The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?
Something heavy and metal slammed onto the counter. He squeezed the Styrofoam cup in his fist, spilling the scalding latte onto his hand and wrist.
“Shit!” He yanked a handful of napkins from the dispenser, patted his throbbing, red hand, and crouched to the floor to wipe up the spilt coffee.
“Black,” a voice sounding like chalk on a blackboard spoke. An old woman with wrinkled, brown skin like rubber stared down at him. She wore an oversized lumberjack shirt, her head wrapped in the matching scarf, gray hair sticking out at the sideburns like whiskers.
“Coffee black.” She wrapped her fingers around the blades of a large pair of hedge clippers lying on the counter.
“Gimme a sec.” He tossed the napkins in the trash. Taking a glance out the window, he noticed the hedge in the parking lot, ruffling in the breeze.
“Hurry,” the woman said, “family’s waitin’.”
word count: 150
—Nortina
Mondays Finish the Story: a flash fiction challenge where we provide you with a new photo each week, and the first sentence of a story. Your challenge is to finish the story using 100-150 words, not including the sentence provided.
Click the froggy icon to read other stories and add your own.
Lovely Curses 
Loved it. She transformed the hedge into a family and claimed it!
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Very quirky. I was guessing about the possible meanings to the last line and then scrolled down. It still leaves the imagination to wonder whether she has magically transformed her family into shrubs or, conversely, it is a family of shapeshifters whose mom has a caffeine addiction and just has to stop for a cup of java before they move on. Nice.
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There are so many ways to can look at it. She could’ve magically transformed her family into shrubs, or she’s crazy and she thinks the humanoid shrubs are actual people, or the caffeine has gotten to the barista’s head, and there’s a real family out there behind the shrubs. Oh, the possibilities! 😉
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Lovely descriptions that build an image in my mind very quickly. The styrofoam cup, napkins, scalding, and the heavy clunk of metal all helped paint a vivid picture.
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Fabulous ending Nortina, enjoyed this take very much….well done.
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Wonderful as always!!!! Great ending!!!!!
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Loved it Nortina! haha! Especially the last line. LOL
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Thanks! 🙂
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Loved the last line! Nicely done Nortina! Thanks for another great addition to the MFtS challenge. Be well… ^..^
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Thanks!
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🙂
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