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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about a character running late for a job interview.

Posted in Adventure on May 3, 2024

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 74 stories

“Blind Spot” by Rose Campbell

Submitted to Contest #249

Giving herself a last critical look in the mirror, eyes drifting over her curves to make sure she hadn’t worn anything too form-fitting, Winnow let her palms press down over her linen slacks. Something about the loose weave of the fabric catching on the grooves of her fingers, calmed her. Avery was around the corner, shuffling through stacks of folded shirts. The bang of slamming drawers thudded through the wall. “At least he’s trying to get ready,” she thought, shaking out the bouncy curls of her shoulder length blonde bob.  The mornin...

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“Late But Still Great” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #249

Hank is Worried About Being Late for an Important Date Why is it that I can never find something I am looking for when I really need it? In this case it is my formal shoes.  I’m not old and forgetful as my father is fast becoming.  I seem to be way ahead of my aging with this aspect of life. The only shoes I can find are my old running shoes that I wear every day. That is not something that I should wear when going for a job interview in a hospital.  I need to find my formal shoes that I only wear going to a play or ...

5 comments 5
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“Adventure Travel for the Uninitiated” by Angie Harrison

Submitted to Contest #249

“I can’t believe it – my perfect job and they’ve offered me an interview!”Naomi’s shaking hands clutch the letter so tightly it crumples beyond recognition.“Mum, did you hear me?”“What, love? I heard your voice...not sure what you were saying.”Naomi repeats slowly, “I’ve got an interview.”“Naomi, that’s really great.” The flatness of her voice is at odds with the words.Her mother Deirdre is absent mindedly deadheading a Christmas rose on the dresser. These days most of her time is spent on such aimless activities. Naomi can’t help think...

4 comments 4
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“Choices” by Marisa Billions

Submitted to Contest #249

(This story contains adult situations and language) My eyes fly open as the first rays of light break through the blinds in my bedroom. Wait? First rays of light? I should not be seeing this. I should have been up before those first rays of light. I sit upright, and someone is lying next to me. I’m single and live alone… I don’t even have a roommate. Who is this? I rub the sleepy grit from my eyes and look closer. She’s cute, whoever she is. I look from her to the clock on my bedside table. It reads 7:04 a.m.. I should have be...

6 comments 6
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“Late!” by Fern Everton

Submitted to Contest #249

CW: This piece contains some profanity as well as descriptions of physical violence and gore. Viewer discretion is advised. FUCK! I pound my fist into the dashboard of the old hunk of shit I call my car, an action that proves futile, unsurprisingly enough, to snap it back into gear. I then slam my foot down on the gas with just enough force to not knock it out of place. Though a quiver of energy runs through the piece of junk from the blow, the engine doesn’t cough or sputter back to life. It continues to sit stock still in the crumbling dri...

10 comments 10
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“Don't Hit Snooze!” by Valentina Santillana

Submitted to Contest #249

I anxiously watch as the traffic light changes from green, to yellow, to red for the third time in a row. My little run-down car has not moved an inch. I finally got called for an interview! After months of sending resumes and waiting, and waiting, and waiting… Two days ago, my cell phone rang, and someone named Dana Stone said I had an interview today at 8 am with HR Manager, Mr. Soft. Mr. Soft? Really? Wasn’t Mr. Softee the name of an ice-cream truck? I remembered the little jingle in my head from when I was growing up. Mr. Soft and Mr. So...

1 comment 1
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“Running Late” by Joseph Hawke

Submitted to Contest #249

Abdul hit snooze, his alarm clock radio blaring Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” rolled over and pulled covers. It was fall and chilly. He sought to return to a dream. It was gone.The digits read 7:07 as the radio alarm resumed and the DJ spoke: “Time to rise and shine!” The Beatles song “Good Morning,” began with a rooster’s cock-a-doodle and Good morning, good morning, good morning.Abdul’s final interview at Fidelity Bank was at 8:30 a.m. His Abu who had passed last year wanted him to be a doctor, but he had no interest in medici...

