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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about waiting — but don't reveal what's being waited for until the very end.

Posted in Nonfiction on Oct 26, 2022

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 323 stories

“Waiting” by Clarys J.C.B.

Submitted to Contest #49

The waiting room seats were uncomfortable. You’ve been trying to find a comfortable position for the past hour and a half. You have been waiting for almost two hours now and you were getting antsy. You’ve done a turn around the room twice already. You know its features by now. The room was stuffy and faintly smelled of smoke. Some of the blue wallpaper was peeling and there was a water stain just to the right of the wall clock, whose ticking was starting to drive you insane. It was the only sound in the room, aside from the squeaks and cre...

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“Crimson Horizons ” by Tanisha Bhatia

Submitted to Contest #49

The aureate skies beam galore of their wealthy sangfroid while departing from the day, with bittersweet taste of leaving Talia and her miniature loom in camaraderie of the pies twinkling in the night empyrean. Talia, a name alimentary to the soil, means rain from heaven. The eighteen year old lass, being mirror to the pearly appellation sits drenched in patience and prudence, awaiting the sombre expressions of the welkin to unfold. Swiftly a beige-shaggy fur nudges her arm and evaporates the moistened thoughts. In a mild uprising she ...

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“a night spent a-waiting ” by Binyamin Jackman

Submitted to Contest #49

Sitting across from each other, in a fancy restaurant, they could not look each other in the eye. They just sat there, waiting. It was their 13th anniversary. 13 years, 2 children, 5 dogs. But they could not smile, as they remained there, waiting.  They waited as the time slowly passed. But the time did not wait. Slowly but surely it continued to crawl, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour as it had since the very beginning. As a lawyer, he had written great speeches, relaying them with great conviction. In fact, he was very...

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“Shattered. ” by Rebecca Q

Submitted to Contest #49

Zia watched in awe at the dense fog gradually spreading across her lawn as if seeing it for the very first time. She sat snugly at a rocking chair with Ozzie, her Dachshund companion from the front of their veranda, who was an anniversary gift from her loving husband Tim. She fell in love with the puppy the moment it ran towards her with enthusiasm as Tim wrestled to unwrapped it. Ozzie belonged with them, she was their baby girl. She slowly rocked the chair, her arm around Ozzie as they watched the darkness envelope the yard. The wait was b...

3 comments 3
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“SILENT RHAPSODY” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #49

If the river were to tell its story: ‘I came from melting snow of the Himalayas, flowed down the mountains and found my way to meet the sea. It wasn’t a smooth journey: I hit rock at several places. I had to bend many times and fall steeply at certain points. I passed through dense jungles where only wild beasts roamed. I’m termed holy. Ascetics live near my banks. Pilgrims swarm to take a dip at places designated as holiest on my way. My waters are home to several varieties of fish on which fishermen make a living. The occasional crocodile ...

1 comment 1
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“The Legacy of Rizal” by Faith Chrayon

Submitted to Contest #49

Courage without fear is not courage. It is a meaningless decision, mundane and insignificant. An action the wind sees and deems it unnecessary to remember. Heroes didn't decide to be heroes. They never chose to be one. They simply saw what was happening and decided to take action, no matter the risks, no matter the cost, no matter the fear.  Heroes didn't want to be called heroes. In their time, they just did what they had to do. They didn't want the tragic death most of them received. They didn’t expect to be glorified and commemor...

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“Time is Perspective.” by Skylar Schylar

Submitted to Contest #49

Angelica steps in line. “Well this begins my journey,” she loudly announces as she overlooks the entrance of the amusement park ride. The wait time is 120 minutes. For measly three minutes, she patiently stands still; however, it’s starting to eat away at her, as she becomes antsy. She checks her watch. “Ah man, it’s only been a few minutes; feels like I’ve been here fore-ever! Maybe it’s a good time to take up a new hobby. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with myself for two hours.” She sighs. She slips her phone out of her ba...

