Crossroads Corners Cafes

Once I got there I realized that I couldn't have found a more suitable spot to finish the novel that I started but then was stalled, just like the depressed economy in Detroit I fled from. This happened previously with the work I did eventually publish, finding myself at a crossroads with a choice of various turns. I needed to step into the readers' shoes to foreshadow the ending they shouldn't see coming. The literary twist, every author's bane, the denouement. I crossed the Atlantic by liner to this small Northern European port to cleanse my vision of the clouds of home, to rally my thoughts, reflect and weave its warps and woofs around my protagonist's quest for enlightenment, hoping that distance would pique my muse and encourage my quill. Late January night I arrived to that remote town. Rent was more than affordable on the second floor flat above what seemed to be a former theatre with faded posters of dubious taste. Perfect for my jaded, melancholic state of pensive probing for inspiration. I settled in and anticipated the traveller's bliss of calm and quiet. Out of the blue, or rather grey, if you will, it felt like the glaring street lights illuminated my little private space of a room above. I peered outside my apartment window, all four corners of the intersection blazed suddenly with neon lights accompanied by a mellow flow of jazz, raucous guitar riff, crashing piano chords and a sensual female vocal. What a twist, every author’s epiphany! Each "secluded" corner turned out to be a treasured staple of the local community, a café that burst into life each Saturday night. And apparently there was an unspoken consensus for the four to open the "curtains" at the same time inviting patiently waiting regulars to pour in. Thus it felt like they were about to see a Live Show on a weekly basis offering unique genres of musical entertainment to cater to every taste. I soon became one of the regulars. My muse elevated, my inner voice humming and my pen poised. The signs above the cafés all read - Crossroads Corners Café. (The title of my next book, if you wish to get in). February 15, 2023 Sponsor: Julia Ward Contest: Four Cafés