Write about someone who’s trying to accomplish a task that used to be easy but is now made complicated by a pandemic.

Posted in Narrative on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 80 stories

“Running Around for Rent ” by Red Eleven

Submitted to Contest #84

“I’m sorry, ma’am. We don’t have any postage stamps,” the lady says in her bored voice, standing on the other side of the counter in her baby blue polo. A plexiglass shield separates us and I glare into my own reflection, brow furrowed and mouth open. The coffee stain on my tanktop has leaked into my opened blouse, staining it a muddy red, even though I tried to blot it away with an old math assignment in my car. I blink three times. I’ve been waiting in the line for nearly an hour. “Can’t you just print out a sticker and I give...

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“And Then It All Changed” by Patty Ann

Submitted to Contest #84

The blue gloves didn’t peel easily from Barbie’s sweaty hands. Neither did the rest of the personal protective equipment she was struggling out of in the middle of a cold heavy rain. She tried to stay bent under the trunk lid of her Subaru, while stripping off the jumpsuit, soggy shoe protectors, face mask, goggles, and hair protector but the wind was blowing hard enough to swirl the rain even under her makeshift shelter, soaking her. By the time she slammed the driver’s side door shut against the storm, she was wet, cold and miserable. With...

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“New Jersey Marathon” by Matilda Spadoni

Submitted to Contest #84

Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a runner. I ran with my mom, who was a world-renowned sprinter. She went to the Olympics once, and then retired when she got pregnant with me. I thought I would get those genes, but I got my dad’s severe asthma instead. That didn't stop me though. In middle school, I got 5th in a cross country race. Granted, there were seven people racing in the non-varsity, but I’ll take it. In high school, I got my mile time down to a 7:40, without having an asthma attack. I would never be an Olympian, but I could st...

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“Pandemic Relationship ” by CJ K

Submitted to Contest #84

Pandemic Relationship “I’m sorry, Lena. They won’t let me on the plane.” Alex felt exhausted as he sat in the airport waiting area holding his cellphone to his ear. Lena fought back tears as she gripped her cellphone. “It’s okay, Alex. I know it can’t be helped.” She had really hoped this time it would work out for them. For three weeks Alex had been trying to get on a plane to see Lena, but every time a positive case of the virus would pop up and the flight would be canceled. The pandemic had hit their relationship hard. For two years...

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“Hand Soap” by Arthur Lee

Submitted to Contest #84

Paper, pencil, eraser. and hand sanitizer. Bags, keys, list. and mask. Eggs, apples, pork. and extra hand soap. After the pandemic began to slowly conquer the world forty-three years ago, life had changed drastically for those who survived the first wave. Adjusting as quickly as possible, the inhabitants of the planet were forced to cut off most forms of long-distance communication such as phones and computers, tablets and televisions. Even letters were hastily banned, as the virus spread through what seemed like everything...

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Write about someone who’s trying to accomplish a task that used to be easy but is now made complicated by a pandemic.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 80 stories

“Running Around for Rent ” by Red Eleven

“And Then It All Changed” by Patty Ann

“New Jersey Marathon” by Matilda Spadoni

“Pandemic Relationship ” by CJ K

“Hand Soap” by Arthur Lee

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that spans exactly a year and takes place in a single room.

Write about someone who grew up in a bunker, and lockdown life is all they’ve ever known.

Set your story in a post-pandemic world, where the effects are still felt even as your character attempts to move on.

Start your story with a character struggling to remember the date, because every day is like the last one.

Contest #84

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

664

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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