This is a Monday Finish The Story submission. Thanks again to Barbara W. Beacham for the picture and the opening sentence.
Also, apologies for the title. It is dreadful, but I can’t think of anything else.
****
“The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?”
He shuddered; sleeping on the job. The double espresso should have kept him up, but here he was, waking up in a puddle of cofee grounds and Biscotti crumbs. So this was it: caffeine tolerance. It had done for Stefano, and it would do for him, too.
The barista looked out of the window. The hedge had definitely moved, closer by a good three feet, while he’d been dreaming about free wifi. He’d failed in his duty and before long, he’d be sent to live out his days with Stefano, a jittery wreck in the basement, fit only for mopping up spilt babycinos.
But not yet.
He made himself a latte macchiato and got his shovel. His days were numbered, for sure, but the plants wouldn’t win back the earth on his watch, not when he was the last Barista standing on the Starbucks at the edge of civilisation.
The Inevitable Asterisk 
It was very funny. I loved it.
Thank you
Heh, love your take on the prompt! Nicely done 🙂
Pleased you liked it. Thsnks
Great story. I can just imagine the job advert for his successor: Good knowledge of variety of hot drinks. Lifelong contract. Experience with a shovel essential. 🙂
An working of Melee weapons is a sadly overlooked virtue in the world of corporate caffeinated beverage making these days.
Wonderful story. I have no doubt that a Starbucks will still be standing at the end of civilization.
Sadly, I think you’re right. Pretty sure that if Planet of The Apes had been a documentary, it’d have ended with Charlton Heston weeping over the familiar green and white logo, wondering whether or not to get a lemon and poppy seed muffin.
I loved that Starbucks line. Well done Etienne! Thank you for writing again for the Mondays Finish the Story challenge. Be well… ^..^
Thank you. Pleased it worked for you.
You did just fine! 🙂
Cute story!
I have only once been in a Starbucks – great humour in this piece.
I can reassure you you haven’t been missing much. Thanks for reading.
Trust Starbucks to be there.
Those plants sound like something from Doctor Who.
Thanks for reading. On reflection, I’m pretty sure that the plants in this are a subconscious hybrid of the triffids and those moving statue things out of Dr Who-tho actually my main influence was a film I saw about 15 years ago called Delamorte Delamore, which I really liked at the time but would probably think was rubbish now. Such is life, I suppose.
Fun story! I think I suffer from caffeine tolerance too, but I don’t think my fate will be quite so bad 🙂
The Dr. Who angels, gosh those were frightening weren’t they? These might be even more frightening because they look so innocent! Excellent story!