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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#31: The Ordinary

The very last line of the NBC sitcom The Office is spoken by former receptionist Pam Beasley. She says: "There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?"

This week's writing prompts embrace that sentiment, and challenge you to write stories that take ordinary, everyday tasks and turn them into meaningful pieces of short fiction.

This week's prompts

Write a short story about someone doing laundry.

Adults – 95 stories

Write a short story about someone tending to their garden.

Spring – 77 stories

Write a short story about someone cooking dinner.

Nonfiction – 56 stories

Write a short story about someone going to the corner store to buy an everyday item.

Nonfiction – 64 stories

Write a short story about someone heading home from work.

Nonfiction – 81 stories

Stories

“What A Day” by Aisha Hashmi

Submitted to Contest #31

3:00 P.M. Geez, would the day end already? Pam was hot, tired and hungry. She had not eaten all day, and missed her husband, kids and cat. She couldn’t get out of here fast enough , and it was only 3. Seriously, she had enough of being here in the call center. The people in the cubicles beside her both talked too loud, and she had to repeatedly ask the customer on her line to repeat herself. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Roberts. I understand that you want to return the set of towels. We sent you b...

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“A Trip to the Laundromat.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #31

A Trip to the Laundromat It was Sunday morning, time for my weekly trip to the laundromat. Usually this was a kind of lonely occasion. I was just another single guy doing his laundry. But this trip was special. Joanna, whom I had only known for about a month, had agreed to move in with me. She lived in an apartment, I owned a house, small, but big enough for two. I had to clean the place up. She had never seen the place ‘in the light’ before. I had spent all of yesterday doing what I could to make it ...

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“Cleansing” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #31

I hated doing the laundry. I hated it far more than I hated cleaning the toilet, although I was squeamish, and far more than I hated clipping the hedge although I suffered from hay fever. I hated the smell of washing powder, and the feel of wet clothes, and I swore that if I could have afforded it, I would have donated my clothes to a charity shop, and bought new ones – or even different second hand ones from a charity shop. As it was, although nobody commented on it (which doesn’t mean they didn’t notice it!) I wore clothes u...

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“The laundry machine” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #31

Often, it required two, or even three trips for Maggie to haul all the week’s laundry down to the laundromat. Between Petey, Phil, Henry, Dooley, Mikey, Micky, Nikki, Gurdy, Bobby, Pauly, and Finnegan, Maggie had her day’s work cut out for her. Toiling through the snow covered sidewalks, she would make her rounds while the kids were at school and her husband Gurdy was working at the post office. Between trips, Maggie would fulfill here other duties. A quick stop by the meat shop for the evenings mutton, or pork chops, if it were on a Wednesd...

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“Apart from the Begonias” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #31

I once had a music teacher who subscribed to the view (perpetrated by a certain TV presenter, too – you know who you are, Gareth!) that anyone and everyone can sing – it’s just a matter of getting rid of your inhibitions and concentrating and finding the right song and all that jazz. Well, Miss Leigh, I’m sorry, but you were wrong! Oh, I was okay – I was no Maria Callas, but I could hold a tune well enough. But there were and are some people – and I seemed to be fated to stand next to them in assembly – who could not do more t...

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“The Problem with Kids” by Cory Pines

Submitted to Contest #31

“Thank you so much, Harp, I owe you one,” Lillian said as she danced around her desk trying to get all her papers together. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, just make sure you don’t stay too late,” I told her. It was almost seven and she still wasn’t done getting everything ready for the big meeting tomorrow. I had stayed back to help her the best that I could, but I didn’t work in her department. She had to finish it up, but her son, Asher, got out of soccer practice in thirty minutes and I agreed to pick him up on my way home. “I...

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“Mother” by Megan DeRouin

Submitted to Contest #31

Mother Dawn was gradual, first it was just a slight lighting of the horizon line and then the sun peaked its head up from its long sleep and she awoke. The birds cried out as rays of pure light danced across the forgotten place she had come to garden. The ground was barren, scorched by children who knew no better. She was patient, she was kind, and a child could not turn her away from her task. She sang back to the birds as a slight breeze wound through the new spring leaves. T...

