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

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✍️ 323 stories

“Not Her Happily Ever After” by Mandi Maitlen

Submitted to Contest #49

The sun hung low in the sky signaling the close to another beautiful summer day. The day had been a humid one but perfect nonetheless. The smell of cut grass still clung thick in the air, from several of the homes nearby, tinged with a hint of backyard bonfires. Saturdays in August were very seldom lazy. Families trying to squeeze out every drop of summer before frost settled over the city once more. "Higher!" A gleeful girl exclaimed from the toddler swing. The rocking motion causing the entire set to sway. Blonde curls danced around the ...

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“Redemption ” by Erika MacNeil

Submitted to Contest #49

REDEMPTION Click. Pause. “It’s time.” Sigh. “Let’s go.” Not yet. Metal scrapes on concrete, chains biting fresh wounds in my ankles. My head nods, heavy with the sleep I stole before sunrise. I blink, chapped lips pursed against crooked teeth. I take a breath, my lungs ballooning inside my ribcage, the skin stretched taut across my bones. “Get up.” I turn my head, my pupils meeting yours like magnetic poles. Gulp. A bead of salty sweat rolls into your too tight collar. Grima...

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“Butter Days” by Courtney Langevin

Submitted to Contest #49

It is a classic sweltering hot afternoon in Florida. I have only been out of the air conditioning for three minutes and I already feel the sweat on my brow and, frankly, everywhere else. But as I sit and wait, I wonder if the sweat is all due to the Florida weather. My hands are shaking and I can’t stop my leg from bouncing like a basketball. Nerves. Yet I don’t dwell on my nerves or what is causing them. I don’t dwell on the minutes passing by as I wait. I go back to a place only my mind’s eye can see. Way back to a time where cell ph...

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“The Transformation” by Natalie Smith

Submitted to Contest #49

He felt calm but could detect the rising nervous tension setting in amongst the others in the group. Their feelings threatened to drag him in and smother him, to turn him weak and giddy. As if this waiting wasn’t bad enough on its own. He smiled around coldly and then looked down at his watch. At least they had started on time for once. Looking around him, his hard glare like a challenge, he noticed several of the others had averted their eyes. They knew him quite well by now. He fought the urge to smirk at the satisfying buzzing sensation ...

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“New Life” by Vianney Muñoz

Submitted to Contest #49

It has been four months since I arrived in this country. Four months seem to be a short period of time, not very transcendental, but they could become an eternity when you are waiting for something. Every day of the last four months, my head has gotten tired of counting the seconds, the minutes, the hours, to be closer to today, august 20th. At first, I did not know how much time I had to wait; I was just hoping that it would not be too long. The only assurance I had, was that waiting was unavoidable, and that the amount of time was unpred...

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“Shrodinger's ICU” by E. Christian

Submitted to Contest #49

Every second was an eternity, but ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye. As Ella waited for the phone to ring, trying to decide what she would say when the moment came, she felt acutely how terrible it was to be caught, trapped, between the world of knowing and not knowing. The impending collision of these two worlds was imminent- the next ringing of the phone would be the warning shot- and not knowing exactly when that would be was its own type of torment. There was so much work to do: an admission note, an event note, a ...

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“Stranded in the Time of Internet Malfunction and Corona” by S Vardhan

Submitted to Contest #49

Sasha wasn’t one for blaring alarms. On all other mornings, she would wake up to the fantastical piano notes of the South Korean composer, Yiruma. Not that Monday morning, though. That Monday morning, the siren ringing from her phone kickstarted her heart and thrust her placid delta brainwaves into chaotic beta ones. Her body was used to waking up at noon but she feared that if she didn’t wake up at 7:45am sharp, she would remain stranded.She had 15 minutes to rub the sleep out of her eyes, brush the bacteria out of her teeth, and pour almon...

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“The Night Before Tomorrow” by Leela Marcelino

Submitted to Contest #49

The hands hung to the minute as she searched for the hour. Addy would spend hours staring at the large black numerals on the wall clock across the way—serving as much purpose as a broken compass on a roiling sea. When she finally did manage to unstick her forehead from the door glass, a redness would drown her pale complexion and sweat would glue together the wrinkles etched deep into her skin. Restless anticipation smothered the air around her. Each evening the guards made a point of walking by the cellblocks and thumping their fists on the...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 323 stories

“Not Her Happily Ever After” by Mandi Maitlen

“Redemption ” by Erika MacNeil

“Butter Days” by Courtney Langevin

“The Transformation” by Natalie Smith

“New Life” by Vianney Muñoz

“Shrodinger's ICU” by E. Christian

“Stranded in the Time of Internet Malfunction and Corona” by S Vardhan

“The Night Before Tomorrow” by Leela Marcelino

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that takes place in a waiting room.

Write a story about a person waiting for an answer to a question.

Write a story about a relationship where one person is always running late and the other is constantly kept waiting.

Write a story about two strangers chatting while waiting for something.

Contest #49

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

1054

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: