Pumpkin Spice take me away

I enjoy seasonal flavors, they feel special and their flavor reminds me of the good times from each season. In the Spring the vegetables taste fresh, in the Summer I like to grill everything under the sun, Fall I love fresh apples, warm baked goods and pumpkin spice though I stick to pumpkin pie and pumpkin coffee. In the Winter there are even more baked goods, heavier meals and eggnog.

The flavor of pumpkin and pumpkin spice are wonderful but the flavor truly shines when used as a key, a key to unlock old memories from the Fall. The scent and taste of something takes me back to all the times I have had that smell or taste. Like photographs hung along a string,  every memory of fall is linked together by Autumn tastes, sights and wonderful scents.

Each sip of my morning pumpkin coffee is like a small burst of nostalgia. Red and orange Autumn leaves poof into the room and float gently through the air. Candles all with their own smells of pumpkin, apple cider or deep woods, each one takes me to a place if only for a moment. The image in my eyes gets a little nicer and the world becomes a little warmer.

My mind is a flurry with stories, images of ideal Autumns hand picked from my best memories and my hopes for the future. I dream of warm, country homes surrounded by Autumn trees. Each home with a little trail of smoke rising from the tops. The cold autumn wind blows through, crisp and refreshing. The smells of woodsmoke, baking pies and crushed leaves fill the air. This is the place I like to go.

The wish for this ideal is what drives me. I use the images of Autumn to help me through the hard times and look to a better future ahead. No matter how overheated or beaten down I get, Autumn always comes.
Autumn is slow and peaceful, it is a time to reflect and enjoy nature. It suits my personality and each year it is when I am at my happiest.
I sit with blurry vision as the sleep fades from my eyes and I drink my pumpkin coffee. My pumpkin spice coffee helps me face the day, it warms me up and takes me away.

Cabin in the Mist

Mist drifted down along the rolling hills. Among the hills was a cluster of forest and in that forest was a cabin. The cabin was rustic but comfortable with a wildwood as the backyard. Owls hooted in the night, light rain fell on lush green trees. Two small lantern lights were placed outside the door of the cabin, an inviting sight that promised warmth on a rainy night. Inside the cabin was a crackling fire in the hearth. Wooden chairs with cushioning, a small kitchen that had the aroma of baked goods and coffee. The scent of wood smoke and fresh cut wood lingered through the whole cabin. A small black cat was resting by the fire, warming itself against the damp air. It purred softly as it drifted off to sleep. The atmosphere was so calming that the air itself would calm the most anxious person with each breath they took. The calm drifted over the woods, relaxation was easily achieved here.

The outside world had storms and fires to put out but the small cabin had only gentle rain and the sound of gentle crackling flames.

Joseph walked through the forest path, he had been lost for countless days, months and even years. He traveled tirelessly, looking for answers but only finding troubles. The scent of wood smoke caught his attention first then the faint glow of the lanterns could be seen. Joseph continued to approach the cabin. Rain gently tapped against his heavy coat, hair and skin. Joseph didn’t mind the rain or the night but was thrilled to see a warm cabin appear from the forest.

Joseph opened the wooden door and saw the relaxing cabin before him. He sighed, releasing troubles from his shoulders and worries from his mind. The sins of the past dripped off of him like rain from his coat. He took a deep breath as he walked further into the cabin. His troubles and worries began to fly from him like ash in the wind.



            Joseph sat down out of reflex, like this was the most familiar thing in the world. As he sat on the wooden chair by the fire he felt the warm crackling flames and he smiled. Soft music began to play as he enjoyed the warmth and rest. Joseph looked over at the empty wooden chairs next to him. He sighed again then looked down. He appreciated the rest but was tired of traveling alone.



            “Don’t look so down in the dumps” Said a voice. Joseph looked up and saw his friends were all now there, filling the empty seats next to him.

The rain fell outside and Joseph began to cry, it was a cry of relief. “This is all I wanted” Joseph said.


            Joseph traveled, looked for answers everywhere he went but all he needed was a warm place to sit with friends.

Welcome to the Autumn Forest

Relax, take a breath and slow down, journey with me to a soothing destination of sights, sounds and smells.

            Joe woke up on a chilly fall morning. The air in his apartment was warm from the hissing radiators which mixed with the occasional draft that would blow in when the wind picked up. That day seemed cold to those who enjoyed summer, but for the fans of Fall, the weather was perfect.

            Joe went out into the world wearing his dark gray fall coat, a black scarf and jeans. He walked down the uneven sidewalk with a brisk pace and a set goal, which was to acquire coffee.

            The coffee shop was down the road from Joe’s apartment, it sold good coffee at a cheap price. Joe ended up buying coffee from the shop more often than he ever brewed it himself. He considered it good exercise and told himself the walking offset how lazy he was to never make it himself.

            The neighborhood was made up of old brick buildings, with uneven sidewalks, and narrow roads. Trees grew wild up from the sidewalk, the trees had grown full and tall long before the apartments and homes were ever built. The builders of the city did something very rare to humans; they built around the trees instead of knocking them over.

            Orange and red trees, brick and old North American architecture all mixed together to make a scenic fall day. Joe arrived in front of the coffee shop, which was named “Brew Spot". The Brew spot operated out of a historic building that served as a pharmacy at one point in the early eighteen hundreds. While it still looked like an old-fashioned store or pharmacy, everything else was updated and modern. The Brew spot had a calm vibe and was a popular location for the neighborhood to get coffee and snacks.

            Joe had been to the brew spot many times before but it was on that specific day that was different than all the other days. He felt especially relaxed and in a good mood, the autumn air felt more refreshing and he was in just the right state of mind for something special to happen.

            When Joe opened the door and walked in, he didn’t enter the Brew Spot, he entered the magical Autumn Forest. This forest was where the Autumn season came from. Every season had its own land and many entrances to those lands, but only those with the right mindset and mood could enter.

