Write a story about someone pulling an all nighter.

Posted in Fiction on Nov 10, 2023

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✍️ 35 stories

“All Night Long (All Night)” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #224

Celine confirmed their status on the console, “Gale Crater Dome, only 162 million miles to go!”.“Then we make a right, or a left?” Mordecai joked.Celine flipped to a new window on the console, “NYX II is cruising at just over 20,000 miles per hour. ETA is 6.53 on November 16th, 2038. Mars, here we come!”.“I hope it’s 6.53 in the afternoon”, said Mordecai, “remember to wake me if it’s a morning arrival”. They both laughed.“So, now what, Mr. Poet Laureate?”, said Celine, an inviting smile on her face as she swiveled the pi...

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“The Intruder” by Amber Sattler

Submitted to Contest #224

I’m 31 years old and have never pulled an all-nighter. I’ve never needed to. My study schedule for every exam in university had been carefully and methodically organized and scheduled. I never leave things until the last minute. I attend the occasional party but have never felt the desire to stay up past sunrise. But as I stare down at my fiancé's hospital bed at 7:03 AM, I realize this will be my first. And it’s my fault he’s here.The Night BeforeWhite chalk paint drips down the front of my oversized green sweatshirt. The garage door had ba...

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“Forsaken at the Feet of the Mountain God” by Nori Shimada

Submitted to Contest #224

I had been dying for a long time before this day, but the finality of it all still managed to scare me. Over the course of my illness, I had imagined quite a number of scenarios revolving around my demise, yet none had come close to the actuality that consumed me. Or, paralyzed me, rather. In each scenario I dreamt, I had whispered my final words to whoever was near me. My mother, my wife, the nurse on shift, or even the custodian passing by my door. Never had it occurred to me that I would be utterly and terribly alone. And, in each scenar...

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“OLLI OWL’S FANTASTIC-SUPER-DUPER-LOOPTY-LOOPS” by Ruby Nivel Vega

Submitted to Contest #224

OLLI OWL’S FANTASTIC-SUPER-DUPER-LOOPTY-LOOPSBy: Rebecca RamgoolamOlli Owl was the best loopty-loop flier in the whole wide forest. It's not that the other fliers couldn't do some of them, they just weren't as good as Olli. The owls got extremely dizzy and disoriented or far too tired way too fast and the bats would crash into eachother causing all sorts of air traffic problems. The effort wasn't worth it for them. But as for Olli, for months and months he practiced and practiced until he finally got all the loopty-loops perfected.He could d...

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“Forced to Become a Creature of the Night” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #224

Tom Jepson had worked his way up from rookie programer to become the top project manager at Apex Computer Consulting in only five years. His clients relied so strongly on Tom’s expertise that, if he had taken one of the extremely infrequent vacations, they had threatened to pull out of a number of important projects rather than entrust their operations to anyone but Tom while he remained out of the office. Thus, for half a decade, he had put in extra time late into the night a...

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“Too Late To Live, Too Early To Die” by Chris Waldron

Submitted to Contest #224

From the moment Oliver spotted the man perched on the parapet of the bridge, he knew he wouldn’t jump. The great suspension bridge that spanned the gorge stood still and silent, awaiting the final hour before sunrise. On the horizon, a slender band of blue was beginning to appear, outlining tiny farm houses and copses upon undulating hills. Observing it all was the solitary man, his elbows on his knees, his head in his palms. He sat still as a statue despite his precipitous position. Oliver dared not startle him. Though he was confident ...

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“All-Nighter” by C.L. Stephens

Submitted to Contest #224

Imojune’s attention was divided between watching the clock approach three a.m. and watching the ominously irregular rise and fall of her father’s chest. Three a.m. was only significant because it would mark exactly twenty-four hours of being awake—a rare event for Imojune who was approaching sixty years old next month. She tried to reckon the last time she forewent sleep and decided it must have been during college, nearly 40 years ago. Doing an all-nighter at this age was unwise, she knew, but there was nothing for it. She had to wait and ...

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“Out of the Dust” by Kellin Gibson

Submitted to Contest #224

I glanced over at my alarm and thought: how inconvenient.A muffled ruckus from the attic echoed inside my bedroom. With lazy feet, I slid on my slippers and made my way to the hall closet to retrieve the flashlight.When I pulled down the attic door within the garage and cast the light above me, I braced myself for an enormous opossum to come racing down the stairs. When nothing emerged, I awkwardly climbed the ladder with one arm, wondering briefly if pest control had 24-hour service.Upon entering the musty interior of the attic, I sighed wi...

