Local Woman Spends 45 Minutes in Line Only to Remember She Was in Line for Literally Nothing
- Mike Honcho

- Nov 7, 2025
- 2 min read

Washington, USA — In a display of commitment to the vaguely pointless, local woman Erica Johnson, 28, reportedly spent 45 minutes standing in line at the downtown coffee shop Monday before realizing she was not waiting for anything at all.
“I don’t even know why I was here,” Johnson admitted, shaking her head while slowly moving forward in the queue. “I think I saw people in a line and just… joined them. I guess I thought something might be happening. But now… I’m pretty sure it wasn’t.”
Witnesses described a surreal scene as Johnson shuffled along behind 17 strangers, holding a coffee cup from a previous order and occasionally checking her phone for updates that never came.
“She looked very committed,” said onlooker Mark Stevens. “Like, there was a dignity to it, in a tragic sort of way. And the way she kept holding her spot even after realizing she didn’t need anything… wow. Inspirational, honestly.”
Staff at the coffee shop reported that no promotions, giveaways, or events were occurring at the time, and that the line itself had formed spontaneously due to “some people just standing there and other people not wanting to be left out.”
Johnson reportedly experienced a mix of pride and existential despair upon reaching the front of the line, where she was greeted with empty air.
“I felt a weird sense of achievement, like I had completed a quest in a video game that doesn’t exist,” Johnson said. “Also, I feel very tired.”
Psychologists note that Johnson’s experience is increasingly common in modern society, a phenomenon they are calling “line inertia,” in which individuals join queues without purpose simply because everyone else seems to be doing it.
When asked if she planned to leave immediately after realizing the futility of her wait, Johnson said no.
“I’m here now,” she said firmly. “Might as well finish it. Maybe someone will hand me something. Or maybe I’ll just… keep standing. Yeah, I’ll keep standing.”
As of press time, Johnson was still in line, occasionally glancing around for a reason that may never arrive.
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