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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

  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...

192 comments 192 WINNER 🏆
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⭐️ Shortlisted

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

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 ...

12 comments 12 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“The Drowned Church” by Kevin DuPont

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 a...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Sawhorse” by Cody Mitchell

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...

3 comments 3 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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This week's prompts

Write a story that takes place in a waiting room.

Thriller and Suspense – 259 stories

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

Thriller and Suspense – 174 stories

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

Nonfiction – 327 stories

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

Romance – 111 stories

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

Dialogue – 198 stories

Stories

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

  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...

192 comments 192 WINNER 🏆
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“Patient Lee” by PJ Casyao

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. ...

139 comments 139
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“Zita” by Batool Hussain

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 the...

193 comments 193
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“Opportunity can strike out of the blue” by Keerththan 😀

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?". "Th...

118 comments 118
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“A few hours of torture...” by Angelina Valencia

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...

87 comments 87
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“The Heart of the Phoenix” by Phebe Emmanuel

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.&...

52 comments 52
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“Glitter and Milk” by Rhondalise Mitza

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, th...

79 comments 79
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“Non-refundable time ” by Yoomi Ari

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 los...

44 comments 44
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“An Untold Truth” by Doubra Akika

"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 n...

27 comments 27
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“Wait to Serve” by Corey Melin

A perfectly square room, all in white, with one picture on one side, and a door on the opposite side. Two chairs of the uncomfortable type were in the middle of the room, and to top it out, the greatest hits of elevator music on surround sound. In the room are two men, one sitting with calmness, while the other is quite impatient as he walks back and forth. Ever so often he sits down, but that only lasts for a couple of...

50 comments 50
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“One Hour Inside” by Deborah Angevin

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 flo...

93 comments 93
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“The End of Everything” by Nancy Drayce

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 ...

24 comments 24
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“A River of Tears” by Eve Falls

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 thoug...

69 comments 69
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“Double Espresso” by Amany Sayed

  I felt an odd tingle on my back. I turned to see someone leaning dangerously close to me in line. It was just another normal day, I was ordering my double espresso from Starbucks so I could get to work, but something made me think it wouldn’t be as dull as it always was.   He sees me turn to look at him and he takes a step back. “My bad” he says looking up from his phone, his cheeks turning rosy.   “Oh. I...

41 comments 41
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“Traces of Lavender” by Jade Young

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...

28 comments 28
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$50

Prize money

1069

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.

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