#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 88: 2025 Arkham

#Wss366 Set #MastoPrompt Palm #TimeTravelAuthors 04/3. What kind of coffee/caffeinated beverage do your characters like?

“Want a sip of my coffee and see what it’s like? French Roast with chicory,” I asked, while thinking about the new mystery. “That is, if you don’t mind that I’ve already drunk some.”

“I don’t mind a secondary kiss,” Emily replied.

I began passing my cup to her, then stopped. “Secondary kiss? That’s a weeb term.”

I laughed, embarrassed. “Forget it. You wouldn’t know what a weeb is.”

“Weeb? It’s like being a Japanophile or an Orientalist, only interested in anime and manga. Wait! I shouldn’t know any of that! None of that stuff existed when I was alive!”

“We’re being absorbed into this time-particle, aren’t we?” I asked.

She nodded, took a thoughtful sip of my coffee, and #set it down, grimacing: “Bitter!”

“So, what do you think?”

“I think you're right about being absorbed. The coffee? I prefer the one you bought me, mellower or tea. I got a taste for it while I was in China.”

“Let’s get those letters and move on before we forget what we are doing.”

Emily held up her #palm in a halt gesture. “Let’s finish the cake first. It’s good.”

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri #Mystery

#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 87: 2025 Arkham

#Wss366 Suit #MastoPrompt Lessen #TimeTravelAuthors 03/31. Author's choice/promo #WordWeavers 31 Share or tell us about a fun scene you recently wrote.

The rest of the trip was awkward. I kept catching Emily glancing at me. Logically, I knew this was a good sign. I had feelings for her, but it didn’t #lessen the feeling that I wanted to escape. Her jealousy of the women in my life before we met raised red flags.

It was more than that, though. There was a sense of dread and panic. I found myself thinking things like, “Been there, done that,” or “It never turns out well.” It frustrated me that I couldn’t pinpoint why I felt that way. Was it an intuition about Emily, or was it something from my past?

Other than that, the trip was fun. It was nice to just enjoy things without worrying about anthropomorphic rabbits, the Illuminati, or other hidden terrors.

When I asked Emily if she enjoyed herself, she said, “I had a swell time.”

The day we arrived back in Arkham, it was sunny. A robin greeted us from a tree near the station. People had smiles on their faces. It was hard to believe that tomorrow someone would discover my mutilated body in Franklin Park.

It was still early, so I pointed out a café. “That’s one of my favorites. I think it’ll #suit you. They make excellent coffee, and the coffee cake is that old-fashioned kind with lots of brown sugar on top. We can go to the park where you can have some.”

“That’s peachy. I’m glad you’re getting your memories back. Is any of it useful?”

“Memory?” I asked.

“The café?

I blinked. “It wasn’t really a memory. Just a feeling.”

It would have been an inconsequential occurrence, soon forgotten, except for the server's greeting upon entering the café: “How was your vacation, Professor Bijou?”

I was stunned. Had she addressed me as Professor Dubois, I would have assumed my makeup was an inadequate disguise. But this woman knew my name.

I ordered two coffees and some pastries, then hurried out. There were people all around, so I didn’t dare talk to Emily until we reached the park.

We found a quiet bench where Emily sat next to me. She materialized, taking a sip of coffee and a bite of cake. Then she asked, “How did you know the way to the park?”

It was the third shock in a row. I answered, “I don’t know. I just did, and I know where the statue and oak are as well.” That was something I hadn’t known before. This wasn’t like returned memory.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri #NMWW #NMPrompts