2 comments 2
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“The Empty Box of Shame” by Farnaz Calafi

Submitted to Contest #249

Venus jolted awake. Disoriented, she blinked at the sunlight filtering through the blinds, revealing the empty box of chocolate sprawled beside her in bed, like a sinful lover.“Oh, God!” she groaned as she put her head in her hands. The cell phone’s ring made her jolt again. Glancing at the screen, she saw Aiden’s name on the caller ID. "Good morning, my love!" she answered, forcing a brightness into her voice."Happy birthday, beautiful! Sorry, I’m not there to c...

5 comments 5
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“The First Deadly Sin” by Jeremy Stevens

Submitted to Contest #249

This is it: either I get this job, or we move. Jonathan Carson had graduated in June with a Master’s in School Administration from the (very esteemed) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He had a thick portfolio with laminated pages containing his “artifacts” of achievement (edu-speak for evidence) during his year-long internship, replete with personal initiatives (including the inaugural community parking lot sale where he generated $750 in revenue), transportation issues (including his suggestion, that found fruition, in an alter...

13 comments 13
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“An Unorthodox Interview” by Claire Payne

Submitted to Contest #249

“Well, how do I look?” “Perfect, Honey.” My wife leaned forward and kissed my freshly shaven cheek. I had to agree with her, I did look perfect. My suit was crisp, my tie was straight, and my revolver was perfectly concealed. She checked her watch. “Oh no, you’d better get going. Can’t be late!” she said, as she pushed me out the door. I hurried down 5 flights of stairs, cursing our apartment building’s elevator for being under constant repair. My car was nondescript and gray, with license plates that traced back to a remarkably unassuming i...

1 comment 1
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“Sorry, or Running Late?” by Ryne Wemhoff

Submitted to Contest #249

“Did you remember your project, today, Nathaniel? At any rate, you’ll have to turn it in at the front office, now; you do remember how to get down there, don’t you?,” his third grade teacher lectured. Nathan did not, in fact, remember how to get to the front office. Nathan was not entirely certain as to where he was, to be honest, but it was reminiscent of the high school he attended in his youth.. “You knew the project was due today…and why are you wearing that monstrosity!?,” Ms. Scarlet added, sneering, snapping Nathan’s attention away fr...

3 comments 3
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“Andrea en retarde” by Josephine Harris

Submitted to Contest #249

Andrea had the dream again. It always started the same way. It was a sunny day and she was in a hotel room packing. She had more than enough time to catch the flight to her appointment in another city. But then everything would go sideways. One delay after another.Only once did she manage to catch the plane, but it crashed. The descent wasn’t fiery and spectacular, the plane merely gliding quietly to the ground with no-one apparently noticing, let alone screaming; just another device to delay or stop her. At other times she’d become lost dri...

3 comments 3
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“ Under arrest” by Mairin Omahony

Submitted to Contest #249

She got the interview call for Tuesday at 12.30pm. Part time position as art teacher in the adult education centre nearby. Perfect location, a five-minute walk from home.Marcella was all set to leave, looking smart and employable, she thought. Blue dress, beige jacket, striped, blue flats. Her mother’s muted pastel coloured linen scarf finished off the outfit.             “Shouldn’t be too long,” she called back to her parents as she opened the door. To her surprise two guards were ...

3 comments 3
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“The Moon Witch ” by Janece Williams

Submitted to Contest #249

Sensitivity Note: Questionable/Dubious Consent, DeceptionThe shadows laughed at me from alleyways as I passed, whispering about how hopelessly late I was. I gave the nasty spirits the middle finger, heart thumping as I neared the long line of applicants hanging out the door. I had no choice but to stop halfway down the street, staring up at the glittering castle on the hill. The Moon Witch’s palace was a true testament to her power, serving as a beacon of celestial energy throughout the land. With the light from a thousand stars, she cr...

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“The Wagging Tail” by Patrick Borosky

Submitted to Contest #249

With a sigh, Charles Abbot placed his now empty cup of coffee on the table. He lowered the rims of his horn-rimmed glasses and pinched his nose as if he was willing his headache away. He could feel the eyes of his two colleagues on him, and with a grimace, he said, “This is the second time today that we have a potential candidate not show up for their interview on time. Does your generation care nothing about punctuality, Cassie?” As Charles Abbot, a man just beginning to gray around his sideburns, sighed and placed his empty coffee cup on ...

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