Come in, come in, the door groans wide,Buy what you need to forget the sun.There is no shelter, nowhere to hide,The shift has only just begun.

Gary looks at the neon sign glowing in the window: . GARY I thought that was a typo.

(Gasping)Thank god. I thought I was going to freeze to death out there. My car spun out two miles back. Are you serving? Todd doesn't move. He slowly shifts his eyes to Gary. TODD (Sighs heavily)Yeah. We are. Unfortunately.

Below are three different directions you can take to develop this concept into a creative piece, depending on your preferred medium. 🏪 Option 1: A Short Story (Psychological Realism)

An aggressively bright, chrome-filled 24-hour diner. Outside, a blizzard rages. Inside, the only staff member, TODD (20s, wearing an apron covered in mystery stains), is leaning against the counter staring into space.

Your name tag. You work at the hardware store down the road. They have a sign that says "Welcome." We have a sign that apologizes for our continued existence. Look at the window.