Mildred's Morning Brew

           Mildred’s Morning Brew was a welcomed new addition to the small downtown of Cherry Clove. The mild-mannered citizens of the quaint New England town had spent generations of having little more to do than go from Church, to the movies, to the bars. That was, until the opening of Mildred’s earlier in the year, which created a space for artists to display their drawings, for writers to manufacture tales for hours, for musicians to hold open mics. Most importantly a place to grab a warm cup of morning Joe. Young and old alike sat for hours sipping coffee over long conversations.

           The owner and favorite barista of Mildred’s Morning Brew was Mildred herself. A middle-aged woman with a smile that softened the sternest of expressions. Mildred was a new face in Cherry Clove. She refused to answer any details about her past including where she moved from. In the beginning, a couple of the coffee shop’s patrons were suspicious of this behavior and for that reason decided it was better to stay away from the bustling coffee shop for the first few months. It wasn’t until one particularly chilly October morning after the town’s relentless raving over a new line of autumnal drinks that Carol and Lindsay Peters decided it was time to give Mildred’s Morning Brew a proper chance.

           The Peter’s sisters were the definitive “two peas in a pod”. Not only were they twins, they unabashedly did everything together, often in matching outfits. For instance they met their husbands together during a town hop, married their husbands together in the town square, and when Carol decided to divorce her husband -after catching him with, as she put it “a sticky young thang!”- well Lindsay decided she just had to divorce her husband as well.

           “Well I have never-“ Carol began, cutting herself off as she grasped her collar.

           There was a line to get into Mildred’s. Lines were unheard of in Cherry Clove and in all sixty three years of Carol’s and Lindsay’s life they had rarely encountered one in their small town.

           “For a cup of coffee?” Lindsay gasped. “Well I could just-“

           But what she “could just” ended with the words. Mildred came walking down the sidewalk with the store keys jingling in her pocket. The two Peters sisters straightened their spines and offered up a stiff wave to Mildred. She stopped.

           “New faces!” Mildred began, warmly. “I haven’t seen you two around here. You’re just adorable! Are you twins?”

           The two sisters exchanged a knowing look and nodded simultaneously.

           “Well please let me allow you to skip the line” Mildred motioned for them to follow her and they did.

           Both Carol and Lindsay felt uneasy but couldn’t quite justify why. Perhaps it was their many years of life picking up on subtle signals that something wasn’t quite right about Mildred’s contagious smile. The people in line didn’t appear angry at Carol and Lindsay cutting them, in fact, they all appeared to smile in the same warm way Mildred had, waving to the twins as if they were celebrities.

           “I’m so glad you two decided to show!” Mildred said. “What took you so long?”

           The two sisters gulped and again exchanged a look.

           Lindsay started, “We’ve just been so busy with… with-“

           She coughed, urging Carol to help.

           “Grandkids!” Carol interrupted. “So many grandkids to visit.”

           Mildred’s smile widened. In Lindsay’s mind she was making eye contact with her, in Carols mind she was making eye contact with her. She was actually making eye contact with them both. Had the sisters known that, perhaps it would of explained the goosebumps rising up their backs.

           Mildred took a large ring of keys out of her pocket. These were no ordinary looking keys. Some were bejeweled with intricate carvings, others were wooden, a few so small they looked as if they should be attached to a charm bracelet.

           “How many coffee shops do you own?” Carol joked.

           Mildred stopped fiddling with her keys. Her smile faded and the air got a bit colder. With a stern face she said,

           “Just this one.”

           Mildred stood like stone looking at them. The twins glanced at each other then back at Mildred. They stood like that for at least ten seconds as the silence was growing more tense and awkward.

Mildred broke it. Her smile returned and she said, “Here’s the one!” Holding up a singular key, no giant ring of keys in sight. Where had the keys gone? “Come on in!”

The place was marvelously quaint. The walls were covered with colorful cutouts of witches and ghouls, monsters and jack-o-lanterns, and the entire place had fall leaves hanging from the ceiling and sprinkled along the floor.

