A guy at a coffee shop in Portland told me his story prompt and it's been stuck in my head for weeks

I was grabbing a coffee at that place on 23rd, just killing time before a delivery. The guy next to me at the counter saw me scribbling in a notebook and just started talking. He said, 'Write about a person who can only tell the absolute truth, but everyone thinks they're a liar because the truth is too weird to believe.' He wasn't even looking for a reply, just paid for his drink and left. The idea is so simple but it digs into your brain. It makes you think about trust and how we decide what's real. I've tried writing from it three times now and keep hitting a wall, but I can't drop it. Has a random line from a stranger ever given you a story you just can't shake?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_martin221mo ago

That prompt is a whole mood, honestly. It reminds me of how often we just agree on a basic version of reality to get through the day. Like, if someone told you the exact, messy, weird truth about their morning or their feelings, you'd probably back away slowly. We call that oversharing, not honesty. So a person stuck with the raw truth would be totally alone, even though they're the only one not lying. It's less about fantasy and more about how thin our social agreements really are. Makes you wonder what we're all ignoring just to keep things smooth.

daniel4741mo ago

Sounds like that guy gave you a brain worm on purpose. Classic Portland move, honestly. Now you're stuck doing the writing work for his weird coffee shop prophecy.

juliashah23d ago

Wait, do you think that kind of raw honesty would actually make someone MORE alone, or just really good at spotting the people who can handle it? I had a buddy in college who started answering "how are you" with the actual truth and within a week he'd lost like half his casual acquaintances but the ones who stuck around were weirdly loyal. Makes me wonder if society's little lies are just a filter for finding the people who want the REAL version of you.