Just one more minute, please!

Submitted into Contest #260 in response to: Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.... view prompt

45 comments

Creative Nonfiction Fiction

Just one more minute, please!


Friday nights have always been special.

Back when, those evenings were full of fun and games. You were an expert at Monopoly, usually taking all your parents’ and brothers’ money. Sometimes the evening was spent peeking between your fingers while being half scared, half thrilled by blobs from outer space. Staying up way past your bedtime, begging for five more minutes, one more story, one more hand of cards. Sometimes the pleas were heard, other times not.


Later Fridays meant a movie with your friends and a curfew that you tried to stretch and stretch. Then came the dinner dates with a new love and lingering over that extra bottle of wine. Or an evening in front of a cozy fire with your special someone, champagne, strawberries, and massage oil at hand, coaxing her to spend the night.


But Friday evenings have a different meaning now.


While the weekdays may be devoted to work, the evenings are now full of family and social obligations. Poker night with the guys, while she has quilting bee with the girls, Suzie’s recital, Bobbie’s T-ball practice, laundry night and the weekly family outing to the supermarket. And let’s not forget those potluck dinners that Marylee-down-the-street organizes with clinical regularity.


But Friday evenings are still sacred.


Your fleeting thoughts just before falling asleep, those free associations while showering in the morning, that running private soundtrack while you are negotiating commuter traffic, doodling during boring meetings, scratching on half crumpled lunch napkins, sleepwalking through yet another case of colic or teething. Every one of these moments is now devoted to conceiving, gestating, and birthing the winning story before Friday midnight.


Painstakingly, through many years of practice and sacrifice, you, our hero, have conditioned yourself to manage life on four hours of sleep. This, you believe, adds twenty-eight precious hours to your weekly writing schedule. And it does. You spend an extra four hours every night at your computer. Though at least thirty minutes of which are wasted while you stares numbly at the blinking curser. And half of your work may be jettisoned the next day as being illegible drivel.


Throughout life, time restrictions have been fluid, or at least negotiable. Bedtimes and curfews were set, only to be wheedled and pushed back with a ‘pretty please’. Bills always come with a build in grace period. Appointments, especially with a medical professional, are hardly set in stone. Even the sun rises and sets at a different time each day. And the deadline for filing taxes can be extended.


But just as the polls have an exact closing time, putting a merciful end to biased ad campaigns, so is Reedsy’s Deadline non-negotiable.

Just before midnight on Friday, Deadline waits in the wings, poised to strike with ruthless accuracy. Thrilled to have its one shining moment each week, Deadline holds everyone accountable. It may pretend to be magnanimous, understanding, and helpful. But in the end, it will never give an inch, or a second if you will. In the end, Deadline is soulless, and, for all we know, may delight in rigidly following the rules week to week.


And once again it’s Friday night.


Through the week you have focused on your writing, after poker and a few beers, after the exhausting trip to the supermarket, trying stick to a list that does not contain sugar, after that infernal potluck block party and James’ near lethal punch, while yet another load of laundry is tumbling in the dryer, having one finally sleeping baby slung over your shoulder, you work diligently on your story. Excited because you are inspired, believe that you have found it, the elusive answer to what the judges are looking for this week. You all but throw the baby aside and type with a ferocity rarely seen at your desk.


Silently the door opens, revealing you, a lone figure lit by a single lamp, slumped over your desk. On cat’s paws the intruder approaches you, our exhausted hero. A well-manicured index finger sharply pokes between your shoulder blades.


“Thirty minutes.” Deadline towers over you.


With a jerk and a gasp, jostling the laptop, and waking the screen you protest the painful wake-up call.


“Yikes! I’m editing. I’m …”


“You are good, I give you that, but even you can’t edit a black screen.” Deadline observes wryly.


You sigh in frustration.


“I guess you’re here to give me a lecture on time management. Tut-tut about my late hours and wasted time due to fatigue. I challenge you to write a story in what’s left of the hundred and sixty hours after we subtract all our other obligations. Or do you have the ultimate secret? The one and only, sure-fire method of producing a prize-worthy story within those hundred and sixty hours. Are you’re here to teach me the secret that will work every time?” You sneer dismissively.


Deadline, having cleared discarded papers, dogeared reference books, one sleeping baby and other flotsam from a corner of an old, seldom used sofa, leans back, crossing one leg over the other, daintily brushing away imaginary lint and smiles indulgently.


“On the contrary, I am here solely for the purpose of reminding you that you have a limited number of minutes left.”


Though Deadline appears emotionally unaffected, there is a gleeful undertone to its voice.


“But since you asked. You apparently hope that your story will birth itself. Stand up, drink and cigarette in hand. Wave a nonchalant farewell and turn to meet the world, expecting the accolade it thinks it is due. Although it happens on occasion, it’s rare that such a precocious little thing is successful.

No, in my opinion brainchildren do better when carefully nurtured, endlessly cleaned, and diapered until they find their unique voice. When it is ready it will tell you which prompt it wants to belong to. One cannot, no matter how talented and skillful the author, believe that this process can happen in six hours. Not on a regular basis. But” Deadline scoffs. “You seem to thrive on the pressure. Far be it from me to interfere with a winning combination.”


Preparing to rise, Deadline cannot hide a quirk of its lips. Something akin to nostalgia flits across its face.


“However, I am aware that some stories take longer to mature, and I know of others that live in basements, playing with themselves in perpetuity.” Looking at the teething baby, Deadline shrugs. “They deserve to be loved nonetheless.”


Deadline rises bestowing a wink and a wry smile on you. “Seeing as I have taken up more of your time than I intended and you are now down to ten minutes, I shall see myself out. I wish you good luck and a good night.”


“No, no! Not fair. Wait!” You sputter impotently. “I demand those twenty minutes back. I need more time, please!” You beg shamelessly.


“And yet you ought to thank me, for if I hadn’t woken you ... who knows.” Deadline counters as his chuckle fades down the hall.


An adenoidal gasp wakes you. Rubbing your eyes, you squint at the tiny number in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen.


“Crikey!”


With your trademark sigh, while running a hand through self-inflicted thinning hair, you turn back to the computer, say a Hail Mary, cross your fingers and submit the story. Knowing that the thumbs up and encouraging feedback always outweighs the weekly agony.



July 20, 2024 01:46

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45 comments

Debbie Wingate
21:07 Jul 31, 2024

Great story! I enjoyed it being in second tense, and loved the attitude of Deadline.

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Trudy Jas
00:19 Aug 01, 2024

LOL. If anyone can have an attitude, it would be deadline. Who's gonna stop him? Thank you Debbie, for your comment.

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Sherri Moorer
15:20 Jul 31, 2024

Excellent story, making the prompt itself a character!

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Trudy Jas
16:41 Jul 31, 2024

Thanks, Sherri. We've all been there at one time of another. :-)

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Kathryn Parker
03:31 Jul 30, 2024

Never had "Deadline" as a character in anything I've read, but have to say love the personification! Also, definitely felt the stress through the page, very well done!

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Trudy Jas
11:07 Jul 30, 2024

Thank you, Katheryn. I did the Devil once and Death twice. With them out of the way, Deadline was a piece of cake. LOL I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

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Tisheia Frazier
21:05 Jul 28, 2024

Interesting! This is my first submission, honestly my hat goes off to you for your accomplishments in the writing world :)

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Trudy Jas
21:49 Jul 28, 2024

Thank you, Tisheia. I'm glad you enjoyed my story. And welcome to Reedsy. :-)

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Tisheia Frazier
21:56 Jul 29, 2024

Thank you 😊

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Karen Hope
19:51 Jul 28, 2024

What a vivid way to describe the weekly Reedsy contest cycle, and that lingering deadline. Friday nights take on new meaning when you’re trying to write the perfect story. Creative and fun. I’ll never look at deadlines the same :)

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Trudy Jas
20:17 Jul 28, 2024

:-) Don't worry, Deadline has your back. Thanks Karen.

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04:23 Jul 27, 2024

And another one bites the dust—or makes the deadline! Many comments are too true. I'm so sick of stressing over edits right at the end, before the deadline, especially with my family interrupting constantly. Now, I try to write a little bit each day from Monday on and spend time reading others' stories when I can. Over the first weekend, after a new prompt, I try to dredge up a fitting story. Many aspects need to be researched and checked. Sometimes, I already have a story, but unwritten. Other times, it's written and needs modifying for t...

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Trudy Jas
10:52 Jul 27, 2024

Isn't it always the other stuff - not our creativity - that keeps us from becoming Koonz or Patterson. LOL Thanks Kaitlyn. And yes, out of the 300 or 400 entries, it's hard to pick the one and definitive winning story.

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RJ Holmquist
19:07 Jul 25, 2024

Deadline and Brainchild...will they ever get along? Nice work!

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Trudy Jas
20:38 Jul 25, 2024

Thanks, RJ. One of yours did. :-)

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Daniel R. Hayes
16:11 Jul 24, 2024

This was such a great read, Trudy! My kind of story!! You always impress us with your prolific writing!!!! I loved this one! Great job as always!!! :)

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Trudy Jas
16:30 Jul 24, 2024

Thanks Daniel. We've all been there at one point. And he told me he's about to put us boots on and make the rounds again Have you heard anymore about your surgery?

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Daniel R. Hayes
06:25 Jul 25, 2024

You're very welcome!!!! I have to go in August because they called me and rescheduled.... Ugh! They said the doctor wouldn't be in until then. I guess he went on vacation...hahah!

