On rainy nights like this, I get distracted easily. I pause my work and shift my lazy head towards my digital clock on the windowsill. 12:36am. I have time for a daydream break at least. Staring out from my apartment window across the dimly lit street below, I spot the old café on the corner. Seeing the hollowed remains of Co-V-House makes me wonder just what sort of place it used to be.

I always imagined the owners being quite plain people, nothing out of the ordinary about them at least. The sign, weather-beaten and rusted with neglect, would’ve started off well taken care of, and I feel it’d be blue. Lots of blues, silvers and whites would envelope the outside, highlighting the window displays, the brick work, even the random little sign they might stick out every day saying ‘come on in, the co-v’s fine.’

I imagine the smell of coffee, bread and oddly blueberries reaching my nostrils just from staring at it. The inside feels like a mystery to me, maybe a typical café layout. Shiny oak tables, well-loved chairs, a glass bar that displays the goods, the displays of coffees and syrups and cups and teas on the wall behind, and the (probably adorable looking) order board for all to choose from. Y’know, a perfectly normal café through and through.

When would this café open, if it were still around? I’d like to think it’d open at night, on rainy days like this. The soft glow radiating from the sign would definitely reach my window, a bat-signal to tell me it’s open. It’d run like clockwork, always open at midnight and always closing at 1am, the lucrative window that only the most dedicated would find. I’m sure it wouldn’t be an ‘invitation only’ place, but I feel like it’d be one of those places which are opened in the right place at the right time.

And of the patrons? Two words – fancy dress. Or maybe cosplay. Such a magical looking place would gain some magical looking people. Perhaps a dog-cat-human hybrid, mistaken for a plushie. Maybe a dessert angel who must be held back from ‘yoinking’ the pastries. What about a librarian witch with magic hats underneath her own. I can also picture a rat princess, who is just a regular guy in a jacket with cat ears. A futuristic cyberpunk vigilante too. Oh oh, and an undead skeleton with a sharp wit and a heart of gold! A punk dragon lady? Sure! Maybe a villainess who’s as tough as she is adorable too! OH, and-

Wait, how would everyone fit? The tails, the wings, the fluff, the scales, all of it would be very cramped. They’ll probably welcome someone new in, telling stories and sharing jokes with them.

At the end of the day, when you finally decide to order… you find out the barista is a spirit – overworked and unpaid. Makes a good cup of bean juice, mind you.