The Road Less Travelled

She wasn’t lost, not really. She’d only gotten turned around in the winding streets of the town’s historic shopping district. Of course, Susie still wanted to get to her hotel sooner rather than later. She just needed to figure out her map. Her hotel was part of the historic district, just off the main street. Looking at the map app on her phone, she saw there were two options. She could stay on the street she was on, walk north to reach Main Street, turn right onto said Main Street, walk three streets down and then turn down the street her hotel was on. Or she could take a series of side streets that would take her pretty much right to her hotel. Taking the side streets would shorten her walk by a few minutes. Seeing the state of her phone’s battery, the shorter route was a better option.
Susie walked a few feet up the street she was on until she found the side street where the shorter path started. It wasn’t exactly a street, but it was too wide for an alley. After checking her phone again to make sure, Susie started down the street. She’d planned this trip for months. A trip through the history and folklore of the area, visiting historic towns and taking as many of the history tours as possible. For Susie, it was the best way to spend the summer before collage. Her mother had disapproved, but she disapproved of most of the things her daughter did.

She walked down another not quite an alley and found herself at an intersection. On one corner of the intersection was a three-story white brick and mortar building with large bay style windows on the first floor, a balcony covered in colorful flowers and ivy crawling up the sides. The sign over the door said. “Bohemian Rose Book Café”. Susie didn’t know what a book café was, but a cup of coffee and some food sounded like a really good idea. It was nearly lunch, and she hadn’t had much for breakfast. When she approached the café, she saw a sign in one of the windows that read,” Come in for coffee, a sweet treat, a good book and some sound advice.”

Susie opened the door and stepped into the café. Upon entering, she could see that there was both a café section and a bookstore section. The scent of brewing coffee and fresh baked goods reached her nose, and her stomach rumbled. She approached the counter to look at the café’s menu. There were so many options to choose from. While they had some standard options, like hazelnut coffee and blueberry muffins, there were also options like rose hip tea, blackberry-lavender cheesecake, and honey-lavender cookies. There were even combo options that came with a drink, a meal, desert, a book, and a small note of advice.

The young woman perused the menu for a moment. The meal options were divided into genres, each one coming with a randomly selected book from that genre. The books were wrapped in brown paper with a simple cord tied around it, keeping the book a mystery until the patron unwrapped it. After a moment, Susie stepped to the order section of the counter.

“Good afternoon, miss. What can I get you?” the cashier greeted.

“I’d like the number six fantasy, with a blueberry coffee,” Susie said.

The cashier rang her up and picked a book up from the fantasy section. Once Susie paid, the cashier handed her the book, her coffee, and a number, telling her that her number would be called when her order was ready. She thanked the cashier, took her book and coffee, and settled herself at one of the tables. Attached to the cord around the book was a small envelop. Susie opened the envelop and removed the note inside. The note read,” Don’t let others define you. Following the rules doesn’t make history. Trust your rebel heart and ride it into battle. Don’t be afraid to take the road less travelled. You never know what you might find or learn.”

686 Words