Her body was stiff when darkness befell her as strange familiar echoes filled her ears. Her body jacked forward as she opened her eyes slowly to see her children and her husband Jack with the same look that they have carried for years... the sad solemn look.
"Let me speak to your Mum," She heard her husband say to their children Derek and Anna.
"Are you better now?" Her husband's soothing voice asked when her children left the room. With no strength left in her, Mary gave her husband a nod.
After the extinction of coffee in the year 2500 which has gone on for decades because of climate change, Mary who is a lover of Cinnamon coffee has been very sick and the sickness sometimes causes her body to stiff. For decades, Jack and his children have always gone hunting to see if they will be fortunate to see any coffee plant or come across a sealed coffee which would be better, but, they always came back with nothing and it saddens Jack everyday he comes home to see the dark circle that has surrounded his wife's face.
Mary, who was once a strong willed woman felt her world collapse when her body and soul yearn for coffee wasn't fulfilled. Her mother had trained her with the coffee culture before she died when she was very and so did her grandma. The coffee culture is her ancestral culture which has always been practiced because of the goodness, health and longevity attached to it.
...and now, Mary was losing her health and only the taste of coffee could bring her back to her usual self.
She watched as her husband cleaned her up and all she could see was love and great attention that she couldn't help loving him more as she wished they would find her a cup of coffee soon so that she can run the home as she is supposed to.
The morning sun that rose from the East awoke Mary from slumber. Checking her surroundings, she noticed a piece of paper beside her just like she always had ever since the coffee sickness befell her.
We love you and we will be back soon the word read boldly on the piece of paper. With a smile, Mary sighed and wished heaven would guide her family to the right place.
Jack, Derek and Anna walked through the forest with their eyes sharp, their ears ready to pick up any sound and their nose everywhere to perceive the aroma they've all been hunting for years.
They have searched the 3 cardinal points, West, North and South and they started searching the East some days ago but they still have more places to cover.
As the trio walked further into the forest, the sky darkened as the platter of rain became their new companion. Jack and his children hurriedly moved from one tree to the other frantically searching for the tree with a better shade to keep them safe.
Further away from their sight, their eyes captured a huge tree and it enchanted them, drawing them forward until they got there and just then, something hit them altogether.
Heartbeats echoed round the forest mixing with the sound of the rain as their mouths opened agape.
"What is that smell?" Derek asked in disbelief.
After the rain ended, it was already midday as the trio walked carefully as mud hugged their legs leaving a mark where their legs touched.
Though the rain ended some minutes ago, the sky still looks cloudy as father and children found their way home with the arrival of moonlight as their guide home.
Mary's eyes spark open and the dark color that has taken over her face seems to fade. Her nose perceived the smell before she heard the sound of her husband and children's feet.
"You found it!" Mary's voice echoed through her home as strange blissful energy surrounded her.
Hurried feet were heard as Jack, Derek and Anna got inside their Mom's room after they heard her voice.
"Mom... Dad, mom can speak!" Anna screamed with joy.
"Derek, go and boil some water" Jack said without looking at his son as his eyes were fixated on his wife. Her pale skin was now glowing and her smile so beautiful that he began to cry.
Hugging his wife, he kissed her passionately before giving her the vacuumed sealed packet of coffee and as soon as Mary opened it, she felt alive and was smiling like she won a lottery ticket to heaven.
Derek and Anna came in with a cup and hot water needed to brew the coffee as they set it down close to where their mother laid.
Their faces were filled with smiles as they watched their Mother perform the coffee ritual of blessing the coffee and saying out the words;
"Coffee is life, and everything the world has to offer".
And when the coffee hit her taste bud, Mary felt every positive emotion that surrounded and her eyes rolled around in ecstasy as the Cinnamon coffee took her to places beyond her imagination.
... and, she was glad it was the first cup of coffee she experienced in the changing world she has found herself with the presence of her loved one's which added more magic to the feeling.
Other Images Used Are Mine.