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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! 

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

“What is life, then, but a waiting game?” by Matt Strempel

Submitted to Contest #49

No sooner had Miss Hartigan turned to write the lesson on the chalkboard, than the boy dashed through the open door. He hid in the ragged hawthorn bush—prickles and all—panting, waiting, listening. The teacher continued the lesson and he knew he was free.He‘d never been in town during school hours but he’d imagined it as a veritable showground of adult activity: men and women leaning on railings, drinking and laughing, enjoying the freedom that having their kids in school afforded them. So, when he rounded the bend of the track that led from...

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“Just A Slice” by Katharine Tierney

Submitted to Contest #49

Louise pulled into an empty parking spot on the far side of the lot and killed the engine. Taking a last drag from the first cigarette she had smoked in a month she pitched the butt into the gutter with a whispered curse. She was disgusted with herself for picking up the habit again, but the last week had been the most stressful yet, and all signs pointed to things getting worse. Her marriage was over except for the papers she was having trouble getting up the nerve to sign, her job was in jeopardy, and the thick fog rolling through River Ci...

4 comments 4
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“The Verdict” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #49

“You’re a star.” “I’m not a star.” “Of course you are. Those red snakeskin boots say it all.” The kid ignored the older man sitting across from him. He shuffled through the magazines on the waiting room table. Us. Cosmopolitan. Family Circle. “You here for test results?” The man watched the kid roll his eyes. He rummaged through the worn monthlies on the table. “They never have anything good. What I wouldn’t give for a Popular Mechanics or a Penthouse.” He laughed. The kid slouched into the bench and pulled his iPhone out. Swipe. Swipe. “Let...

2 comments 2
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“Little Bits” by Ben K

Submitted to Contest #49

“He's late again.”“Come on, Jerry. He's not that bad.”“I don't know why you insist on bringing him with us everywhere we go.”“He seems sad...you know. Like he could just use some friends.”Staring through the fencing to the abandoned factory laying in wait for them. Jerry spins about flustered. “No. He doesn't need any friends. He's weird, and weirdos are left alone for a reason. You remember Casey Becker right?”Shifting his feet in the mixture of dirt and sand lining the fence. Aaron looks uncomfortable, almost pale at the mention of her nam...

3 comments 3
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“A Long Flight” by Kira Krieger

Submitted to Contest #49

I rushed through the Philadelphia Airport. Only I could wake up two hours early and still be running late for my plane. No one was going fast enough. Certainly not security. Certainly not the bonehead in front of me that had to go through the metal detector so many times he was pat-down. The hands on my watch raced as I wish I could. They jerked forward past my departure time as it sat in the x-ray box. If only it could have been running fast.  People rushed around me. Left. Right. Colliding with each other. And One tripping over some...

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“The Restaurant ” by A. S.

Submitted to Contest #49

    My fingers drum impatiently on the tabletop. The cloth is silky against my fingertips. I slowly take a sip from the crystal on the table. The condensation wets my fingertips and I watch as the droplets slowly gather together and stream down the glass. The same waiter I have been dealing with for the past hour appears again.       Grinning unapologetically, “Still waiting? I’ll get you another refill ma’am. That makes it the fourth refill? Fifth?” I smile tightly back, trying to end t...

5 comments 5
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“Bushington’s Play Pen” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #49

    My children had to go to school, my wife had to go to the supermarket, which left me and Bushington; and I’m not leaving Bushington alone again, because what if he finds his PDA?  So, Bushington has to go to work with me, again.   We drive together; Bushington in a cage, me in the driver’s seat.   I secure the cage (with the seat belt) to the passenger seat, so it won’t move around and after 20 minutes, we’re at work.  Not Bushington’s work, my work.  But I t...

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“What I Heard and Saw While Waiting on the Buses” by Blane Britt

Submitted to Contest #49

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing seemed to go right? One day I’m waiting on the bus. Its running about 80 minutes behind schedule. I called the Metro Bus Office for a reason why and all I got was a recording telling me to press prompt 2 and then it hung up on me. I was sweating profusely or more like a pig or a criminal being interrogated by police detectives, the temperature a mere 103 degrees, when this young black guy happily walks into the bus shelter all the while smoking a larger than life fat blunt. This older black l...

3 comments 3
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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...

6 comments 6
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“girl” by J R

Submitted to Contest #49

I glance across the room for the fourth or fifth time, my gaze now well-versed in navigating the handful of plain faces to find the plain clock set against the plain wall. Another 2 minutes have passed since my last journey across the room, which leaves about 1-30 minutes to go, or maybe more. I'm not early; I never would have gotten here early on purpose. If I had, I would have waited in my car where I can somewhat relax. I actually arrived six minutes late, but it didn't matter because there was a complication with the appointment before m...

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“Sorry but” by You'd Think A Writer Would Have A More Creative Name .

Submitted to Contest #49

"Sorry I'm late, but Kendall couldn't tie his shoelaces, and asked me to teach him." Mary is like this. The two friends agreed to meet at Lexa's house to work on a school project together. The two of them combined could create marvels. Once, they made a working fountain, earning them an A+, the first team to do so on such a difficult assignment. The problem is, Mary is never on time. Lexa rolled her eyes. "You are ridiculous. You're lucky I swore to only use my karate with Master and in an emergency." Mary blushed. It started at the tips of ...

6 comments 6
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“Not this life!” by Utkarsh Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #49

One big slurp of divine smelling Cappuccino filled her with utter refreshment, her blue eyes were gazing down the blazing valley with such satisfaction like a fresh morning bought the hope back of tranquility. The livelihood of shepherds bought a twitch over her hazed lips. Then the train went under the black tunnel built under the mountains, and hence her morning dreams broke in the gloom, and for the first time her eyes-blinked, with her last sip of coffee.Finally, she had time for Co-passengers. She looked around in hope if she found a co...

8 comments 8
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“Counting to Six Hundred” by Brittany Gillen

Submitted to Contest #49

The life of a snail is not as dull as you think.  Most people assume that, because snails are slow, they never go anywhere.  Well, most people are wrong.  I go places. I’ve seen the whole lake! How is that possible you ask?  You just have to be patient and wait for it.  That is what I am doing right now.  Waiting.  Snails are good at waiting. Today is my nephew Archibald’s birthday.  The first swirl on his shell is complete, signaling his readiness to separ...

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“Waiting” by Cheri Jalbert

Submitted to Contest #49

     A steady stream of rain tapped against the window. My left eye twitched to the beat. It was only a matter of time now. I sucked in a breath. “Would I survive this? Would she? Is it too late to learn to pray?"People in colorful uniforms whizzed by with purpose. Some pushed carts, others held charts. Fumes from pungent disinfectant forced a fit of sneezing while I sat on the bench holding my cousin. An elderly man in a mask across from us glared, then stood and moved quickly away.Code 99, ICUI jerked my head in th...

13 comments 13
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“Walt ” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #49

- You are two hours late, dear. I was just starting to think about leaving as I have drank one cup of coffee, ate one  doughnut, a roast beef sandwich  and smoked four extra-minted cigarettes – said a beautiful lady dressed in red high heels and some little patience ‘ by the way she used to shake her legs, looking at the watch every five seconds. - Sorry, dear, but I thought you were going to get mad at me, I know I am late – said that brilliant doctor , who just arrived at the meeting he had with...

7 comments 7
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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