            Joe looked around and was amazed and surprised by his surroundings. Instead of a quiet café, Joe was standing in a clearing of trees all ablaze with bright, warm colors. Red, orange, yellow and every combination of those colors painted the leaves on every tree. The air was crisp, cool and refreshing. the smell of wood smoke drifted on the breeze and was then joined by the scent of honey, maple and fresh baked goods.

Joe heard a voice say “Coffee is on the left" The voice was small and monotone. It was the voice of someone who had said the same line many times before. Joe looked down and saw a rabbit standing on two legs with a bored expression. Joe started to open his mouth but was interrupted by the rabbit. "Yes, I talk. you are in the Autumn Forest and no we dont normally serve coffee but enough people have been asking about it, so now we do. Coffee is on the left” The rabbit said then hopped off.

            Joe was puzzled but turned to his left and saw a friendly looking skeleton, wearing a sports jacket, a tattered shirt and jeans. The skeleton had a large black mustache which was glued on. The skeleton was standing at a small wooden booth that looked like a lemonade stand made by children. On the stand was a coffee pot which seemed to be endlessly brewing coffee. The cord to the coffee pot went down along the wooden stand and plugged straight into the forest floor. The sign above the stand read “Coffee - 3 bux each" Joe saw this and muttered about how expensive coffee was getting, even in other worlds.

            “So the rabbit told me I was in the Autumn Forest. He didn’t seem very excited about it. should I be worried? I mean this place looks great, so is there something going on around here?” Joe asked. The mustached Skeleton began pouring a cardboard cup full of black coffee. “No. That rabbit is just a jerk. Most rabbits are jerks. Don’t you have them where you are from?” The skeleton asked.

“Yeah, but they don’t talk at all" Joe replied flatly. “Oh geeze that must be nice. Rabbits rarely have anything positive to say. What about dogs, do you have dogs?" Asked the skeleton. "yes, we have dogs" Joe replied. "Aren't they the worst?! Always stealing your leg and burying it” The skeleton said as he put a lid on the coffee and handed it to Joe.

            Joe took a swig of the coffee and didn’t reply. He wasn't sure how to answer. The coffee was really good and almost worth three dollars. “Do you have any cream or sugar?" Asked Joe. "No” The Skeleton said immediately, his response was so fast that it almost cut Joe off. “That will be three bucks” The skeleton said. Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out some singles and handed it to the Skeleton. "Ah yes, thank you for the payment. I am sure all of this will cover it” Said the skeleton as he awkwardly stuffed the bills into his sports coat.

It was at this moment that Joe realized that the skeleton had no concept of money from the other world and was using the word “Bucks" because he heard it once and thought that’s what money on Earth was called.

            "Thanks for the coffee, friend” Joe said as he sipped his coffee and gave a nod. The skeleton was startled by the word “ Friend” and if he had a face, he would look very shocked. “He called me friend" The skeleton muttered. then turned back to Joe quickly and replied “NO problem. Friend” then the skeleton mimicked Joe’s nod.

            The Skeleton with the mustache looked at his wrist, which did not have a watch on it, and declared “Well its getting late. I should head home” the sun was still out but Joe didn’t know how time worked in the Autumn forest so he assumed the skeleton was right. The skeleton was not right. It was midday and time moved at a similar pace as it did on earth. Joe watched quietly as the skeleton unplugged the coffee maker from the ground and began to push the wooden coffee stand off deeper into the forest.

As the Skeleton walked off, Joe realized he didn’t know how to leave the Autumn Forest “How do I get out of here?!” Joe called after the Skeleton. “Use the door!” Replied the skeleton. “Also watch out for dogs” Added the skeleton.

            Joe turned around and saw a large wooden door, engraved with large trees and falling leaves. The door stood in the middle of the clearing and wasn’t attached to anything. Joe ignored the comment about the dogs, he liked dogs and also wasn’t a skeleton.

            Joe felt energized by the coffee and the beauty of the Autumn Forest. He was in a good mood and began to hum as he walked toward the door. “Don’t hurry back” Said the rabbit as he watched Joe leave. Joe wouldn’t miss the rabbit.

            Joe pushed on the wooden door and stepped through. On the other side was the Brew Spot coffee shop. Joe had returned to his neighborhood and the magical door to the Autumn Forest was gone. He decided not to tell anyone about the magical door but encouraged anyone who loved Fall to visit the Brew Spot for coffee, but never explained to anyone why.

            Joe went through life normal enough. He never did figure out how to replicate the conditions to enter the Autumn Forest but he did frequent the Brew Spot even more after that day.

            Then on the last day of Joe’s life, when decades passed and Joe had a lifetime lived, Joe passed away from the world.

 It was on that day, when the wooden doors opened again and Joe stepped through as young looking as ever. “Coffee is on the left” Said a grumpy old rabbit. It was this time that Joe didn’t mind the rabbit. When Joe went to see the Skeleton’s coffee stand he was greeted by a mustached skeleton wearing a very fine suit, and behind the skeleton was a full fledged coffee house of his very own. “Joe where have you been? Seems like weeks since I saw you” Said a very happy skeleton.

Coffee and Pizza rolls

            The room sings as music and bright animation flashes from the computer screen. A steaming cup of coffee sits next to the keyboard. The taste of caramel swirls inside the hot brew. Sugar is a fine flavor by itself but the flavor of caramel means something different than the taste of sugar. We live in an age were any flavor can be turned into a compound and turned into a coffee creamer. The rich flavor of caramel is not only desirable but brings forth memories of candy shops, Autumn, Carmel apples and that one time I filled a grocery bag full of caramel cubes and spent months eating them steadily.

            The grocery bag of caramels was a special memory, the discounted price of caramel cubes felt like a victory. There was a large orange cat in my house who used to steal my caramels, neatly unwrap them and eat them. I could bribe the cat to do tricks if I only offered a half of the sweetly flavored cube.

            The outer world affects my mind in this way, as a cup of coffee can bring me back to my teenage years. I am amused by my own mind as I find that the deepest and purest memories are of nature and outdoors. When you travel to the deepest part of yourself, where the words fall away and there is only feeling and image, these parts of me are that of rainstorms with no lighting, sunny forest walks with my dad and numerous cats all trying to cuddle me at once. 

            There are equally dark parts that hold only negative emotions and terrifying images, awful things that your mind makes you forget so that you can continue living life unhindered by dread. These are images best left for another day.

            The world is inversed inside my mind as the nature of the outside is the deepest in me but the inside world of computers and shelter are more on my surface. I love video games and my internet connection, I like the aesthetic of big cities and would be stranded without my car but these are not the things that speak to my deepest self. I do have a cityscape in my deepest self but it is not the beauty of a bustling metropolis, it is the grime of a ghetto street that no one ever leaves and this is no somewhere I wish to visit.

            I muse on coffee and caramel, inner and outer self when I hear my toaster over ding. My pizza rolls have finished cooking. Some company took the idea of pizza, made these tiny pockets and put pizza flavored ingredients in them, froze them and shipped them to markets across the country. I bought a bag of these frozen pizza inventions and put them in my toaster oven. Now I have food ready to eat and it took little to no work. This is a sign of the times and often amazes. Besides getting food from a “drive thru” window, heating up frozen food is one of the quickest and easiest ways to eat. This is the era where we sacrifice health for time saving and it is amazing the things we humans come up with.

            While I could go on about my own introspection until next age of progress, I am going to leave with a thought and a question. “What does the inner part of your self look like?”

This isn’t a quiz question to be answered and turned in but something to ponder on.

Rage against the calm

The rain and storm of the day swirled and howled against the order and comfort built by the humans below. Lights flickered in homes as the wind shook electricity poles. Windows rattled, rain battered against rooves and umbrellas were tossed around by the storm like cats tossed around a ball of tinfoil.

Greggory Smitt was preparing coffee when there was a knock on the door. Rain and mist shrouded the figure standing hunched outside the house. The figure wore a long coat and a brimmed hat. The collar of the coat was turned up to keep the rain off the neck. Greg opened to the door to reveal his next door neighbor, Henry Gearhart. Henry looked up with a warm smile. “Hellooo” He said as he leaned his “Os”.

            Everyone looked like ominous and suspicious figures while standing in the rain and the friendly neighbor was no exception. “Glad you could make it!” Greg exclaimed. Henry’s smile broadened as he stepped into the house. The home was warm and inviting. The front door led into the living room, then from the living room was a set of stairs to the second floor and in the back was the kitchen. The living room was decorated in earth tones with an emerald green recliner tucked away in the back by the television.

            Henry took off his brown loafers and proceeded into the living room. The smell of fresh coffee lingered in the air. The calm atmosphere of the home pushed back the raging storm outside.

            As Greggory led Henry through the living room, Henry noticed an old fashioned pistol hung on the wall. “Where did you get that?” Henry marveled. “It was my great grand father’s gun. Kept in the family and it still works too!” Greg said with pride. “Been getting much trouble on this part of town?” Henry joked. “No, nothing like that” Greg laughed.

            The two men walked into the kitchen, on the table was two cups of black coffee, a small bowl of sugar, a small carton box of creamer and spread across the table were papers. Henry stared at the papers as he removed his coat and hung it over the back of a kitchen chair. “Really glad you could help me with these taxes. Running my own business this last year has been a nightmare of paperwork” Greg said sheepishly. He didn’t like troubling his friends and neighbors for help but Henry was already thinking about the task at hand. “Oh no problem” Henry said with a smile and eyes that looked lost in thought. Henry snapped back to the present and sat down.

            As the two men sat down a knock was heard at the door. “I’ll get it” Greg said with a cheerful tone then walked briskly to the door. “I’ll just get to work” said Henry as he sorted through the papers. As Greg walked to the front door, Henry spotted the top of someone’s head move past the kitchen window. Henry stood up and walked to the window above the sink and looked down and around. The person was gone.

            Greg opened the door to reveal an ominous figure standing in the rain. “Hello, sir, can I trouble you for a minute” Asked the man in the coat. The man turned to Greg with a smile but the smile looked painted on. Cheerfulness was not this stranger’s default expression, which Greg discovered by noticing the deep frown lines on the man’s face. Greg was unnerved by the man but tried to remain polite. “I really am in the middle of something, sorry” Greg said hastily. The stranger stuck his foot against the door to keep it from closing. “It will only be a minute” said the man.

            As Greg spoke to the man at the front door, Henry heard the back door begin to open. Neither Greg or Henry were in very good shape but between the two of them, Henry had the natural strength and could have been an imposing figure if he wasn’t so lazy.

            Henry kept close to the wall and moved in on the door. The back door opened then a man in a dark coat entered the home. Henry hid behind the kitchen wall. A tree branch was pushed by the force of the wind outside and struck the side of the house. All four men were startled.

            The front door man jumped into the house, tackling Greg and slamming the door shut behind him. The man from the back door charged in. Henry panicked and saw an open door that appeared to be a closet. Henry charged from his hiding space and tackled the intruder into the closet. The intruder flew backward through the open door, which was the open door to the basement. The man was tackled then thrown down the stairs of the cellar, hitting each stair on his way down and landing on the concrete in a crumpled mess.

            Henry stood shocked for a minute but then ran to help Greg. Greg and the front door man were struggling and punching each other until Henry charged in and tackled the man. Greg scrambled to his feet and moved back into the living room while he watched Henry fight with the intruder. Everything was happening so fast that Greg didn’t have the mind to jump back in and help.

            As the two fought, the intruder wrestled in his coat for a weapon. The intruder pulled a knife from his coat and stabbed it down at Henry. The burly neighbor moved his head but the blade sliced his ear. The burglar tried again to stab Henry again. All of the grunting and struggling ended in a loud “Bang”.

            The intruder, who was on top of Henry, dropped his knife and clutched his side. Henry felt blood trickle onto his stomach. Greg stood there with a stern yet concerned face holding his great grandfather’s old pistol. “I told you it still worked”

The storm passed and the rain slowed to a trickle. The rage and chaos of the storm had tried to fight against the calm and serene atmosphere of the humans living below but the storm was gone and the houses remained.

Ambulance dragged away two injured burglars as police asked Greg and Henry a hundred questions. The calm air of Greg’s home was replaced with the feeling of rattled nerves and slowly calming adrenaline. As the police officers took pictures and wrapped up their investigation. A tired recruit in damp boots spotted the fresh coffee and in a hopeful voice asked “hey, can I have some coffee?”

The head officer scowled and Greg almost started to laugh. Instead of laughing, Greg just gestured to the coffee maker and said “help yourself”

Brian down the Hall

            Brian woke up with a stinging pain in his head, he opened his eyes and saw white lights in his vision.

            It was a cloudy day in August, the weather switched from hot to cold on a whim. On Monday it was blazing hot outside and on Tuesday it was raining, humid and warm. Brian woke up on a Wednesday. The sky was cloudy, a cool breeze blew in through the small space opened in Brian’s bedroom window. The thin sheet used as a curtain danced on the breeze as the sun shone through the white sheet. Brian dragged his hand over his face in an attempt to wake up. Brian would rub his face in the morning to feel more awake, he always thought this was because it made blood rush to his face and hopefully his brain.

            Brian stood up from his mattress on the floor, then stumbled as another shooting pain went through his head. His bed was covered in a cheap white sheet, similar to his window. He had one pillow and a small blanket to cover with. His studio apartment was a large empty space with sparse furniture and white sheets covering the three windows he had.

            Brian walked over to a small end table near his bed. The table was pressed up against the wall and directly under a window. On the blue end table was a glass pipe, a lighter, a metal railroad spike and a white coffee cup stained with coffee with the words “Rocker Cat” on it, below the words was a cat with a blue Mohawk.

            Brian opened his window a little wider, picked up his glass pipe and lit it. He inhaled deeply, held his breath then slowly exhaled. Thick smoke was expelled out through his mouth and nose. He felt his nerves ease and the pains he woke up with began calm. The sharp pain in his head continued though. He picked up the long sharp spike a delicately placed it against the right side of his head at the base of his skull and jammed the spike upward into his head. With a loud squish and crunch the pain finally was gone.

            Brian woke up on the floor with a smile on his face and a railroad spike sticking from the base of his skull. He stood up, rubbed his face again and picked up his “Rocker cat” coffee mug from the end table. He went to the kitchen with his cup, washed it out and made a fresh pot of coffee.

            While he went through his morning routine of washing up, making coffee and drinking coffee, the spike in his skull did not fall out, his head didn’t bleed and from the expression Brian’s face, the spike in his head wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. Brian had a series of scars around the insertion point of the spike, showing that he did this on a regular basis.

            Once he was dressed and had his coffee and other drugs, he stepped out of his front door into his apartment building’s main hallway. The hallway was old fashioned and looked like it was from the nineteen twenties. He was on the third floor and casually walked down each flight of stairs, passing rows of other apartments on his way.

            Finally Brian reached the exit to his building, opened the door and stepped out into the wonderful city of Hallows End. It was the modern age for monsters and the Halloween city of Hallows End had grown from a small settlement of creatures to a city of every kind of creature and misfit that the outside world was afraid of or disgusted with. Needless to say, Hallows End had some humans as well, politicians, lawyers and bureaucrats were all welcome. These humans had to follow the same rules as the monsters of the city and would be banished if they hurt fellow citizens.

            Brian wasn’t human though he had human friends. Brian was a wendigo, an evil creature born from human greed, cannibalism and taboo actions. So he had a lot going for him. He was humanoid, with two arms, two legs, he wore pants and a t-shirt, had paper white skin, deep sunken in eyes, sharp teeth hidden under thin pale lips, a shaggy head of white hair with a stripe of blue dyed in it and a railroad spike sticking out of his head.

 Brian the Wedigo tried his best to fit in with humans and other monsters but it was difficult to not kill and violate every living creature in the area, so he had to take medicine given to calm monsters and on top of that Brian was fond of smoking herbs that he found in the Dark Forest.

            Since Brian had rapid healing and damage to the brain didn’t kill him like it would to other creatures, he found that jamming a spike through his head was the only thing that would cure his migraines, it also helped calm his aggressive behavior.

            Humans only thought about monsters being acceptable on Halloween or when they visited Hallows End in October. The truth that no one really thought about was, monsters that exist on Halloween don’t just vanish after October ends, some do, but most don’t, monsters still have to go on with their lives or afterlives the rest of the year, trying their best to get by and resist the urge to eat children.

Coffee Beans

Joseph walked into his kitchen, the room had a chill in the air. It was almost October and the summer had barely ended. The house took a turn from being hot and humid to cold and dry in a matter of hours. While the world slept the cold air of Fall slowly crept through the town like a rolling fog. Joseph shuffled through his kitchen in his green fuzzy slippers. Each step made a smooth shuffling sound as the plastic from the bottom of the slippers rubbed against the linoleum flooring.

 

            It was still early and Joseph hadn’t fully regained his senses. He shuffled like a zombie over to his freezer and removed a canister of coffee. He opened the canister and the fresh smell of ground coffee filled his nostrils. He started to feel more awake just by smelling the sweet caffeine in those dark ground up beans. Coffee was always a soothing comfort to Joseph and the warmth of each cup helped on cold autumn mornings.

 

            Joseph poured the coffee grounds into the pot and then added water, the splashing of the cold water into the coffee maker drifted into Joseph’s ears and traveled to his half awake mind. The splashing water was soothing and his day dreaming state took him to a place of pouring rain and warm coffee. Joseph snapped awake and remembered his mission, to brew a caffienated beverage. Joseph reached for the button and pressed it. There was a small click and a little green light went on. That small noise was strangely satisfying and a small shot of excitement went through him. This was not an unusual morning and he found it strange that he would get so excited for a process that he had accomplished hundreds of times.

 

            Joseph opened his cabinets where he kept his coffee mugs and pulled out a bright orange pumpkin shaped Jack-o-lantern mug with a silly grinning face on it. Joseph loved little things like playfully shaped coffee mugs, weird key chains, unusual hats and unique styles of glasses. His favorite coffee mugs were the ones that were related to Halloween, video games and cats.

