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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

“Burning Without Fire” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #49

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?”It was a rhetorical question as both men knew the answer. An undoubtful, horrifying yes.Alexei, the younger of the two, quivered, on the brink of tears. “It’s going to be short, at least,” Yuri, the older one, said. “But still painful. They say it's one of the worst agonies a man can go through. The body killing itself from the inside.”The younger man burst into tears.“Crying won’t help, son,” Yuri said and fished his pocket for a cigarette. And to think he was about to quit smoking. What a sick joke, thi...

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“Edible Red” by Kara Kilgore

Submitted to Contest #49

The first incision is always hasty. I'm watching Frank's skin change from pale to colorless as the blade slices through white flesh. A pearl falls to the floor, and Frank looks down at his apron. He told me yesterday to make sure the pearls would hold. I created a paste that had the consistency of crazy glue, but it grew flimsy after exposure to extreme heat. I took pictures for our brochure about two hours ago, handing them to Frank so he could hold on to his work. We added some color with an airbrush, and that's when we noticed the mismatc...

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“The Lonely Earth” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #49

She stepped barefoot onto the grass, feeling the dampness of the night against her skin. She breathed in slowly, relishing the fresh air, feeling it cooling her throat and lungs — it was delicious. The aromas of the evening danced on her tongue. A chilly breeze, wet grass, darkness. It was strange to say that darkness had a taste, but it most certainly did. She would be the first to argue so, even if she couldn’t quite articulate what she meant. She sighed and craned her neck to look at the night sky. Far above, the stars glinted down at h...

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“A Clog in the Bowels of Hell” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #49

SPLAT! “Oh my God, ew!” The others turned around and saw Strawberry, covered in viscous brown liquid, covering her red dress and dripping down her face. It was falling from up above as all things do. “Ew, ew, ew!” Strawberry shivered in disgust and wrinkled her nose, not daring to smell the liquid. She shook her hands, sending brow droplets flying all around. “Hey, watch it!” Cheeto said as a speck of brown hit his cheek. “No need to get the rest of us filthy!” “Get it off me!” “Chill, sister,” Taco said and wiped the liquid off her face wit...

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“What are you waiting?” by Lenny Kovani

Submitted to Contest #49

One day a man wakes up feeling terribly ill, he’ s in his bed but doesn’t feels like his bed , he looks at his room but his vision is blurry and his eyes heavy, “strange” he thought, ”that doesn’t seem like my room at all”. He knows it’s all because of the importance of that day , he is feeling anxious, he is getting sick again. As he struggles to wake up a woman knock his door, ” Mr E. I’m you neighbour from apartment B ,There’s a letter for you, the mailman must have put it in my mailbox but it’s addressed to you!” He stands up quickly and...

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“The Approval” by Agnibeena Ghosh

Submitted to Contest #49

Blah. Blah. Blah.White noise. White lies. A white cat rubbing against your bristly legs, shaved in the morning.We sit in silence. Me and Miron. Miron and I. On a brand new, bright red sofa. The sweet, sickening smell of upholstery muddles my finer senses. Makes me crazy for touch.We are new to this place, both me and her. Never done this before. Never hope to have to do this again.Today I had called my mother, before leaving the apartment. She hadn't picked up the phone. Miron's mother had. But she had kept mum. Thus, we were on our own. Aga...

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“IT IS THE NEW WAY.” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #49

(Write a story about two strangers chatting while waiting for something.) Lydia sits in her car waiting for her cell to ring! It is the newest way to get medical attention. First you make an appointment from home or work. When you arrive at the medical facility, you are met by a person in the parking lot who acknowledges your arrival at the facility and gives you a number to call based on who you are seeing. So you park your car and dial the number. “Hello, this is Lydia Parker and I have an appoin...

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“No Longer Alone” by Alexi Delavigne

Submitted to Contest #49

Nina stared at the grey ceramic floor, the harsh fluorescent lights reflecting up into her eyes. There were only two other people in the room with her, the receptionist, and a middle-aged woman with perfectly styled hair and pristine cherry red lip gloss. When Nina had arrived, the receptionist had asked for her name before clicking away on her keyboard, nodding to herself, and saying “Have a seat, the doctor will be with you shortly.” The other woman was pretending Nina didn’t exist, evidently whatever was on her phone required her un...

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“Always waiting for him” by Annora Chen

Submitted to Contest #49

“Hurry! We’re going to be late!” Jeremy shouted at Noah as both struggled to fight against the human current that refused to let them through. Giving up, they had to wait for the crowd to disperse at the side, panting for air. As Noah was trying to calm down, he felt a chill run down his spine, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. Rubbing his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to warm himself up, he slowly turned towards Jeremy who was the cause of his unease. “Noah, care to remind me why I’m hanging out with you?” Jeremy asked, sigh...

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“Bittersweet Night” by Victoire Debaecker

Submitted to Contest #49

The sound of my feet on the pavement got faster and faster. My phone rang. I got it out of my big purse and looked at the screen. Mom. I hung up and continued walking, phone in hand. I wanted to throw it far away, to throw away my family and all of my problems. My eyes were burning from the tears and the cold. My scarf didn’t protect my face from the snow. The wind felt like a whip, like hits to my face. I turned at a street corner I didn’t know. I didn’t recognize anything around me, it was blurry and cold. I was on the wron...

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“Kayla, Her Nose, and the Notification” by Asher Littlefield

Submitted to Contest #49

Kayla got the notification while she was picking her nose, but when she thought back to this moment, she decided she would leave out that detail. Instead, she’d tell everyone that she was just getting out of the shower, which was technically true. This would add to the drama of it, despite the reality being that she was only getting out of the shower because she had just finished hanging up a new curtain liner and had been technically standing up inside the tub, fully clothed, and not feeling at all exposed. But she had gotten the notificati...

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“One Year” by Hans B

Submitted to Contest #49

The year is 2421. It has been one hundred years since the great war. It has taken this long for civilization to rebuild itself. The Event started small and scattered, but was growing in popularity. War being a distant memory and illegal now, the Event gave a new focus for the world. This would mark the twenty fifth year of the official opening. There was always something strange and electric in the air about this time of year. The anticipation is overwhelming and emotions run high.The tension is tangible. So thick you could cut it with a kni...

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“Waiting for a life change” by Soji Asaye

Submitted to Contest #49

Mary had just arrived in an unsettled and unkempt state, hair sticking out from the bun she had styledher hair into, her make-up was just weird she was an awkward sight for all beholder her heels weren't spared one had broken off and the shoes looked worn out; She had probably been in rush for her place of work cause she wore a three piece suit and was still straightening out her clothes. All eye's on her she took her seat luckily the last one left, she looked by her side and she got a wry smile she didn't return she was there for her own in...

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“Nightborn 6” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #49

Briggs sat on the beige plastic chair in the waiting room. His right arm was wrapped in bandages and hung in a support brace around his neck. His left leg throbbed with pain from the collision with the front seat of the car, but the paramedics said it wasn’t broken. Briggs sighed as a jackhammer worked somewhere deep inside his head, drilling. The hospital lights were far too bright, their illumination adding to the headache. He hit his head hard in the crash, might even have had a concussion, they told him. What in the bloody hell happened?...

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“Popzero becomes a real hero” by Jayashree Sadagopan

Submitted to Contest #49

Popzero emerged out of the pavilion a long time after the fanfare subdued, the crowd bustling away in hushed tones, and peace prevailed. The five-men traveling rock ensemble he is part of had vacated the venue fully. It was his hometown alright, but desiring a change, he decided to take the express train to Hamilton and visit his friend, Jojo, partly for the reason Jojo was part of the dissenters, the anti-war gang. Popzero had just started to feel accustomed to the pop-frenzy around but not yet hit the super-stardom, so he had the mobility ...

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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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