777 Cafe

The bell dings as another guardian walks through the door. Major looks up from the register. “Welcome in,” he calls. 

A wizard joins the back of the line, now grown to three guardians. The wizard is tall, dressed in a charcoal grey tailored suit. His hair looks as though it was trimmed yesterday. His polished appearance is the norm, he notices, as his eyes sweep around the 777 Cafe. The professional patrons are at odds with the worn in decor. Faded, brown tile covers the floor. The wooden coffee bar smooth with the thousands, probably millions, of hands that have passed across its surface exchanging money, coffee, snacks, and small talk. It smells of freshly brewed coffee, of course, but also faintly of smoke - the universal sign that miracles are near.

Various forms of guardians stand in the ‘upright’ line ahead of the wizard. To the left is a separate line for four-legged guardians. He smiles at two ghosts in dog form. They still have their collars on. Scattered throughout the cafe, guardians chat amongst each other, their stained coffee cups and crumpled napkins giving the appearance of having been there a while. Others work independently, typing away on laptops. 

The line moves and the wizard takes a step forward. 

“I tried really hard not to laugh, but my case just couldn’t get the hang of it,” a fairy to the left of the wizard exclaims, talking animatedly to a ghost sitting opposite her. “He was all ‘give me a sign!’ and I kept throwing literal playing cards in front of him and he still wasn’t getting it!” She wipes tears from her eyes, obviously not deterred that her case clearly did not see what she was trying to show him. 

The wizard takes another step forward as he nears the counter. 

“You can’t be serious!” a long-haired yeti to the wizard’s right says into his headphones. “I’ve spent almost three years following this case and I haven’t put so much as a toe out of line! My reports are flawless. I have the best track record in our department. I don’t see why you would move me out of my territory. Who else has what it takes to work the poles?”

The wizard shakes his head to himself. How many times had he been on the receiving end of an admin call that didn’t go his way? It seemed as though the hardest part about being a guardian angel was the bureaucracy. Cases were assigned by seniority, specialty, geography and only sometimes preference. Management made the decisions and guardians did the guarding.

“What can I get for you?”

The wizard blinks. He looks at the cashier’s nametag - Major. 

“Uh, just a black coffee please. To go.” 

“Sure thing. GA number?” 

“Yes,” the wizard responds, pulling out his guardian angel card.

Major types in 777-0816 into the computer. “And what name can we put on the order?”

“My name is Cor,” the wizard says. 

“Cor. Right on. That will be $3.”

Cor pays, steps to his right and tries to stay out of the way while his coffee is prepared. His eyes sweep over the cafe again, doing everything to avoid looking at his watch. He knows that if he does, he will see how early he is for his train. Nothing makes Cor more anxious than being late. However, being early means he has to kill time - a skill he has not mastered in his three hundred years as a guardian angel. After grabbing the coffee from the counter, he manages to find a seat. 

As patrons enter and exit the cafe, the din of conversation begins to lull Cor into relaxation. The train departs every twenty minutes, so he won’t have too long to wait. It is a convenient setup, the 777 Cafe. Guardians get their assignments from one of the thousands of offices on the floors above the cafe, then make their way down to the train station to depart to their cases. In the event they are early, or worse, late, the cafe is a resting ground until the next train comes. 

A chair scrapes against the tile floor, once again shaking the fog off his wandering mind. A bright young woman now occupies the seat in front of him. 

“Can I help you?” Cor asks, his palms instantly getting sweaty. Small talk was also not his forte and he desperately hopes his sudden companion doesn’t want to have a conversation. She doesn’t look old enough to be a guardian, but then again, it’s hard to tell someone’s age just based on looks. He has worked with everything from ghosts to sprites to even a genie, so he had learned long ago to never make assumptions. 

“Maybe,” she says softly. “I’m not really sure what to do.” She looks around the cafe, avoiding Cor’s eyes. All things considered, she appeared pretty plain looking. Her brown hair reaches her collarbone. Her eyes are blue, but also a little grey. Here, she seemed nervous, but in the span of half a second, Cor determined that she was usually not this timid. 

“Well.. when is your train? That’s really the only reason anyone comes here. There are better cafes closer to Celestea.” She must be a brand new guardian.

