The Traveling Coffee Shoppe Angels In The House

Full First Chapter Read & Book Summary

Here is a new bookish post, for you loves. I had so much fun with, The Highlands Of Ireland Myth & Magic free first chapter read and summery, I couldn't wait to write another one for my other book, The Traveling Coffee Shoppe Angels In The House!

This was the first I tried my hand at writing short stories, and I'm so happy I did!

It's been so easy for me to care about each and every one of my characters and I'm always excited to see how their lives unfold before me as I write. Sometimes I think they have more control of how the story becomes, more than I do.

But in my opinion, that's when the real magic and surprises begin!

The Traveling Coffee Shoppe Angels In The House, is book 1 to a new series.

As always, I find myself daydreaming and pondering on what the next adventure awaits.

And I can tell you this, book 2 will be one of my best works yet!

When it's ready for the world, that's when I'll let you know, dear readers, of the publication date. But before we get to talking more about book 2, I suppose we might want to read book 1 first. Today, YOU CAN READ THE FIRST CHAPTER FOR FREE!

So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the world of this new short stories series!

A Short Summery: Do you believe in Angels? Do you believe the spirit can live on? Here, you will find Angels, Spirits, and the mythical unknown. The Traveling Coffee Shoppe Angels In The House, has just that. Come and sit down with Melva, the spirit who stayed within the little coffee shoppe, who follows her earthly mission to help those in need. Have a cup of coffee with her, while she tells her travel stories. She has an ear to listen and the gift to gab.

The Traveling

Coffee Shoppe

Angels in the house

Book 1

With more stories to tell

Revised edition.

Dedication:

I would like to dedicate this book to my grandma, Virginia Pierce. She is an angel in heaven that watches over me,

And was one of the gentlest of souls you could ever meet.

This is for you Grammie, I love you!

Forward from Melva after her passing:

When my ticker gave out, the next thing I remember was hearing voices, and they were talking about me, they were trying to decide if it was my time.

The youngest of the three voices was Ginney, she said,

“Do you think it's time for her? I mean she is getting quite a bit up in years, and we must decide soon when to send her on her missions.”

The second of the oldest entities named Amy, replied,

“You are learning fast Ginney. I believe you are right.”

“Yes, this is the day.” The oldest and wisest one, Nina, that seemed to be their teacher spoke up.

She was the one that schools all the new heaven sent angels on how to help humans adjust before and passing over.

“Yes it is her time,” she continued. “Her clock has stopped. You see each soul goes through their human life for a reason that only our maker knows, he has a plan for each one. The hardest part is watching the families bare the lonely days without them. She will make a great earth angel, as they all become an earth angel in some way, just like you two.

What the humans don’t understand is their loved ones are always around them, it's a thought that comes to mind that their loved one is trying to tell them, sometimes it's a warning, sometimes it's just a comfort of a memory.

And of course they visit

humans in their dreams, and they think it's just a dream, but it's not. It is the only way they can communicate the best with them.

They try to let them know that even though it's hard to go on without them, that their time on earth is not over, and that they too must stay behind a bit longer for others, and getting ready for their day of heaven. It's what I call the “transition.” The human body is just a house for the spirit.”

Suddenly there was this bright light, and the voices now had a face and beautiful wings, enriched with a blinding golden light, that engulfed the entire room.

The oldest one said, “Welcome my child, it is now time for you to start your mission. Now let's get started! Shall we.”

And then she clapped her hands twice as if to signal it is done.

The Traveling Coffee Shoppe Introduction:

Let me introduce myself. My name is Melva, and I have been around for a very long time. You see, when I passed away my spirit stayed within this little coffee shoppe.

The soups, coffee, and breads, I don’t question where it all comes from. I suppose my maker has a purpose for me, as he instructs his angels to guide my travels.

I get people in here when they have a need for a story or something that needs helping with.

The angels are always nearby, sometimes I hear them giggling, or talking as if they think I can’t hear them, and they like to play little pranks on me at times.

Yes, they are a playful lot they are, but still I appreciate their company, even if I only hear them.

Oh, I have entertained many people that have come through that old, wooden, chipped door with the bell on it. That is the answer to many a worried traveler.

If you like a good story about the past, of travels to other times, places of angels, and things you would never dream existed. Then pull up a chair and I will serve you a cup of coffee. Do you take cream? or sugar?

For it is known, I have an ear to listen and a gift to gab.

I suppose you would need to know a tad bit more about me, to understand why the angels chose me to travel around the world to help others.

