Spectator competition winners: short stories entitled ‘The Queue’

In Competition No. 3270, you were invited to submit a short story entitled ‘The Queue’.

As well as inspiring this challenge, the queue to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during her lying-in-state in Westminster Hall spawned countless jokes and memes, obsessed crowd psychologists and became the top trending topic on Twitter. It now has its own Wikipedia entry.

Commendations go to Paul D. Amer and Paul Freeman; the winners earn £25 each.

Alone, Dmitri hobbled to join the queue, his arthritic bones aching and his aged eyes tearful. He could see only the shuffling throng ahead of him. The Mausoleum was still out of sight. Two, three, four hours, who knew? All Dmitri knew was that he had to pay personal homage to a great man who had led the nation in peace and war. Powerful emotions mingled in the old man’s mind till they demanded expression. He touched the sleeve of the man in front of him and poured out his admiration, pride and sorrow.