The Owl Café—an autumn-inspired short story

✨Free for you!✨

I think everybody has a place or a season where they feel most like themselves. Maybe for you it’s wearing a bathing suit at the beach, cold drink in hand and toes buried in the sand; maybe it’s cozied up on the couch under a blanket, with a hot coffee in one hand and a good book in the other; maybe you come home to your truest self in a sticky hot climate with the sounds of the jungle outside the shala, dressed in yoga pants and surrounded by love and acceptance.

For me it’s the time of year when the leaves turn fiery red, brilliant orange, and a golden yellow. When nature slows down, reminding us to take a deep breath and to let go. When I encounter bears and coyotes on my hikes through the woods, giving them space because they were here first, and they magnanimously allow me and my dogs to visit their beautiful home.

My truest self thrives on crisp mornings, putting on a warm sweater and pouring herself another cup of pumpkin-flavoured coffee. I love thick socks, the crackling of a fire, stirring soups and stews on the stove like a witch stirring a cauldron.

Autumn has always felt like a rebirth to me. It marks the end of the overstimulation from summer, and it’s a welcome pause before the hectic Christmas-season begins. It’s also the beginning of my most creative time of the year. My brain and imagination work best when the outside temperatures drop and I wake up when the world is still dark and sleeping. In fact, I’m writing this letter to you from my bed, second cup of coffee on my nightstand, as dawn is just breaking.

To celebrate my most favourite season, I felt inspired to write a short story. It’s a magic realism story, a genre that I wanted to try out. In case you don’t know what the heck it is, here’s a quick overview:
Magic realism paints a realistic view of the world while adding magical elements. There’s no explanation for the magic—it just occurs without a trigger or reason.

I got my idea for The Owl Café from this photo I found on Pinterest:

The story simply came to me from there! Like I said—autumn is filled with magic.
It’s available on Amazon, but for you it’s free: you can download it right here🦉!

Happy reading!

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P.S. I decided on a whim to enter the Fab over 40 contest. I want to celebrate getting older instead of feeling bad about it. The first cut is tomorrow—if you have a moment, could you vote for me? It takes less than a minute and it’s free. Thank you!