I was born Melva May McNew in 1845, named after my

mama. Her and papa bought a little piece of land before I was born, and put up this shoppe. I come bouncing in with strong lungs demanding attention, and I suppose that’s why I always loved people and telling stories. I have a gift to gab, and ears to listen.

Born in the south of Georgia, off route 66 where many a strange things happen. It was a new land and people putting up homes and businesses. Our little shoppe was at the end of the street, right down here.

Yet as time went on, many people lost their lives to the war, disease and the cough. It took my mama when I was just past the age of 18.

I learned real fast how to manage the little shoppe, did well too. Papa and I used the back room for our living quarters divided by one wall.

We didn’t have much, but Papa and I, we had each other.

I had a good friend, her name was Loraine. She and I use to spend many a summers eve on the porch, while papa smoked his pipe. Always giggling about boys and the latest fashions.

And oh, the smell of the magnolia trees, along with the crickets and tree frogs singing their summer songs was so peaceful.

Yes, yes there have been many a traveler that has come through that door. One was named Billy the Kidd, well that’s

what he said his name was anyway. You never know, some people are just a tad teched in the head so to speak. Putting on airs and whatnot.

I think the worst day at one point in life though was when papa passed away, leaving me to tend everything. And yet, sometimes I swore I could hear him say my name. He was one of the greatest men I ever knew. He was kind, sometimes too kind. And a hard worker, always helping someone.

Now mama, she was the tough bird, she ran the shoppe like we were on our last leg. Although she was willing to help a stranger out with something to eat, she usually made them work for it.

I asked her one cool September evening, while we were shucking peas together on the porch.

“Mama, how come you don’t just give them the food? we don’t need the help.”

Mama threw some shucks in a pail for the neighbor's pig, and after a moment's pause she said, “Doodles,” that’s what she called me sometimes. “If I gave every person that walked through that door a free meal, we would be out of business. You see doodles, if you give them work to do then it gives them a sense of pride, and it makes them want to earn a living. It helps people from getting the lazy bones.

Good hard work is the only way to get ahead, you cannot get water from a rock, but you can build a well with it.”

Now give credit where it's due mama was right, but if a stranger came in with nothing to eat for their children she always made up a food pack for them. She couldn’t stand a child going hungry.

So there you have it, I had two parents that raised me with common sense and a big heart.

The only thing that separated us, was that I had the gift to gab. Everyone that came through that door I would hear their stories about other states and cities, it was exciting.

I would sit across the table with my face in my hands, elbows propped and eyes all wide, seemed I couldn’t get enough of the stories people told me.

But now as it would have it, war and disease, they took most of the town, it's how I lost my Justin Farley. The only man I ever loved. We were engaged when he went off to war and never to return.

Melva steadily rose from her seat, running her fingers over the photo of a young Justin and Melva, standing happily together in front of the hyacinth bushes out back of the shoppe.

I never married, nope it's just me and my Poke here.

He’s special, someday I will tell you the story of how I got him, yes indeed he is very special. You see he is a cat, but at night he is not like a normal cat, as you might say. Oh, but I am getting ahead of myself again.

So you see this little shoppe is the very heart of me, there are spirits of memories that live within these walls and if you listen close you can hear the laughter, the tears, and feel the love in it.

Nope, not sure where all the food and supplies come from, but I am sure my angels are the ones that give all that I need.

Every day I wake up it's a new era, somewhere here and there and many lands too.

Whats that? You want to know if I can ever leave my little shoppe? Why yes I can, but only if I am needed to do so, then I end up right back here.

I have explored lands with the strangest of creatures, the most interesting people, and plants of very odd names and abilities.

So if you are interested in stories that can be quite interesting, then here, let me refresh your coffee and we will get started. I have a gift to gab and an ear to listen.

Chapter 1: The reunion

Melva climbed into her soft, warm down bed, tucking herself into the warmth. Staring out the window at the clear dark blue sky that sparkled with the stars, they looked as though they were winking at her.

She was lonely for her own, she missed her family and best friend Loraine. As if her cat Poke felt her loneliness, he nuzzled her neck and purred.

Yes poke, you know I am missing my own. She whispered, I miss you all so much. Wiping a tear, she went to sleep.

She woke the next morning to the smell of cinnamon bread. Her feet hit the cold floor as she went into the front of the shoppe, there were marigolds, candles lit on the windowsill and mantles. Coffee filled the air with a morning greeting. As the fire crackled and snapped in the hearth.

Glancing at the calendar it read November 1st, 1861, the day before her Justin went off to war, also known as Día de los Muertos the day of the dead, where people from the spirit world visit their families from the other side of the veil.

You set out their photos and light candles keeping their memory alive so they can visit when the next year comes.

She noticed her hands first, they were young, glancing in the mirror a young Melva stared back, she put her hand to her face still staring at the young reflection.

When the bell on the old green paint chipped door rang, she knew, oh yes she knew before she turned around that it was him, her Justin!

As if he could read her mind, he said. “Your mama and papa will be along this evening, giving us time together we never had a chance to.”

As if by that cue, slow music poured from the old phonograph, from some time and place they were not sure. That filled the air with its melody. And they danced.

The love they had was so strong, it traveled through time and space and embraced the moment of their love.

It was an evening that would forever be cherished in Melva’s heart.

When her parents arrived they had all kinds of questions. Melva obliged them. “Oh mama, there are places and people I have met, some live under the ground! And the machines, some fly in the air taking people to many states and town and cars that don’t need to be pulled by a horse.”

Her mama looked perplexed. “Well don’t you get a bit bored Melva? I mean being here by yourself?”

“Oh no mama, I always have so much to do! one evening before bed there was a history book about a war where the leader of this big country was killing all the people, and in the corner on that countertop was a machine, a sewing machine that runs on something in the wall when you plug it in, here let me show you.”

Melva pulled the little sewing machine out of the cupboard and plugged it in, she had her mama put her foot on the floor pedal, and it started to whirr making her mama jump, they all laughed.

“My goodness, what kind of magic is this!”

“It's not magic mama, it's a sewing machine that makes clothes.” Melva laughed. “On the night of the history book, it showed up with patterns to make dresses for little girls. I had all of them finished in just one day, and just in time for a teacher and her charges to show up.”

“Oh Melva, you have been chosen for a great purpose indeed!”

The men wanted to retire to the porch for a bit of a pipe and talk. Melva pulled out the tobacco pouch and handed it to her papa, the pipe he smoked still sat on the porch windowsill. She never could bring herself to throw it away.

Papa finally had to ask, as he sat in the porch rocking chair, “So tell me my Melva what are other places and times like?”

“Oh papa there are lands with trees that you talk to, and there is an underground of people, little people! And I have seen the most exotic places with flowers I had never set eyes on before… But I have also seen barren land, after a great war, it was devastating as the land lay to waste. Yes, there are some strange lands I have been to, and the coffee shoppe is always somewhere new and different when I wake up each day.”

The night was so enchanting to Melva as memories of summer evenings when laughter filled the air, and fire flies danced about, was renewed for this special reunion.

She had spent time with her best friend Loraine on summer evenings like these and she wondered why she was not here for this beautiful reunion.

She thought, maybe someday the angels will allow her to visit too.

When the clock struck midnight, all were sad, they had to say goodbye, but she knew maybe someday they would be back again.

Melva cleaned up, and headed to bed, waiting to see what the day would be like come morning.

She pulled the blanket close, with Poke snuggled next to her purring. She peered up at the sky and whispered, Thank you my angels.

Melva heard the angels flutter their wings signaling that they heard her.

A note from Melva:

I want to say life is short and loving and caring for each other are the most important, because love is the only thing that heals, and if we don’t do more of that, I am afraid that mankind will be lost, gone forever. So I will do my part and travel and help, along with the other earth angel spirits, and you stay here and do your part.

Only love is going to heal, a love that is strong enough to go through space and time.

End of Chapter 1

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Traveling Coffee Shoppe Angels In The House! This series is perfect for those who like: Fantasy, Mythical Creatures, Angel, Time Travel, Spiritual, Spirits, Dragons, Different Realms And Worlds, 1800's, Family And Friends, Holidays, Christmas, Halloween, Day Of The Dead, Murder Mystery, Strong Female Lead, Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Crime Mystery, Short Stories.

If you have found yourself wanting to read more, I will leave a link for you to purchase the book below!

This is just one, of many places you can buy. I use lulu, but you can find this book and others of mine at stores such as Amazon, Books-a-million, Barnes & Noble and many more.)

With all my love, until next time. Xx. -A

Paperback

Currently: It's one of the coldest days of the year so far. Or so it seems. Ice is blanketing everything in sight. While I sit warm and cozy in my room. Happily, might I add.

As an update on the Podcast, it will be launching in just two short days! And I can't wait to expand the blog to bigger horizons.

Another exciting thing coming up, I will be opening a new Etsy shop very soon! It will have vintage books, as well as my books in pdf form, handmade one-of-a-kind journals, cards, and lots more. As soon as it's fulling running & set up, I will let you loves know! <3

Full discloser, all rights belong to me, the author. No one, unless they have permission from me, can take, use, distribute, change, as their own in any way, shape, or form of copywrite. Thank you for understanding.