Tale of the Week 301: Nighthawks - SUBMISSIONS THREAD

[Alwyn]

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Nighthawks


Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942 (source)

Keywords
Lonely
Night
Diner
Hat
Encounter

Rules - PLEASE READ

• The title and picture are there simply for inspiration, you do not have to use them if you don't want to - besides the keywords everything else is up to you!
• Each theme will have a number of keywords that have to be used in your submission. They can be used in any way, but please place these words in bold so they can easily be seen by the competition organiser(s).
• When using the keywords you may change singular nouns into plurals and vice versa; and you may change the tenses of verbs. No other changes are permitted.
• The submission must have a minimum of 200 words. The title counts towards this minimum, but footnotes, explanatory notes, and other supplementary texts do not. The submission must also have a maximum of 500 words INCLUDING all titles, footnotes etc. Please note that different word-counters can give different results. This is the word-counter used by WS Staff to check your entries, and this is the one we will rely on when deciding whether a submission qualifies for the competition.
• The submission must be placed in a spoiler.
• The submission period will last at least two weeks. If we have three entries after two weeks, voting will begin. The submission period may be extended at the discretion of the competition organiser(s).
• If you are a contestant you are honour bound to not read other contestants' writings until you have submitted yours.
• If your entry is found to be substantially similar to another entry your submission will be disqualified. This is at the discretion of the competition organiser(s).
• Contestants are not allowed to directly advertise their stories or ask for votes. If this is discovered you will be disqualified. Posting "Please vote for my entry in TotW" is NOT allowed. However, posting "Please vote for your favourite entry in TotW" is not only allowed, it is encouraged!
• This thread is for submissions only. If you have any comments or questions then please post them in the commentary thread.
• Please note that all rules including word count and key words will be strictly enforced. Rule breakers will be disqualified from the vote.
  

Awards

Each winning story will receive 1 Writers' Study Competition point. This point will be added to the total number of points you have won from TotW and other Writers' Study competitions, and recorded in the Writers' Study Hall of Fame. When you have accumulated enough points, you will be awarded the appropriate Writers' Study Competition Medal.

• 6 points - bronze medal
• 12 points - silver medal
• 24 points - gold medal

[Bande Nere]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Bess glanced at the clock. 5 to 2. 4 more hours and her shift would be over.
She filled the coffee pot, observing the folks around her…

Princess and Crystal were at their usual table, taking in all the heat and caffeine they could before getting back to work. Sweet girls, she thought, rowdy but sweet. And they had never broken the rule. No clients in the diner. They probably preferred it that way.
A couple drivers from the nearby taxi service were sitting at the bar, nursing their coffees, about the Nicks.

On the opposite side from the girls a lone man kept looking nervously at his watch, the door and then at his watch again. “Hope she arrives, kid”

He was the only unknown quantity that night. “A foreigner” she thought. When she’d gone to take his order he’d simply muttered “Coffee. Black”, but she had noticed the accent. She’d grown up near Little Odessa and could still remember the accents of her classmates parents. His seemed similar. And from the way he dressed he hadn’t been here long. Not long enough to acquire some style at least, Bess thought.

As she started to refill his customers cups the door clattered and someone walked in.

Blue jeans, a cheap black bomber jacket, a baseball hat under a black hoodie. Not one of the girls. Princess and Crystal glanced at her for a few seconds, made the same assumption, and went back to their business.

The drivers stared for a minute, but this lady wasn’t showing much, so they quickly droned back to sports.

But the foreigner didn’t stop staring. And the new arrival walked swiftly to his booth and sat next to him. Not their first encounter, clearly.

“Not so lonely after all” Bess grinned to herself, rinsed a cup and started walking towards their table.

She quickly changed her mind as the two embraced and kissed. “Give them some space Bess, it must have been a long time for both”

She had barely gone back behind the counter when the newcomer walked right past her, opened the door, turned left on a badly lit side street and swiftly disappeared.

“Bummer.” She suspired, “Poor fella”

But then she heard a cup crash on the floor. She turned towards the sound and saw the foreigner. His face pale and his eyes wide open. She quickly walked towards him, half worried half pissed at the mess he’d made. And then she noticed his belly.

Or rather, where his belly used to be. The foreigner was doing his best to keep his intestines from falling out with his hands, but it was hopeless. Blood was spilling on the booth and on the floor, and as he opened his mouth, she thought she heard him say “Alieppa”. Then his eyes rolled in his sockets and his hands lost their grip.

Bess screamed.

[Mega Tortas de Bodemloze]

Nighthawks

................................................................Nighthawks.......................................................................................... Well to tell you the truth, most New Year's Eve's prove to be lonely nights around here. Long gone are the days when this place was considered to be an upscale Eatery, and one of the places to be seen at on weekend and holiday nights. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Perhaps introductions are in order first. I'm Phillip Landthrope (Phil for short). This is my diner "Phil's Place" on the corner of Station & Third Street. We've always been informal around here encouraging folks to come in, slap their hat on the counter, and shout out their order like they own the place. A friendly atmosphere all around makes for happy customers. They in turn become regulars whose stock and trade keeps the doors open around here. My wife Nancy and I together with part timers Steve, Jason, and Jezelda are the indigenous personnel that keep this place clicking on all cylinders. Doors are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are closed only on Christmas and Nancy's birthday. Nancy embraces Valentines Day and our anniversary as "working holidays" which are some of the many sacrifices needed to stay in business these days. A few years back during the "Good Times" we had a staff of twelve, so fat pay checks and flexible work schedules were shared by all. But..... Combined With Detroit's automotive depression and the renovations to Joe Lious Arena and River Front Park, the foot traffic around here has all but dried up. This has left us in the dire straits that you see us in now. The millennials and Starbucks crowd have all migrated across the river to Windsor where the recent tourist renovations and the friendly exchange rate of the Canadian dollar captivates their hearts and souls. All in all I bear my former patrons no malis and wish them well them all well. Every so often I'll have a chance encounter with one or two of them at Church. We exchange hugs and pleasantries just as if their overt desertions were just a figment of my grudge bearing imagination. By the way, Nancy and I live in the upstair's apartment above Phill's so if you ever need anything just come pound on the door and we'll get you squared away lickety quick. All in all though I'm very grateful for everything we have here at Phill's and in time hope that you will become comfortable enough here to consider us family. Times are tough these days and all of us "Night Hawks" should stick together. Don't ya think?