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“SOMEDAY... SOMEDAY SOON” by Dolapo Omoleme

Submitted to Contest #49

He took up a position by the window and rested his hands on the windowsill. He laid his head on his folded hands as a frown formed on his face. Through the window he watched the bees as they went about their business, seeming to float as they moved from one flower to another.  One of the bees approached the window, he guessed it must have lost its way. Had it really lost its way? He wondered. Or was it staring at its reflection on glass plane. He wondered if it had the ability to think, and if it did, he wondered what it could be thin...

2 comments 2
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“I waited for you” by Rachel Alex Wall

Submitted to Contest #49

I waited for you for what feel like so long. I know it wasn’t really that long. But, boy did it feel like it. The first time I held you in my arms you were so little, so vulnerable. All claws and scratches wanting to be put back down because you were so scared. I was too, but I knew given time we would be inseparable. However, before that day there were the preparations needed to be done for your arrival. I needed to kitten proof the house, find the right bowls, mess mats, litter box, litter and food. I spent hours browsing in shops and onli...

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“coffeeshope blues 001” by Derek Brown

Submitted to Contest #49

She entered the coffeehouse, she made her way through the sparsely populated cafe to her regular table. She didn't notice a single new face. Its not like she new every patron. She was just good at recognizing faces, and cataloging them. She had seen her fair share of faces to know you can judge a book buy its cover. “the usual?” the barista asked while preparing her coffee “knock it up a notch will ya” she said “you do know we-” their eyes met “fuck, okay so it was a stupid question” he said a little flustered. “here, knocked the fuck up” he...

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“Frozen Stance” by Adrian Tan

Submitted to Contest #49

The sun shone down with great intensity at the desert. A man and a woman stood facing each other, several hundred meters apart. Their eyes bore insurmountable hatred and anger. The woman held a short sword in each hand horizontally and parallel to the other. The swords were pointed directly at the man. At the same time, the man held up a long sword with both hands and aimed at the woman. Their swords glint in the sunlight. Coincidentally, a reflection of light was focused on the man's scar on his forehead. It was something he had carried as ...

4 comments 4
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“The doctor with a secret smile” by RABI CHATTERJEE

Submitted to Contest #49

The doctor with a secret smileBy Rabi ChatterjeeWhy are you in so hurry? Sima asked Rico from the kitchen. Where are you going?I have an important job, Sima, he said. I will tell you later.Won’t you go to the office today? She asked.He replied, no, I have taken one day leave today.She came to their room. Seeing him she said, slowly, slowly. What are you doing? Eat slowly.Rico was in a very hurry. He was checking his watch intermittently as if he had been very late. As he was binding his shoelaces he was taking his breakfast also. He looked t...

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“Waiting for an Eternity” by Syeda Bukhari

Submitted to Contest #49

I was standing on the edge of the cliff. Pale moon was struggling to shine through the thick, black clouds. Cold wind howled around me, pricking my face like icy needles. I shivered and pulled my nightgown tightly around myself, eyeing the inky, black waves pounding on rocks under my feet.  I looked around, waiting for it. Minutes stretched into hours but nothing. My heart grew heavier with every passing minute and my nose went numb with cold. A loud snap shattered the silence of the night. I whipped around, fre...

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“The Verdict ” by Vidyani Lokuge

Submitted to Contest #49

He was waiting. He knew he had to wait for everything to be over. Neal Havershem was sitting on a comfortable chair staring at the wall unfocused. He wanted to smoke a cigarette and swirl the agony away like the smoke. But he had no cigarette and deep down he knew that the pain was never going to leave him. Ever. It was swallowing him day by day, even though everybody said that everything would be okay. He felt like drowning. It was like he knew he had to swim and save himself, but he did not want him to be saved. He just wanted the agon...

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“Swing Set” by Alysha Irvine

Submitted to Contest #49

For her entire life, Lucy had been waiting for Him. She had been waiting long before she knew it, long before the idea could form in her mind, long before she had uttered her first cry into the world that her mother had never gotten to hear. Or, at least, she assumed her mother had never gotten to hear it. Her father did not like to talk about it, so she never asked even though she kept wondering. Wondered what her mother’s laugh had sounded like, what foods she preferred, and if she sang at the top of her lungs on car rides just like Lucy ...

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