The Great American Novella

A mysterious figure cut through the haze-distorted beach horizon: long beard, tan skin, jeans, no shirt, bracelets for miles. Amazingly, his name was Ted Americano and the waterfront would never be the same after his arrival.

“Espresso! Water! Mix em up!” Ted bellowed. He had a way of speaking that sounded like laughing. “Just chock full of nuts for your maxwell house!” He laugh-shouted. “Sip it and see for yourself, sir!”

Mr. O'Brien did not see the humor in Ted's raucous nature. He grabbed his cup of coffee & sat as far away from the counter as he could, stuffing himself in a nook between a window and the garbage can. How could he finish writing his historical romance novella with all this noise?

He sat there, trying his hardest to focus on his work, when he heard a voice from nearby. "Are you a writer?" the voice asked him. Mr. Obrien looked up from his laptop to see a young woman smiling warmly at him, a frappuccino in hand. "Yes, I am." He replied.

"What are you writing about?" She was soft spoken, yet confident. Mr. Obrien stared solemnly down at the empty mug beside his laptop. The mug had dark rings and droplets all around the rim and an empty packet of sugar stuffed inside. "I don't know yet," he replies.

“Looking for inspiration?” She whispered seductively. Mr O’Brien was visibly caught by surprise. ”Wh-what?” He said. She came closer and put her face next to his. Her hot breath on his cheek. “Well” she said “You can always try searching for cat gifs on Pinterest.”