Experimental Magic ✔

Coffee Break

~The Present ~

With the semester over, Markos decided maybe it was time to clean out his office. He was well aware of his reputation around campus as the unconventional, nutty professor type. He was known for his brilliant yet scattered and rambling thoughts. It was as if his thoughts were rainbow colored shards of glass that he collected at random and tucked away in different corners of his mind. No one was ever sure where they had come from or what they were for, but he held them dearly as if they were gold. Then one day, he would toss them to the ground and every little piece would fall perfectly into place to create a beautiful mosaic. And then it all made sense.

"Good lord," Markos uttered to himself as he surveyed the damage. 

He'd been so wrapped up in his work, he hadn't realized how bad it'd gotten. Now with fresh eyes, he could see what a disaster it was. No wonder all his students teased him - lovingly of course. The entire floor was coated with crumpled papers, books, potion bottles, and lots and lots of empty coffee cups. 

With a heavy sigh, Markos got to work. He started with the easy stuff and started picking up the books one by one and stacking them on his book shelf. As he sorted through the mess, he stumbled across an old leather bound journal he had since he was a kid. He let the memories sink in for a brief moment before tossing it aside. He miscalculated how close his desk was and the journal just missed. It landed on the floor splayed open with the spine facing up. When he went to pick it up, a glossy 5 x 7 photograph slipped out and fluttered to the floor. It caught his attention and piqued his interest. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he bent to pick it up. 

A pang of hurt stung his heart when he turned it over and saw four goofy kids with black hair and ear-to-ear smiles staring up at him. Sand was squished in between their toes as luscious waves crashed in the background. The girls had buried Markos's entire body in the sand, leaving only his head poking out and they couldn't have been more proud of themselves. 

Nostalgia washed over him like the waves on the shore. He remembered those days. When they were young, their parents created their own little island oasis just off the coast of Santorini that they escaped to every summer. It was made entirely from magic and was hidden to the world. Only the Tarby clan knew of it's existence, which made it that much more special to them. 

As far as Markos knew, it was still there. But it had been all but abandoned years ago. There were no more sand castles or foot prints in the sand. Only empty hammocks and empty memories.

Markos let out a heavy sigh and shoved the picture in his coat pocket. Too many painful memories and too little caffeine.

In need of a pick me up, Markos headed down to his favorite coffee shop. His spirits were immediately lifted when he saw Tyrella standing behind the counter.

"Markos!" Tyrella greeted him warmly. "How you doin' baby?"

"Better now that I've seen your beautiful face," Markos said with a smile.

Tyrella smacked her lips together and rolled her eyes, but Markos knew she loved it when he complimented her. It was all part of the little game they played.

"I'm serious," Markos chuckled. "I haven't seen you in awhile. It's nice to see you."

"Oh please," Tyrella scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The pleasure is all mine. Now what are you having? Your usual?"