Calm in the Storm

black cat coffee

(Happened at some point during the ATWQ series (SYBS I think), from Lemony's POV)

There was a town, and there was a girl, there was a coffee shop, and there was a theft. I thought these things were unconnected, and I was wrong. I was wrong about all of it.

I was on my way to this coffee shop, at the corner of two certain streets, in a certain town that was fading away, like the sea that was once next to it had. I was on my way to see a girl that tended to show up in the wrong place at the wrong time, a girl who frequently visited that coffee shop. As I quietly opened the front door, I heard music and my heart leapt. In the corner of the shop was a player piano where I could see the silhouette of a girl sitting on the bench. A girl a couple years older than me. However, the music coming from the piano was not the haunting tune that often accompanied Ellington Feint (who I had been looking for), but rather a sweet melody that came in sporadic plunks. From what I heard of the song; it reminded me of a boat rocking gently on waves. Then an especially bad plunk sounded, and with a frustrated grunt, the piano music stopped. I smiled for the first time in what felt like a long time.

"Hello Nellie," I said. The girl jumped as I went over to the piano, tapping my fingers on the top.

"Mr. Snicket, you scared me," she said, catching her breath. I apologized and she somewhat grudgingly invited me to sit next to her.

"You turned off the player piano." I stated the obvious. She nodded, 

"It took me a while, but I figured out how to switch the settings so I could play it. Though not well." She muttered. I contemplatively pressed one of the piano keys with my index finger, letting out a high, clear note. My associate brushed her hair out of her face, frowning at the keyboard.

"Nellie... there's been a fire. It's worse than we thought." I said, seeing her tense up at the word fire. Nellie Milne had a face with soft, long features and faded blue eyes, which combined to make it seem as though she was drifting away as you spoke to her. She was fading away, just like the town. 

"How bad?" She whispered.

"A school. No one died, but this is the second building that burned down." 

Nellie's face went slack. "It breaks my heart that people would do something like that."

"That's the thing," I said, throwing up my hands. "I can't figure out why they're doing it. It has something to do with a man. A very bad man. But I don't know how!" My associate nodded thoughtfully, staring at the piano keys. I could tell she was itching to get back to playing. Finally, she spoke up:

"I'll let our associates know as soon as possible. Two heads are better than one," she said, using a popular phrase which here means that if multiple people are working to solve a problem, it is more likely to be solved than if only one person is trying to solve it.

I thanked my associate, bid her goodbye, and as I was leaving the coffee shop wishing I had a root beer float, I heard the gentle melody resume. The boat rocking on the ocean waves.