only hear soft...

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“First comes love...” by Jessica Baker

Submitted to Contest #154

"We are running out of TIME!" Jazmine's father had never been a patient man, but I never thought I'd live to see him reach the end of his rope. And I never thought I'd be wearing a bright purple bridesmaid's dress while doing it. "Is it his baby or not!?" he shouted. "It is! It is!" Jazmine was in hysterics; The wedding dress they'd had to alter five times in the last week to accommodate her rapidly growing stomach was straining to contain her in all her vastly pregnant glory. "Honey I am a gynecologist, PLEASE don't lie to me. Yo...

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“From Darkness, Comes Light” by Janetra Waters

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time,” I whisper to myself. My steps are steady, my posture straight and calm, a carefully crafted facade to hide the inner turmoil eating away at me. I can feel The Darkness creeping in, like iced covered hands gripping my mind, body, and soul. It plays at the edge of my consciousness… waiting for me to let my guard down. It becomes harder each day to keep the fragile grip I have on my sanity. I step outside into the cold of the new summer, making my way to the settlement. The air’s become frigid since The Light...

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“No Regrets” by Amie DeStefano

Submitted to Contest #154

"We’re running out of time, captain!” I yelled above the explosive impact. Across from us, a rogue pirate spaceship approached, medium-sized and decorated in painted skulls, and horseshoes. It was lighting up our ship with streaks of red ammunition. Pelting us it seemed from all angles. “Ready the fire blasters, Ava,” said the captain. He was hanging onto the back of the bolted-in chair, bracing himself. His long body hunkering down and away from the force of battle but ultimately unable to absorb the full shock. One sauce...

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$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

112

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 15, 2022 EST

Won by Suma Jayachandar 🏆

Title: Moonlight and Madness

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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