Writing Prompt of the Week: March 13-19 (Non-Speculative "No Fantasy" Fiction)

[Wisp]

Welcome to the 39th Writing Prompt of the Week!

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GUIDELINES:

For a refresher on the guidelines, see this topic here:

Writing Prompt of the Week Guidelines

[Review Badge_Legendary-icon] Writing Prompt of the Week Guidelines Once a week, we will post a new topic with a prompt. Here’s how it works: TIMELINE: Prompts are posted on Mondays at 12am CST. You have until Friday at 11:59pm CST to post a submission. Then, the post closes and the weekend is reserved SOLELY for voting. Winners are announced and badges awarded sometime the following Monday. [Review Badge_Legendary-icon]VOTING: Please use the icon to vote…

DISCUSSION:

The chat feature will be enabled for the category (not individual topics). Please keep any extraneous conversation about the prompt, submissions, etc in the chat channel. We’d like to keep the topics clean and for submissions ONLY.

If you’ve got more questions, please ask in the Writing Prompts chat channel (tag CJ or the mods).

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Week of March 13-19
Submissions: March 13-17
Voting: March 18-19
Winner Badge Awarded: March 20

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No-Fantasy Fiction

These prompts are grounded very thoroughly in reality. No magic, no science fiction, no fantasy creatures or worlds should be in submissions for these prompts. Stories can be modern or historical, maybe even slightly futuristic, but they must be based on reality and on earth as we know (or knew) it to be.

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This Week’s Prompt

Write about the time someone walked to a new coffee shop for a fresh cup, only to discover they sold something unexpected instead of coffee.

[leighyeann]

I enter the coffee shop, in the desperate need of a drink to boost my morale. I've hit a rough patch since my boss announced she'd cut half of the workforce at the firm due to financial issues.

I can’t afford to lose this job. If I do, I won’t be able to meet ends and I’ll have to move back to my parents’ home. They’d be less than thrilled to have me back around as they threatened to cut me off six years ago, when I left.

To be honest, I’ve never been to this café. It’s a new place to me. For once, I’d love a change. Sticking to the usual routine has done me more harm than good so far. Maybe I can find a new energy here, or even a new favorite drink.

I try to order a macchiato, but the guy at the counter interrupts me. “Sorry, madam, we don’t have that.” He shakes his head as he gives me the bad news. I poke my nose, thinking of an alternative.

I ask, “Could you give me a suggestion, then? I’m open to trying new flavors.” I can’t hide my excitement at sipping a coffee at this place, which seems to annoy the server. This place is so strange. It’s different from the other coffee shops—actually only two—I’ve been.

The guy confuses even more as he answers, “Well, miss, I’m sorry you think this is a coffee shop. We actually serve hemp infusions. We’re the first in the entire country to make them. Would you like to try one?”

I make two steps back. I’m not sure I want to get in trouble for drinking weed.