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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

“Worth the Wait...” by Tracie Jekel

Submitted to Contest #49

Why am I going to pick this girl up? She’s always been so nasty to me! Always telling me my clothes are bad, I need to wear makeup. You're fat, you're ugly...but I'm also the only one who ever shows up to help her... Why do I keep doing this? My conscious tells me, “You’re doing it because you don’t want anyone to feel alone. You know the feeling, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” Dammit, conscious…you’re right again. I know she's going to be nasty to me, but she needs someone with her right now. Even if she won't admit it. I pick her ...

4 comments 4
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“Waiting for a Bus” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #49

Waiting for a Bus Two people, a woman, and a man are sitting together at a bar. They were a few seats away from each other up until a few minutes before, but she moved over to talk to him. “Hi, my name is Jody. I’m new in town. I have a story about what happened today while I was waiting for a bus. I really need to tell someone about it, and I don’t know anyone. So if you don’t mind, I’m going to tell you the story. I’ll buy your next beer.” The man nodded his head, and said, “Go ahead and tell it. I...

11 comments 11
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“MY DARLING! MY DARLING! WHERE ARE YOU?” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #49

(Write a story about a relationship where one person is always running late and the other is constantly kept waiting.) My Darling!  My Darling!    Where are you?   I’m waiting!   We will be late! This question or these questions have been asked over and over through the years and here we are again,  me dressed to the nines and waiting, and him among the missing! ~~~~~ In the early years it precipitated some lively arguments as I interpreted his behavior as a “power play” of sorts.  He wanted to pr...

8 comments 8
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“Race Against Time” by Cottoncandy Skies

Submitted to Contest #49

“I will not wait a minute after 6 pm. Not a minute, you hear me?” said the woman on the phone.“You won’t have to. I will be on time, if not before,” Mark replied while shuffling through the files on his desk.“Like the time you were on my birthday? Or your birthday?”“Okay okay, easy with the sarcasm. See you at 6. Love you,” he said before hanging up the phone. His focus was turned back to the computer he was working on. Mark finished his work an hour early to have enough time to reach home and get ready before leaving for dinn...

4 comments 4
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“A Pandemic of Broken Dreams” by Natalia Go

Submitted to Contest #49

“How does one lose everything?” Billie said as she sat in the plastic chair outside the lab. She had been slouched staring at the two books in her hands. One was a huge hardbound copy and the other a mass-produced paperback with the movie adaptation poster printed on it. She cringed, twisted her lips the way she did when she didn’t know what to do and leaned back.    “‘Scuse me?” said a guy in a striped Polo shirt.    Billie then realized she said the words out loud, much too loud in fact but didn’t ca...

0 comments 0
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“Fill Me In, Please” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #49

Daniel walked into the little café on Cervantes Square. It was pouring now, and as he ducked inside, he closed his black umbrella quickly, then gave it a deft shake to leave some rain outside. He deposited the umbrella in the overflowing rack to the left of the door “How’s it going?” He greeted the barista, whose name, he knew, was Xana.  “Great. What’ll you have?” asked Xana. “Café con leite.”  It only took a minute for the coffee, heavy on the milk, to be placed before him, along with a square of anise-tinged bica cake...

7 comments 7
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“Goodbye Questioning” by Ella Kinnett

Submitted to Contest #49

“Okay listen, they are going to take you back one by one so you will be alone when they question you, but while you wait for your turn you will be in the waiting room. When you go back, be confident and stand tall, be sure of yourself and speak clearly. Also do not talk to anyone unless you are spoken to. Not even people in the waiting room because they can get you into some big trouble. Look at me Hazel, you can’t mess up with this, it’s life or death.” I just look at him. No words are able to come out of my mouth. I am terrified but I can’...

4 comments 4
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“Inappropriate conversations with strangers at bus stops” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #49

It wasn’t quite raining yet, but the sky was threatening it. Great, Ruby thought, just what I need when I’m late for the bus. She grabbed her handbag and was halfway out the door, when she lunged back and grabbed her keys as well. That was lucky. Her landlord wouldn’t be pleased at being called out for the third time in two months if she locked herself out again. On the way to the bus stop she dug about and made sure she had everything; phone, keys (just!), purse, and all the other random bits that lived in the bottom of her bag. The chanc...