“I think that’s the problem. I thought I was going to work but I fell asleep on the bus and then something weird happened and I woke up and saw the sign for this cafe and ran in. I don’t recognize where I am.” She spoke in a rush, like she had been holding in her words waiting for someone to ask her if she was ok. 

Cor looks around, not wanting to draw extra attention to himself but also half hoping someone knows how to answer the young lady. “Ok.. so what do you remember?” And did she say bus?

She opens her mouth but then closes it. Her entire frame shrinks as if she was losing confidence by the second. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

Cor smiles softly. “I’m not one to jump to conclusions. I am also not one for small talk, so why don’t you tell me what you remember and why you’ve chosen me to solve this mystery.”

She takes a deep breath. “I was on the bus to work. My commute is like forty-five minutes, but I’ve taken this bus for seven years now and I know every turn, every stop. I usually take a little nap and have basically programmed myself to wake up when I hear ‘State & Monroe.’ I think that’s part of the issue, to be honest. I’ve been totally coasting through work these days, because what’s even the point. The planet is burning. I’m sure as hell not getting a raise any time soon. So who cares if I’m late to work. But then, the bus jolted like HARD and I woke up and saw two really bright lights and deep deep down I knew what was happening.”

“Which was?”

“I died.” she says in a flat deadpan. 

Cor leans back in his chair. Either she was a brand new guardian and was seriously behind on her training, she was a different type of angel and she was not where she was supposed to be, or ..

“What’s your name?” Cor asks.

“Maeve,” she responds. 

Cor blanches. No. It was too coincidental. “Maeve? And where did you say you lived?”

“Well, I live in Chicago. Or I guess lived if this whole dead theory is real. I also think there is still a chance I’m having a psychotic break.”

Cor’s heart rate spikes and he can feel the back of his neck start to tingle. Sienna was on her way to a case in Chicago- for a woman named Maeve. This wasn’t possible. Somehow management hasn’t yet realized that something has gone horribly awry. That somehow a human has made its way to the celestial realm. The guardian was supposed to protect their case. Protect from Harm, Provide Support, Guide Decisions, .. he knew the guardian angel code of conduct by heart. But never ever was the guardian supposed to be seen or clouds forbid switch places with a case. Management has a zero tolerance policy for even slight infractions on the code of conduct. If what Maeve said was true, this could be the worst rule break in all of Cor’s three hundred years. 

“Are you ok? You’re getting really pale,” Maeve asks. 

Cor inhales a steadying breath. “I think. I think you and my wife have somehow swapped places. She was on her way to a case in Chicago for someone named Maeve this morning.”

“I’m sorry- case? Are you saying you know who I am?” Maeve looked at Cor like he was the crazy one. 

“Well I don’t, but Sienna did.” He wonders why Maeve chose him to seek help from out of all the people in this cafe. He’d figure that out later. They needed to sort out what the hell was going on and get Sienna back before anyone found out what happened. If either of them lost their positions as guardians, they’d have to join the waitlist for the less desirable jobs. And Cor didn’t want to start going down that path right now.

They both jump as Cor’s phone rings. It buzzes on the table for another ring before Cor picks it up. “Hello?”

After a few moments of silence, Cor’s eyes find Maeve’s. “No, I haven't seen Sienna since this morning. Sure, yeah I will check in later. Ok, thank you.”

He hangs up the phone and instantly starts gathering his things. “Where are we going?” Maeve asks.

“We?” Cor whips his focus to her. “We aren’t doing anything. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but Sienna and I are diligent rule-followers. I can’t afford to get involved in whatever nonsense this is.”

“No please! I need your help!”

“Why me?” Cor is on the verge of raising his voice, something he seldom does. This wasn’t making sense. 

“Sienna won’t last long down there,” Maeve says, rising from her chair. Cor turns. All pretense of being meek was gone. Maeve’s shoulders were pulled back, her eyes bright with determination. “I need a favor of you, Cor, and Sienna will remain earthside until this favor is fulfilled. I need to speak with management.”

A heartbeat. Two.

“Fine.” He doesn’t know why he said it, only that he knew two things- one: that he would never forgive himself if something happened to Sienna and two: that if a human had somehow found their way into Celestea, then they probably have a major issue to take up with management. And the tiniest part of him was curious what management could be hiding to drive her here.

Major looks up to see two guardians dashing out the door. Strange, he thought, he didn’t hear the train whistle.