Terrastina and Mazolli: a Novel in 99-word Episodes

By Mario Milosevic

Follow the everyday adventures of coffee shop owners Terrastina and Mazolli and their precocious twin daughters. Laugh and cry alongside them as they manage their business and cope with the eccentric members of their small town community. A sweet story filled with love, humor, and penguins. You’ll never look at a cup of joe the same way again. Bonus features include an interview with the author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Green Snake Publishing
• Release date: Nov 26, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452355443

Mario Milosevic

Mario Milosevic was born in a refugee camp in Italy, grew up in Canada, and holds a degree in philosophy and mathematics from the University of Waterloo. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, fellow writer Kim Antieau. His poems, stories, and novels have appeared in many venues, both print and online.

Book preview

Terrastina and Mazolli

A novel in 99-word episodes

Mario Milosevic

Published by Ruby Rose’s Fairy Tale Emporium

an imprint of Green Snake Publishing at Smashwords.

Copyright (c) 2010 by Mario Milosevic.

Cover image (c) Stephen Coburn | Dreamstime.com

All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Discover other titles by this author on Smashwords.com.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For Nancy

Contents

Prologue: Five Years Ago

Summer

Fall

Winter

Spring

Epilogue: Five Minutes From Now

Bonus Features

Prologue: Five Years Ago

Serendipity

Mazolli hires Terrastina to dig a well on his property. She comes out every day for a week, deploying and tending to her drilling equipment, but not having much luck. Mazolli brings her coffee and muffins and sometimes makes her lunch. Don’t you think humans are the most pathetic creatures? says Mazolli. Every animal in the world knows how to sniff out water except us. Terrastina nods. It’s a survival skill we don’t have anymore, she says. Terrastina never finds water on Mazolli’s land, but she stays on. They stop digging and have a set of twin girls instead.

Summer

The Brew

Terrastina and Mazolli open a coffee shop in town called The Brew. Mazolli serves the coffee, Terrastina takes care of the money. They decorate the place in a style they imagine India must look like. They have never been to India, but that doesn’t matter. They serve simple coffee and muffins and often have the twins in the back room for company. The service isn’t always as prompt as it could be, but the customers don’t mind waiting. Just sitting in the coffee shop makes people feel much better. Sometimes they don’t even need the coffee or the muffins.

Longest Day of the Year

Early afternoon on the day before summer solstice, a gang of bikers stops at The Brew. Two dozen hogs line the sidewalk as their riders shuffle in for coffee and muffins. They all wear goggles, heavy chains, and thick leather jackets. Mazolli’s eyes are wide as he takes their orders. Hi folks, says Terrastina. Where you all headed today? One of the bikers says thanks as Mazolli hands her a coffee. We’re up for the celebration at the Stonehenge replica tomorrow, she says. Gonna watch the sun come up. We got room if you want to ride with us.

Be Kind

Terrastina goes to the library to use one of their free internet computers. She wants to know about the world wide web. It’s the only frontier we have now, says the woman at the computer next to her. Really? asks Terrastina. Oh yeah, says the woman. I’ve found a web site where people can send messages to the stars. You type in what you want to say to aliens. The site stores the messages and then every week or so they beam them into space. Terrastina logs onto the site and waits for some inspiration to come to her.

No Product Please

Mazolli gets a haircut every ten weeks. The woman who does his hair is always urging him to try something different with his style. I think a nice reverse Mohawk, she says, bright green on one side and fluorescent red on the other. What do you say, Moz? Mazolli usually tries to josh along with her. Make sure you spike it, he says. And put in a lot of product. But he is not comfortable with the conversation. In the end he always gets his regular guy haircut. Parted on the side, quite short, and absolutely no product whatsoever.

The Irony of Letting Go

Terrastina has dozens of sketch books filled with thousands of drawings. Her first one is from second grade. She remembers some of the pictures she has given away to people. The memories of these images fill her with sadness. There are so many, she tells Mazolli. I don’t know where they are anymore. Who has which one. I put so much time into them and now they’re just out of my life. Vanished for good. Maybe they’re like children, says Mazolli. They grow up and don’t need you anymore. Terrastina grimaces. That doesn’t make me feel better, she says.

What Lonely People Sometimes Do

Two days past July fourth, at three in the morning, a neighbor is still shooting off loud fireworks. Terrastina looks through the bedroom window down the street. She sees a distant silhouette of the neighbor crouching in his driveway, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He uses the burning tip to light the fuse, then steps back. The missile rises to a height of thirty feet or so and blows up with a window rattling explosion. Is he finished? asks Mazolli, drowsy and irritated. I don’t know, says Terrastina. I’ve never seen a man so upset over a divorce.

Commandments

Mazolli tells Terrastina the family should maybe think about starting to go to church. But we don’t believe in god, says Terrastina. I know, says Mazolli, but that’s where the community comes together. We should be doing it for the children. They need values. Terrastina laughs. She asks the twins what they think about attending church services. They both groan. Do we have to? Terrastina looks at Mazolli. Why would we take them somewhere they can’t stand? I know, says Mazolli. But still. It just feels right. Aren’t there some things we do just because it’s the right thing?

Moral Dilemmas

Terrastina finds a praying mantis on the front of a kitchen drawer, perched like a green handle. She calls to the twins. They run into the kitchen, then stand very still when they see the mantis. What is it? they whisper. It’s a bug that eats other bugs, says Terrastina. The twins each pet the wings. Careful, says Terrastina, I’m going to put it out in the garden. It’ll get rid of the bugs that eat up our vegetables. The twins look puzzled. Is it okay, they say, to doom all those other bugs just because they are vegetarians?

He Didn’t Want to Trouble Anyone

A stranger enters The Brew with his hand pressed to his side and waits in line. Mazolli takes people’s orders until the man gets to the front of the line. Can I use your phone to call an ambulance? asks the man. I picked up a hitchhiker just outside of town who stabbed me. Stole my car, too. Mazolli calls nine one one while Terrastina takes the man to the back and bandages his wound. That must hurt, she says. Not that much, says the man. My mother was right, though. She always said never give rides to strangers.

Doing What Comes Naturally

Terrastina agrees to help judge a poetry contest. I don’t know why I said yes, she tells Mazolli, I know next to nothing about poetry. Are there a lot of them? asks Mazolli. Terrastina hands him a bulging file folder thick with dozens of poems. Mazolli leafs through the pages. I think poems are supposed to be about truth, he says. Okay, says Terrastina, but how does that help me? It doesn’t, says Mazolli. We’re way too old to know what the truth is anymore. I’ll take these to the twins and see what a couple of experts think.

Crash Course

Terrastina paints children’s faces at the county fair. She quickly develops a following. A long line of children snakes away from her booth. I’ll never get to the end of this line, she says. Moz, pull up a chair. Mazolli sits down. Terrastina hands him a brush and some paints. Congratulations, she says, you’re an artist. Mazolli stares at the brush, then at the little girl standing in front of him. Terrastina whispers to him as she applies color to the face of a little boy. Ask her what she wants, says Terrastina. Just ask her what she wants.

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One

Mazolli likes to read stories to the twins before they go to bed. His favorites are the ones where animals do all the talking. Mazolli tries to make his voice match talking birds, talking horses, and talking mice. He can read these over and over, so many times that the twins tell him to stop. After he tucks them in he goes downstairs to read to Terrastina. Listen to this one, he says, the turtle is insane. You’ll laugh yourself silly. Terrastina holds up her hand. I’ve heard that one, she says. I’ve heard it too many times already.

Journey

Mazolli leaves a paperback on the dashboard of the car. The next day is sunny and hot. The book’s binding glue melts in the heat. That evening Mazolli returns to the car to retrieve the book. He takes it from the dashboard and recognizes immediately that it is a transformed object. The unbound pages feel loose and curiously free. Mazolli raises them to his nose. The glue residue is fragrant, reminding him of his school days. The paper smells like a fresh notebook and the ink like a brand new pen. Mazolli feels dizzy, falling into that memory hole.

Secrets

Terrastina and Mazolli sometimes leave the twins with friends and drive to the coast for a couple of days. They stay at a hotel on the beach. At night they leave the windows open so the sound of the waves lulls them to a deep sleep. In the morning they walk on the sand, then have breakfast at a restaurant where the staff knows them and always asks where they have been. Oh, around, says Mazolli. You know, says Terrastina, life and stuff. She shrugs. Later she tells Mazolli she likes that the staff doesn’t know they have children.

Boneyard

The carnival comes to town. Mazolli takes the twins to the fairgrounds to watch the carneys set up. The trucks carry collapsed bundles of steel which the carneys unfold into Ferris wheels and merry go rounds. When can we go on the rides? ask the twins. In a day or two, says Mazolli, as soon as they’re done getting ready. Will they have cotton candy? ask the twins. I’m sure, says Mazolli. Can we get some? Sure you can, says Mazolli. And popcorn too. We don’t like popcorn, say the twins. Okay, says Mazolli, no popcorn. Just cotton candy.

Silence

A white mushroom of smoke blooms on the hill across the river. Within seconds the wind begins spreading it over the water, wrapping the trees and sky in a chalky haze. Terrastina stands at The Brew’s window watching it. There’s a fire starting, she says to Mazolli. He calls nine one one to report it, but they already know about it and have dispatched a crew to the site. Mazolli hangs up and stands beside Terrastina. It’s been so dry, he says, hope they can contain it. I dreamed about a fire, says Terrastina. It started exactly like this.

Last Words

Terrastina gets a call from her mother who lives on the other side of the country. Your father is very ill, she says, please come home. Mazolli helps her pack and takes her to the airport. The twins are sad to see their mother go but she tells them she will be back soon. Two days later Terrastina calls Mazolli. Her father has died. The funeral is tomorrow. How are the twins? she asks. They miss you terribly, says Mazolli. My father asked about the kids before he died, says Terrastina. He said he wished he had known them.

Missing the Point

Let’s not open The Brew today, says Terrastina. Mazolli hesitates. Let’s take the twins into the city and have fun, says Terrastina. We’ll go to the park, maybe a toy store, get treats at that kid’s restaurant they like, and find a merry go round to ride. Then look for a circus or a children’s play in town for them to see. Won’t that be fun? They’ll remember this day for the rest of their lives. Mazolli still hesitates. Close The Brew for no reason? he asks. Can we do that? Where will people go to get their coffee?

Irresistible Forces

The twins pick bright orange California poppies from the yard and put them in a vase. They take the vase to Terrastina, who is working on a painting. Thank you, she says. These are pretty. Do you want to stay and watch me paint? That’s boring, say the twins. We just wanted to give you the flowers. They leave. Terrastina puts the vase on the table next to her paints. She stares at the flowers for several seconds. She turns to her canvas, but all she can think about are the twins. She rises and goes looking for them.

Entrepreneurs

On the sidewalk in front of the house the twins sit behind a table outfitted with paper cups and two pitchers filled with lemonade. They make a big sign: Lemonade 50 cents!!! and tape it to the front of the table. Before long a woman stops