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“My Personal Time” by Bill Val

Submitted to Contest #224

It was dark. I was staring out the window, holding an herbal tea in my hand. I could feel it getting colder. I didn't bother sipping from it. I'd made the tea maybe fifteen minutes ago, to have something to drink. By “drink,” I mean this is the closest I can get to alcohol. I used to drink coffee as a replacement, but I started overdoing it. I switched to tea, anything non-caffeinated. Almost hilariously, I drank this stuff so I would be able to sleep. But that wasn't happening, and may...

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“Salt and Pepper” by H.e. Ross

Submitted to Contest #224

Zihuatenejo was one of those places that seemed to widen as you wandered its streets. There was a very large and very busy central part of town with traffic from all parts junctioning. There you would find movie theatres, street vendors, a lot of sweet-smelling portable taco grill stands, shops, a brown leafed plaza park, dust noise and even a few beggars. Thankfully, the day was finally ending, though its warmth kept time moving slowly. Shops had opened after siesta and musics ranged from ballads to charro to rap to clashing cymbals of Mexi...

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“Purple Flash ” by DaWei 大卫

Submitted to Contest #224

He was easy to spot. His first and last mistake was his shoes. A patch of moonlight hit that flash of bright purple, and before I even knew it, I had Baba’s gun drawn. His shoes were purple. Just like Mina’s.Purple kid was back the next night. I don’t know why I went back. It’s unwise to use the same streets, the same times, easier to ambush that way. He was still wearing the shoes and had his hair still fluffy and pretty. How silly. In all of this, with everything gone, he insists on those gaudy material things. Just like-He was back the ne...

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“The Night People” by Marina Noack

Submitted to Contest #224

There are those who thrive in the day, who relish in the sun, let the rays soak into their skin and feel the warmth seep into their bones. It is the general consensus that every creature who can feel the warmth of the sun must seek it out. But for a very select few, the moon is their one true love. The moon and the night hold very different light than the sun. The moon’s light is cold but beautiful. It attracts a few like minded, who seek her peace. The nightlife, though often synonymous with a culture of fast paced youth and degenerate crim...

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“The Last All-Nighter” by David Elkind

Submitted to Contest #224

THE LAST ALL-NIGHTER By David L. Elkind I’ve had six all-nighters in my life. The common expression is that I “pulled” an all-nighter, as if I pulled some cord which caused me to stay...

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“Lurch” by Paul Crehan

Submitted to Contest #224

LurchA Short Story by Paul CrehanNOTE: There are two brief but possibly upsetting images of gruesome death in war. Popping a zit, Laurens thought, I’m pretty philosophical about everything. He had hoisted his feet up onto the desk and crossed his ankles. He had clasped his hands at that area where people usually had a belly but where Laurens had a concavity. When he took his Marine Corps physical at 18, the doctors ran tests because there was no way a kid who was 6’3” should only be a buck forty in weight. But they found nothing wrong with h...

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“The Tilapia” by Emily Sparrow

Submitted to Contest #224

Mother doesn’t like it when we go into the Sphere's basement, but the thumps, they wouldn’t stop.The Spheres are our home, transparent structures bobbing around in the middle of the ocean, stabilised by gyroscopic bases so that our freshly caught Tilapia does not fall off of our plates, and back towards the ocean.The Spheres have three levels. The top level, has the kitchen and lounge. The countertops are Pepto Bismol Pink, wrapping seamlessly around the spheres curved edge; which does not quite feel like glass, nor plastic, but like that of...

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Write a story about someone pulling an all nighter.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 35 stories

“All Night Long (All Night)” by Luca King Greek

“The Intruder” by Amber Sattler

“Forsaken at the Feet of the Mountain God” by Nori Shimada

“OLLI OWL’S FANTASTIC-SUPER-DUPER-LOOPTY-LOOPS” by Ruby Nivel Vega

“Forced to Become a Creature of the Night” by Bob Faszczewski

“Too Late To Live, Too Early To Die” by Chris Waldron

“All-Nighter” by C.L. Stephens

“Out of the Dust” by Kellin Gibson

“My Personal Time” by Bill Val

“Salt and Pepper” by H.e. Ross

“Purple Flash ” by DaWei 大卫

“The Night People” by Marina Noack

“The Last All-Nighter” by David Elkind

“Lurch” by Paul Crehan

“The Tilapia” by Emily Sparrow

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story before dawn. Your character has woken up early for a particular reason.

Write a story about two people living together who have opposing sleep cycles, and only cross paths at dawn and dusk.

Start your story with someone saying “I can’t sleep.”

Write about someone who can’t sleep due to jet lag, and decides to set out and explore their new city at night instead.

Contest #224

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

285

Contest entries

135

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: