White Russian

A very short, incomplete story set in a distant future, based on a /r/writingprompts (Reddit)

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Writing Prompt: As the world got closer and closer to a Utopia, smaller and smaller problems would make the news as “catastrophes”. Today for example, you spilled milk.

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The bartender poured some heavy cream in Scylla’s glass. The milky strands slowly fell into the dark Kahlua, like a lazy panache of white plumes in a stormy night. Scylla sighed heavily, tucked some of her impeccable hair behind her pointy ear and took a cautious sip.

“See? This is how you do it,” the bartender chuckled. As they dried a steamy glass with a rugged cloth, they saw Scylla’s crinkled smile from the corner of their eye.

Yet Scylla sighed and her face became tense again. “That’s not funny.”

The bartender stared suspiciously at their only client for the night – as every other Tuesday night at the Red Silk. ”Really?”

“I’m gonna be the butt of everyone’s joke for the next two weeks.”

“Well, you’re used to it, right? I mean, it’s like what happened ten years ago…”

Scylla chugged her glass of White Russian and loudly slammed the empty glass on the counter. Her eyes became hazy. “Still feels like yesterday. And tomorrow.”

The bartender grabbed Scylla’s glass. “But what happened to you, really?”

Scylla sulked and waived impatiently for another drink.

The bartender pointed their curly finger at the gloomy woman. “Were you drunk?”

The young woman scratched the back of her head. “You know I don’t drink while streaming.”

“Then what?” insisted the bartender. “Was it on purpose?”

Scylla said nothing.

The bartender took a pale bottle, then stopped, as if struck by a brilliant idea. “Were you trying to get some free advertisement from the news people?”

Scylla spread her hands on the counter and looked at their blue, pulsing veins. She muttered almost for herself: “No. My body glitched.”

A loud shrill. Shards of glass, gleaming among splashes of white cream. The bartender squatted down and cleaned the mess without saying another word.