(short story)

I entered the room and turned on the light. It was raining in the yard again, and the whole of Edinburgh was covered with fog, like a blanket. Left the cloak in the closet, made two cups of tea and went to water the plants. Most of them hung from the ceiling in cute, homemade planters.

I heard the entrance bell ringing.

“Oh, Talia, you are early today,” my old friend Burdus came into the bar.

“I was thinking of walking around the city, but my legs brought me here. By the way, I also made you a tea. Today we will have a lot of visitors, so probably we will not be able to sit down until morning,” I nodded to man at the mug with a still hot drink.

After several hours, all the tables were already occupied. Well, what was the better way to spend a Friday night than at your favorite bar on the corner?

“Greetings, Erika, how are you today?” I smiled happily at our regular visitor.

“Oh, I don’t even know, Mrs. Witch. Give me something to your discretion,” the girl watched me mixing the ingredients in the shaker with interest.

The original offer of our bar – the cocktail from the Witch, appeared completely by accident, thanks to the trust of customers and a drop of my artistry.

“Please,” I handed Erika her order, “the sweet cocktail with a bit of pepper…pink, as you like.”

“In your bar, as always, a crowd of people,” sounded funny voice from the entrance.

“Oh gods, I`ve already thought you were dead, Arthur, and planned to be offended that you did not call me to the funeral,” I was preparing a new cocktail, knowing exactly what this visitor needed.

“Well, remember, we agreed that my body would be completely at your disposal after death, Talia,” a man in his thirties, with black, slightly disheveled hair, sat down on the bar stool. “What will you do for me today?”

“Something as strong as possible, but with acidity,” I looked up at him. “Your eyes are terribly tired.”

The night flew by quickly, and at four in the morning there were only my favorite people in the bar: Burdus — my best assistant, Anna and Quir — our waiters, Kristof — something like a manager, and Artur, no way without him…

I love these moments. The soul gets cozy and calm. Arthur plucks the strings of the guitar and begins to sing a song, it is picked up by the others, and the sun slowly rises outside the window.