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Trudy Jas
10:39 Jul 25, 2024

They do have a tendency to escape at the most inconvenient times. But you'd rather have him fully rested and brimming with good cheer (though not margaritas) when you're on the table. :-)

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Daniel R. Hayes
18:29 Jul 30, 2024

Oh, yes!!! Hahahaha!! Also, if he messes up, he can rest assured that I can pick him up with the greatest of ease and body slam him like nobody's business even on one leg hahahah!!

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Trudy Jas
20:04 Jul 30, 2024

That's a great way to make friends. :-) The dilemma now is do you tell him ahead of time and risk a trembling hand, or blindside him afterwards if he does mess up. May need to study contract law for that one. LOL Good luck either way.

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Thomas Wetzel
04:56 Jul 24, 2024

This was great, Trudy. I really love the meta nature of it and the personification of "Deadline" was expertly done. I really love your writing. You really know how to spin a yarn and your narrative style is exceptional. (It would be a little better if there were at least a few dead bodies, but that's just my personal preference. You don't have to kill off the majority of the human population like I did this week but you can give me at least 3-4 corpses next week. Just a little constructive feedback.)

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Trudy Jas
08:56 Jul 24, 2024

Thank you, Thomas, for your exuberant praise and constructive feedback, By the way, in my story "Smoke on the Water MC does die. And one side character plus Yeti bit the dust in "The train." But I shall endeavor to do better in the future. :-)

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Brian Haddad
04:36 Jul 24, 2024

I seriously considered submitting for this prompt (and I still might... it appeals to my rebellious nature and my desire to technically cater to the cliché but in a non-cliché way lol), and in one of my early ideas I concluded that it might be easier told from the second person. Nice to see I wasn't alone in this thought! I always love personifying the intangible parts of our lives. Well done! And of course all of your readers felt ruthlessly called out by the story. Or... at least most of your readers probably did. I, for one, have a tende...

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Trudy Jas
09:13 Jul 24, 2024

Your secret is safe with me. :-) I did the math a while back. Assuming work takes up at least 40 hrs. per week, sleep another 50-60- hours per week, add commuting time, errands, chores, time with family and friends, there are 20 to 30 hours left to write a story before Friday midnight. So, I'm in awe of anyone who writes at least one story beginning to end in that time (I have no work, no friends, don't bother with chores so have all the time in the world to write). I see it more as a tribute to our (or everybody else's) dedication. Of co...

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Hannah Lynn
00:03 Jul 22, 2024

I loved this so much! I was smiling throughout your story. It is about us all, we are obsessed with our stories and we are plagued by Deadline!

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Trudy Jas
00:20 Jul 22, 2024

Yes, ma'am. :-) We agonize, and ponder and finally (well, I've only done it once, way too A-type) on Friday evening we sweat. Thanks, Hannah. :-)

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Martha Kowalski
18:57 Jul 21, 2024

Ha chasing an August 15th deadline for my paper, this hits very close to home 😅 but I loved it, Trudy, so enjoyable :)

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Trudy Jas
19:00 Jul 21, 2024

Thanks! I think I remember that far back, though I had to do those blasted things on a typewriter with white-out and carbon paper. LOL

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Martha Kowalski
20:58 Jul 21, 2024

Oh I'd take that a million times over than waiting for my code to churn out after hours haha

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Trudy Jas
21:14 Jul 21, 2024

Trust me, you don't. Not unless you are a flawless typist. :-)

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Martha Kowalski
21:15 Jul 21, 2024

HAHA fair point :)

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Mary Bendickson
19:54 Jul 20, 2024

👍

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Trudy Jas
19:58 Jul 20, 2024

🫶

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Trudy Jas
15:57 Jul 21, 2024

Is your ticker ticking like clockwork again? (read your answer to Derrick)

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Mary Bendickson
16:57 Jul 21, 2024

Got my rhythm back. 🙏 Thanks for the concern.

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Trudy Jas
17:36 Jul 21, 2024

Any time. Rhythm is good. Ole

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Alexis Araneta
17:39 Jul 20, 2024

All too relatable. Hahahaha ! Splendid work here. I loved the flow and the humour in this piece!

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Trudy Jas
18:10 Jul 20, 2024

Thanks. Haven't we all had one eye on the clock and one on our keyboard at least once? LOL Glad you liked it.

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Jim LaFleur
09:35 Jul 20, 2024

Trudy, your story captures the relentless pursuit of creativity amidst life’s chaos. The personification of Deadline is both clever and relatable, making the narrative engaging and humorous. Well done!

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Trudy Jas
12:21 Jul 20, 2024

Thank you, Jim. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :-)

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Keba Ghardt
02:21 Jul 20, 2024

I think the word is 'relatable'. If I could share images here, you'd see the 'Mr. Deadline' superhero I drew in 2020. It's a pleasure to participate in your therapy

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Trudy Jas
02:28 Jul 20, 2024

Thanks! LOL The doctor is in. (can't make an backward s, sorry) :-) I think everyone of us has been there, at least once.

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