Short Fiction Piece Published in College's Newspaper
In the bustling city of New York, a 60-year-old tea shop proprietor named Vera Wong found a sanctuary amidst the chaos. On a particularly rainy day, as the city was bathed in a mix of dust and raindrops, Vera was drawn to an unassuming shopfront named 'Verity's'. The sight of her grandma's name on the shopfront gave her a painful, aching joy, reminding her of muddy doggy rainy walks in the hills of the countryside.
For Vera, each season in the countryside held a special charm, but autumn was her favourite. The countryside, with its hibernating animals and chrysalis-ing caterpillars, was a place of peace and tranquillity that she longed for in the city. However, the city never rests or sleeps, a fact that bothered Vera.
As Vera stepped inside 'Verity's', she was enveloped in a warm blanket of smooth jazz, a sound that transported her back to her grandma's cottage. The records played in the cottage included jazz, folk, blues, and rock, a symphony of sounds that echoed through her memories.
In that moment, Vera was trying to idealize and main-characterize her situation, listening to 'Autumn Leaves' through her headphones, to forget about her difficult life. The city, with its constant motion and busy people and cars, seemed to dissolve around her, leaving only the natural and disparate sounds of the countryside in her ears.
Despite the hardships of her childhood, Vera felt that there was a natural rhythm to farming life that she missed in the city. The city, with its grey weather and constant motion, was a stark contrast to the sunshine-spattered roads of the countryside. Yet, it was in this very city that Vera heard a familiar sound that reminded her of her grandma's records.
The shop "Verity's" is significant in Vera's story. Not only is it a place where Vera engages in matchmaking and meddling in her son's life, but it also serves as the central setting for a cozy crime mystery. The discovery of a dead body inside Verity's transforms the shop into the focal point of the mystery, setting the plot in motion and bringing unexpected drama to Vera's otherwise quiet life.
Thus, Verity's functions both as a social hub reflecting Vera's character and as the key location around which the mystery unfolds, underpinning the story's thematic blend of everyday life and detective intrigue. Despite the city's relentless pace, Vera found solace in the familiar sounds of 'Verity's', a reminder of the peace and tranquillity of the countryside she longed for.
- Vera, intrigued by the musical fusion played at Verity's, found a unique blend of jazz, folk, blues, and rock, reminiscent of her grandma's cottage's symphony, reflecting her interest in entertainment and music.
- As Vera immersed herself in matchmaking and meddling at Verity's tea shop, she discovered a passion for lifestyle and self-development by cultivating connections and nurturing relationships within her community.
- Seeking to create a home-and-garden environment that echoed the peacefulness of the countryside, Vera that managed Verity's filled its spaces with antique tea sets, hangings of chrysanthemums, and a patio abounding with pottery, effortlessly blending fashion-and-beauty and inner serenity.
