Laney's Coffee

The people of Lorraine are quite used to the unusual happenings of Laney’s Coffee located in the small historic downtown area. Lorraine is such a small town, not even a speck on a map of the state, that everyone knows each other as well as what happens in their town. They never had to worry about explaining away Laney’s peculiar ways or even hiding them. 

The first traveler that passed through in what had possibly been a couple of years first stopped at the bed and breakfast run by an old widow on the outskirts of town. The people of the town talked to him as if he was already familiar with the area and its people, using names and directions he didn’t understand. They were possibly too used to the only people being in Lorraine already knowing all of these things. While the breakfast was reminiscent of one’s grandmother’s cooking, there was still the matter of satiating a wanderer’s need for caffeine. Being the only place in the quaint little town, Laney’s Coffee had to be his first stop after breakfast before he went out to photograph nature.

The storefront stood out from all of the others in the row. Rather than just a brick building with signs indicating what business was inside along with the operating hours and maybe a few flashing signs like everything else, this coffee shop was covered in plants and vines. It was ethereal. The planters and benches placed throughout all of the bright, healthy growth along the brick and the small gates only helped with the feeling that you were surrounded by nature even on a cobblestone street.

Walking inside was another new experience. Any person who travels through the area, as few and far between as they might be, would tell you the same thing: the smell upon walking into the local coffee shop was absolutely divine. The baked goods on display and the coffee brewing behind the counter always had people pausing in the doorway to smell the store. The décor gave the same nature-loving feeling that the outside of the building did. Clearly the owner had a green thumb.

The stumbling visitor, however, didn’t pay too much attention to the décor on the way to his coffee. The woman manning the counter, presumably Laney the shop owner, was waiting at the register with a bright smile and long corkscrew hair. 

“Good morning,” she greeted, while fiddling with a marker. “What can I get for you today?” 

“Could I get a cup of whatever dark roast you have brewed, please? Black would be perfect.” 

“Absolutely!” She moved so fast he didn’t even see her write the word ‘black’ on a cup before putting it aside. A tray was being slid into the bakery case as she spoke. “Would you like anything to eat with that this morning?”

“It smells amazing, how about one of whatever your favorite thing on the menu is?”

She beamed and sent him on his way, order number on the receipt in one hand and coffee in the other, to a table close to a window. The coffee tasted as wonderful as it smelled and definitely did the job in waking him up. Enough to pay a little more attention when the bell above the door jingled once again. 

At first the man thought he was seeing things and he nearly spit out his coffee. As the woman at the counter (presumably a local by the familiarity in the conversation) ordered her coffee, the marker moved by itself in the air. He watched as the order was written on the cup with seemingly no help from anyone and his mouth fell open. Laney laughed as she hit some buttons on her register. 

The customer didn’t even react as she watched the bakery case open and the shelf came out on its own. Was he being pranked by locals?

Where he previously thought someone else had been operating the bakery case in his half-asleep state, he now watched as delicatessen paper wrapped around a cranberry muffin before it dropped down into a brown bag. Someone else walked into the shop and waved at the shop owner, who smiled that same sunshine-smile and grabbed another cup. The cup landed on the top of the espresso machine, where suddenly shots were being pulled and milk was being steamed. Laney paid no mind to it as she turned back to the first woman to finish up her tea. 

“That muffin should help with the energy boost you need, and the tea will be great for dealing with stress. Anything else today, Mary?”

“No, that’ll be it today, Laney. Thank you so much again.” Mary smiled tiredly.

The man watching in shock from his window seat saw a metal spoon swirl elegantly around inside the paper cup before delicately tapping itself against the rim twice and floating into the sink. Next thing he knew the lid was on and Laney was handing the tea off and waving goodbye. The latte was next, finished in a similar manner where it was poured and lidded by itself before being handed off. Laney turned back to the counter she was cleaning with a happy whistle as if nothing had happened. 

Perhaps, he had been awake too long the last few days and made the whole thing up? He might’ve convinced himself of that if the oven hadn’t gone off at that moment. Laney turned and smiled as the oven door opened. Another thing moving by itself!

She plated and walked the treat she just prepared to his table on her own. Then she smiled and asked him if he needed anything else. Just as he prepared himself to politely decline, she wiggled her fingers and silverware drifted across the room from behind the counter where they must have been lying in wait. They landed delicately on a napkin next to his plate, which held a delicious looking berry filled pastry. “This is a popular snack for good health,” she explained. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else today?” 

He stammered for a moment before his mouth snapped shut and he cleared his throat. “Actually, I think I could really use another coffee.”