Here’s my contribution to this week’s Monday’s Finish the Story, brought to us by Barbara Beacham.

Finish the story begins with:  “The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?”

Ever since they’d been selling the new coffee, the customers were complaining about its unusual side effects. That they were seeing fuzzy outlines around trees, and shadows flitting at the edge of their vision. Some people were even talking to dead relatives. The barista didn’t believe in such things, so when one of the regulars bet him $50 to drink a double espresso, he just thought that it was easy money. Except now he wasn’t so sure. The coffee came in a small black bag  with a name, and nothing else. “Midnight Brew.” He hesitated, twirling the tiny espresso glass before taking a sip of the  thick black brew. Heartbeat quickened, pupils dilated, everything came into sharp focus. It tasted of chocolate, and flowers, of his first kiss, of mothers milk, of tears, and of life itself. He shook his head and blinked. Was the topiary hedge waving at him?

This is my contribution to Monday’s finish the Story, hosted by Barbara Beacham.

Finish the story starts with: “What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

Oscar read aloud the words which had greeted him each morning for the past 20 years at Hardwyke Forsythe and Rogers.

He turned to face the year’s new recruits, with their freshly ironed shirts, trim haircuts and unblinking expressions.

He looked down at his own clothes and noticed a blob of yesterday’s dried ketchup resting against his paunch. He flopped back into his seat and opened the orientation manual, before promptly slamming it shut again.

“So who can tell me what we do here?” “Yes. Simon?” He glanced down at his watch before meeting Star Eager Beaver’s eye. Two more minutes to a smoke break.

“We educate people learn about new products and services sir.” A chuckle escaped his lips.

“We sell dreams, son. We sell hopes and dreams in jars and tubes, and people buy them for whatever outrageous amounts of money we ask. Welcome to advertising school. Don’t believe a word of it.”

This is my contribution to this week’s Monday’s Finish the Story, brought to us by Barbara Beacham. Thanks once again Barbara 🙂

Finish the story starts with: The crew of the Angel Flame received orders to head out.

She made her way quickly towards the edge of the Great Southern Ocean to retrieve what was left of the space shuttle Explorer, which had broken up on re-entry a few hours ago.

They were expecting the worst, and a hungry media was feeding their every move live into homes and offices around the world.

Captain Shepperd was about to brief the navy divers when he was interrupted by his deputy. “Sir, you need to see this.” His expression pulled the captain away from the waiting men as he thrust a sonar printout into Shepperd’s waiting hand. “What am I looking at here, Rogers?” The Captain’s confused expression matched his own. “The Explorer sir. It’s impossible, but the ship is still intact, underwater. And it’s coming right at us.”

This is my contribution to this week’s Monday’s Finish the Story, posted by Barbara Beecham.

Finish the story starts with: “After losing her head, she realized that the rest of her body was falling apart.”

She lifted her hands to her face and watched as they melted away like pieces of gooey cheese. My camembert hands, she whispered, giggling as she stuck her tongue out to lick them. Then it was the arms, pulling away slowly out from the shoulder sockets. On the screen above flickered an image of an old decapitated doll in a pink dress. Its amazing what our subconscious dredges up, she thought, watching her detached feet float away like big bubbles.

An alarm grated at the edge of her consciousness. She was at the best part now as her spine started to stretch, building up to the grand finale. Silently begging for one more minute, she started to lift up out of her body.

The little doll disappeared as the holopod  slid open and face peered down at her. “Time’s up, lady.”