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Chapter One
Mazzy
“Yes, Pip, I will try to come home for a visit soon. I promise.” I wait for the tiny bells around the shop to jingle with her reply. When they do, I can hear the excitement in her tone.
“You have to tell me all about the human world.” Bells jingle with her reply. I can picture her bouncing up, flying a few feet before landing, and doing it over and over again.
“Or you could just come visit me in the human world,” I tell her, already knowing her reply.
“My life is in Furnway. I wish I could be as adventurous as you. I want to find my soulmate so badly and have a family. Iwon’t find them here.” The bell jingles in a lower tone, giving away the sadness in her reply.
“Ihaven’t met my soul mate either, Pips.That’s not why I’m here. I want to live. Idon’t want to be stuck in the fields of Furnway, behind a stove for the rest of my long life, or worse, the health ward. I want to see everything, share my gift and my food with the world,” I tell her excitedly, looking at the clock on the wall.
“It’s almost time to open the restaurant, Pip. I need to go,” I say through our connection.It’s essentially a form of fairy phone. The bells send messages back and forth from this realm to the fairy realm. If a human were to walk in, it would just seem like bells were ringing all over the store in different tones and variations, but we fairies, and some other supernatural beings, can understand our language.
“Alright! But I better see you soon,” she says before ending the connection. I sigh, thinking about the gorgeous land of my home world. It is beautiful, and some days I miss the open fields, the green grass, and the smell of the natural earth with no pollution or trash. But I also know if I had stayed there, I would have been stuck in the back of the fairy kitchens, slaving away, creating the same meals over and over. It would have been a routine existence, and my Mamma always told me I was made for more.
I smile as my first customers walk through the door. Thoughts of home wash away with the excitement written over thiscouple’s face. I may be a fairy living in New Orleans, but my appearancedoesn’t give that away. To the human eye, I look just like any normal human. Other supernaturals can see my aura to know what I am, but I am as normal as they come to humans. Now, if I were to shrink down to my normal size, things might get a bit dicey. I can shrink to fairy size and make my wings visible, but I rarely do that these days. For the past five years, I’ve been too busy making a name for myself and my restaurant.
People from all over come to eat my food, butit’s not just about the food here.It’s also my abilities and the mystery of my powers. Although some people just come by to see a spectacle or cause grief at my place of business.Mazzy’s Munchies has rules if you want to eat here, and they must be followed, or you are asked to leave. No food for you!It’s only one simple rule, but certain peoplecan’t get it through their heads for some reason.What’s my one rule, you might ask? Well, here it is:
You come to my restaurant, I will order for you. No menus, no choices. I get to pick what you eat, or youdon’t eat at all.
Sounds weird and a bit pompous, but there is a reason I do this. My abilities allow me to pick exactly what meal someone should eat and what will relieve that stress. What meal will take you back in time, and have you lost in the nostalgia of happy memories. What meal will have you leaving my place with a smile and the feeling of being able to conquer the world.
I can read people, their moods, where they hold their stress, and what is causing it. Unfortunately, Ican’t heal everyone and fixpeople’s lives to take away their struggles from the choices they have made and the problems they have been through. I wish I could, but that would also take away their freedom, willpower, and individualism. Idon’t want to change anyone. I just want them to feel happy while they are here. I want them to feel comfort and love from the food we make atMazzy’s Munchies.
That said, people who come here and eat always, and I do mean always, leave here happy. The ones who come in and refuse my gift leave… less so. It’s not my fault, though. I know exactly what meal is perfect for every person who walks through my door. If people would loosen up and believe in just a hint of magic, they would find that comfort, too.
My favorite time of year is Halloween, but not for the reasons you might think. I love Halloween because it feels like the only time of year humans are brave enough to face their fears. People chasing you with huge knives and machinery. Yeah, we can pay money for that. Want to put fake blood everywhere and make it look like I eat brains as a meal? Sure, sounds fun. Any other day of the year, that would be weird, but the humans allow one day to celebrate all other paranormals. It’s actually pretty cute to see all the little fairies running around out in the open each year.
Coming to the human world was a whole new experience. We hear stories as kids, but none of those stories portray the experience you get when coming here. All the technology, I’ve learned the kitchen stuff, but all the rest of it makes my head want to explode into dust… fairy dust. Hehe. Cars and phones aredefinitelya no go for me. I can shrink and fly anywhere I want to go and not riskanyone’s life, mine included, by getting behind the wheel. Phones give me the creeps. Everyone is so addicted to them here and lets them run their lives. They look at their phones, not the world passing them by. Looking at other beauties through a glass screen instead of traveling and seeing them with their own eyes. However, it seems easier said than done with how the humans work themselves to the bone, only to see as far as you can throw a skipping stone.
Again, it just makes me even more determined to give them a meal full of happiness.
“Please, be seated wherever you like, and I will be with you shortly.” I smile at the customers as I make my way back to the kitchen, ensuring my kitchen crew is ready.
This was the tricky part of my plan to open Mazzy’s Munchies, being able to have a hand in all the food prep while still choosing meals for our customers. Thankfully, being a fairy once again gives me the advantage I need.It’s not uncommon to see me flitting around, twirling in and out of the kitchen. I just need to place my special seasoning on the food while my employees use my specially grown herbs for the rest, brought over straight from the lands of Furnway and grown in my greenhouse. I found a house for sale near downtown with a small greenhouse in the backyard.It’s not huge, butit’s home, and I love it.
Once my staff gives me the thumbs up, I walk up to Evie, ready to start our daily routine. Evie walks behind me as I get a feel for my customers. One by one, I place their order for them.
“Gravy and biscuits, bacon, and cheese grits for you, sir. Anddddd….” I draw it out as I take a closer look at the older woman sitting in the booth. Oh, she’s not going to like this one. “Mac and cheese with a side of watermelon for you, ma’am.”
“Mac and cheese and watermelon?”
Yup, saw this coming.
“Ididn’t come all this way and wait in that long line for you to give me mac and cheese! I want a do-over,” she nearly screeches.
“It’s Mac and cheese and fruit or nothing at all. Sorry ma’am, house rules,” I say, giving her a gentle smile. I understand how disappointing it must be not to get a more elaborate dish, but this womanhasn’t tasted my mac and cheese.
“Jolie, please. We’ve come all this way. Just give it a chance,” the older man sitting across from her whispers pleadingly.
“Fine,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and turning up her nose at me. I smile and give Evie the go-ahead to put in the orders.
Quietly, I walk to the back kitchen, wash my hands, and put on my apron before heading toward the stove. I’m going to make the mac and cheese personally, and Ican’t wait to see the look on her face.
Forty-five minutes later, I placed the check on the edge of their table. As I look at Jolie, I notice she seems forty years younger. Where I would guess her age to be about sixty-two, it looks like she was sent back to her teenage years. She turns to look at me with awe written all over her face before it breaks into a blinding smile with tears shining through.
