Write about a character who has the ability to pause the passage of time.

Posted in Fantasy on May 31, 2024

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✍️ 71 stories

“Pop” by Jessie Squires

Submitted to Contest #253

A bubble bursts above my head. Shards of its soapy lining erupting across the heron sky. “Freeze!” I hear one of them say to my left. The other, to my right, shrieks with glee or impending violence, I cannot tell. Steeped in this serene moment, bookended by chaos, I want to stop time in its tracks. All summer long, this is what I want to see, feel, smell, and hear. Clear heavens, cool breeze, a hint of jasmine, and the sound of my children engaged in pretend play. So, I make a wish on the next floating sphere, that instead of popping, it sto...

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“Gone For Good” by Kaley Verheye

Submitted to Contest #253

A piercing shriek interrupted the party. I looked around as the beige and gold coloured wall exploded on the far side of the ballroom. Women dressed in blue, purple, and green dresses and men dressed in tuxedos pushed their way out of the red carpeted room. I could see a young girl collapsing, unable to run away from whatever was happening. She screamed when a robot arm reached inside the mansion. “No!” I sprinted as hard as I could to reach the girl, my golden-red hair flying out behind me. I jumped over fallen chairs, my fancy sandals...

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“A little More Time” by Canon Gram

Submitted to Contest #253

A blanket of darkness enveloped the sky in its indigo glory. The clock struck 9 o’clock, inviting the stars to twinkle like glitter among the nightfall. The warm glow of string lights illuminated the vast courtyard, revealing gorgeous plants along the outdoor fixtures. White linen cloths lined each table, illuminated by tealights. People trickled in through the cobblestone pathway, chattering over the ambient noise. It was the night of Ellie’s engagement party, an event entirely orchestrated by her conservative parents. From a glance, ...

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“Killing Time” by Steven Joyce

Submitted to Contest #253

Since he retired back in February, Jeremy had a lot of time to kill. Like most retiree rookies, he vowed to exercise more. He started watching yoga videos on YouTube. He began walking the beach near his home. Huffing down the beach and back would help burn calories and keep him occupied until happy hour, he figured. As he settled into his near-daily routine of strolling the shore, Jeremy started recognizing the same characters along the way. One regular was an attractive older woman who always wore a bikini no matter the weather. She had a m...

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“This was the life.” by Teemer B

Submitted to Contest #253

A lazy breeze washed through the old bar, curling around the handful of patrons that had settled in for a long and lazy afternoon. It was bright in the bar, much to the dismay of most of them. Almost all of them were drunk, and there were a few that had already slipped out of consciousness. It was called the One Winged Parrot, though most patrons simply called it the bar. There were a few on the island, but the others were all gimmicky and made pretty for the tourists. Not this one. No, this one was exactly what these old expats were looking...

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“Love + Coffee ” by Geneva Rioz

Submitted to Contest #253

The café was busier than normal today, a harsh breeze forced its way into the room every time the door swung open to allow another person to escape the cold. I sighed as I looked back down at my book wondering to myself as to why I constantly looked up when the bell would ring it was only announcing the door had been opened again. As if the cold wasn’t warning enough. It’s not like someone was coming in for me, there really was no reason for me to look up other than to see who it was that was causing the breeze that slid up my pant legs and ...

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“The Passage of Fate” by Oliver S. Andreasen

Submitted to Contest #253

When Wilhelm realized he could pause time, he only had a five-second window to act. The enemy infantry cut down his door and surrounded his family. A soldier plunged his sword into Wilhelm’s direction, in range of his eyes. And it was then that time stopped. His heart clambered his throat. Was that how his power would enact, when he was most vulnerable? As that single thought crossed his mind, three seconds had already passed. It was now either his wife, Lenora, or his two daughters, Rebecca and Amanda. Pushing the blade of the sword that co...

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“Tempest in the South Wing” by Amanda Maillet

Submitted to Contest #253

As the grandfather clock chimed the midnight hour, Eliza griped the rain-soaked ledge of her bedroom window and strained to see the figure beneath the withering oak tree. Lightning flooded the sky to reveal a girl, much like herself, with long, dark hair and delicate features staring back at her. She was curiously untouched by the raging storm and Eliza’s breath seized with the certainty that she had seen her before. A chill raked down her spine.“Are you real?” Eliza whispered.Her mother, Catherine, told her she wasn’t to speak to strangers ...

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“Galactic Timelines” by Kim Dyas

Submitted to Contest #253

It's always messy when timelines are interwoven so intricately. "What do you mean grandfather?" I ask. I cannot see what he is seeing, we live in different planes of existence. "What can you see?" I close my eyes and go inwards when I feel his presence as close as I do now. My energy settles and I close down in each region of my body, concentrating the flow to my inner self. My body knows how to do this pretty much instantly now, I can be in any place at any time, my body recognises the mental request and effortlessly becomes still and quiet...

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“Pause, Play, Live” by Ana Shamsi

Submitted to Contest #253

I pause play on life like teenage girls pause Taylor Swift songs—frequently but always with great reluctance—with heartbreak. Some might say that is a blessing, one more moment to appreciate what I have—it’s what people always beg for, isn’t it? More time? One more moment? Just one more?They would be appallingly wrong.My ability is not a gift. I can only stop time in the moments when what I love is being taken from me. It’s one more moment to suffer the grief, one more to grapple with the inevitability. There is no comfort to be gleaned...

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“The Time Weaver” by Sabal Gallo Cloonan

Submitted to Contest #253

The city of Veridian Peaks was a cacophony of movement... a symphony of hurried footsteps, blaring horns, and neon lights that painted the night sky. It was a place where time raced forward, leaving no room for pause. But Evelyn Frost was different. Evelyn had discovered her ability as a child, during a chaotic moment in the bustling marketplace. She had reached out to grab an apple, and suddenly, everything froze... the vendors mid-shout, the pigeons suspended in flight, and the raindrops hanging in the air. Time became her canvas, and she ...

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Write about a character who has the ability to pause the passage of time.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 71 stories

“Pop” by Jessie Squires

“Gone For Good” by Kaley Verheye

“A little More Time” by Canon Gram

“Killing Time” by Steven Joyce

“This was the life.” by Teemer B

“Love + Coffee ” by Geneva Rioz

“The Passage of Fate” by Oliver S. Andreasen

“Tempest in the South Wing” by Amanda Maillet

“Galactic Timelines” by Kim Dyas

“Pause, Play, Live” by Ana Shamsi

“The Time Weaver” by Sabal Gallo Cloonan

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a highly-strung character learning to slow down, or someone pursuing a quieter way of life.

Set your story over the course of a few minutes; no flashbacks, no flashforwards.

Start your story with a character canceling their plans.

Write a story that contains the line, "I wish we could stay here forever."

Contest #253

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

335

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: