04/01/2024
A Moment of Peace ✌️ ☮️
“Good Vibrations Coffee”
All People’s Coffee!
The sun, a molten coin, melted onto the horizon, setting the beach aflame. Thin figures, tanned to the colour of caramel, stretched and yawned, emerging from the turquoise cocoon of the sea. Among them, Maya, hair ablaze with sun-kissed highlights, emerged, a smile gracing her lips like a coral reef blossoming.
Today was Good Vibrations day.
She knew the drill. She slipped off her sundress, leaving just a skimpy bikini as her armor against the heat and the watchful eyes of the Good Vibrations vendor, a wizened woman with eyes the color of sea glass and a perpetual grin. Maya approached, fingers forming the silent language of the tribe: peace sign, palm down, then fingers pointing to the sky.
The vendor nodded, her grin widening. "One bag of sunshine, coming right up, little dove."
But in this beachside marketplace, sunshine came under the name "Good Vibrations," and its packaging wasn't your average paper bag. It was a rainbow explosion of dried herbs, leaves, and flowers, whispering promises of peace and harmony. More than just coffee, it was a portal.
Back on her sandy perch, Maya sipped. The first taste was a gentle shock, bitter like burnt toffee, yet sweet with the echoes of childhood fairs and laughter. A pang of bittersweet nostalgia, like the knowledge that every carnival eventually folds its tent, leaving only memories and a hint of sugar floss on the breeze.
Then, the magic unfolded. The thrumming in her chest, the echo of the city's heartbeat, slowed. It sank into the sand, replaced by the ocean's gentle sigh. Her thoughts, previously a flock of chattering sparrows, settled into peaceful doves. The world lost its harsh edges, softened by a haze of green and gold.
She was back there, at the school fair, sticky with cotton candy and the camaraderie of parent volunteers. Dunking the headmaster in the dunk tank had been the apex of chaos, a joyous rebellion against starched collars and school rules. The burnt toffee on her tongue then was a badge of honor, a shared secret with her giggling classmates.
Now, on the sun-drenched beach, the burnt toffee note of the Good Vibrations danced with the sweetness of memory. It was a reminder that all good things end, but the echo of their joy ripples on, whispering peace like the rhythm of the waves.
Maya watched the children scampering along the shore, their laughter blending with the seagull's cry. The setting sun painted the sky in hues of watermelon and apricot, and she knew, with a certainty that tasted like the last sip of her magic coffee, that tomorrow would bring new laughter, new dunked headmasters, and new bags of Good Vibrations.
For on this beach, where peace lived in the sand and harmony thrummed in the salty air, every day was a moment of Good Vibrations, waiting to be sipped.
