Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Posted in Narrative on Sep 15, 2023

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✍️ 69 stories

“Swipe Ripe” by Jorie Rao

Submitted to Contest #216

Violet waits. A half an hour isn't so late, she convinces herself. A glance at her phone tells her the service is still as spotty as when she arrived. Not even one lousy bar. It's in SOS mode now. She tries in vain to open the app again to check if Lee sent a "Sorry, running late" message. She knows it's useless. And yet… The app tries to load. She waits. Still nothing. The sweet scent of freshly warmed cookies wafts her way, and she ignores the rumble of hunger. She won't eat. Not yet. She didn't even grab a dri...

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“A Lovely Day” by Aaron Kohlhoff

Submitted to Contest #216

Today is a lovely day. The way the morning sunlight radiates off the wisps of vapor coming from this magical brown liquid is really quite mesmerizing. I could watch it for hours and, most days, that’s actually what I do. My little home away from home is nothing they would gush over at the court of Versailles but it’s warm and dry and I look forward to it opening every day at 5:30 AM. I am typically the first one in line and I take great pride in my punctuality. Most of the employees here are very kind and some actually greet me by the...

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“French Roast” by Brice Bailey

Submitted to Contest #216

Dame walks into my office looking like she just woke up from the last bad night of far too many. A fresh winter gust wafted in with her. The bell rang a bit delayed from her entrance, and her head seemed to split in two for her. She cowered like a cat in a bathtub, holding her hands over her ears before rubbing her cheeks for warmth. Her hands were the only thing bare on her aside from her face. She was gorgeous. Through and through. I felt like I could see her very soul. Broken hearted, and needing a win. She was looking for me to find it....

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“Coffee Shop Robbery Drama” by Francisco Valdez

Submitted to Contest #216

The door jingled open, a dissonant note in the quiet hum of conversation. A frayed bell dangled, bearing the scars of countless collisions with impatient patrons. An eclectic mix of individuals occupied the cramped space, their lives intersecting in a setting that defied definition. Amidst the dimly lit room, a few regulars held court at the corner table, their grizzled faces reflecting the contours of countless espresso shots. They exchanged tales like currency, each story more embellished than the last. No one questioned the veracity of ...

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“The Chair in the Woods” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #216

Kelly stood in line. Always so busy, she thought. She counted the people in front of her, only three orders away. Her eyes kept darting to an overstuffed chair in the corner. I have to have it. I just can't go on. It's been too long. Two away. One away."Hi, Kelly. Would you like your usual?"Kelly was distracted by the chair. "Hi Julie, just my usual." The cashier gave her a strange look. Kelly paid and dashed to the corner chair. Her heart was racing as she got closer. It was still open. She walked faster as she thought, stay open, stay open...

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“You Have to Go Back” by David O'Mahony

Submitted to Contest #216

Stephen traced a finger through the condensation on the window. It was already warm in here compared to the drizzle drumming on the glass outside, and the humidity was making it worse. He drew two eyes and an upside down arc, then obliterated it with his palm. The water was refreshing, but the crush of numbers and rising tumult around him was overbearing. He closed his eyes and let himself cover his ears just for a second, not long enough for anybody to notice he was trying to block them all out. The horde of the faceless, bundled up i...

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“The Miserable Ones” by Glenda Toews

Submitted to Contest #216

“L’habituel?” The usual?“Mais bien sur.” But of course.“Tout de suite.” Right away.Victor settles himself and waits.On this side of the window pane, Voltaire and Diderot still hum. It is as if they pass through the century without moving a muscle. The dead leave thought. Here it still whispers from the walls.A tinkling of glass is heard from the far room. Laughter from the room beside that one. Each compartment within the building had a history. La Fontaine has coughed in this one. Napoleon Bonaparte in that one. Voices of both are etched in...

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“Nest.” by Heide Rembold

Submitted to Contest #216

The warmth from the mug seeps into my hands and saturates my body throughout, opposing the cold surrounding me. I had wanted to sit inside, but the lack of sound barriers caused every noise to bounce against the brick walls and echo to the other side – the conversations between moms with toddlers wiggling around them, the screech of the steam wand dipping into cold milk, the music that they thought, alongside no Wi-Fi, was welcoming and prompted human connection rather than staring at a screen trying to get work done. I sit on ...

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“The Coffee Club” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #216

Well, what a surprise getting a text from Carole inviting me for a coffee. It was bizarre to get a text when we had only ever emailed each other, but an invite for coffee, as such, wasn’t a total surprise. Of all the things we two women loved, it was good coffee. I remember our relationship sparked because Carole shared an essay describing her love of coffee. However, it wasn’t just the text that I found strange. It shocked me that Carole had journeyed to Thailand from the USA and hadn’t thought to pre-warn me that she was com...

