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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#49: Worth the Wait

Mrs. Dalloway follows a woman running errands in preparation for a party she's hosting that evening. A Single Man depicts a day-in-the-life of a professor. Molly Fox’s Birthday features one friend housesitting for another.

Of course, these novels are actually about much more than their mundane premises may imply. That's the wonderful thing about fiction: something as ordinary as running errands can turn into wildly different stories at the hands of different authors.

This week, we're working with a similarly mundane premise (on the surface, anyway): waiting. It's up to you to dig beneath the surface of banality to reveal the interesting story happening underneath!

🥇 Winner

“When The Northern Lights Finally Reach You” by Courtney Stuart

🏆 Winner of Contest #49

I’m sorry, Noah, it reads on the back of the faded postcard he holds. It’s not safe here. Go home. I’ll catch you later. There’s no signature, not that Noah needs one. Not when he can find that familiar lopsided scrawl etched onto the left side of his soul. Not when he already knows he’s late. I’m sorry, Noah. It isn’t the first time he’s been left behind to deal with the aftermath of those words. They replay over and over in his mind, like a song that’s stuck in his head, one ...

192 comments 192

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Five Days, Sixteen Hours, Nine Minutes, and Fifty Seconds” by Claire C

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #49

Crickets chirp, fire crackles, an electronic heartbeat punctuates the dark of night: short long, long short short, short long, short short short, long… A sonic history of the People of the Planet Earth drifts in the silence of deep space somewhere between stars, waiting to be played by an unlikely passerby. It was a romantic image of Earth’s message to the great beyond, which was in actuality a far cry from the worldly greetings and hand-picked audio of early deep space probes. Instead, Earth leaked culture like a balloon with a ...

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“The Drowned Church” by Kevin DuPont

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #49

The water looked emerald in the subaqueous pool lightning. It felt oily, like slime, even though he couldn’t actually feel it through his dive suit. Esme obsessively checked the O2 level of the scuba tank as he waded alone doing his best to keep his focus on the empty water above him and not what was directly below him. The Titan gave him extreme anxiety. The Titan was approximately 33 and ¾ feet in height and w...

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“Sawhorse” by Cody Mitchell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #49

It seemed like the old car had grown another inch last night. Arthur Jones had already tried to climb into the vehicle twice, but with no success. Gearing up for a third attempt, he gripped the steering wheel, planted his cane in the ground, and swung a leg up with feigned vigor. He failed to reach the running board yet again, so he sulked away, too breathless and defeated for another try.He trudged away from the car and sat on the bench that he had built nearly 20 years ago. The design was his own, made with thick oak legs and heavy sl...

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This week's prompts

Write a story that takes place in a waiting room.

Thriller and Suspense – 256 stories

Write a story about a person waiting for an answer to a question.

Thriller and Suspense – 171 stories

Write a story about waiting — but don't reveal what's being waited for until the very end.

Nonfiction – 323 stories

Write a story about a relationship where one person is always running late and the other is constantly kept waiting.

Romance – 108 stories

Write a story about two strangers chatting while waiting for something.

Dialogue – 196 stories

Stories

“When The Northern Lights Finally Reach You” by Courtney Stuart

🏆 Winner of Contest #49

I’m sorry, Noah, it reads on the back of the faded postcard he holds. It’s not safe here. Go home. I’ll catch you later. There’s no signature, not that Noah needs one. Not when he can find that familiar lopsided scrawl etched onto the left side of his soul. Not when he already knows he’s late. I’m sorry, Noah. It isn’t the first time he’s been left behind to deal with the aftermath of those words. They replay over and over in his mind, like a song that’s stuck in his head, one ...

192 comments 192

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“Patient Lee” by PJ Casyao

Submitted to Contest #49

Lee’s heart was pounding. He was told to wait. There he was—sitting, silently praying. Patiently waiting. Lee wrinkled his little nose from the pungent scent of antiseptic, while people in white moved their legs in haste. Everyone in the pristine, white corridor always seemed to be rushing forward. Despite that, Lee thought they moved like turtles along the marble floor. The clock hanging on the wall before him whispered, “Tick-tock.” Maybe, just maybe, these whispers were like barks of orders to the nurses’ ears. It felt like that ...

139 comments 139

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“Zita” by Batool Hussain

Submitted to Contest #49

You are busy finishing your caramel apple when you see her. Her long, blond hair is being whipped into a frenzy by the wind. Her eyes are a very unique shade of honey brown. Peeking out from her flat denim jacket is the prettiest striped suit you’ve ever seen. She catches you looking at her. A mischievous smile plays across her plump lips. It is, definitely, love at first sight.After a year of tremendous convincing for your parents, you get married to her. ‘The perfect match' your friends call you. What they don’t know is that neither o...

193 comments 193

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“Opportunity can strike out of the blue” by Keerththan 😀

Submitted to Contest #49

It was early morning and the sun shone brightly. A man waited before a writer's office where he was called. He was tall and handsome with a round face. It was a tall office and one could see the entire city from the roof. A man who was inside the office, came and opened the door. The man asked,"why are you here, Sir?". "The famed author Hearth William had called me", the tall man replied. "What's your good name, Sir?", asked the man who looked like the guardian of the building. "I am Billy Henriques", the man replied. "...

118 comments 118

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“A few hours of torture...” by Angelina Valencia

Submitted to Contest #49

He sat there in his chair, his family was around him. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, maybe it just looks bad. No, this was bad.“Teddy, it’s going to be okay” his grandma told him.He shook his head, pulling on his hair, “No it’s not, did you see how bad it was? Grandma, my car got totaled, how is it all going to be okay?”“Ted, have some hope in you” Ted's mom said, her face twisted in worry.He just shook his head while grabbing his hair again. He clenched his jaw, fighting the tears that wanted to come out. It was so painful how quiet the waiting ro...

