Write a story where time functions differently to our world.

Posted in Science Fiction on Mar 22, 2024

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✍️ 41 stories

“This Tale Continues....” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #243

So, Easter in Jerusalem was cancelled. Time was different here. It was really a typical sign of the times. Democracy was failing, freedoms were falling. This tale required unique attention, as the battle ahead threatened all life with total annihilation. Hexual One was gathering his scarily ordinary human tribes. They allowed their characters to absorb the dark side of midnight. Conflicts swirled around hot spots on the never tranquil planet. No one on Earth could predict the hour or day for anything. Not one soul alive could see into the mu...

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“Dandelion Bouquet” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #243

Anyone who landed on that world never came back—or communicated. They were still alive. I mean, the bio readouts were working. So, it was not our fault. No matter how many committees of inquiry they held, we had nothing to do with it!It's funny how that goes. You go out into space, and you take everything with you: your beliefs, your ideas, your life. Adapting or changing for what is out there? That wasn’t supposed to happen!You wouldn’t catch me going there. I'm a support specialist. I support you. As in, I’m okay with what you want to do. ...

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“The Essence of Time ” by Kristin Batchelor

Submitted to Contest #243

“Tick, tick, tick” the rhythmic ticking was my first memory. The sound vibrated through my body as I felt the seconds drain from the countdown carefully etched into my genetic code. My mother gazed down at me, her tight blonde curls cascading from the silver pin neatly holding her hair back from her face. “Close your eyes tight and imagine a large clock, but don’t tell me what you see. It is for your eyes only.” I squeezed my eyes together a little too tightly just like I did on that day 23 years ago. As the darkness of my eyelids receded, I...

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“Epiphany” by Evan Jackson

Submitted to Contest #243

Eight Years Ago….He thought the argument was over and she’d gotten it out of her system. Eric was in the shower washing the blood out of his hair, where his wife had struck him with a cast-iron skillet. This time he’d passed out and hadn’t felt the kicks to his abdomen. Not while they were happening, anyway. He’d learned from last time and kept his stomach empty so as not to vomit on her shoes and the floor, which would’ve just pissed her off even more. She hadn’t always been like this. There used to be love in this marriage, and now there w...

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“The Elsewhere” by Nicole Westerhouse

Submitted to Contest #243

Ronan gazed at the mirror of himself, reflected in the lake's calm surface. The Scottish highlands stretched out before him, untouched by time, yet he knew that the world beyond had shifted and marched on without him. He had been eighteen years old when he first stumbled into the caverns, curiosity pulling him too far, too deep. He was lost. Time had lost its meaning here in this Elsewhere, and though his body remained ever young, his soul felt weary with age.The seasons shifted endlessly, though Ronan could not feel them. When snow fell, an...

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“Phases of Time” by Kristina Hopper

Submitted to Contest #243

There is life. Then there is nothing. The door had these words emblazoned on it, like a sense of warning but also as a sense of certainty. Lem tucked her hands into her jacket even deeper and walked to the closest window, which overlooked the city. Life was continuing, as it always had. People milled in and out of buildings; people milled in and out of the sidewalks. Flying cars flew throughout the skylines. “Lem?” A female voice interrupted Lem’s onlooking. She turned around to find a woman dressed in a green fatigue type jacket and pants, ...

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“L'Homme Vert” by Elinor Smith

Submitted to Contest #243

The grass sways gently under the light. I feel the soft blades between my fingers, the soil beneath gently rasping my palm. I close my eyes as the weak sun already fades behind the mountains.The night sky greets me when I open them again. Stars dance accross the atmosphere, always running from the return of the sun behind me. A gush of cold wind makes me shiver, but I endure, for the warmth will soon come.The cycle repeats itself a few time. I breathe slowly, patient. What I came here for is worth the wait.It starts with shy buds reaching fo...

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“When Time Slips Away” by Jimi Bush

Submitted to Contest #243

When Time Slips Away As young Jennifer's eyelids flutter open, she's met with the familiar glow of her bedroom clock displaying 1:11 a.m. in its soft, green digits. The room is shrouded in darkness, save for the faint moonlight filtering through her curtains, casting gentle shadows across the floor. Her mind, as always, seems to be operating at full throttle, even in the wee hours of the morning. Ideas swirl and dance in her consciousness, eager to be captured and given form. With a surge of excitement, she propels herself out of bed, fueled...

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“chronosia” by Mallory Berg

Submitted to Contest #243

In the land of chronosia, time flowed like a tapestry, weaving through the lives of its inhabitants in mysterious ways. in this realm, each individual was born with a unique time signature, a rhythmic pattern that governed their perception of time.At the heart of chronosia stood the Clock Tower, a majestic structure that shimmered with an otherworldly glow. Its colossal hands moved not in hours and minutes but in colors and melodies, orchestrating the passage of time for the entire realm.One fateful day, a young lady named Elara discovers a ...

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“All the Time in the World” by Noir P.

Submitted to Contest #243

Letting the fresh air fill her lungs and cleanse her nerves, Lydia exited the train with a spring in her step. She felt invigorated, like every second of her life had led up to this point. The swarms of people crowding around her couldn’t do a thing to make her good mood plummet. Everything was so much better than she’d hoped; the sky was a gorgeous baby blue, and the rustle of soft leaves soothed her tired mind. Lydia wasn’t used to such warm weather, but she chose to ignore her discomfort. The cold was behind her now; this was her home. Se...

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“A Life Worth Living” by Naya's A Writer

Submitted to Contest #243

Have you ever imagined a world where time doesn't exist? Time is useless, for the only time we have is our life, and how can we 'measure' it? Even if we can, how are we to possibly build a time measuring invention? Impossible, yes, so the only thing we have to so-called 'measure' our time, or lives, is our immune bracelets. An immune bracelet, or IB, is a band of light metal, stuck around our waist, and yes it can be adjustable. It has a small screen on it, that shows just exactly how many breaths we have left. I've tried to count how long i...

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“Carbon Fields” by Madison DiGuilio

Submitted to Contest #243

The agonizing heat of the scorching sun penetrated through my puffy, insulated barrier. While in modern conditions, my gear would serve me well, in “current” circumstances, it acted as a catalyst for overheating. Unfortunately, anticipating desolation does not serve to prepare one for it. As a chrono-biologist, my job is often described as incredibly simple. Analyze the years of data recorded during the pockets of time when Regressional and Evolutionary periods are likely to occur, and before the anticipated glimpse into the past or future, ...

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“Chalice's Doorway” by Kathi Linz

Submitted to Contest #243

Chalice’s Doorway The ancients knew something long forgotten. Stone doorways, standing alone, become portals. Only a brave soul will walk through one. You never know where or when you might end up. In ignorance, one town tore down its old high school, leaving the door frame to define space and time for itself. ***** Chalice finished high school and graduated with honors. With a job and full college course load, she set her sights on her future. Long, black hair hung to Chalice’s waist. High cheek bones and near orient...

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“Stuck on a Train Ride ” by Zachery Uporsky

Submitted to Contest #243

He did this to me, that crooked old man. Spat between his raggedy crowns and fillings, that thought so easily transplanted, and once manifest bore this chaos unbridled. I’m sure of it. “Don’t forget,” he began empirically, powerfully enough to nearly mute the rocking of his lawn chair, “that as I see it, these past 60 years of mine have passed in what feels like…,” and at this point he squinted confusedly, wrapping and knitting his gray brows in surveillance of an estimation, “six months.” Goosebumps appeared all over and the skeletal ...

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“Kill 'em with Kindness” by Rachael Stevens

Submitted to Contest #243

I think my husband is cheating on me. There’s none of the traditional indicators: coming home late with lipstick on his collar or the hint of another woman’s perfume. He hasn’t lost interest in sex, stopped buying me flowers or forgotten our anniversary, but the signs are there. Six months ago, I’d stood leaning against the bathroom door, watching him in the mirror as he shaved before work. He’d winked at me and started crooning a love song. That’s when I noticed the grey hairs at his temples. Soon after that he’d swept me off my feet in th...

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Write a story where time functions differently to our world.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 41 stories

“This Tale Continues....” by Julie Grenness

“Dandelion Bouquet” by Joe Smallwood

“The Essence of Time ” by Kristin Batchelor

“Epiphany” by Evan Jackson

“The Elsewhere” by Nicole Westerhouse

“Phases of Time” by Kristina Hopper

“L'Homme Vert” by Elinor Smith

“When Time Slips Away” by Jimi Bush

“chronosia” by Mallory Berg

“All the Time in the World” by Noir P.

“A Life Worth Living” by Naya's A Writer

“Carbon Fields” by Madison DiGuilio

“Chalice's Doorway” by Kathi Linz

“Stuck on a Train Ride ” by Zachery Uporsky

“Kill 'em with Kindness” by Rachael Stevens

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story imagining 'what if' one historic invention had never happened. How would our world be different now?

Write a story with a strong sense of place. How is the setting of your world the same as, but different to, our own?

Write a story from the point of view of a non-human character.

Write a story about a character who wakes up in space.

Contest #243

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

283

Contest entries

113

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: