You know, there are a lot of different places here in Nightfalls, but during ...
find myself wanting to learn a little more about the world.
“That's what led me to everything everywhere daily.”
It's one of the most popular daily education podcasts. Even recently ranked the number one history podcast, and each episode is about 10 minutes, so it's easy to fit into your day.
They cover everything from history and science to fascinating people in moments you might never
have come across otherwise. One recent episodes are really liked, including one on the history of Carling, which, as a scar, I have a soft spot for, tracing it back to Medieval Scotland, or their episode on the world's greatest art museums, which I find myself really drawn to. I've always loved art, and hearing the stories behind these places makes it feel surprisingly
immersive.
“So if you like the idea of learning something new, without ever feeling like work, learn something”
you every single day with everything everywhere daily, find out on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to Nightfalls. The bedtime show of classic and original stories, designed to guide you into a calm and peaceful sleep.
I'm Jeffrey Newland, and tonight, we will enjoy the cozy surroundings of a warm coffee shop on a rainy day. A young woman called Carly Spencer Days They're Baking and Pouring Coffee, but on grizzly days like this one, she can help with feel a little lonely.
“That is, until someone new walks into her coffee shop.”
Carly needed the silky dough with her hands and savered the sensation.
She had always found baking to be very therapeutic.
That was one of the reasons why she had decided to set up her own coffee shop and bakery two years ago. She was never happier than when she was baking delicious lobes of bread, cakes and biscuits. She woke up every day at 4am and made her way to her kitchen to begin preparing the days freshly baked offerings, and time for opening her date.
Her precious cafe, simply called Carly's, was her pride and joy. For two years, she had run her little cozy coffee shop, all in her own, in the hearts of town. She lived in the flat upstairs, so Carly's entire existence resided in this one building. Her weekly routine was simple, but Carly wouldn't have it any other way.
Each day she would wake up early, before sunrise, and prepare the baked goods she planned to add to the menu that day. Then, once they were ready, she would display them on the counter and in the glass cabinet at the back of the shop. When she was dressed and ready for the day, she would flip over the sign on the door from
closed to open, and wait for her regular customers to arrive. Plus some not-so-regular ones too.
Market day was always the busiest day of the week, and she would see lots of unfamiliar faces
coming through her door to enjoy her rich, freshly-brewed coffee and delectable treats. Everyone always commented on how warm and welcoming Carly's shop was, and Carly prided herself on the fact that she always served with a smile. She went to everyone who entered her coffee shop to feel relaxed, comfortable, and cared for.
When Carly had been designing the layouts of her coffee shop, she wanted there to be something for everyone. She wanted several seating options to seat everyone's preferences, and she wanted the colors to present a snug, homely vibe.
She painted the walls and muted burgundy, aside from one statement while behi...
which she covered in a striped wallpaper in colors of gold and beige.
“She hung up, but doesn't her so paintings on the walls, all picked up at car boot sales,”
and thrift shops over the years. Customers often commented on how lovely and eclectic her art collection was. She placed a number of comfy arm chairs by the window, with little wooden coffee tables between each of them, perfect for groups of friends catching up over a drink. She had several standard wooden tables with chairs in the center of the shop, perfect
for parents and their children who were grabbing snacks between activities, and there
was a rule of comfy cushioned benches along the far left wall, for those wanting to sit
more tucked out of the way. Aside from Carley's counter of scrumptious baked goods, she also had a small bookshelf in the corner of the shop.
“It was an open library where customers could find a new book to read and swap out the ones”
they had been reading themselves. It was a way for people to share their favorite stories, and ensure that their books were passed on, rather than sitting on their shelves at home, collecting dust. Carley herself had found many new novels thanks to the little library she had created. That was what she did most nights when she shut up shop.
She read, Carley would take herself back upstairs to her flat, and read until she felt too tired to stay awake any longer. Carley liked her simple life, and the door was running her coffee shop, but at 33 years old, she felt like she should be doing more.
“Surely, she should be spending her evenings going out with friends, taking up hobbies, and”
maybe enjoying a day or two. But instead, Carley struggled to find the time or motivation for much else other than her baking, her reading, and running her shop. Despite living in the time for over two years and seeing a lot of the same locals coming through her door each week, Carley had struggled to make any proper friends.
She felt like she knew most of the people who came into her shop well, but she didn't think that anyone else saw her in the same way. She was simply the girl who served them coffee and fresh bread. Old Mrs. Johnson came into Carley's shop every other day. She would predictably sit at the table nearest to the counter, in order the same thing every
time. Part of Earl Grey tea and the slice of lemon drizzle cake.
Carley always tried to mix up the kind of cake she made, but she always insured she had
a lemon drizzle cake and offer, especially for Mrs. Johnson. Not Mrs. Johnson lived alone in a cottage on the edge of the town centre with her cat, Norris, and her budgie, aptly named Birdie. Mrs. Johnson might live alone, but she had a more bustling social life than Carley. Mrs. Johnson attended bridge night at the local cricket club every Tuesday and went ballroom
dancing on Thursdays. She enjoyed regular visits from her children and grandchildren at the weekends, and Carley had noticed her going for walks around town, with a sweet looking, bespectacle, told her gentleman several times. Mrs. Johnson had even brought him in for a slice of cake once before, but she hadn't
introduced him to Carley. She liked to imagine his name was Herman. He looked like a Herman. Carley knew that Mrs. Johnson's name was Margaret, or Maggie, as she preferred to be known, but Carley had a good feeling that Mrs. Johnson didn't know her name. She simply referred
To her as "Dear," despite the fact that Carley's name was painted above the f...
Then, there was Michael Finchley. Now he had put two and two together, and assumed that
“Carley's shop was indeed named after its owner.”
Michael Finchley was a 40-year-old accountant. Carley knew how old he was because he had recently celebrated his 40th birthday at the pub down the road, and his wife had bought huge balloon numbers to prop in the window. Richard heard the celebrations going on until the early hours from her flat. Michael Finchley came in for an espresso and a muffin every Wednesday at four o'clock.
On Wednesdays, it was his turn to pick the twins up from school and run them from after school club to after school club.
“And between dropping off his two daughters at Bally practice and picking them up to run”
them to their art club, he always came in for a pick-me-up and a half-hour of peace, before
he had to dash off again. Michael Finchley's visits were always fleeting, and he barely looked up from his phone to notice Carley. But Carley knew Michael's Wednesday schedule like the back of her hand. She knew how busy the afternoon was for him, and tried to make sure that she always had a table reserved for when he came in to enjoy his half-hour of peace.
It may not have seemed like much, but Carley liked to do what she could to bring a little
“spot of joy and tranquility into her customer's days. After all, if it weren't for them,”
she wouldn't be able to keep her little shop up and running.
As the year went by, Carley was lulled into a sense of security and familiarity, seeing the same people come and go from her coffee shop. They might not really know her, but they knew her shop, and they knew that it was a safe haven from whatever was going on in their own lives. Carley was happy to play a little role in that, even if just as a background character. One particularly blustery rainy Thursday, Carley's shop was quieter than normal. It seemed
that nobody wanted to venture out in such unpleasant weather. Carley had hiked up the heating and lowered the lighting in the hopes of making the shop appear cozier, like a sweet haven from the rain, but it still had only tempted a handful of people through the door. Now, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the coffee shop was empty. Carley turned up the radio and sat down on a bench, resting her feet and enjoying a coffee and a cake of her own.
She closed her eyes and listened to the torrential rain tapping against the window amidst the hum of the radio. Despite the lack of revenue that the wash-out day would bring, Carley secretly enjoyed days like this. Quiet days when she could put her feet up a little and daydream. It wouldn't be long before a four o'clock rolled around and she could officially close up shop for the day. She took a bite of cake and held her cup of coffee to her nose,
the sweet cream melted on her tongue, and the scent of the coffee was divine. She certainly knew how to pick the finest ingredients Carley thought to herself. Just as she was beginning to accept that she would have no more customers for the day and planned to lock up early, the bell in the door jingled as someone opened it from outside. Cast of cool wind blew into the shop and the sound of rain hammering down outside flooded the room.
Carley turned to see who had brave the storm to venture to her little coffee shop, but she didn't recognise who it was. It was a young woman, maybe in her late 20s or early 30s. She was wearing a tripping wet raincoat with a black woolly hat and carried a
Sodden red umbrella in her hand.
She smiled at Carley politely and asked, "Is it all right if I leave this here?
“I don't want to trace water all the way through your shop?"”
Carley told her it was perfectly fine and got up from the bench. She had better look at least a little bit professional for someone new to her shop. She walked back to the serving side of the counter and asked what she could get for the woman. The woman ordered a cappuccino and scanned the cabinet of baked goodies with her eyes. While it all looks so good, the woman muttered as she decided what to have.
Carley thanked her for her kind words and the girl looked up and asked, "Did you make these?" Carley nodded and smiled proudly. The girl was clearly impressed and ordered herself a cinnamon
“swirl to go with her coffee. Carley said she would bring it all over to her if she found herself”
somewhere to sit, so the stranger wondered over to the seats by the windows. Carley noted that the windows had all steamed up from the rain and she could barely see outside any more. The dark gray afternoon was a blur from within the warm, dimly let coffee shop. Carley groaned and brewed the coffee beans and plated up a cinnamon swirl.
She could not do over at the girl she had never seen before.
It was unusual to see strangers in this town. Carley thought that she knew everyone. Perhaps she was new. The mystery woman sat in an armchair next to the window and slipped off her soaking wet coat. She pulled off her woolly black hat to reveal a silky mane of gold and copper hair. Carley couldn't help but admire her long glistening locks.
“Did she die at that color and how she managed to keep it dry in all the rain?”
With the coffee finally made, Carley carried the order over to the girl with the copper hair.
She smiled as she served as always and the girl met her gaze and smiled back.
It was rare that anyone would look at Carley so intently. Usually they just dialed up their food and drinks and paid her a passing thank you. The new customer picked out a sachet of sugar from the selection on the table and questioned, "Is the market always so small?" I heard that the market in this town was meant to be good, but it seemed a bit sparse to me.
Carley replied that the market was usually great, but the rain today had frightened off many of the usual stall holders. She told the girl she should come back on a brighter day and it would be much more impressive. The girl sighed and chuckled to herself. She added, "I shouldn't have bothered coming out today when I saw the weather, but I was so bored that I just had to get out of the house." Carley laughed and said that she was brave by their brave or a little bit mad.
Just as Carley was about to turn and leave the girl in peace, she noticed that the girl had pulled a book out of her bag. It was a novel called "Turning Tables" by Amanda Price. Carley had been meaning to buy it for a while, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. She had been working her way through the books in her makeshift coffee shop library instead. Carley pointed at the book and asked, "It's good. I've been wanting to read Amanda Price's
latest novel for ages." The girl's eyes lit up. She was obviously delighted that Carley liked Amanda Price as much as she did. The girl exploded into a brave review of the book. She hadn't finished it yet, but she only had about 30 pages to go. It couldn't wait to see how it would end. Amanda Price's novels were known for their twists and turns, so she expected that the
Ending would be totally unpredictable.
the novel yet, as she had so many other books to read on the shop bookshelf. The copper-haired
“girl glanced at the little library. She offered cheerfully. "Ah, well, when I'm done I'll leave”
it here for you, then you can read it, too." Carley felt a buzz of excitement run through her. She thanked the girl and the girl said it was no problem. Then the girl with the copper-haired looked into Carley's eyes and said, "I'm jade by the way." Carley responded with her own name and Jade replied, "It's nice to meet you, Carley." Carley walked away from Jade's table and left her
to relax and enjoy her cappuccino and cinnamon swirl in peace. But as she walked away, she had a
little hop in her step and a little more lightness in her heart. From this brief interaction with Jade,
“she finally felt seen by one of her customers. While Jade read her book and drank her coffee by”
the steamy rainy window, Carley began to gather up the remaining baked items in the cabinet to preserve them for the next day. She swept the floor behind the counter and wiped the surfaces down. She left the coffee machine running, even though it had just gone four o'clock, just in case Jade
wanted another drink before she left. Carley walked over to the shop door and turned over the open
sign to closed. Jade noticed her doing so and asked if she could finish up and get out of her hair. But Carley assured her that she could take as long as she wanted. Carley just didn't want any more
“customers wandering in off the street to this time. A few minutes later, Jade announced that she had”
finished the book with a bewildered expression on her face. As a good, Carley questioned with intrigue. Very good. Jade replied, sliding the book forward on the table towards Carley. I hope you enjoy it. The twist is brilliant. Carley picked up the book and held it in her hands. It felt warm and enticing and the spine was crumpled from use. Carley couldn't wait to start reading it. She wished she had already read it so that she could discuss it with Jade.
She had a feeling that Jade was as passionate about books as she was. Why don't you take a book from the little library of there? Carley suggested, if you give a book to the library, then you're allowed to take a new one for yourself. It's like a trading system. Jade stood up from her chair and wandered over to the bookshelf, inspecting the novels on offer. Carley knew there wasn't much exciting on it, but there were a few that were semi-decent.
She recommended a book called "The Good All Days" by Camilla Paolo to Jade. It was an entertaining autopiography she had read a while ago. It might be a nice contrast to the mystery and thrill of Amanda Price's novel. Jade ticked the book from the shelf and thanked Carley for her recommendation. "Do you like to read the law?" Jade asked as she walked back over to the armchair. "Yes, I do. I read every day." Carley admitted. Jade confessed that she read every day too.
She didn't meet many people who liked to read anymore. People didn't seem to have the attention span for it. Carley agreed out of all the customers that came to wind down in her coffee shop. There were only a very rare few who brought books along with them. She wished that she encountered more people with the same interests as her. Jade gazed around the snug into a coffee shop and proposed, "You should start a pubic club. This place would be the perfect
Spot to host it.
to get to know each other." Carley parked out at the suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea,
“but she wasn't sure who would join. I don't know if anyone would come. Carley sighed.”
Jade shruck her shoulders and replied, "Well, I would come." Carley looked at Jade and Jade smiled back. Carley didn't know what it was about her, but she felt comfortable in her presence. It was like she had known her for years. Jade was so warm. This was probably the most that Carley had ever chatted with one of her customers. Jade asked if it wouldn't be too much trouble to get one more coffee before she went for her
bus, and invited Carley to join her. Carley had never been asked to join one of her
customers for a drink before. She was flattered that Jade wanted to spend some time chatting
“with her, and was overjoyed to have some company. Carley made herself a quartado and Jade”
a cappuccino, and sat herself down in the armchair opposite Jade. Despite the fact that Carley had run the coffee shop for the past two years, she had never sat down and relaxed in one of the armchairs that were so popular with her customers. She melted into the soft cushions, and rested her head against the tall back of the chair. Carley and Jade sat talking over their coffees for the next hour. They discussed books they had both read, and shared their opinions with each other.
They agreed, and debated, and laughed, within the toasty surroundings of the coffee shop. Carley found out that Jade was 29 and worked in a hair salon in a nearby town.
“She lived in a househare with two other girls, and played on the local girls football team.”
But things that Carley learned about Jade that Jade didn't need to tell her, or that she was smart, and kind. She had a good sense of humor, and an optimistic, can do attitude. Carley could tell all of these things about Jade just by speaking to her. She was exactly the kind of person that Carley wanted to get to know. Jade asked her questions about herself. Carley told Jade all about how she had come to set
up the coffee shop, and her childhood memories of baking with her grandmother. She lived with from the age of 10. She recalled how it was these special moments with her grandmother, that had fostered her love for baking, and developed her knowledge of how to bake. She explained to Jade how she had attended university to study dentistry,
but it pulled out in her third year, as she realized it was not what she really wanted to do with her life. It was like pulling teeth for her. Jade admitted that she too had gone to university
to study travel and tourism, but it graduated never to do anything with her degree.
Carley described how she longed to travel, but was nervous about flying. How she wanted to pet, but her landlord would only allow a goldfish, and why she thought to film adaptations were never as good as the books. She revealed things about herself to Jade that she hadn't shared with anyone in years. As they talked and got to know each other, Carley could feel a weight lifting from her shoulders.
She felt like a person again, not just Carley who owned the coffee shop on the corner. Carley and Jade could have stayed there chatting into the night, but eventually, Jade looked at her watch and announced that she would have to get going to make her bath. Carley felt a
Tinge of disappointment.
Jade put back on her coat and placed the Willie hat on her head. She slipped her bag over
“her shoulder and stood to leave. It was so nice to meet you Carley.”
Jade said wholeheartedly, leaving a ten pound note on the table. The same with you. Carley responded brightly, piling up their cups and saucers. Carley carried the cups over to the counter and Jade made her way over to the door,
collecting her umbrella from the side.
Just as she was about to leave, Jade paused and turned back to face Carley.
“Carley, she began, and really enjoyed our chat.”
To fancy hanging out sometime, maybe we could start up our own book club if you don't fancy hosting one here. Carley laughed and her heart lifted. The two women exchanged numbers and vowed to meet up soon. In the meantime, Carley had to read, turning tables by a man to price so that she could report back to Jade what she thought of it.
“As Jade finally laughed Carley's coffee shop, Carley did a little skip and the heart of Glee.”
This leak rainy day had turned out to be a great one. Carley locked up the shop and turned off the coffee machine. She would clean it in the morning, but for now, she had a date with a book she had been meaning to read for a very long time. She switched off the cozy lamps in the shop, and walked up the staircase to her flat.
She pulled her fluffy blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over her legs as she snuggled up with the book. Carley felt happier and lighter than she had in a long time.
She had finally gotten her hands on the book she had been waiting to read for months and she had
finally made a connection, which she had a feeling might just lead somewhere special. Carley read the eagerly anticipated pages of turning tables by lamplight and molded into the cozy sofa cushions sat as finally. She sighed with contentment as she read. How the tables are turned indeed. [Music]
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