I found a bar today off a back alley of a side street of a cow oath road. Made a wrong turn & stumbled in. It's not the typical watering hole. The drinks here are made from liquors that shouldn't exist.
I drank Loss today. Just a shot. The bartender wouldn't let me have any more. Bitter & acrid, I kept thinking of my childhood, knowing it was no more. To ease the Loss, he poured me a glass of Contentment. Just ever so slightly sweet & warm like sunshine.
#lifebar
#microfiction
I barely finished the Contentment when the bartender set a blonde pint in front of me. I dipped it slowly & surveyed the other customers hunched over half empty glasses or idly running their fingers throw spilled puddles on their table. It was a salty brew, watered down, & left a phenolic after taste. The more I drank, the darker the place became & the other patrons grungier. I looked at the tap he poured it from, Pessimism Ale Light.
#lifebar
#microfiction
Another patron sent me over a drink. He sat in the shadow at the end of the bar & I could only get an impression of what he looked like. Angular features, hard cut, & black pools for eyes. His bony fingers drummed on the bar.
It was a mixed drink called Tomorrow. 1 part Hope, 1 part Yearning, a dash of Dreams, & the rim dusted in WhatIfs.
I asked the bartender what the man was drinking. 'Oh, @DEATH always drinks Lonely Daquaris.'
I shakily took another sip of my Tomorrow.
#lifebar #microfiction
Relax, the bartender said. Death just likes messing with people. You only have to worry if he sends you a Today.
What's in that, I asked.
It's never the same twice. It always has WhatIfs & Whatweres muddled together with a dash of Bitter Sadness. After that, some people like it shaken with Satisfaction or poured over Quiet Joy.
That sounds nice, I said
Not all Today's are good, he said. Sometimes that mix gets dropped in a pint of Dark Thoughts Stout for a Depression Bomb.
#lifebar #microfiction
I learned then what goes into a Yesterday. It mixes a Today, a pinch of Regret, & heavy on Whatweres in a shaker with Frozen Time. Its okay to drink it every now & then, but if it's all you drink, it leaves you shivering & everything else you taste is bitter.
I asked if the Time eventually waters Yesterday down.
The bartender just shrugged. For some it does, he said. But for many, it makes the Yesterday stronger, enhances the Regret & almost turns it into a Never Forget.
#lifebar #microfiction
I knew when I left the bar, I wouldn't find it again. I'd travel the same path, but it wouldn't be here. I'd remember the stained bar top, the crack in the stool to my right, the dusty bottle of Listlessness that's never been opened, & the exact number of Not Yets in the pickle jar. But I'd never find the door again.
I left with more than the memories though. Death gave me a card in thanks for the drink. Jet black on both sides, except where he wrote 1 Free Not Today.
@Kurtroedeger They're a tad longer, but you may enjoy some of Spider Robinson's tales from "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon."
@northernbassist i have that on my wishlist now. Thank you 😁
@Kurtroedeger That was an excellent tale! Thank you for sharing - I felt it in my soul.
@lebrak thank you. I have other stories in the mircofiction tag. See also:
#angels
#interstitial
#forbaalssake
#woods
#cloudcity
#TomorrowAndHope
#hellguide
#devilonachain
#minorpowers
#joy
#faelands
Some have a bunch, some are just a few here and there.
@Kurtroedeger I'll check them out for sure!
Before I left I asked if I could send a drink to Death, my own mix. The place was quiet, the bartender grabbed a glass & nodded.
Mix a shot of Despair & 1 of Deep Thoughts, I said. A dash of Silent Company and 2 of Tender Care.
Swirl with Candied Maybes. At the end, float a little Stolen Breath on top, poured from an empty bottle. Garnish with a slice of Orange Smiles, rubbed around the rim.
I've never mixed this before, the bartender said. What's it called?
Lost Words.
#lifebar #microfiction