 

            The coffee had finished brewing and sat in the pot warm and dark just waiting to be poured into a weird coffee mug. Joseph took his pumpkin mug and poured in the cream and sugar, then poured the coffee on top of it. The coffee, cream and sugar all mixed together as the dark liquid fell from the pot in an even flow.

 

            Joseph took a careful sip from the top of his pumpkin shaped mug. He had a habit of over filling his cup and the pumpkin mug was not practical to drink out of. Since the top of it curved inward, forcing the coffee drinker to use a different coffee drinking strategy just for that mug. Joseph didn’t mind little annoyances like a mug that was slightly harder to drink from. He felt that the little novelties that he collected were his few remaining expressions of self. He went to work, paid bills, did errands and chores like everyone else. For many it is hard to hold onto identity as an adult. Many work places treat the workers like a number that is only to be employed for as long as they are useful. Joseph couldn’t fix business politics or regulate laws to make the work place a better environment, he didn’t even complain about his job. Instead of complaining or acting out, he bought novelty coffee mugs. Occasionally Joseph felt sad about having to express himself through coffee mugs but many people did it and he hoped others like him found other ways to express themselves too.

 

            Joseph looked at his mug and realized he had drifted into a very deep inner monolog, so he shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. The chemical reaction in his brain lit up the nerves like lights on a twitch board. He wasn’t instantly awake but he felt like he was slowly coming out of his morning haze. If there was a world where no one had to wake up earlier than they wanted to, Joseph would still drink coffee. It would be a noon though and not seven in the morning.

 

            Joseph shuffled to his kitchen table, his green bathrobe draped around him like a very disheveled king and his fuzzy slippers slid and smacked against the kitchen flooring. Joseph sat down with a small groan and took another sip of his coffee. Three pairs of eyes stared at him from the kitchen chair next to him. It was an eerie sight but Joseph was used to it. Three cats with large eyes stared at Joseph expecting attention and food. One cat was all black with bright green eyes, another was a gray tabby who also had green eyes and the third was a calico with beautiful golden eyes.

 

            Joseph waved his hand at the cats dismissively. “Alright alright” he grumbled. The cats jumped off the chair, then quietly and quickly walked to their food dish. Each cat was very graceful as they walked to the food dish. Joseph couldn’t believe that these calm, well-behaved cats were the same cats that were running full speed through the house at two in the morning. Cats were an interesting species as they could be both clumsy, goofy, garbage eating monsters and then still retain a level of elegance and poise when they wanted to.

 

            Joseph’s wife Samantha came down the stairs from the bedroom, looking tired but beautiful as she always did. Joseph thought that Samantha must have been part cat as she had the same traits as their housecats. Samantha was elegant, affectionate, calm and knew how to appear dignified, but she also loved to eat sloppy foods, dance like a crazy person and just like a cat, if she didn’t like someone, they would know it. Joseph knew that Samantha had claws hidden somewhere within her slender pale fingers, he just hadn’t seen them yet.

 

            “Good morning” Samantha cooed at Joseph. “Good morning beautiful” Joseph cooed back. The sweetness of that moment could have provided enough sugar for both of their cups of coffee.

 

            Joseph poured a second cup of coffee. Samantha had a red mug with a gold colored design on it. It was pretty classy. Joseph always thought that the gold design looked like a French symbol or decoration, but he didn’t know enough about French markings to be sure.

 

            Samantha gave Joseph a kiss as she reached for her cup. As she leaned back from the kiss she brought the coffee cup up between them and took a long slow sip. “I love you” She whispered. “I love you too” Said Joseph. “I was talking to the coffee” Samantha said and stuck out her tongue. Samantha’s playfulness took Joseph by surprise and he couldn’t contain his wide goofy grin. Samantha was the only person that could make Joseph feel like he was back in highschool, a dorky sixteen year old with a crush on a beautiful classmate. Joseph was still a nerd but he was a happy nerd who married that beautiful crush of his.

 

            Samantha fed the cats who had been waiting patently by their dish. The three elegant garbage monsters attacked their dry cat food like it was prey in the savanna. After feeding the cats, Samantha moved onto her own breakfast. “Do you want anything sweetie?” Asked Samantha. “I can’t, I have to get to work” Joseph sighed. He spent a little too long savoring his morning and was a few minutes behind schedule. He ran upstairs and began to dress for work. Rain started to fall from the sky in small steady drops.  Joseph wished he didn’t have to work, he didn’t want to go out into the cold rain, away from his loving wife, warm house and silly cats. Joseph walked back downstairs and grabbed his umbrella, he checked his phone for the time then quickly went back into the kitchen to say good-bye to his wife.

 

            Joseph walked in and kissed Samantha, who was smiling as she was making breakfast. Joseph went for the door when he heard Samantha call from the kitchen “Hold it! When you checked your phone for the time did you not see the date as well?” Asked Samantha. Joseph looked at his phone again and the build in calendar said it was Saturday. “OH!” Joseph exclaimed in confusion, relief and surprise. Many different feelings and emotions were felt and expressed in only a brief second and through a short grunt of an exclamation.

 

            Joseph took off his shoes and coat and walked back into the kitchen. “I guess I’ll make some breakfast then” He said, still in disbelief that it was Saturday. Samantha placed a plate of French toast and fruit in front of Joseph “I took care of it” Samantha said with a smile. It was a smile that Joseph could stare at all day long.

 

            The went on with a casual pace, Joseph and Samantha listened to the rain pouring outside as they drank their warm coffees and ate breakfast together. The world wasn’t always a nice place to live but at that moment Joseph felt peace.

 

            Life doesn’t need to be any more complicated than you make it. Sometimes all you need is someone to love, a fresh cup of coffee and a little rain in the Fall.

