Odd Prompts: Monday Morning

The coffee shop was buzzing, as it was every Monday morning. No one knew how the baristas managed to start the work week off with such bubbly, sunny enthusiasm, and no one ever asked. There are things it is best not to know.

What you need to know is that the coffee here is good, and the pastries divine. They glisten like jewels crusted in sweet sugars, behind their shimmering diamond display window. Whatever you do, don't touch the glass. No one will say anything, but a barista will whip 'round the counter and give you such a disappointed look as they polish away the marks you left, you'll feel like a chastened toddler and want to sink into the floor. 

The door opened, and a whine of the wind catching it caused a brief lull in the general human noise level. It wasn't a full stop of talking, just a switch in attention, a watchful awareness that something was coming. The woman who had opened the door wrestled it closed against the wind, and then made her way to the counter as the morning crowd recovered their equilibrium.

Billy had her cup waiting when she reached the pickup. "I made special art for you, ma'am!"

She flinched a little from the relentlessly cheerful young man, but managed to nod in approbation as she reached for the cup. Then she stopped, and let out a tiny squee of delight when she saw her own portrait on the coffee foam.

The temperature in the shop dropped ten degrees in a heartbeat when the banshee emitted her shrill noise, but Billy just chortled with glee.

"Glad you like it! See you tomorrow!"

The next customer stepped up to the counter, and Mindy greeted them with a cheerful word and took their order before they even had to say a word.

The baristas know what you want, even before you do, although they may run through the special choices for the day if you are in a particularly inhuman mood some day. Everyone leaves the coffee shop with a lighter step, after they have been here and gotten what their heart desires. Particularly on a Monday morning. 

My prompt this week came from Padre, with "Whatever you do, don't touch the glass." And then when I was blearily contemplating my Monday morning coffee and poking MidJourney for an ironic image, the above happened. 

I prompted 'Nother Mike this week with "The mistake was adding a trifle of truffle to the trifle." 

You can read all of the prompt responses, or join in on the action yourself, over at More Odds Than Ends. See you there!