"Corela" by Tara Mann
Shauna ordered her usual caramel macchiato from her usual coffee shop and sat
down in her usual booth. She sat and drank and drank and sat and watched the
world go by. She liked to people-watch and imagine what was going on in their
lives.
Like that guy with the triple espresso. Was he trying to wake himself up after a long
night or did he just not know what espresso was? Or that girl with the green tea and
chocolate croissant, crying on the phone. Maybe she was in the middle of a breakup.
Outside, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in sight. People walked
around in shorts and sundresses, enjoying the summer weather. Shauna had
nowhere to be for another hour.
In the booth next to hers, a woman was typing on a computer. She had long, curly
red hair and wore a black blazer. Shauna found her eyes wandering to the screen,
and she watched as the woman typed the words: It begins raining outside.
Instantly, a heavy shower made everyone run for shelter. Handbags and newspapers
and briefcases were used as temporary umbrellas and passersby鈥檚 faces turned up
at the sky as if to say, 鈥淲hat the hell?鈥�
Intrigued, Shauna continued to watch the woman鈥檚 screen.
My coffee arrives, she typed.
A waitress approached the woman鈥檚 booth and set down a steaming mug. 鈥淗ere
you go. One black coffee. Can I get you anything else?鈥�
鈥淣o, thank you,鈥� said the woman. Her voice was on the deeper end, and she
sounded distracted.
The waitress left, and Shauna waited eagerly to see what the woman would write
next.
The person reading over my shoulder sits in my booth and tells me their name.
Spontaneously, before she even realized she was doing it, Shauna got up, joined the
woman in her booth, and said, 鈥淢y name is Shauna.鈥�
The woman studied her, so Shauna took the opportunity to do the same. Her nose
was slightly pointed, her lips pursed in thought. She had blue eyes鈥攖he sort of eyes
you could get lost in, counting all the different shades of blue, searching for all their
secrets. Her eyes were kind, and Shauna instantly knew that she was the type of
person who would see a snail struggling to cross the road and pick it up and carry it
to safety.
鈥淲ho are you?鈥� Shauna asked.
鈥淐orela,鈥� she said.
She was still watching Shauna, who began to feel self-conscious. Shauna
straightened the straps of her dress and ran her fingers through her hair鈥攚ell, she
tried to, but she got caught in a tangle. She yanked her hand free, pulling a few
strands of brown hair with it.
Corela said nothing. She just watched.
鈥淟ook, I鈥檓 sorry I was looking over your shoulder,鈥� Shauna said. 鈥淏ut I have to know.
How did you do that?鈥�
Corela cocked her head to the side. 鈥淒o what?鈥�
Shauna frowned. 鈥淓verything you wrote came true. Within seconds.鈥�
鈥淥h.鈥� Corela looked back at her computer and continued typing.
Shauna couldn't see what she had written, but the waitress came back with two
blueberry muffins.
鈥淥n the house,鈥� she said and walked away.
Corela took a muffin and bit into it. She gestured for Shauna to take the other.
Shauna began eating it slowly, waiting for Corela to do something. She just kept
typing, though Shauna didn't notice anything strange happening.
鈥淚 write what I see,鈥� said Corela finally. 鈥淚 see what will happen in the next second.
Sometimes minutes.鈥�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 control it?鈥�
Corela shook her head.
Shauna put down her muffin. 鈥淏ut how can that be? I wasn't planning to sit here
until you wrote that I did. And it was bright and sunny outside, how could it have
started raining all of a sudden if you didn't make it happen?鈥�
Corela took a sip of her coffee. 鈥淚 write what I see,鈥� she repeated.
Shauna huffed. 鈥淪o it wouldn't work if you wrote 鈥楽omeone gives me a million
dollars鈥� without seeing it first?鈥�
The corner of Corela鈥檚 lip twitched as if she were fighting a smile. She typed on her
keyboard for a few seconds, then turned her laptop around to show Shauna.
Someone gives me a million dollars.
Nothing happened. No one walked up to them and offered Corela anything. The
only mildly interesting thing that happened was the man who had the triple
espresso ran into the garbage can on his way to the door. Shauna could almost see
him vibrating.
鈥淗uh,鈥� Shauna said.
Corela took her computer back and continued writing.
Shauna couldn't take her eyes off her. It wasn't just Corela鈥檚 strange ability that drew
her in, but everything else about her too: the curve of her lips, the sharpness of her
eyes, the softness of her demeanor. She seemed like the kind of person you could
trust with anything.
鈥淪o, what are you writing?鈥� Shauna asked after taking a sip of her drink. Then she
went back to her muffin.
鈥淯s,鈥� Corela said.
Shauna waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't.
鈥淲hat do you mean, 鈥榰s?鈥欌�� Shauna asked.
Corela smirked, but she didn't say anything. She just kept writing.
Her silence and mysteriousness didn't frustrate Shauna鈥攊t only intrigued her more.
Corela was someone who was unapologetically herself, no matter what anyone else
thought of her. Shauna admired that. She wanted to spend more time with her,
learn more of her quirks. Find out who Corela really was. They鈥檇 only just met, but
Shauna could tell that Corela was the kind of person she wanted to know.
She took the leap. 鈥淒o you want to get dinner sometime?鈥�
Corela really smiled this time. She turned her laptop to show Shauna what she had
written. There were a few long paragraphs on the page. Two lines at the bottom
were highlighted, so Shauna figured that was what she was supposed to pay
attention to.
Shauna asks me on a date.
Shauna read the last line at the same time as Corela spoke.
I say鈥�
鈥渊别蝉.鈥�
Tara Mann endeavors to live as a cat, but alas, she appears to be human. Mostly because cats can鈥檛 tap dance. Or sing The Phantom of the Opera.