Joseph Stephens and the Pumpkin spice

The crisp Fall air blew in from the north and collided with the warm air of summer. After weeks of warm weather the season finally started to show itself. Joseph Stephens was driving down the street in his bent up jalopy, the windows were down and he smelled a hint of wood smoke. Joseph thought two things, first was how much he loved wood smoke and how comforted he felt when he smelled it and secondly, it was early in the morning and someone not only woke up earlier than Joseph but had the energy and motivation to start a fire. Joseph didn’t like morning people but if some nut was awake and filling the air with the warm comforting smell of wood smoke, he would give them a pass.

Unforeseen circumstances dragged Joseph out of bed earlier than he would have like and though it wasn’t ideal having to bail his friend Jaye out of jail at seven in the morning, at least Joseph was able to enjoy the ride home. While driving the infamous green Jalopy, Joseph passed by his favorite coffee place, “Jerk Toff Jimbo’s Coffee and creamery”. Below the sign of a smiling cartoon Jimbo was a wooden sign in the shape of a pumpkin hanging from a metal pole with a chain on either side connecting the pole to the wooden sign. The sign read “Pumpkins back Bitches” in an elegant styled font that had been carved into the wood of the sign. Joseph knew that sign meant Jimbo’s was serving pumpkin coffee and other pumpkin flavored foods.

The morning was getting better and better and Joseph still had some money left even after posting Jaye’s bail. Luckily Jaye only got into weird trouble and the bail was set for five dollars and thirty-eight cents. The Police officer almost gave Joseph a reward for taking Jaye Williams away from there, but that would have been against the rules.

Joseph Stephens parked his car and as he slowed to a stop smoke came out from the back of his car. Joseph sighed then opened his car door and walked toward the coffee shop. As Joseph approached the brightly lit coffee shop a swarm of young single white girls flooded out of the shop talking loudly while staring at their phone. Joseph Stephens was almost run over by the gaggle of girls. The smell of pumpkin coffee floated through the air as the girls passed by. These girls were pumpkin spice armatures and made pumpkin lovers look bad. Joseph had been shaped into the person he was by Autumn. For many the love of pumpkin didn’t extend passed “OH MAH GOD BECKY, This is like SO good”. Joseph could write poetry about autumn and his love for pumpkin.

Joseph approached the coffee counter “I’d like two pumpkin coffees please” Joseph said. “would you like Creeeaaam and sugar?” Asked Jimbo with one raised eyebrow and smiling with a full row of white teeth. “Y-yeah” Joseph stammered, taken aback by how creepy Jimbo was. People often forgot that Jimbo molested post office workers in his free time, yet somehow he continued to get customers.

Joseph waited by a large support beam that was painted to look like a giant cup of coffee holding up the ceiling. “Heeeere you go sir” Said Mr. Jimbo. Joseph took his cup of piping hot pumpkin spice coffee and took a slow sip.

Joseph’s mind flooded with pictures of autumn, scenery, sights, smells, nostalgia and enjoyable times with friends who hadn’t been put in prison for Llama fighting. Buying an over priced pumpkin spice flavored caffeine drink was Joseph’s first tradition of fall. It was his way of welcoming in the new season and preparing himself for the good times ahead. The caffeine made Joseph feel more awake and the artificial flavors of pumpkin pie spices gave him the warm fuzzy schmood that he always loved.

Joseph walked to his car, feeling even happier than when he first left his poor old, beat up, green car. Smoke billowed from the back of Joseph’s car and Joseph sighed again but he wasn’t about to let the smoke ruin his mood. Joseph started his car and continued on his way home. The whole drive home he thought about the future and how this Autumn season would play out. The trees hadn’t started to change colors yet but the cool air and the pumpkin coffee made Joseph feel a little closer to autumn.

Joseph finally arrived home, he parked, opened his car door and took the two pumpkin coffees from their drink tray. He stood up and walked over to his trunk. Joseph continued sipping the one coffee and placed the second coffee on the hood of his car. Joseph then took out his keys and opened the trunk. Inside was Jaye Williams, who had been cooking a ham in  a makeshift grill that he cobbled together from coat hangers and lighter fluid. The ham was raw all the way through, except on the bottom where it had been burnt black. Thick black smoke billowed from the trunk and Jaye looked dead. “I got your coffee” Joseph said. Jaye didn’t respond. “Its pumpkin spice” Joseph added, his tone was bored and slightly annoyed. Jaye sprang up and jumped out of the trunk. Jaye didn’t want the silly inconvenience of being dead in a trunk to ruin his chance of having a pumpkin spice coffee in the beginning of the season.

Joseph closed his car doors and trunk while Jaye sipped his coffee, holding the cup like a squirrel holds an acorn. “alright, I’m going back to bed. I’ll see you later” Joseph said. “Yeah, later” Jaye said while he took small quick sips from his large to-go cup. “Are you heading home?” Joseph asked as the two men stood in Joseph’s front yard. “Oh yeah, of course” Jaye replied, still focused on his coffee.

Joseph looked annoyed as Jaye stood there and nibbled the plastic top to his coffee. “Get out of here ya freak!” Joseph shouted. Jaye sprang up in the air and started to scamper away as soon as he landed. Jaye ran off into the cool morning mist while he held his coffee with both hands and shuffled along the ground with his feet like a squirrel trying to cross the road. As Jaye disappeared into the distance Joseph thought about the upcoming season and was already planning for Halloween. As a crisp Fall breeze blew passed Joseph, he thought about how thankful he was for autumn, pumpkin spice coffee and that weird squirrel boy Jaye that he called his best friend. 

The World through the Magic lens

            I don’t know how everyone else sees the world, but I don’t think many people see it the way I do, the way I used to. I see things with vibrant colors, a person’s personality shines brightly from their eyes and some even have an aura around them that is as wondrous as fireworks or stars. Every tree has hidden secrets, the more unique in shape or size something is the more life I see in it. Once I saw large tree standing taller than all the other trees in the forest and my mind came alive, I saw the tree built into a giant tree house, then suddenly wooden planks and pathways spread out to the other trees and soon there was a whole town built up into the treetops. Or I might see it as a mystical tree, the guardian of the forest, a great elder tree with a face that is connected to everything in the forest and protects it from harm.