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“The Errand” by Kay Santa Cruz

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #31

It takes all of her strength and might to push the obstinate door open wide enough to slip out of the faded, dingy apartment building. The heavy glass immediately thunks closed behind her, sealing the building’s interior and occupants away from the outside world. This had once been a grand entrance with a canopy and a doorman. Now the canopy is only rusting iron ribs and the doorman has been gone for decades. The glass window next to the door appears to be decoratively etched. Upon closer inspection though, it is a spiderweb of cracks radiat...

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“Working Clock” by Felicity Edwards

Submitted to Contest #31

I kept looking at the clock, but it ticked so slowly I am sure my employer has a special mechanism attached so they can screen more work out of us. At last, it reached 5 o’clock, with a speed no one thought I would be capable of achieving my coat was on and I headed out the door. Friday at last, now two whole days to myself, well not really, because I will have my little dog with me too. Tomorrow we would have to make that visit to the solicitor. Going home used to be a quick dash. Now I needed to call into the lady look after Mitzi for me. ...

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“The Rose Garden” by Steve Cripwell

Submitted to Contest #31

The rake snagged on a clump of grass and Geordie had to pull hard to free it. When it did release, he almost fell backwards onto the muddy ground. The rake head had separated from the long, wooden handle and he smiled to himself. “This is going to take a lot longer than I thought’ he said aloud to nobody but the surrounding trees then walked over and picked up the broken tool. His smile continued as he looked around the forsaken piece of land that he had recently inherited. The house also needed some TLC but the garden, in his mind, nee...

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“In the blink of an eye. ” by Peace Nakiyemba

Submitted to Contest #31

‘It’s the WindDown Hour, bringing you your favourite songs as you head back home. Drive safely as we keep you company,’ the car radio blared. She was tired. That’s what you get for working hard at your job but having tasted unemployment, she wouldn’t have it any other way. And yet she was tired. She drove a little afraid of blinking, because she was sure all the sleep hiding behind her eyelids would overwhelm her as she drove home. She’ll enjoy the weekend and call in sick on Monday so that she can prolong the weekend a little more. She was...

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“Life Lesson” by Aisha Hashmi

Submitted to Contest #31

The roses were beautiful, and the scented air around Aisha was heady and seductive. As Aisha walked around her garden, the beauty of all the flowers she had planted took her breath away. Today she was teaching a group of kindergartners how to plant a flower seed. A teacher had approached her last week about the beauty of her garden, and asked her if she could plan a field trip for her class. Aisha, touched by interest in her garden, readily agreed. The kids were about to be here, and Aisha was making sure the g...

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“The Writer’s Wife” by Bradley Youngquist

Submitted to Contest #31

‘What comes next?’ I thought to myself.Cooking always came easy; the lentils, poultry, sauces, whatever it may be made sense. Nothing I ever won any awards for, mind you, but it was cooking nonetheless and cooking was something which allowed my blood to flow more smoothly if you will; a way of expressing myself and impressing my wife Eleanor.Ellie wasn’t much of a cook herself, but she did make a mean meatloaf and paired it well with a nice wine on occasion. Even on the nights she’d cooked her beef stew which was pretty much a go to, ‘Well d...

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“Dirty Laundry” by Rebekah Thompson

Submitted to Contest #31

Denise’s head swayed from side to side in time with the rhythm of the washing machine. The breeze from the window in front of her intertwined with the scent from the clean linens sent her mind reeling even further into the dark room of her memories; a room in which she had never imagined would welcome her so easily. What had brought her there was so unexpected, so natural, so magical. But why did it make her feel so… dirty? The washing machine chimed, waking her from her daydream and back to reality. She looked around the room and felt her s...

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“Gardening leave” by Martin Leigh

Submitted to Contest #31

My knees are killing me. Of all the pastimes to take up when you are in your 60’s, gardening has to be the most ridiculous. I’ve got all the equipment; gloves that say ‘sod off’ to anything up to the ferocity of a Blackthorn bush, a little seat that makes it easier on the knees but then piles on the agony when you get up, metal hand tools that buckle and snap with the slightest sniff of leverage, wellies, a sturdy wheelbarrow and of course a decade of old clothes not fit for public consumption.I know one good reason they say we should take u...

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$50

Prize money

373

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 06, 2020 EST

Won by Ariel Kalati 🏆

Title: The Memory Garden

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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