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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

“Never judge a book by its cover ” by Beth Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #49

She couldn’t quite believe her eyes. He matched the description - blue jeans, yellow and red tartan shirt, weather-beaten brown Timberland boots and a chequered blue cap. It had to be him. The only other person in the waiting room was a young mother, looking weary and vexed by her over-enthusiastic and boisterous twin boys causing havoc with their toy cars and planes. The scene evokes a feeling of nostalgia for her. She would play with her cousin as a young child, and would often be forced to play his choice of amusement rather than hers. He...

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“It's Always Been You” by Kristine Murdock

Submitted to Contest #49

And it came to me then, that every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time. This seems so true now. I used to listen to that song, with you. My eyes would water and you’d call me cute. You’d concentrate on the road and I’d squeeze your hand. That’s when I’d hear your voice telling me again what I know so well: that you love me. But now that I’m living it, my only thought when I listen to that melody will be of you. As I stared at my shoes in the ICU that reeked of piss and 409 The smell of Death. I shut my eyes and ru...

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“Never Being Watched” by A. A. Blake

Submitted to Contest #49

Once again, Chaviva stared at the chair. It sat casually in the corner of the waiting room next to the admin’s window. Its unassuming pink cushion blushed coyly, surrounded by the mahogany-stained wood’s embrace. That chair. That damn chair. That’s what started this suicidal swing. Chavi chewed her lip. No, maybe it wasn’t the chair. This fucking waiting room, colder than a psychiatrist’s analysis, where she was always alone – the fucking boredom had driven her to it. The magazines, with their wounded covers where thoughtless admins and PA...

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“As She Sleeps On” by Chris Riffle

Submitted to Contest #49

Tonight, I hate that screeching noise the bag of pretzels makes when I pull it apart. I pull too hard and the side of the bag rips. I have to put my hand to the tear so none of the tasteless, chalky pretzels come falling out. I eat a few but they make me sick to my stomach so I roll up the bag and set it on the chair next to me. The waiting room here is terrible. The magazines are all wrinkled or torn, the water cooler is empty, and the only thing I could get to come out of the vending machine was that bag of pretzels. My phone died a...

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“those stickers” by No One

Submitted to Contest #49

That clock. That Stupid clock. It Just keeps ticking. Keeping the beat for the entire room. The clock Decides how you read. It's impossible to ignore. Keeping your breath in tune with the sharp beat. In a way it's soothing. One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi. But then, you get to something that requires your full attention. And suddenly, everything's wrong. You have to stay with the beat. Whether by tapping, cracking knuckles, or just staying with the beat no matter what. When you type, you have to type every other Pause. Let out a breath ever...

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“Tragic Fragility” by Ellie K

Submitted to Contest #49

The dirt-streaked windows give the waiting room a dingy, run-down feel. For a room where so many people spend so much time, you would think there would be a bigger budget for upkeep. The overhead lights are dim and weak, so the majority of the light comes from the large windows that take up the south wall. The room itself is well furnished, but it lacks the pristine, sterile quality of the rest of the hospital. I wonder if the depressing nature of the room and the people in it contributes to the overall grimness of the space. Outside the win...

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“An Evening in a Waiting Room” by Oracle Ferguson

Submitted to Contest #49

I am an annual traveller; we have heard several times- travelling is the best way for one to learn the various cultures of this planet, thus each year we pack our bags to be proved exactly the opposite. Every year, at least I have observed that though our looks may differ yet somehow we are all similarly crack-headed. Our lives are equally based on humour and tragedy which balances our lives justifiably. If observed minutely, the fun and folly of a day can make our lives joyous even in our hardships. One such hilarious occasion happened to m...