            I see something with my eyes and my mind puts a layer of imagination, possibility and emotions over that image. When a person genuinely smiles, when they experience a moment that catches them off guard and makes them feel that happiness, if I see that moment I am filled with my own happiness and so my emotions mix with the moment. I see a person smile and my mind shows me the light of the human soul. Even if its just for a brief moment and even if the light is dim, I see and experience something real for that second.

            I don’t think other people see the world like this, because if they did then smiles, rain, sunshine, trees and coffee and little things like that would be valued so much more than celebrity gossip, sex or money. I have nothing against sex and money but if offered the chance to either have infinite days of sex and money or infinite days of tranquil rain, tall trees, coffee, peace and stories, I think I would choose the latter.

            I see the colors of a person’s personality, I see the light of a soul, the possibilities of a large tree the bliss of the falling rain, except for when I don’t. I live off of imagination and creativity and it makes me whole. The day I do not see the rain as magical is the day I do not want to live anymore.

            My problem is pain, I have said it once and I will say it again. I am so familiar and intimate with the experience of pain that we should probably get married less we get struck down for living in sin. When my intestines aren’t being twisted like a pretzel then I have back pain, and if not back pain then joint pain. There is always pain. I can’t speak for the whole human race but I can say most Americans don’t live with the level of pain that I live with and certainly not at such a young age. When I talk about pain I am not complaining about a headache or a tummy ache, I am talking about the feeling of glass grinding in my bones and a knife twisting in my guts. The kind of pain that makes you not want to be alive or get out of bed. Luckily not every day is like that and I get to enjoy my coffee and rain and be content. The is also the double edge sword of pain medicine.

            Pain meds are these magical pills that wash over you and wipe away the pain, they make you feel good and the world seems right. That feeling does not last, but the numbness does. The pills numb the brain so you don’t feel the pain, but it also makes it hard to feel everything else. Taking my pain meds makes me loose my filter, my magical lens that I get to see the world in. Without the pills my pain slows me down and sometimes I lose whole days of my life to the pain, but without taking meds I can see the world in a more magical way. I get to see the world through my own imagination lens. Everything in the world seems more wondrous and the good start to outweigh the bad. Sure I am in pain but look how beautiful the sky looks after it rains! Its like the heavens opened up and you can see a glimpse of the afterlife.

            When I take the pills it keeps the pain at bay, the rabid dog that is pain gets put on a leash and told to behave. The rabid dog is still there but its calmed now. Then I start to see the world as I suspect others see it. A tree is a tree, rain is water that falls from the sky, it makes traffic more dangerous, coffee is only for waking up in the morning and when people smile its their happiness, not mine.

            I am always the same person but without the magical lens the world seems like a darker place. I am a better version of myself whenever I can manage to go a few days without my medication.

            Sometimes it rains while I am on my pain meds and I look outside and see only rain, I don’t feel the serenity or the calm that rain brings. I look outside and I remember how much joy rain used to bring me and I know there is a magical world of peace and tranquility right outside my window at that moment, but it is slightly out of reach and I just can’t see it yet.

            When it rains I see water fall from the sky, but one day the rain will take me back to that magical place. The place were water, wind and fog swirl through the air and the cool breeze refreshes the spirit, a place where anything could be waiting over the horizon. The best stories start on a dark and stormy night and the best adventures happen on a cool foggy afternoon.

Migraine

Jagged pain pounds in the base of my skull. Migraine. Such a simple word, so casual, so often heard that it barely invokes any emotion to those who do not suffer with it. Though migraines aren’t fatal that do cause suffering. It gets hard to think and hard to write when it feels as though a screw was slowly burrowing into my skull. Worming its way deeper into my head until it hits my brain.

            Headaches can be a nuisance but migraines can ruin your day. Though who deal with severe or frequent migraines know this first hand.

            I awaken feeling hung over, but I did not drink the night before. My head has a thumping pain, like a kick drum beating in my ear. The sharp pain of a knife enters my skull followed by the dull and constant pain similar to the moments after being struck on the head. I stand up on uneasy feet and fumble for the lights. I turn the light on, sharp daggers of light enter my eye and pierce through into my brain. I react quickly and shut the light off.

            After taking a moment to recover I try to move forward in the dark. My eyes start to adjust to the lack of light but my head spins and I feel dizzy and nauseous. Pain burns into the back of my head and it becomes hard to see. I feel as if I were dying, but I know I am not. I have been to the doctor so many times because of my pain. I have had so many tests done and they all point to one thing, migraines.

            I start the coffee machine and run to the bathroom. The pain has made me so dizzy it is unbearable. I vomit into the toilet. My head still hurts but I am less nauseous now. After brushing my teeth I take my pills. Pills for nausea, pills for migraine pain even muscle relaxers. I take the first two and put the third one back. I cannot afford to drug myself this early in the day.

            After my pills and a cup of coffee my migraine starts to recede. It doesn’t go away, it just becomes more tolerable. I spend my day with a dull pain in the base of my skull. I am functional but my mood doesn’t recover on days like these.

            For those who suffer know this morning routine all too well. Migraines might show up in the middle of the day or even at night, but it is always the same symptoms.

            So for now I rest. I take my pills and rest. Try to take my mind of the pain and hope tomorrow is better.

Pumpkin Coffee

It has been a while since I posted a true short story. So here it is. Autumn is here (sort of) and that always gets my creative mind flowing.
I recommend when you get to the part about Jon taking a sip of coffee, play this music. It is what I listened to when I wrote this. into the song at 3:19 it goes into this fast almost metal version. it can be jarring if you don't expect it and that is where i stopped. Just FYI. anyway, enjoy the story!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4HfzwgUbcw


   

It was the beginning of September and Jon rolled out of bed. It was the kind of morning were he didn’t even bother landing on his feet. Jon opened his eyes, let out an annoyed sigh that he was awake and then rolled his body to the edge of the bed, then let gravity take over. Jon fell to the ground in a heap of sheets and didn’t bother moving right away. He stayed there for about ten seconds before stirring.

