Set your story during the night shift.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 53 stories

“Diner At The End” by CJ Rodgers

🏆 Winner of Contest #109

It was around ten after Life when he came in. Nightshift was the best shift, to the three that worked at the diner at The End. It let the dishwasher have a break when their feet started to hurt. It let the cook wear headphones while he worked. And it let the waitress write in her journal. The customer was no one special. An average joe with a bit of scruff and a plain, if respectable outfit. He sat at a booth near the kitchen and ordered a cup of coffee, some pancakes, and a side...

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“A Thousand Years in Tokyo” by Alex Sultan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #109

Anyone who wins the lottery on their first ticket should be considered a time traveler. A win on their second ticket as well and they're giving themselves away. Takeshi yawned. The car radio read 2:45 a.m. He drank the last of his coffee, cold and bitter, then clicked on the overhead lights. In a couple of minutes, a woman by the name of Naoko Asari would walk out of the gas station with two winning lottery tickets. She’d cash them in before returning to her time.He would arrest her before she could.Takeshi checked his service pistol. He rel...

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“The Last Train” by Marlee Brooks

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #109

“You should have just let her jump the gate,” my coworker, Angie, said. “That’s against the rules,” I sighed. That’s how all my fellow train station managers feel. If a customer’s solution is too complicated, my coworkers let them go through the emergency exit gate. She shrugged in response. I heard a tap on the glass and turned to find a confused-looking customer, card in hand. I hate when they tap on the glass as if I’m a fish in an aquarium. After I assisted them, I wrote “DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS PLEASE” on a sticky note...

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“Come Away, O Human Child” by Mary Sheehan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #109

They say we are made mostly of water, but I am made mostly of air.At work, they call me The Shadow, because I’m built like a narrow doorway and glide noiselessly on the red rubber floors. My world is populated by the ghosts of my past; most prominently the spectre of my sister, Grace.On the geriatric rehabilitation ward, I check cannulas, pass out painkillers, hold hands and heave bedpans. I gently guide my patients through basic motions and write up their treatment plans. I gravitate towards the elderly; they have stories to tell and I like...

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“The 9PM Clock In” by Janey El Napier

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #109

Dot was new to the night shift. She was very much a day person – all sunshine and blonde curls and dresses that hit just the right part of her knees so that the fabric flounced perfectly. She drank lavender tea and read poetry and was rather sure that without the sunlight on her skin every morning, she would shrivel up and die. But that was probably rather dramatic. The ten-minute break between the day and night shift was like a dam between precision and insanity. Though Dot was never one for precision, soft-edged and gentle-smiled as ...

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“Descent Into Darkness” by Mister X

Submitted to Contest #109

August 2020How do you define the dark? At its core, it’s the absence of light. If that’s the case, then night similarly would be the absence of day. I work at night. I exist in the dark. As such, I have the time and the quiet to contemplate these things. I’m not sure how I ended up living my life at night, but a few things I am sure about. Silence is loud and darkness is maddening. I used to know the light, I used to embrace the day. Day people seem to live; night people simply exist. September 2020The thing about ni...

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“Reunited Seasons” by Dhruv Middha

Submitted to Contest #109

*Silent Chimes of flakes, jingling Bells of Church, and the joy of Christmas spread Over The Rainbow of a shopping Street. It all makes sense on the night before Christmas.*It was the time of Christmas I was enjoying my night working at the gift shop. Yeah! you heard it right I love working there, why, you'll know as the story progresses. I was swiping the gifts filled with the emotions of people, while they were pushing each other creating a hustle. My fellow employees were calling each other all over the store. When all of a sudden I get a...

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“Midnight Hunger” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #109

TW: discussion of suicide.People are hungry. It awakens after midnight and gnaws at them. Masks come off. Those insatiable needs drive them like voracious sheep.I dropped a guy at SFO to catch the red-eye. He told me, ‘All cities are the same.’ He’d traveled the world and said they are interchangeable. Indistinguishable. That’s a lot of baby birds wanting food.Everyone seeks a friend. Whatever your personal definition of ‘friendship’ might be.At that hour, people wander the streets, stripped of dignity, clothes, pretense... Everything bared....

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“The monster in the basement” by Lily Rama

Submitted to Contest #109

Scrape... scratch...scrape...Jim can hear the monster's claws scraping against the cement floors as it creeps closer-he can see the eerie shadow closing in, the darkness of the illumination a haunting black. Jim can feel how the room grows cold, like Jack Frost has whistled an icy melody into the air. Jim only huddles closer to the wall, as he shakily hides in the little corner behind the water heater.He had never meant for any of this to happen, he hadn't wanted to take the late shift, he hadn't wanted to stay here, he hadn't, he hadn't, he...