“What’s your poison?” Mildred asked with a tilt of her head. “We have a new line of fall drinks. The popular Autumn Spice, the light Milky Ghoul, the frothy Wicked Mildred – my personal favorite.”

That comment made both Carol and Lindsay extremely uncomfortable.

Mildred continued, “We have a couple adult beverages as well, the Zombie Zinger and the Whimpering Wood – if you like whiskey I highly recommend this one.”

It was eight in the morning and the twins were not the kind to drink alcohol unless it was a special occasion.

“How about the Milky Ghoul?” Lindsay suggested to her sister.

“I’m not sure that much dairy so early in the morning is a smart idea for us.” Carol replied.

“Oh nonsense! What else do we have to do today?”

“I’m more interested in the Wicked Mildred.”

“That much caffeine will make our hearts stop. I can’t drive that wired.”

“I never get to decide.”

“Bologna.”

“You’re supposed to pronounce it Bah-low-knee!”

As the sisters continued to argue over their morning beverage, amongst other things, the line behind started to grow and Mildred began to grow uneasy. There were souls that needed fuel. Mildred had a job to do.

           “Why don’t the two of you have a seat and discuss this over a scone?” Mildred said, guiding them to a table in the middle of the café.

           “I’m not sure we’re hungry enough for-“ Lindsay was interrupted before she could finish.

           “I insist.” Mildred interrupted. A blueberry scone seemed to appear out of thin air in her hands. “I’ll be offended if you don’t.”

           Mildred was at the door letting customers in before the twins could respond.

           “Quite insistent.”

           “I’m not one to turn down a free scone.”

           The first few customers came in eagerly and Mildred went to work. Lindsay and Carol noticed something peculiar after each drink was received, the customer gave a slight bow.

           “Do you see that?” Carol whispered.

           “Odd.”

           That continued until one customer, a young college student, raised his voice.

           “She won’t leave!” He yelled.

           “Quiet down now Brian. What can I do for you?” Mildred responded, smiling.

           “You know what you did,” Brian whispered.

           Carol and Lindsay turned up their hearing aids.

           “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Mildred said.

           “It was something in that drink,” Brian said. “In that Milky Ghost drink. The last three nights I can’t sleep and then there’s this knocking and then she comes under the door.”

           Carol and Lindsay were glued to the conversation. They continued eating their scone like popcorn, dropping crumbs all over their laps.

           “Perhaps you need to cut back on the caffeine,” Mildred said, making eye contact with the young man.

           Once he caught her eyes the young man relaxed. He fell into a sort of trance and repeated what she said, “Perhaps I need to cut back on the caffeine.”

           “Would you like something a bit more calming?” Mildred asked, her eyes a strange flicker.

           “I’d like something a bit more calming.” He repeated.

           “How about a Zombie Zinger?” She asked.

           “Okay.”

           Mildred made the drink and he waited patiently. She told him it was on the house and he was on his way. After a deep breath Mildred glanced at the sisters. They jerked their heads back around and acted as if they were in deep conversation. Mildred approached.

           “Have you decided what you’ll be having to drink yet?” Mildred asked.

           “Would you say that again honey? I’m a bit hard of hearing.” Carol lied.

           “She wants to know if we’re ready to order our drinks,” Lindsay said at a substantially louder volume, hardly missing a beat.

           Mildred looked at them with suspicious eyes.

           “Let me know when you’re ready.” She said, with that same smile, only now it seemed to twitch a bit. “Take your time.”

           When Mildred made it back to the counter Lindsay practically leapt across the table.

           “There’s something off about her!” She said in a hushed whisper. “Did you see that?”

           “It’s like she cast a spell on that young man.” Carol said. “I wish I could do that.”

           “What do you think she is? Who do you think she is?”

           The next peculiar incident was a middle-aged man who walked to the counter very slowly, stiffly, beginning to lose movement in his joints.

           “How are you doing today Mr. Johnson?” Mildred asked.

           “One day at a time.” Mr. Johnson said, lifting up his sleeve to scratch himself.

