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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

“On the Other Side of the Door” by Lauren Pagano

Submitted to Contest #49

Lily knew she should've been used to waiting rooms at this point. She was fairly certain she'd seen the inside of every single waiting room in Springfield at this point.Big.Small.Themed.Empty.Clinical. Packed.Dreary.Name an office with a waiting room and Lily had probably been there and done that.So, it was with a gloomy resignation over time, that Lily had found herself becoming one with the routine that was the waiting room.She knew the routine like the back of her hand. From the waiting room she had sat in for a half hour last week which ...

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“The Elephant at my dinner table” by Nicole Leah

Submitted to Contest #49

We had an extension; by that I mean the front door – we made it bigger. You see, I am expecting some very important and some very large guests; so large that we have set up the dinner table in the courtyard… yes, the black-cobbled, little uneven courtyard. It is all arranged, the ants have done me a massive favour and moved it for me into the courtyard and then will favour me again by moving it back after our dinner party has concluded. I have promised them any leftovers in return – I did try ...

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“BOY ON THE BURNING DECK” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #49

Waltair was not paying much attention to the discussion going on in his class room. A small poetry about a ‘Boy on the burning deck’ was being explained. While others were busy paying attention to the teacher, who was discussing various aspects of the poetry, Waltair alone was sitting disinterested and aloof. Teacher noticed him and questioned. In a very stern voice he asked “What are you doing there eh? Stand up. Look at me and answer.” Waltair said in his low tone that he never liked any poetry or story with tragic ends. He said he was bus...

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“Expected Visitors” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #49

The Men in Black will be coming soon. I’m quite resigned to it. It will even be a relief. I wonder if they’ll be dressed very formally, like the ones in the films and TV shows. Though I’ve never been one for formality, I rather hope that they will be. Nothing wrong with a bit of drama and a sense of occasion. I saw it coming from the minute I witnessed the strange lights in the sky, floating and hovering, with a colour like none I’ve ever seen before. Oh, I’d heard about such things...

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“One. Last. Time.” by Y N

Submitted to Contest #49

Time flickers. Hospital. The clock ticks. I take another breath. Silence. Another tick. Another second goes by. I close my eyes, staring at nothing but the ceiling. My hands hold a blanket, but do not feel the comfort, the warmth in it. In fact, everything feels cold. Everything is slipping. And a breath is held. The ticks are gone. Silence. I leave. I open my eyes. I’m no longer at the hospital. Instead, I’m in a bedroom. The walls are painted blue, decorated with pictures of a family. Most of them feature a wedding of a h...

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“Finding the Place Where Hope Lives” by Talia M

Submitted to Contest #49

She woke up early, before the alarm had even gone off. The sun was beginning to peak in through the cracks in the blinds, leaving thin golden trails of dawn across the dark of her room. She stretched her arm out beside her, to give her husband a gentle pat on his back, but found that her hand fell flat against the empty sheets. Her immediate thought was that he must be out for his morning jog, he was relentless at taking care of himself. Always eating healthy, making work outs and positive life choices a priority. She smiled to herself, b...

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“Pumpkin” by Cece Lin

Submitted to Contest #49

Every day, when I go home, I see the same dog on the sidewalk. He was a beautiful dog, with thick white fur and a dark gray mask around deep brown eyes. The web told me that he was a border collie in looks, but nothing like one in personality. Instead of being lively, he remained parked on his tail every hour of the day. Instead of being cheerful, with a bright pink tongue hanging out between his fangs, he had a permanent case of Puppy Eye Syndrome. And every single day, without fail, I would see him, starting intently into the distance, i...

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“The Imps on our Backs” by R. E. Dressler

Submitted to Contest #49

It smelled like a Band-aid. Why is it that all doctors’ offices smell like Band-aids? After handing back the redundant medical form that they painstakingly make you fill out before every visit, I had nothing left to do but nervously rap my fingernails against the uncomfortable plastic seating. Staring into the distance, I began testing my vision, reading different sized lettering. It was my way of psyching myself out before seeing the eye doctor. Every time I went in for a check-up, I had this compulsion of first assessing my own vision. Tho...

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“Pain to Power” by Gayatri 21

Submitted to Contest #49

“Waiting for you is the hardest and most beautiful thing I have ever done in my life. I can't wait for the day to wake up, turn my head and kiss you.” Woke up with a lot of these thoughts and surrounded by my people all over cheering, encouraging and wishing me luck for what I am about to do. Quickly finished my shower and did some prayers while waiting for the big day. “Anu are you ready, it’s already time shall we proceed”, heard a voice from nurse Mary. I am in this hospital for my delivery.According to me, I was ready for delivery. While...

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“Different ” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #49

I was at the office, taking a look at her pic. - She is really , really gorgeous. And we have been dating more than a year. I think it is time to make the so-awaited question - taking a look at my savings and So I took my cellphone, and send her a message. Would you marry me? – he asked her, so, she answered the question using another question : - Can you wait just a minute please? - hanging up the phone. - Fine. I will wait for you – I answered to her , in agony for the wait, because most of us do not like to wait. T...

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“Waiting For Her Chance” by Katharine Tierney

Submitted to Contest #49

Margaret sat in the cafeteria, sipping a cup of mediocre coffee and people watching. Ever since she was a child, she loved just sitting quietly and observing the interplay between strangers, guessing at the relationships between them and making up little stories about their lives. Today, though, she was just too nervous to get into it like she normally did. Adjusting the scarf wrapped turban style around her head she looked at her watch for the umpteenth time. 10:05... exactly two minutes since she had last checked. She had always loved this...

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“THE SCENT OF HUMANITY!” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #49

(write-a-story-that-takes-place-in-a-waiting-room) It is early spring, but already hot. I tend to forget that it is never cold here and warm is normal and for locals today is not an especially hot day. Back home in the Midwest, this time of the year can be variable, warm days of spring thaw followed by cold winds and even snow storms. This place could use some cold wind blowing through, it is not the most pleasant place to be. I’m never sure if I might be labeled practical or if it goes b...

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“We're All Suspects For a Reason” by Elora Wiesley

Submitted to Contest #49

A woman rushes into the waiting room. She sits down, breathing heavily and taps her foot impatiently. She studies the minimalistic room. Plastic chairs fill the rim of the room. In the center, there is a table stacked with a variety of magazines and cheap plastic water bottles. There were no windows and only two doors in the room. The first door is the one Nicole had just entered through, which is locked from the outside and guarded by two men. The second door has a small window and she can see people arguing inside. There are five o...

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“Waiting on a rainy day” by Sreedevi Mahapatra

Submitted to Contest #49

“Ouch , the same mistake again!” I am really dumb. Once again I am trapped in this little cage like room . How do I get out? Now I am on their mercy. I have to wait wait wait... I am glad that at least I can see through the scene around me through the mesh walls or else life would have been more miserable. Of course this is happening the third time. Twice I was lucky. The old lady took pity on me and let me go but now I can’t see her. Last time I heard talking to her son that she would like to visit her old friends and enjoy the ...

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“Sunset ” by Roula Soliman

Submitted to Contest #49

It’s 6:30 and the sun has just started to set down, cotton candy-colored clouds are fighting in a battle of bursting colors completely oblivious to the deep shade of blue sky slowly creeping. I always admired the sky at that time, a new shade appears each day, and the clouds’ patterns were never repeated. A small chilly breeze wrapped its arms around me in a light embrace reminding me of how long I’ve been sitting here waiting only did the sound of crunching leaves under someone’s footsteps alert me of this guy approaching me. “Mind if I s...

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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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