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“Nursery Rhymes” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #109

No one is too happy about working at that time of night, but at least the job pays well. And the other thing – the thing that I do not share with any of the other ones here – is that I get to work alone. No one to bother with about birthdays, how their kids are doing in school, what did you think of that show last night (the one that I did not watch and never would). No, I liked it up there at night. At least I did for a while. Let’s see if I can paint you a picture. We are a tech company. We handle assets and sensitive data for many Fortune...

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“Caught between Killers” by Courtney Moore

Submitted to Contest #109

The eyes of a killer hold me hostage. His silhouette is unmistakable, even in the dark. Black orbs take the place of eyes. They disguise any hint of emotion. The steely gaze frightens me, but I know enough to hide the fear. I stare back, basking in the stillness of this moment. Any sudden movement could set him off. That’s the last thing I want. Panic pushes at the gears in my brain, but I ignore it. I continue to hold his gaze. The seconds seem to last a lifetime. I wonder if the cold bothers him as much as it does me. He doesn’t show any s...

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“Bear, With Me” by Bradley Warren

Submitted to Contest #109

CW: violenceA bear meandered at the edge of the backyard, big and brown. Bears weren’t native to the area, so this merited some wide-eyed gawking. It even earned the kids’ attention, had them scrambling over furniture—and each other—to join Liam by the sliding glass door. Emily looked uneasy.The apple tree at the back of the yard had dropped fruit in a ten-foot radius around its base. The bear gobbled them up. With its dog-like face and mannerisms, and the way it used its tongue like a spoon, Liam found it rather cute. But the cloud of dirt ...

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“She Picked Me” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #109

She Picked Me 1974. New York City.The East River and the hospital flank the highway. There is a small tunnel that goes under an apartment building just south of the hospital alongside the river. The roar of the engines inside the tunnel was unnerving and ominous. The wind off the tires of the vehicles moving quickly was chilling, dangerous. Debris flew into my eyes which makes crossing the road very forbidding. When it was snowing or raining, the tunnel provided shelter but there was no room for error. Moving an inch in the wr...

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“Night Spot” by Evan Jackson

Submitted to Contest #109

The world is a different place when the sun goes down. Certain creatures are exclusively nocturnal. Especially some species of humans. The freaks, as they have been so aptly named. I guess you could say that I am of the freakish persuasion myself. Why else would I always be working at night? For all of its chaos. I actually find the night to be more peaceful than the day. Or perhaps I just feel more like myself under the moon. I’ve worked the night shift ever since my very first promotion. I was seventeen and working as the night manager for...

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“The Brave Laundry Lady” by Moira Covington

Submitted to Contest #109

The night laundry shift at the hotel was a comfort that I have not been able to replicate. The dryers weren’t started until an hour after I clocked in, but the white noise was always welcomed and eagerly anticipated. I didn’t blot out the monotony, I didn’t try to smooth the routine with music, smoke breaks, or a cell phone. I never watched a movie on the rolling cart or read or did crossword puzzles. I was there every minute of every night, present and productive. I ran the hotel at night alone efficiently both recovering from the day prior...

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Contest #109

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Ended on 23:59 - Sep 03, 2021 EST

Won by CJ Rodgers 🏆

Title: Diner At The End

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Set your story during the night shift.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 53 stories

“Diner At The End” by CJ Rodgers

“A Thousand Years in Tokyo” by Alex Sultan

“The Last Train” by Marlee Brooks

“Come Away, O Human Child” by Mary Sheehan

“The 9PM Clock In” by Janey El Napier

“Descent Into Darkness” by Mister X

“Reunited Seasons” by Dhruv Middha

“Midnight Hunger” by John K Adams

“The monster in the basement” by Lily Rama

“Nursery Rhymes” by Kendall Defoe

“Caught between Killers” by Courtney Moore

“Bear, With Me” by Bradley Warren

“She Picked Me” by Noelle C. Lee

“Night Spot” by Evan Jackson

“The Brave Laundry Lady” by Moira Covington

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who has landed their dream job, only to discover it isn’t quite what they imagined it to be.

Start your story with a character quitting their job, or getting fired.

Write about a character who leads a secret double life outside of their day job.

Your character sits down at their desk on a Monday morning and finds a completely unexpected email in their inbox. Write about what happens next.

Contest #109

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

162

Contest entries

149

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: