Time for another short story, this one firmly in the realm of dystopian fiction. I tried not to go too young adult dystopian or throw too many world-building words out there all at once so as not to infuriate people. Comes in at 3.4k words, hope you enjoy it!

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White Waitress

by Rick Cook Jr

The waitress in white offered me coffee and the first thing I pictured was splashing that coffee all over her pristine white outfit. The blouse, the skirt, the apron, the stockings, the pumps. They made her wear heels. I hadn’t even seen heels since my history lessons, and certainly had never worn them. The flash of her bra-strap when she leaned in to take my order told me all I needed about her underwear, too, and I suppressed the tingle that ran down my spine at the sight.

She was terrified, I could see it in her wide eyes, barely-contained tears. We were all terrified for her.

The rest of the wait-staff wore the usual dark blue, and your run-of-the-mill stains wouldn’t show up. But Willa, the waitress in white, had to be careful about a coffee stain or a drip of syrup on her skirt.

Every speck, splotch, stain, drip, and dribble counted. Continue reading →