2 comments 2
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“The Waiting Room Saga” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #49

The Waiting Room Saga Suzanne Marsh I hate waiting rooms especially in doctors offices. There is something about being there during the flu season, with folks coughing and sneezing. I hate waiting for the nurse, who comes out, calls my name. I rise and follow her; sort of like the lamb to the slaughter. I think back to my last visit. Hmmm, the doctor ordered blood work. That means needles...I hate needles for any reason. The same humdrum pale green waiting room, there has to be some other color other than pale green. Pukey yellow, no that wo...

4 comments 4
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“And So It Ends” by Anthony Avina

Submitted to Contest #49

The smell of stale peanuts and sawdust filtered through the air. Stepping through the barren bar, Hugh glanced over the overturned barstools and bloodstained floors and knew from the dust covering the bar that this was the place. Sitting along a stretch of highway off the California coastline, The Desert Sun overlooked the Pacific Ocean on the way to Santa Barbara.  Hugh grimaced as he nursed his wounded leg, fresh blood dripping down his leg and onto the floorboards. He slung his shotgun onto the bar and began foraging through the co...

6 comments 6
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“When waiting turns enjoyable” by Faleha Hakim

Submitted to Contest #49

The chilling breeze of December had struck the city. The vision was pale and smoke rose from every building. Even the fingers could not seek shelter inside the gloves as the frost easily penetrated. “When will our turn come, Mother?” Karen lifted up her head and faced a woman with red cheeks and shining eyes. She was equal of height when compared to her daughter, Karen and she reflected gentleness and sweetness. As she answered, mist blew out from her mouth, “Don’t know” and rubbed her hand across her daughter’s head. They both sat, quiverin...

4 comments 4
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“Things worth waiting for” by Ben K

Submitted to Contest #49

Bursting through the front door of the emergency waiting room. Jack makes his way past the security guards and metal detector. Pushing his way through the people crowding the front desk. Placing both hands firmly around the edge of the desks wooden frame, he leans forward asking. “Excuse me, my wife arrived here not too long ago. I was hoping you might be able to help me find her room?” Without looking up from his computer, the desk assistant sifts the mouse around a few times. Matched with a few clicks, the assistant ignores Jack and start...

1 comment 1
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“The Long Awaited Event ” by Maya Reynolds

Submitted to Contest #49

“Next please,” the attendant calls, sounding slightly bored.As the line shuffles forward, you move along with mounting excitement. You have never done this before and eagerly await your turn. The long line before you doesn’t deter you. You undo your ponytail and shake out your reddish-brown hair before redoing your hairstyle. Technically, you didn’t have to wear your hair up since you’re in an air-conditioned building, but you have to wear your favorite hairstyle for this momentous occasion. You glance around the room. The only thing you wou...

2 comments 2
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“Clue” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #49

Carla hated Mondays. As a general rule, she preferred to keep all negative feelings to one day of the week. But the circumstances of that Monday certainly weren't helping the day’s case. As she sat in the stuffy room, surrounded by a group of strangers, she tried to listen to the presentation. But the speaker just kept going on and on about some newfangled home security system that could only be disarmed by fingerprints or something. The whole thing was too much technology for Carla to really understand. She stifled a yawn, carefully glancin...

0 comments 0
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“After the Fourth Period Bell” by E.F. Peterson

Submitted to Contest #49

"Well?" Mrs. Davis asked as she lowered her glasses down her nose to look at me. Her dark glasses made her seem scarier than she actually was. My eyes looked at the big red clock ticking slowly. The seconds were getting longer and longer and the pressure that I was feeling kept crushing me further. "Why did Henry the Eighth break away from the Catholic Church?" I remembered reading over this last night. It was the page with all the drawings on it. I remembered thinking that Henry the Eighth was rather fat. I remembered that the page th...

14 comments 14
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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 | Many Hands | 2024-09

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