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“Performance Review” by Robin Christine Honigsberg

Submitted to Contest #216

Clarissa Malone savored the first mocha-flavored mouthful. Sighing in ecstasy, she relished a second mouthful as Stewart Mulligan sat down opposite her at the small round table, mumbling, “Hello.” Clarissa sighed. The man was socially inept, never mind awkward and his behavior in her presence was evidence he was interested in her. She cherished another mouthful before getting down to business. Clarissa had opted to hold their meeting in a more relaxed setting rather than at the more formal and anxiety-inducing office. Conducting per...

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“Binding Memories ” by Louise Muller

Submitted to Contest #216

The ambience of their surroundings didn’t make their meeting any less uncomfortable. Jeffrey gazed at the woman who sat across from him. She smiled faintly, picked up her dark, steaming beverage and took a small sip. Even though Jeffrey had invited her here, he had no recollection of her. “Why did I invite her here?” he wondered to himself, questioning the outcome of this meeting. She seemed to sense his thoughts as she suddenly leaned forward, moving the small canister of sugar to the side, and said, “I’m so happy you called me, Jef...

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“Lily and the White Stuff” by Pines Callahan

Submitted to Contest #216

Lily and the White Stuff There was something sweet, white and sticky all over my face, and I never wanted to stop eating it. The paper tube it came in was empty, but I could still taste a hint of pure joy when I licked the inside. I decided I should probably eat the tube, too. Not as tasty, but I liked the texture. Four out of ten. The human with the soft hands and voice, my new human, didn’t like that. She took the tube out of my mouth. Confused, I grudgingly allowed it. “Bad dog, that’s not food!” Bad dog? Ugh, it was hard...

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“Why Don't You Visit?” by Jacob Chagoya

Submitted to Contest #216

My head droops, eyes fighting for their life as I try to stay awake. I will remember; I will be aware. I repeat the words over and over as my eyelashes flutter, but just as soon as those words trail away from my mind do I snap awake and shake the square table with my knee. The noise of casual chatter hits my ears before the smell of energy hits my nose. I wrinkle my face, wondering why I am here. I hate studying in places like this, and I hate studying late, and I haven’t been here since he left me. I gather my bearings as I try to re...

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“The Sun of Ipanema.” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #216

Amidst the searing brilliance of a world where the light itself seemed to dance in fevered ecstasy, Antonio Morales Gimbel sat, his gaze fixed on the swirling, molten currents of life that stretched as far as the eye could see. He was Kuat, the sun god of the Mamaiurans, an Amazon Indian tribe nestled deep within the heart of Brazil's lush wilderness. In this fiery domain, where the very concept of temperature lost its meaning, Antonio waited, for he knew that here, in this celestial furnace, the boundaries between time and space were as e...

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“A Done Deal” by R. B. Leyland

Submitted to Contest #216

There she sat, the tickling sensation building into a crescendo as the sweat bead finally reached the end of her nose and dropped in to the cup of horrific black liquid beneath her. She didn't even bother wiping the next bead that began its trek, knowing that the sign of discomfort would be seen as nothing more than a weakness by the being she had come to meet. Around her, people bustled and shoved, slaves to the modern day need to have routine in the blandness of their lives. Many waited in line, the ones at the back turning in disgust as ...

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Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Submissions are closed

✍️ 69 stories

“Swipe Ripe” by Jorie Rao

“A Lovely Day” by Aaron Kohlhoff

“French Roast” by Brice Bailey

“Coffee Shop Robbery Drama” by Francisco Valdez

“The Chair in the Woods” by Daniel Rogers

“You Have to Go Back” by David O'Mahony

“The Miserable Ones” by Glenda Toews

“Nest.” by Heide Rembold

“The Coffee Club” by Stevie Burges

“Performance Review” by Robin Christine Honigsberg

“Binding Memories ” by Louise Muller

“Lily and the White Stuff” by Pines Callahan

“Why Don't You Visit?” by Jacob Chagoya

“The Sun of Ipanema.” by Emanuel Diaz

“A Done Deal” by R. B. Leyland

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a scene in which a character’s behavior or reaction to something is affected by a past experience — without saying what that experience was.

Include dialogue that shows that a character is socially awkward.

Include a scene in your story in which a character's body language conveys their hidden emotions.

Write a story with an open ending that gives readers just enough details to draw their own conclusions.

Contest #216

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: