Day 14: The Mysterious Tea Shop


I was taking my usual morning route to work when I saw a peculiar thing in between the butchers and the bakers. A little tea shop had appeared in a lot that I am sure was vacant the last time I passed. .
As the rain was fairly heavy, and my first appointment wasn’t for another hour, I resolved myself to step inside. Upon entering the establishment I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of pine, which was particularly strange as there wasn’t a single plant in sight.

The waiters, similarly smelt of something odd, as when one took my coat I swore she smelt of freshly cut grass and jasmine flowers. 

I do not remember ordering but as soon as I sat down another waiter, this one with long blonde hair and eyes that appeared purple in the light, brought me a fresh pot of something that definitely was not any sort of tea I was used to, but it was warm and soothing, and each sip I took tasted better than the last, the liquid warming my entire body, relaxing my muscles until I began to feel as though I was swaddled in a blanket. 

The waiter returned after a moment and began to refill my cup. I didn’t realise I had finished already, but in a soothing voice he told me this one was free of charge. As he poured I could have sworn the liquid to be golden. It sparkled and bubbled but then I blinked and it faded back to regular brown tea. .
The next time my cup became empty I didn’t even see anyone refill it. Liquid just appeared within, as though I had willed it there. I turned around me to thank whoever had poured it, but found the place empty. 

There was a flicker of shadow from the kitchen, and I heard a low hissing sound from within. The servers must have been on break, after all, the windows showed that it was now nightfall. .
I remembered, there was something I had to do today, but I had forgotten what it was. I turned to grab my coat as if to leave, I would return home and discover what I had missed, but more tea appeared in the cup. 

I could hardly go now! 

Especially not when it was so dark out, when my bones were so tired, when my muscles could barely move. When there was hot tea in front of me. No, I must stay, it would be impolite to go.



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I love this story because it's what I think of every time I'm in a coffee shop and I feel that warmth sweep over me. I think if magical beings existed and had powers of hypnosis and sedation they would definitely choose a coffee shop setting. It would meet all their supernatural needs, humans would regularly visit, and the rent would be super cheap.

If you are wondering where Day 13 is I must confess that it does not exist. You see, something remarkable happened on the 13th of November. After two months of living in Belfast I finally made some friends. I then, promptly hurried to the nearest pub and drank with them. (Except I drank a diet coke because I'm 22 and alcohol still tastes bad)

This was Day 14 of my NaNoWriMo project where I am writing a new short story every day in November! Originally all of these were posted to instagram, but the 300 word limit was a little confining so I've come here to post everything I've written and a little bit more!

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