Our gracious host, Rochelle, is asking us to get
creative in 100 words or less using the photo
seen below. Welcome to Friday Fictioneers
This is where the prompt took me.
The pie rotates slowly. It always has.
Margie refills Earl Ray’s coffee without asking; thirty-odd years of muscle memory. He doesn’t look up from the classifieds. The farm sold last Tuesday.
Booth four: a girl, seventeen, Taylor Swift backpack stuffed with everything she owns. She’s heading west. Or away. Same thing.
The trucker by the window knows this stretch of asphalt better than his ex-wife’s face. Probably why she’s an ex-wife.
Shelly herself works the counter, smiling at everyone equally. It’s the trick, she’s learned, to loving nobody too hard.
The pie keeps rotating but nobody orders the last slice.
NAR©2026
100 Words
This is “Route 66” by Chuck Berry
Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. If there’s something you would like to use, ask me; if I think it’s appropriate, I will usually agree. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
Been there, though mine’s called the East Winsor Grille, and each booth has a jukebox
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Gotta have a juke, right? Memories. Thanks, Ron.
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I could picture this whole scene vividly. Wonderful writing, cara mia
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Delighted to know that. Thanks, my friend!
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💞
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Oh, lovely! a perfect slice of life.
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We don’t know what’s behind someone’s eyes. Thank you, D.
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This is so perfectly crafted, with the pie bookending the stories of heartbreak inside the diner. It feels very heavy to read this, not least because it feels very true.
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Every person in every roadside diner has a story …. some good, some not so good …. each voice uniquely theirs and important. Thanks very much, Jen.
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You captured the diner feel perfectly!
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Exactly what I hoped to hear from someone in the know! Thanks, Jodi.
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Superbly done. There’s a poetry to it, the timing perfect. Last slice was a great finale.
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So glad you think so, Sandra. Thank you!
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And we know each ot those people just from those inked outlines. Including Shelly who’s learned not to love too hard. The last pie slice is a lovely touch
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Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Neil. Much appreciated.
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This is so atmospheric Nance – love it as I do this classic song 🙌
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No way I wasn’t going with that song! Thanks much, Ange. 🥰
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🙌
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Cafe life in a nutshell, turning like the pie, a slice of different lives.
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That’s it, James. A slice of life.
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A very vivid visual of the cafe.
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Thanks, Sadje. I’m glad you think so.
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You’re most welcome
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I like the picture you create with your character driven story
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Thanks, Geeta. I appreciate your comments.
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