           Lindsay saw it first. His skin was hard looking, and after he scratched marks were left, similar to the marks of fingernails on wood.

           “The usual?”

           “Yes please,” Mr. Johnson replied. “One Whimpering Wood.”

           As he waited for his drink, Mr. Johnson continued to scratch himself. He also tried stretching a bit. When he reached for his toes Carol was certain he was going to tip over. That’s when she noticed the leaves coming out from his collar.

           “Do you see that?” Carol asked her sister.

           “Sure do.”

           On closer inspection they also noticed what appeared to be a small twig with some no growth coming out of Mr. Johnson’s left ear.

           “Here you are Mr. Johnson.”

           “Thank you kindly.” He said, slowly walking out of the coffee shop.

           The sisters were glued to the scene and when they looked from Mr. Johnson back to Mildred she was looking directly at them. They gasped and jerked their heads back to each other, pretending again that they were deep in conversation.

           “Have we decided?” She asked.

           “I’m sorry could you speak up I’m having trouble-“ Carol began but was interrupted.

           “Oh cut the act!” Mildred said, harshly. “You’ve been watching my every move.”

           “You really know how to run a shop.” Lindsay offered.

           “Mr. Johnson looks a bit tired. Strange for a man his age. Wouldn’t you say?” Carol asked, a bit daring.

           Mildred’s smile twitched more intensely.

           “Maybe Mr. Johnson needs to take better care of himself. Maybe he needs to loosen up.”

           Carol nodded. Lindsay nodded. Mildred twitched.

           “What was the other young man so upset about?” Lindsay asked, pursing her lips.

           Mildred’s eye began to twitch as well.

           “He didn’t seem that upset to me.” She said.

           “He was pretty upset.” Carol retorted.

           The twitching suddenly stopped.

           “Have you decided what beverage you are getting?” Mildred asked, her smile suddenly returning.

           Lindsay and Carol didn’t need to converse with one another. They both said simultaneously, “Coffee, please.” Then after a pause. “Black.”

           The twitching began, followed by shaking, and what the twins could have sworn to be steam coming out of Mildred’s ears.

           “Coming. Right. Up.” She spat, turning her back and marching rigidly behind the counter. Occasionally Mildred let out a screech similar to the sound a goat makes unexpectedly.

           The twins left Mildred’s Morning Brew that day not to return for many months. They were not simpletons and could tell something malevolent was definitely afoot. They began to pick up on patterns. For example, many of the town’s citizens went missing around the same time that dozens of new, fully grown trees, sprouted up with branches that looked remarkably similar to arms and grooves that resembled anguished faces.

           In the weeks following their visit, the twins also noticed that many residents packed up their things and left the town for good. It was rumored they were leaving because of ghosts coming from beneath their doors. Once the houses were vacant Carol and Lindsay saw on moonless nights the lights of the abandoned houses flickering on and off. And on occasion a woman or a child gazing from the windows.

           There were some perks to this. The town had become awfully quiet, there were no lines, and the good parking spots were always available. One spring morning after nearly half the town had vanished one way or another, the twins returned to Mildred’s Morning Brew.

           “Good morning,” Mildred said. “Can’t say I expected to see you two again.”

           All three ladies were smiling now.

           “May we get a coffee? Black please.” They said as they sat down.

           Mildred brought them their coffee and surprised them by sitting down at the same table.

           “I have to ask,” Mildred began. “You knew didn’t you?”

           The sisters exchanged looks.

           “Knew what exactly?” Lindsay asked.

           “About my drinks,” said Mildred. “You saw before anyone else did. Why didn’t you say anything?”

           “Oh we thought about it.” Carol said.

           “Yes, especially when that new tree went up in front of Mr. Johnson’s yard.” Lindsay said.

           “Can’t say we agree with your methods…” Carol said.

           “But the added foliage has been nice and the town is much quieter.” Lindsay added.

           “Besides,” Carol began. “Who would believe us?”

           Carol began to laugh. Then Lindsay laughed. Soon all three women were laughing heartily in the empty coffee shop while sharing their morning brews.