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“The Court.” by Angel Mystic

Submitted to Contest #49

"Why do you want too?" She asked me with her straight and serious face. She sat there judging me and it was obvious that she had done this for many years. "Why not?" I replied staring at her, this was my last option and she could definitely see it, but that did not mean I had my invitation. "Can you be more specific?" She asked watching me, I looked down at my nails while I picked at them in anxiety. "I'm tired, I'm lost, I'm hungry, and I..." I paused trying to consider the best answer. I looked around the small interview room, it rem...

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“Two Minutes” by D. Alfonso

Submitted to Contest #49

Two minutes, but they were the most agonizing two minutes of my life. That included the time that I had to sit through two hours of boring lectures. And, the day that the power went out, and I had to watch paint dry. There I was, down on one knee, looking up into the face of my true love, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, the only person who saw me. Truth be told, the whole thing was unconventional. I was unconventional, but Joseph knew that. He always knew that. Girls didn't propose. Girls weren't the ones carrying...

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“Rabbit Rabbit” by NV Rivera

Submitted to Contest #49

To: ejacobs@henson.schools.nyc.gov From: l0v3yleslie@cutemail.com SUBJECT: Why I gotta do this? April 17, 2020 12:38PM Dear Mr. Jacobs, I get that you love teaching and everything, but you ain’t the only one sending out these online assignments. I’m trying to get all this stuff done but you’re asking me about places I ain’t never been and don’t want to go to. My moms always says New York is the greatest city anyways and she must be right becau...

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“Hurricane” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #49

I remember the taste of the cheap merlot on my tongue. The green bottle has been in the refrigerator for four days now. It’s going to go bad soon, and that would be a waste of money. The hum of the refrigerator and the beating rain outside is the only noise as I stare at the bottle. Four days late doesn’t mean anything, I tell myself, and I pour a glass for Greg and myself. There is a crack of lightning followed immediately by thunder so loud I look up to make sure the roof hasn’t been ripped off of the apartment. There is anot...

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“Simplicity” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #49

This isn't a joke or a test. I know this isn’t exactly the most romantic way to do things, but I figured you’d appreciate something simple more than some flashy event. I love you, Julie. Will you marry me? Tyler stared as the words on his phone screen glowed out from the darkness. It was short, simple, but sweet enough. He felt like he had properly conveyed himself, even over a text. That wasn’t what bothered him. What bothered him was what he saw right below that message. Seen Yesterday 11:46 PM She hadn’t replied yet. He tried to ration...

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“The Last Question” by D J

Submitted to Contest #49

Tick. Tick. Tick.I glance up. That clock is so loud.Footsteps, behind me. I hastily look back down at the blank, white sheet.Step. Step. Step. Why do they always walk so slowly?A shuffle as they pass by. The slight movement blows the paper, thick with black lines of print. I exhale.Around me, there’s occasional fidgeting. The sound of paper against paper, chairs scraping against the floor. Other than that, silence: no one is speaking.The sun is falling through the tall windows, landing onto my small desk. It spreads over the printed sheets o...

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“Night Comes Slowly” by Ema Fancher

Submitted to Contest #49

It itches. I never knew something could itch so bad. I find I have nearly rubbed my shoulder raw while I slept. I head to the bathroom and begin scrubbing with soap. I douse it with nearly the entire bottle of isopropyl alcohol. The searing pain does not outweigh the fear. I will take no chances. I wrap bandage after bandage over it, throw on my shirt, and try to forget. But I can’t. I don’t want to know but I need to. Nothing is more urgent. The one question burning in my mind, gnawing at my nerves gets answered tonight. But the night...

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“Rift between Worlds” by Megan DeRouin

Submitted to Contest #49

Rift between Worlds Who are you? I woke up with the question on my lips. I touched them and they tingled like some half-forgotten dream that I longed to remember. I stood up, sheets spilling onto the floor behind me as I crossed the room. I could still smell her in the air. She smelt like wildflowers and sunshine. Like everything that was good and beautiful. I pulled away the canvas that covered a charcoal drawing that I had been working on for months. It wasn’t right. I had drawn hundreds of sketches, dozens of oil paintings of the lan...

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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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