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.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 24 stories

“I DON@T LIKE MONDAYs” by Kayhan Egeli

Submitted to Contest #109

It has been eighteen months since I worked from home due to pandemics and following lockdowns. In a way, office life is disappeared from my life. Today I am back to my old routine, I got up, had a shower, a piece of toast and drive to work. My boss, managing director of the company Alan sent to me a text on Friday and asked me to be in the office on Monday." We are back to normal Tony, see you Monday," it was short but not sweet. It is difficult for me to adjust myself to a new old life. I put the CD on to listen to "I don't like, Mondays fr...

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“Delusion” by Tyler Hanson

Submitted to Contest #109

This is the story of a woman named Penelope. Penelope works for an ordinary company, at an ordinary desk, where she works an ordinary nine to five. Penelope’s job is simple, she answers emails at her desk. Nothing more. Nothing less. Penelope has been doing this for her entire adult life with no complaints. Some might even say this job is monotonous, boring, or even soul-crushing. And yet, Penelope is happy. That is, until one Monday morning, when something bizarre happened. Something that Penelope would never forge...

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“Leave of Absence ” by Vox Deruste

Submitted to Contest #109

Leave of Absences By Vox Deruste “ Hey, Julian!” My attention was jerked away from the computer screen by the voice of my superior. “ Kinda need you to take out the screens from these Chromebooks.” I looked at a stack of partially damaged laptops, partially broken in all but one way. Screens we can take out and use for other laptops later. “ I’ll get on that Mike.” I took out a screwdriver from a tool pouch and got to take out the screw connecting the screen to the Chromebook. “ Huh?” Mike said with slight curiosity. We w...

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“Deadly Secrets Between Friends” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #109

Mia dreaded Monday mornings. She loved her job but hated how manic Monday’s are at her job since she got promoted. She had worked in the library since high school and now only 10 years later she was the assistant director sitting in a sweet office with a view to die for. She often looked out of her office window and pinched herself because she knew this had to be a dream. A dream she didn’t want to ever end. Until one Monday morning she thought she was in a nightmare at 8am. Mia sat in her plush office chair and threw her purse in the bott...

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“Genevieve's Final Cup of Coffee” by Pako Dunwhile

Submitted to Contest #109

Genevieve sat aghast in front of her company laptop. Her mouth hung open like a trout caught on a fisherman's line. Her emotions dangled with equal effect. She did her best to manage the shock that radiated through herself within her workspace. "No fucking way," she stammered out. "How is this even possible?" The LED screen displayed the usual garbage pile of personal email subject lines. This lone email subject caused her skin to crawl. She had been reassured repeatedly that everything would work out fine, nothing could go wrong. ...

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“IF ONLY” by Sanet Smit

Submitted to Contest #109

'Oh, dammit!' Rebecca Walsh spilled some coffee all over the paperwork on her desk. She wiped it quickly with a tissue before it reached her laptop. Then, annoyed with herself, she threw the blotted tissues in the bin before returning to her laptop and opening her email. Slowly sipping her coffee, she scanned over her emails before stopping quickly in shock. She placed the cup carefully away from the wet paperwork before turning her attention back to the email that had gotten her attention. 'Post Adoption Contact Agreement.' Rebecca stare...

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“Donna Summer isn't my real name” by Angela Kaufman

Submitted to Contest #109

(Warning: Mild adult content)Donna Summer isn’t my real name, the email began. I can’t tell you my real name, I can’t afford to do that, it went on.So, there’s me, all huddled up under my cosy, winter-tog duvet, still basking in the glow of my new job.All the girls get called the name of the singer of the song they’re dancing to, she wrote, (me assuming she was a she).True, it hadn’t been easy getting there and I still had a whopping loan to pay off for tuition fees, but right now, sat in front of my PC, Monday morning, a week of writing str...

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“Out of Time” by Russell Susko

Submitted to Contest #109

What happens when you receive an email meant for someone else? Forward, delete, spam. I was the delete type. Admittedly, this had not always worked out for me, so I turned into a forward type. What if I had not changed? What a different life I’d be living, if I had deleted one email on one particular day.Monday morning promised to be ordinary. Bored! I swiveled in my office chair, wondering how I was going to make it through the rest of the day. I worked for a graphic design company which was up against a vital deadline. An S&P 500 compa...

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“The Coordinators” by Kelly Baldwin

Submitted to Contest #109

Brian sighed as her turned down the aisle to his cubicle. Monday morning and back again. He was greeted with a sea of cubicles in a vast room of irritating, fluorescent lights and blank, lifeless walls. Wasn’t he just here yesterday…trapped in his padded cell? No, he had had the weekend off — Freedom — when he actually seemed alive. But here he was again as if the last two days were but two hours. Five days of this to look forward to before real life returned. It seemed backward. Shouldn’t it be ...

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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.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 24 stories

“I DON@T LIKE MONDAYs” by Kayhan Egeli

“Delusion” by Tyler Hanson

“Leave of Absence ” by Vox Deruste

“Deadly Secrets Between Friends” by Marcia H.

“Genevieve's Final Cup of Coffee” by Pako Dunwhile

“IF ONLY” by Sanet Smit

“Donna Summer isn't my real name” by Angela Kaufman

“Out of Time” by Russell Susko

“The Coordinators” by Kelly Baldwin

🌟 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.

Set your story during the night shift.

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: