Write about someone taking advantage of some unexpected free time.

Posted in Fluff on Jan 19, 2024

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✍️ 31 stories

“4 AM- An essay on Mortality” by Susan Winters

Submitted to Contest #234

It is my favorite hour of the day, the hour of solitude and ownership. The hour out of 24 that I have found just for me. By five, alarms are going off, the pipes are rattling with showers. But 4 AM is mine. The sky is still dark and many have just fallen into their deepest slumber of the previous evening. But for me, I am most awake, more awake than I shall be all day.As the aroma of the coffee soothes me, the intermittent whoosh of the heater warms my body, I sit, and listen. I don’t do this enough, just sit; and li...

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“Cooper's Day Off” by Mortimer Ridgewood

Submitted to Contest #234

Ask any dog, and they’ll tell you- being the Family Dog is a 24/7 job. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my family, and I love caring for my family. Sometimes, though, I wish the Little Ones would keep their own noses damp, or Dad would stop antagonizing that ‘Bissell’ demon. My humans need near-constant care and protection, every hour of every day of the week. Breaks are few and far in between… so you can imagine my surprise when, just the other day, I got one.I had been just a few minutes into my midday nap when I heard my favorite human, Mo...

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“Train Thoughts” by Alex Stephens

Submitted to Contest #234

(The events of this short story, as well as the narrator, are completely fictionalized.) Journal Just got on the train to London, and decided to start journaling on my notes app. It’s pretty informal but maybe that adds charm or something. I’m just going to stare out the window, and every significant thought, I’ll write down. Go. Are masters of their craft always miserable? Smart people always seem so burdened. Maybe I should try writing music. I shouldn’t lose touch with my housemates. Or are we just doomed to be li...

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“Eli Wilks” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #234

“I lerve you! I do!”“Say what?”Where can you be and still know that someone cares? Time stretches out, and everything is a joke. You think you know what everyone knows until you don’t. And it isn’t so hard. To know what I know…“Do you want that cigarette or not?”It’s all lerve, don’t you know? Sure, I’ll take that cigarette. And everything else I can. Because it doesn’t matter whether I smoke or not, I’ll smoke if you want me to.“Do you need a light?”I’m always in the light. It shines all over me. I hardly know anything different. People say...

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“Paying Attention” by Mason -

Submitted to Contest #234

Sheets of hail and barrages of lighting continued to hammer down with no end in sight for the little town. Alayna was furious, there was a meeting at 1:00 that she had to attend because of her contract, another at 4:00 where she hoped to meet some very affluent connections, and a flight out of this backwater town at 9:00. It was only 8:00 in the morning when she peered through her blinds and saw the havoc being caused by mother nature. One of her stupid children must have especially pissed her off today, Alayna thought as she got out of bed,...

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“Mother Nature Says” by TiffanyAnn Borton

Submitted to Contest #234

I often feel like a juggler on a unicycle. Our lives are always on the go and we love it. After school on Mondays we go to the gym. Then, when we get home, I have about fifteen to twenty minutes to get dinner on the table, before checking binders and doing homework. On Tuesdays we run home, right after school for tacos. Taco Tuesday, Baby Girl’s favorite dinner of the week. They take about five minutes to put together because I put the meat, vegetables and seasonings into my insta pot that morning. Then, we have about twenty-five minut...

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“The Mayor’s Jackets” by Toby Johnson

Submitted to Contest #234

The premier parade float had passed and so had the evisceration of twelve million bucks. Conducted and calculated by the state of New York to cause a stir of comradery whose volume of sound was matched only in deepest space, soon found itself the performers only to the remaining rodents loitering the sidewalks scavenging for deconstructed trolley food.While an assortment of barely conscious, coffee deprived, opinion makers conversed and shuffled their way to the cafes in the high rises like the workmen on their way to the docks, I instead fo...

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“Clonazepam and the amateur incident” by Momo San

Submitted to Contest #234

Clonazepam and The amateur incident. “You know what? Fuck off, all of you!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. As soon as those words left her mouth, a stunned silence enveloped the dressing room with its heavy presence. Nobody made a sound, nobody moved an inch. The boiling anger that had once filled every nerve of her being, retreated out of her body; leaving her with nothing but cold regret, as she finally registered the hatred in every set of eyes that surrounded her, pinning her to the ground. In that breathless instant, it da...

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“Snowed in” by Winfred Hayz

Submitted to Contest #234

Triggers: Mentions of sexual violence and implied rape, Mentions of Abuse, underaged drinking. Of course the day before the Ghost Raiders were about to set sail a large blizzard hit the island they were staying at. This delayed their departcher for at least 3 more days. 3 precious days spent cooped up in this stupid cabin, while Ignatius… Lucy couldn’t bear the thought of what her older brother was going through at the hands of that slimy, grubby, disgusting, shit stain of a man who dared to give himself a name, yet had one of blackbe...

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“Nap Time” by Sarah Brush

Submitted to Contest #234

I gently place my oldest son in his crib, which now seems comically small compared to how tall he is now. His feet stretch all the way down the crib. He still has several inches to go before he outgrows it. Still. The sight of him stretched out makes him look like a fourth grader, not an 18 month old. He opens his eyes and looks up at me. Crap. “Bye baby. It’s nap time. I’ll see you in a couple hours. Hug your bunny and go night night,” I say as I slowly back out of the room. He mumbles “bye bye” before hugging his small stuf...

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“Time to Breathe” by Desirae Moten

Submitted to Contest #234

What if after all these years I’m not the one he’s supposed to be with? How do I cope with the fact that he did love her at one point? That he had such serious feelings for her and they went away, but what if they come back? What if she’ll always be this piece in his life? We’re similar. She’s an older sister with one younger brother. She’s close to her family. She’s beautiful too and way more God oriented than I am. No, but I shouldn’t be comparing myself. I don’t want to, but they have things in common that aren’t my interests. Seven ye...

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“Stolen Moments” by Chelsea Brown

Submitted to Contest #234

We almost never have a moment to ourselves. If I’m not cleaning, I’m folding, if not that, I’m cooking, if not that I’m helping one of the older women with their cooking, cleaning, and folding. Free time around here isn’t something you advertise you have. When I realized I had finished all my chores a bit earlier than expected, I trekked down to the river and waded in, ankle deep, to look for tadpoles. The water is cold- almost icy. It’s only April so it hasn’t had the chance to warm in the late Spring and Summer sun. It’s refreshing to me s...

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“A Lesson in Dreaming” by Zolund Lee

Submitted to Contest #234

Shen had never fought so hard in his life. His legs quivered, and his arms barely held themselves up, much less his wooden training sword. His teacher, Master Fukuhashi, stood diametrically against him within the dojo. Despite the long training session, Master’s stance was still strong and ready as he faced down his student. “Young Shen,” he said, “finish this fight.” The boy hesitated. He knew what his teacher wanted him to do but not how to achieve that goal. He tried to analyze the situation, picturing the many different scenarios in hi...

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“The incident of the black ice” by Rebeka Czobor

Submitted to Contest #234

The teacher's lounge echoed with the sound of his humming. Tim had never seen it empty before - the room was almost ominous, with all the outdated furniture and the dripping coffee machine. He was unsure if the sudden solitude was a gift or a curse, in which he was destined to ponder upon lesson plans, correction deadlines, and parental complaints. Before he could decide, he heard slow steps approaching down the hallway. Strange, he thought, how usual sounds can be so threatening in a quiet school. The shoes’ taps on linoleum was rhyt...

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“Remember What She Told You” by S.E. Tomlinson

Submitted to Contest #234

Dear Self, When she got her diagnosis, Grandma Harriet said, “I’ll always be with you, even when I’m gone.” You might not believe that at this moment—not with the wounds so fresh in your mind—but in time, you will find the strength to believe it again. Right now, you’re feeling lost in the aftermath of Grandma’s death. Right now, with the funeral done and the care-giving responsibilities having been lifted from your shoulders, it’s hard to imagine where to go next. Hopefully this letter finds you well enough that you’ll have the courage ...

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Write about someone taking advantage of some unexpected free time.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 31 stories

“4 AM- An essay on Mortality” by Susan Winters

“Cooper's Day Off” by Mortimer Ridgewood

“Train Thoughts” by Alex Stephens

“Eli Wilks” by Joe Smallwood

“Paying Attention” by Mason -

“Mother Nature Says” by TiffanyAnn Borton

“The Mayor’s Jackets” by Toby Johnson

“Clonazepam and the amateur incident” by Momo San

“Snowed in” by Winfred Hayz

“Nap Time” by Sarah Brush

“Time to Breathe” by Desirae Moten

“Stolen Moments” by Chelsea Brown

“A Lesson in Dreaming” by Zolund Lee

“The incident of the black ice” by Rebeka Czobor

“Remember What She Told You” by S.E. Tomlinson

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone whose time is running out.

Write a story about someone who wishes they could turn back 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: