wonder ¦ the land of stories

goldilocks

the group entered inside the building, just as charlotte and bob dropped them off at the entrance. it was a busy day in california, and on times like these, the cafe was packed with dozens of customers; from the grim stony-faced looking men working in their laptops, to the occasional loud set of teenage girls on a day out. the whole place was filled with the color of rich honey orange, together with wooden floorboards and soft dewy lighting. it had that shiny look, as jazz poured out of the open doors, and the aroma of freshly roasted beans wafted in the air.

jack did a low whistle down his throat. "you people sure take their coffee seriously here huh?"

"welcome to california" bree replied. apart from goldilocks maybe, she was the next most enthusiastic in coming here. often going every once or twice a week, she was a regular at this place, so most of the baristas knew her already and were quite friendly.

"it's been so long since i went to starbucks, i forgot what it was like" alex said.

conner scrunched his eyebrows and looked toward his sister. "but you rarely go to starbucks"

"yes, well i never had enough friends to go with back then," alex said. "obviously things have changed" she beamed.

"what are we supposed to do now?" froggy asked nervously. large groups of people in an area had the tendency to make him a tad shy, although not once would he openly say a word about his friend's plans.

"follow me" bree said. they squeezed and made their way through the numerous crowds. as bree got in a line leading to the counter, she looked back again at the group and gestured to a large poster containing the menu that was pinned at the front of the shop.

"i know all of you probably want to settle down by now, so let's make this quick, then you'll be able to find seats after," she said. "just tell me what you want from there, and i'll order it for you"

"i'll have hot chocolate" conner said right away. he was never really a big fan of coffee anyway.

"really? but that's for children!" bree sniggered, teasing him. conner's ears went red while he shot back defensively, "you know coffee's too bitter for me, and i'd rather have something sweet anyway!"

"i can't blame you, it's easy to have a craving for sugar," red said, cutting through the conversation. "can i have a sweet drink like conner's too, but hopefully less childish?" she winked as she said that last bit, which doubly sent bree laughing, but continued vex conner along with the two. "stop ganging up on me!" he said.

"sorry then," bree said. she made an effort to hold in her chuckles, although it was very apparent she wouldn't be forgetting it so soon. "red, is that one okay for you?" she continued, pointing to a poster containing a large tall drink. it was a frappuccino, and had a handful of pink syrupy liquid, poured on with a  generous amount of whipped cream.

"that looks fabulous!" red said. "but for now, do you have a powder room or some sort in this building? i really have to fix my hair, it got ruined from the ride here"

"i think the bathroom is over there," bree said pointing to the left. once the young queen had hurried away, she moved on to jack and goldilocks who were standing together in the side, so as to not block other people's way. "what do you two want?" she asked.

"im not very familiar with coffee," jack said. "although unlike red and conner, i prefer to not have it sugary"

"and i'll have anything you give me," goldilocks said. "i trust you can buy me something good"