Edward Hopper, “Automat,” 1927
I follow the instructions exactly. At the automat I get a cup of coffee and sit at an empty table. My pulse is racing, but I appear calm. Like everyone else, I look weary; my once fashionable coat discreetly mended.
A young man in a nondescript suit sits at a nearby table. As he turns the pages of his newspaper, he mentions the rainy weather. I reply with the code phrase. We sit for a while, sipping our coffee, each of us seemingly lost in thought. Then the man puts his coat on–leaving the newspaper on the table–and starts walking toward the door. I stand up, and as I pass his table, I pick it up.
We both exit. We go in different directions down the imperturbable street. It’s difficult to believe there’s a war going on.
This is bit of flash fiction for my prosery prompt for dVerse. The prompt line that must be incorporated is “We go in different directions down the imperturbable street,” from Gwendolyn Brooks, An Aspect of Love, Alive in the Ice and Fire.”
Without intending to, I wrote a companion piece to another prosery piece I wrote—and also illustrated with a Hopper painting.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
I had a feeling you might choose the word ‘imperturbable’ as your title, Meril! It’s a great word, a great piece of flash fiction, and I love the Hopper painting you chose – which came first, the story or the image? I think your characters belong to some kind of underground resistance, perhaps in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam.
I used to use Hopper paintings to teach creative writing before I retired – they offer so many possibilities.
Thanks so much, Kim. Perhaps they were working for the resistance somewhere. (Did they have automats in those places?). I wrote and then I thought of Hopper. Yes, his paintings do seem to tell stories.
I think Hopper would fit excellently with the mood of my story as well… I love how you brought forward the mundanity of resistance. Even the simplest thing like messages becomes an adventure… I think the coffee was surrogate coffee as well.
Thank you very much. Yes, I think Hopper would have worked for yours, too. And yes, you’re probably right about the coffee.
Nice description of a secret exchange in war time.
Thank you very much, Frank!
Very cool approach! And I LOVE Hopper.
Thank you very much, Luanne. I love Hopper, too.
(And as an aside, when I was little and living in Dallas, when we visited Philadelphia, my sister and I thought the Horn and Hardart Automat was the coolest thing ever.) 🙂
Oh I bet! I love the “ new” stuff of the old days if that makes sense!
I’m not sure–new stuff about old days?
New “technology” back then. And new styles. I saw on old movie yesterday from think 1949 And the furniture styles were so abstract and contemporary looking it blew my mind.
Oh, OK. Now I get what you mean. Yes, it is cool to see that.
Very smoothly done, Merril.
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome.
This is great, Merril! And I love how it so neatly ties in with your previous prosery post (planned or not!)
I really have to start visiting museums more…
Thank you very much, Dale! I just thought of Hopper, but I didn’t actually think of this particular painting. 😀
I am not in the know about any painter, frankly. However, I love that you are!
I’m not very knowledgeable, but I do miss going to museums.
Ours are opening up and I think I shall make it a point (I paid for VIP, for goodness sake) of going more often. Not just when there is a famous exhibition, either.
I’m not sure when ours are opening.
Me neither but there are things here and there. I figure it’s just a question of time…
Yes, according to that one list, museums are relatively safe–as long as you stay away from the big exhibitions. 😏
I keep getting notifications from the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. They are working with schedules and appointments. I guess that is one way to try…
I keep getting emails from the Philadelphia Museum of Art about their virtual stuff. 😀 We haven’t been in the city since all this started, and we liked to take the train, but now if we go in, we’ll have to drive and find parking.
Yeah. I got so many emails on the virtual stuff – Dudes… Have you ANY idea how much time I already spend on line? No thanks.
And I’m with you… I’d be taking my car and looking for parking at this time.
such a tense moment
Yes. Thank you!
Very nicely done, Merril. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Jill.
I am a thriller novel fan. You’ve got me hooked already here. I wish for more!
Aww–thank you so much, Claudia.
Great story. Reminded me of a novel I read recently about the French underground in WWII.
Thank you! That’s very cool.
I like this very much. It feels very (unfortunately) real.
Thank you very much. It seemed very real in my head! 😀
You really capture the mysterious atmosphere of Hopper. There is always an ominous cloud in the unseen sky. (K)
Thank you so much. I agree, there always seems to be a dark backstory in his work, and I’m pleased you think I captured it here.
Superb. Yet again you choose a most apt picture. You leave us wondering what message has been left in the newspaper.
Thank you, Derrick. Again, I appreciate your close reading and comment. I will let you wonder, since I don’t know. 😏
🙂
The hopper painting is a wonderful background to this tense noir piece.
Thank you very much!
Oh I feel like I’m ready to read a thriller on espionage now. Beautifully written
Thank you very much, Jude! 😀
My pleasure Merril
Life goes on as we make the best of circumstances, yet doing what we can to change those circumstances. Your imperturbable street works well for this.
Thank you very much, Ken! Yes, I think that’s true in most situations–just more fraught in times of war or in authoritarian regimes.
Two spies, both, working, undercover, not wanting to, get discovered, by regular, ordinary, people in the, environment…
Yes. You’ve got it!
You like spy stories, I’ve noticed. Good one!
Thank you. Yes, I do. I think it has to do with the drifting between two worlds and the grey areas. A different type of liminal space, I suppose, and moral ambiguity.
You should write a novel.
Thank you! I don’t know if I could. I can come up with story ideas, but I don’t know if I could do a novel.
If you can do a short story you can do a novel. The last three novels I’ve written have started off as short stories. You just go through the story slower, in more detail and making detours to get to the end 🙂
Hahaha. Somehow I think there’s a bit more to it! 😀
Not really. It’s just words strung in a unique order 🙂
😀
I love the intrigue and mystery here Merril. You leave us wanting more.
That’s very kind. Thank you so much, Linda!
you delivered a delightful intriquing piece to a lovely artwork, took me there!
Thank you so much, Kate! I’m pleased that I did.
This is exactly the sort of thing that first came to my mind when I saw the prompt, and then my piece decided to go it’s own way, despite what I thought. Thank you for writing what I thought should be, and doing it so well. I would love to know where this clandestine meeting takes our protagonist (if they are indeed the protagonist).
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I’m glad I was able to put into words what you had been thinking about. 😀 I think the woman is the protagonist, but I don’t know what happens. . .at least not yet. Perhaps I’ll think about it.
kaykuala
We both exit. We go in different directions
down the imperturbable street. It’s difficult
to believe there’s a war going on.
This Corvid 19 thing is making us to adopt very unfriendly attitudes among us. It is a quiet war ongoing!
Hank
Thank you. Perhaps it is revealing a war that was already there, but I do hope we get leadership that brings us together.
A great piece of flash fiction. I would have guessed that you had Hopper’s painting first, then wrote your character from it. The painting is a perfect companion to your story (and yay, I didn’t know you wrote flash fiction as well as poetry!)
Thank you very much, Pam. No, I wrote first, then thought of Hopper. I’ve written a bit of flash fiction. Thank you for your enthusiasm!😀
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Thank you.