Iron Cafe

An Archeologists food for thought

Minuette flew over cobblestones much faster than herself, moving swifter than her thoughts could carry her, to reach their obvious conclusions up ahead. Metal cleated tap shoes made an awful racket racing through the labyrinthine of alleyways.  Sidewalks drew too much attention to themselves with the noise and did not add to the solution she was looking for.

No one must see her at this hour as she travels down the streets.  Her dark green dress lifted in the wind, just above her ankles, like a mask on open oceans as she sailed in it.  A hint of pure white skirt was barely visible in the dim light. It was night. No. It was day. No. It must be afternoon. No. There is too much dark. It was daytime. I'm sure of that. The sun is simply hidden by the clouds as fog rolls in.

Was it the library or the cafe that made her frantic?  Longberry is illusive, an easy place to get lost in, along with memories which plays odd tricks that come back to her in circles.

She was heading in the wrong direction.  Minuette must pivot on the moment to rectify that and so desired to run faster than her feet could take her, backtracking from her origins.   Time was running up behind her.  There remained significant ground to cover and to master in mere seconds.

Archeologists must also eat.  She was famished. The cafe will have to wait. Her mind is dead set on the library, which had by coincidence just opened up before her sleepy eyes.  It is more important to feed her head.

New books on rocks had just arrived. She was happy and dove right in to read each one, each savory line.

A crusty old man sat next to her for conversation. He will remain anonymous for the time being. There are many reasons why but moving along and not to place such a  fine point on the matter; she caught her breath somewhere between his bad breath and a smile and the color red. Rage welled up inside of her like fire.

An angry index finger came up to touch her cherry lips which parted with a simple "Shh." "We are in the library." She signaled to him to gaze upon the SILENCE sign, prominently on display, pointed at it confidently to add to his enlightenment.  Such evidence was hoped to change his behavior and his manners.  Enlightenment was not his claim to fame. Not much could be done to change his odor either.

Minuette had the complexion of a porcelain doll with a touch of cherubim thrown in for good measure. Her desire, her passion in life was to discover and taste new salty rocks and stones. Nothing gave her greater pleasure.

Madge would be waiting for her at the cafe; her only true friend who, like her, enjoyed privacy. Rocks however, where not her forte, nor were they to be perceived or seen in her future.  She craved emptiness and empty spaces in her life.

The old man with the nasty breath and matching manners, continued to fester in his persistence. He thought he had unearthed a new found friend in Minuette.  She would promptly prove him wrong by simply leaving, taking with her some valued books on minerals.

There was not a single blade of grass or living tree in Longberry. This made her sad. She had grown up along the chalk cliffs at quite a distance from the city.  Nature blossomed there with vegetation, farm lands, not too far nor too close to the sea.

This life nourished her into maturity.  It was time to carve through the solid fog with her delicate form to find the hidden day.  She moved her body into it but first she dipped her cleated shoes without delay or fear of mist.  In fact she had no qualms with life in any way.

The Iron Cafe was just around the corner down the street. Hot coffee and some scones would be delightful. It will be nice to see her friend Madge again, a quiet woman who knows when to simply smile, accept life's trials and eat her meal. Not all of us are interested in stones and rocks.

Later on, Minuette will take another walk but this time to the country side. There are many salty stones to be unearthed.  She can't wait to place them in her mouth, swirl them around for hours. The flavors will tell her where they came from. Some taste like ocean waves, others like caves.  No two taste the same.

Author's Note

This is a very short story about Minuette, an unusual young lady.