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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

“My Rose” by Madhurima Giri

Submitted to Contest #49

Waiting!!! Waiting required patience. Patience was a virtue I clearly never possessed. But sitting here now silently I wished more than anything I possessed that ability. Sitting here by the window, I could see the sun was about to set. Another day had passed. Another day you have survived. Another day you have lived. I kept telling this to myself. Maybe I am being too harsh on myself. I walked towards my drawing table all the colors have been scattered around. I should clean it up, but I didn’t have much time. I need to visi...

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“Worth The Wait” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #49

Twenty-eight-year-old James Dougherty waited on a bench for the #224 bus to arrive. Things hadn’t been going so well for him lately and James decided that it was time to start over, so he walked away from his family, his friends, and his job, but especially from the woman that he had spent the last five years with. James and his wife, Cheryl were blissfully in love before they married, but things had quickly changed for the worse once they tied the knot. It began with argument...

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“Wait For Me” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #49

They were both in the train station. Both had arrived nearly an hour ahead of time. Neither wanted to sit, nevertheless, because the trip meant several hours with little opportunity to stretch their legs. Both had ordered a beer, because it was extremely hot that day. They discovered the news on the screen that was located three feet above their heads on the wall farthest from the tracks was as boring as the daily paper somebody had left on the bar. When you’re waiting for a train or bus or airplane, almost everything is boring. You just wan...

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“A Part You Could Do Something With” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #49

There was a curious mixture of rivalry and camaraderie in the air. All the women present, waiting in the local Leisure Centre, wanted the same thing, and they were in competition with each other, but of course, only one of them could be chosen to play Meredith Morello in the planned TV costume drama. It was a relatively minor role, the older sister of the central character, the 1930s femme fatale Adelaide Morello (who, ultimately, was not found guilty of murder and did not end up on the gallows, but it was the genera...

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“Food For Drought” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #49

The spearman limps into the clearing, his body weary and his mind wearier still. He’d been beckoned by the melody of rushing water, and having the stream finally blossom into view is a much-needed respite from the day’s wounds.And by Athor, what a day it’s been. The cries of men and women in their death throes still ring in the depths of his psyche, mingling with the clang of metal against metal and the aroma of spilt blood cooking under the sun. Naturally, he loves Athor as much as the next Sunseas warrior, but can’t the Lord of the Day and...

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“Wait For Me, Wait For Me...” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #49

Lots of things happen in a waiting room, because, well, there are many reasons for waiting and many people who have to wait. Some people are better at that than others. Waiting, that is. This is a story that didn’t happen in a waiting room. It happened in The Waiting Room, or as it is called in the local language, A Sala de Espera... A group of friends had gotten together at the Sala and were waiting for one or two more to arrive. It was Friday night and everybody was happy the work week was over. You could see it immediately in the relaxe...

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“The Man Who Loved Sunsets” by Gopika Ashokan

Submitted to Contest #49

Everyday at 5pm, Ove had walked the same street for almost six years now. His legs frolicking over the dead lilies, the packet of bread swinging in his sweaty hands, his eyes narrowing down the small green bench opposite the Central Library, where he settled down to bid adieu to the sunset. Once he was comfortably seated, he took out his leather bound diary from his old-fashioned coat, kept it carefully beside the packet of bread, leaving enough space for one more person to sit, and patiently waited. Ove noticed that the solemn expression ...

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“Love on time” by Ali May

Submitted to Contest #49

I fell in love with you when I was eight years old. You had no clue whilst you braided my hair, sat on that old, round kitchen table, that you'd be sentencing yourself to a life of being the sole focus of my attention and the only occupant of my heart. You see, I fell in love with you at a time when girls are supposed to love boys, and boys are supposed to love girls. I knew this, so as time passed and our limbs stretched into the awkward constraints of the adolescent body, I tried to convince myself that you were in love with me too. I woul...

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“FINALLY HE CAME.” by Irushi Shawindi

Submitted to Contest #49

It was the beginning of a new year. I had to wake up and prepare something for breakfast myself. My friend Kelly, who was living with me in the same flat, was out to see her parents and she is spending the New Year with them. But I could not spend the New Year with my parents, because I never had parents. I was an orphan. But luckily my grandparents had decided to raise me. So I was able to live as a good child other than being an orphan. I woke up at six thirty in the morning and had a wash. I had to decide what to have for breakfast. Altho...

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“Another Chance” by OPHOKE LEONARD

Submitted to Contest #49

"I promise you, hell will resurrect the dead if I don’t get this job today". The interview was scheduled for 11 am on 5th August 2019. Few minutes to time, someone came out of the room and said, "I suppose you are waiting for the interview?" Yes sir. "I am sorry; we have closed for today". What? Please, "do not test the devil in me because it will be disastrous. I have been in the waiting room for about 50 minutes before now. Why are you doing this to me? What is my offence? Why not give me a chance before you could decide my fate?" Mr...

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“Rose Petals” by Sarah Burke

Submitted to Contest #49

Leah picked a random seat in the empty waiting room and parked herself in it, making herself comfortable for the long wait she knew was coming. Well, she’d thought it was empty until she looked up to the row of seats lining the wall opposite hers. Its occupant was small with delicate, feminine features and silver hair captured in an immaculate bun that can only be achieved with decades of practice. Faded blue eyes flicked up in time to catch Leah in the middle of her inspection and instead of the irritated...

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“Root Canal” by Iris Koga

Submitted to Contest #49

The rigid plastic of the chair dug into Jay's spine, and he fidgeted against the hard seat pressing into his thighs. Around him, people with blurry faces walked in and out of the waiting room, their figures stark contrasts against the muted blue walls of the dental office. Jay pushed his light-up sneakers against each other and they flashed green and blue against the tile floor. The tooth-shaped clock mounted above him murmured in the background tick…tick…tick.How long had he been here? He gaped anxiously at the receptionist, an overweight w...

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“The Late Show” by Saranglogy R

Submitted to Contest #49

I know if I look around, I will get disappointed. I heavily sighed and closed my eyes in the hope to see him. "He will come." I said to myself and patted my heart to slow down the fast beats. By gathering enough courage, I looked around to see the most important person in my life. I could see couples sitting happily with popcorns, and chitchatting nicely. My eyes wandered everywhere, and I couldn't see properly anymore since tears started to form in my eyes. "H-He didn't come. B-But he said he will." I sniffled my cries and tried hard not t...

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“Finding A Place for The Blame to Rest” by A O

Submitted to Contest #49

Well, I forgot to take my phone off the charger and put it in my handbag when I took my daughter to school this morning. When I got home I had a missed call from my mom. I tried to call her at the office, but I got no answer, so I called my parents' home number to ask Dad if she was working from home today or something. He retired last year. I think I told you that. I’m sorry. I’m scattered right now with all that’s happening.Dad answered, and he seemed off. He asked me what I’d been up to. I told him I’d just gotten back from dropping ...

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“Complications” by Katelyn T

Submitted to Contest #49

The dimmed lights in the hallway connecting the waiting room to the rest of the hospital signaled throughout the building that visiting hours were over. This dimming was meant to create a quiet and peaceful feeling for the patients and loved ones staying overnight. To trick the mind into allowing sleep to come easier. For Victoria, the darkened hallway felt like a bad omen. Unable to sit any longer and with no appetite, she began to pace. She was one of five people sitting in the hard plastic chairs waiting for someone to...

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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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