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“The Heart of the Phoenix” by Phebe Emmanuel

Submitted to Contest #49

September 1st, 2048It’s raining. I can see the droplets from my cell window, watch them fall from the sky. Whenever it rains, I press my hand to the window, believing that if I push hard enough, the glass will break, and I’ll be free. It never happens. But it’s at least comforting to know that someone is crying with me.It’s been so long since I’ve felt the drip of rain on my skin. Since the chilly wisps of wind have stroked my face. Since the scent of warm cheese pizza has tickled my nostrils. The only smell here is ...

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“Glitter and Milk” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #49

Lord Sparkle was eating his fourth bowl of glitter and milk when he realized he was choking. He coughed and coughed and choked some more before the stars in his eyes went dark and he fell to the cold kitchen floor."You were late again, Giovanna!" It was now nighttime and Lord Sparkle was glaring at his wife from where he lay almost asleep in his coffin. "You should be there when I die. I died again and you weren't there. You never are!"Giovanna twirled a long piece of hair around her pinky and yawned. "I'm sorry, Sparkie, there was traffic t...

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“Non-refundable time ” by Yoomi Ari

Submitted to Contest #49

My scarf was plastered around my moist neck but was as comforting as a warm duvet at sunrise. Yawning, I swipe off grains of gravel on my numb knuckles, beneath them were their imprints stamped on like a disapproving tattoo. Distant sirens played in the background constantly; something always buzzing up. I chuckle to myself, a room full of masked people, annoying but kept the mystery. You could say we are all lost people, wanted to be found…. So we decided to play hide and seek. “Look at me…” I mutter to myself. I wore kh...

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“An Untold Truth” by Doubra Akika

Submitted to Contest #49

"Time heals all wounds." Joseph is hoping this quote really is the truth because if not, he's wasting his time and hers. Immediately after he left prison, he promised himself that he would come to see her. All his attempts had been futile though because she didn't want to come near him and that was understandable. In her eyes, he would always be a monster. Yet, he wondered if there was a way to change all that when she had requested he attend this meeting. The very one she's late for.Jacqueline, a woman now in her thirties, has not gone a da...

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“The End of Everything” by Nancy Drayce

Submitted to Contest #49

Here I am, at the very end of everything, patiently waiting for my turn. The door is there, closed; hiding the true colour of my destiny. Everything I have done in my life has been summoned here at this small dusty room with no windows and not much to do, except to sit and wait. She was clenching her jaw. She felt a burning sensation hovering through her body making her sweat; small drops of salty water were sliding down from her forehead. She was nervous. While kicking the floor with her unsteady leg she was looking at the clock. This ...

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“One Hour Inside” by Deborah Angevin

Submitted to Contest #49

Danny taps his card, prompting the metal door to open. Holding the bulging plastic bag with his left hand, he walks in and presses the button with the number 38 written on it. A girl follows him, pressing the button with number 40. Then the two wait for the elevator door to close.Ten floors pass by. The girl pulls out her smartphone from the pocket of her dress and glues her eyes into the social media account.Twenty floors pass by. Danny averts his vision from the girl, trying his best not to stare too much.Thirty floors pass by. The elevato...

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“A River of Tears” by Eve Falls

Submitted to Contest #49

My head spins in the cold, as I sit on the steps in front of the restaurant. I refused to wear a coat, even if I died in the chilly December air. I'd come out as soon as possible, in case she came early. Maybe she'd need my jacket. I put my arm around it reassuringly. My heart pounds against my chest, as I close my eyes, shaking away the image of the last time I'd seen her. She'd be mad if I thought about it now. Rubbing my fingers against each other, I watch my breaths come out in puffs of white. She'd come today. She'd come to me. I i...

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“Traces of Lavender” by Jade Young

Submitted to Contest #49

The clock across the room won’t stop its idle ticking. Seconds are ticking their way into minutes. Minutes will blend together to form an hour. The ticking reminds me of the first time I was forced to play the piano by my mother. When my fingers first glossed over keys of black and white, I failed to find the right melody. Frustration from my many failures followed me home. The first few days of halfhearted practice were filled with a disappointed mother and noisy, unpleasant sounds emitted by my angry tapping against ivory keys. The Roma...

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“Grandma's Cardinal” by BeInspiredAbstracts/Etsy SarahGreenwood

Submitted to Contest #49

“When I die I’m going to come back as a Cardinal,” my Grandmother told me one Saturday afternoon as we sat at her kitchen table watching the birds and squirrels frolic on her patio. The Cardinal was her favorite, she named him ‘Peep.” He would stare at us through the screen door, his plump little chest heaving as he sang his melodious mating song, waiting for us to feed him stale peanuts and sunflower seeds.Every Saturday I walked down the street to Grandma’s house, picking my neighbors’ Black-eyed Susans along the way to give to her when I ...

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“Dojo at the Mountain Summit” by A. Y. R

Submitted to Contest #49

Master Zayo – the name which echoed greatness and honour across the land of the rising sun. The world was vast, yet tales of his might and victory swept like gale winds across the oceans and foreign soils. His legend told shared by children on the playgrounds, who one day dreamed of being heroes as epic as him – spearing tales of how the great martial artist vanquished all evil that dared defy peace, and spread wisdom like a prophesied messiah. Many had lost their lives scaling the unforgiving mountain in the valley of shadows to reach ...

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$50

Prize money

1054

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 10, 2020 EST

Won by Courtney Stuart 🏆

Title: When The Northern Lights Finally Reach You

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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