The birds chirped happily outside and the air conditioner hummed quietly in the next room. Jon slowly got to his feet, picked his sheets off of the floor and then threw them against the wall. The sheets hit the wall and landed on the bed in a messy pile.

For the last four months it had been summer. Heat day in and day out. Jon hated it. He hated the heat and the only thing he hated more than summer, was the people who loved the summer. School and college were over and Jon had a job now. Summer meant nothing to him except scorching weather, sweating, and feeling nauseous every day he had to spend in the direct sunlight. His pale skin burned and he got heat stroke very easily. He had to wear a hat all the time and carry a water bottle. He was not made to live like this. He was made to live somewhere cloudy and cool. Where the rain refreshes your spirit and the occasional sunshine is welcomed and not scorned.

Jon ate breakfast and dressed for work. He moved sluggishly up to the door, slowly opened it, then suddenly a burst of cool air hit him. It wasn’t chilly autumn air, but it was the first relief he had in months. Jon took a deep breath in and suddenly his blood started to pump again. Instead of blood moving sluggishly through his veins, it woke right up and surged through him. delivery oxygen and all the wonderful brain chemicals that we all enjoy.

Jon smiled for the first time in months and walked happily to his car. The trees were still green, but there was a slight overcast and the air was almost too cold for his short-sleeved work shirt. He got into his car and sped off down the road. He listened to his calming “autumn mix” CD. He found that chilly weather always put him in the mood to listen to slow music. Jon drove down the road toward his work, but decided to make a stop. He pulled into the parking lot of his ‘local’ big business chain coffee shops and strode into the store with a renewed sense of purpose. The line consisted of men and women of different ages all dressed in nice work clothes with faces that fit better at a funeral than a coffee shop. Jon was the only one smiling and everyone kept their distance. Because surely anyone that’s happy is truly insane, surely. So Jon waits his turn, he looks at the board to pass the time but doesn’t bother reading it. He knows exactly what he wants, a fresh hot pumpkin coffee to kick off the season. This location would have the privilege of serving his first cup, the first of many cups.

When it was his turn, Jon walked up to the lady at the counter and said “one pumpkin coffee please” He said this with a smile as he stood tall. The woman, who looked to be in her twenties, gave a tired, vacant look as a reply. “It sucks having my favorite flavor be a seasonal one” Jon said nervously as the cashier stared at him. The girl eventually said “We don’t have pumpkin. It’s not even on the board. Who even serves…” The woman said in a condescending tone, but was interrupted when Jon slammed his hands down on the counter. “September is autumn! Don’t give me shit!” Jon said angrily then regained his senses and left. He was tired of being treated like a weirdo for ordering pumpkin drinks as soon as summer ended. If Beer were season you bet people would be even more fanatical than he was about pumpkin. Jon also knew from experience that companies put pumpkin flavors out immediately to start the season as soon as they can and make lots of money on their seasonal flavors. Jon knew it was to make money, but he didn’t care. If he got the flavor he wanted, he didn’t mind spending upwards of four bucks for a cup.

Luckily coffee shops plagued the streets and spread out like a virus, a delicious virus. Jon drove ten feet and pulled into the next coffee shop. He waited in line and ordered a coffee, his good mood had waned slightly. “one pumpkin coffee please” Jon said, sounding more like the coffee zombies behind him than he cared to. “Sure here you go, honey” Said the cashier. This cashier was a woman in her forties who knew the coffee shop front and back. She was always friendly and helpful. So much so that if they didn’t have pumpkin flavor, this woman would know when exactly they would get it. Jon might have had a crush on her for that very reason. “Bless you, you are a constant ray of light in the morning” Jon said to her. He wasn’t flirting. Jon and the Cashier knew each other because Jon always stopped in for coffee. The first coffee shop girl should have known him too, but people in their early twenties don’t know what customer service is or what it sounds like. Jon was twenty-six, but disliked working with anyone under thirty. People in Jon’s age ground and younger seemed to just do the bare minimum, which made dealing with them a chore.

Jon pushed aside his inner monologue and walked swiftly to the car with his prize in hand. “Oh the things I am going to do to you!” Jon said excitedly. The absurd statement made him laugh. The older gentleman walking passed Jon just shook his head.

Jon got into his car and took his first sip. Sweetness and spice hit his tongue and his brain lit up like a Jack-o-lantern. Little red, yellow and orange autumn leaves floated around Jon’s head as he swallowed his first sip, then put his head back and let out a long satisfied sigh. The leaves danced as if being swept around by a tiny breeze and the colors glowed faintly as the leaves moved. The world seemed perfect for a moment.

The world did not change, but Jon’s imagination took over. Through his left eye he saw the fantasy and the dreams, through his right was the reality. He drove down the street. Green trees turned gold, bushes lit up with red and orange like they were on fire. Leaves floated through the air, drifting lightly on delicate a delicate breeze. The world seemed right and the air was fresh. All at once Jon could see Halloween on the horizon, pumpkins dotted the landscape but soon transformed into Jack-o-lanterns as the night sky rose up, covering the morning sun. Jon continued to drive. He could see trick-or-treaters running along the neighborhood wearing costumes and giggling frantically as they chased each other. He saw a beautiful afternoon of thanksgiving with his family and football to watch as he fell into a turkey coma. He saw a line up of delicious food that only Fall could provide. He saw it all in front of him, ready for the best part of the year. It was all right there for the taking. It might have only been September first, but time passes quicker than people realize. Tomorrow there will be autumn leaves and the next day there will be pumpkin flavored everything, feasts, and laughing, family and cool weather. This is why Jon loved fall, this is why he loved pumpkin coffee, not just the taste but the feeling. It meant so much to him, it was insulting to think of it as only “seasonal”. Seasonal was such a sterile word, so plain. It didn’t ring out with the million images that buzzed through his mind as the caffeine surged through his veins.

Jon eventually arrived at work and the world returned to normal. The trees were green and the autumn pushed back. Jon stood by his old car, he was just a man, holding a coffee, going to work. Before Jon went into his office building he took one long swig of pumpkin coffee. Autumn was just over the horizon and Jon could see it so clearly.