Viola: The Wither Chronicles, #2

By Kelly L.K

In which a ballerina, an abuse victim, and a war veteran walk into a mystical bar. 

 

A mystical pub appears to those who need it most, run by an angel cloaked in darkness who is not what she seems and her two bartenders, a gentle man made of crystal and a harbinger of memories full of life despite being from the realm of the in-between. If given a drink to either remember or forget all of your troubles, which one will you choose?

 

Kiara is a ballerina with a mother who does not support her dream. She fears she will no longer be able to dance after an accident leaves her bedridden. 

 

Luca has been in an abusive relationship for a long time, and he is unable to leave. His hope is running thin.

 

Carlisle has no one but his best friend who happens to be a cat. He still holds onto his terrifying memories from his time in the war, unable to find inner peace. 

 

They all end up at Pub Viola, and their lives are changed forever as they enter a world full of mysteries, where souls and Grim Reapers roam amongst the living, working under a ten-year-old who holds great resentment for those who wronged her in the past. 

 

The Wither Chronicles is an anthology series in which extraordinary places with a magical twist appear to those who most need them, from a hotel for ghosts, a pub that can solve your problems with a drink, to a time-traveling association run by Timekeepers working under Lady Time. Each story follows a different cast of characters dealing with various life hurdles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kelly L.K
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223221210

Kelly L.K

KELLY L.K. — a pseudonym for Laya Khan — is a young Saudi writer living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She has been telling stories ever since she was 6-years-old. When she isn’t writing, she is daydreaming. When she isn’t daydreaming, she tries to live through her daily life alongside her seemingly-sentient cat, Meow. Skeleton Flower is her debut novel. Connect with me on: 🔗https://www.instagram.com/ikigaiandme_/ 📧 [e-mail]

Book preview

Viola

Kelly L.K

First published by Kelly L.K 2023

Copyright © Kelly L.K, 2023

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No parts of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the publisher's written permission. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. For more information, contact the publisher at [e-mail].

All events and characters in this book are completely fictional. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Kelly L.K asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All copyright holders of pictures included in this book have been contacted, and permission was granted to use this material.

Kelly L.K has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks, and registered trademarks for their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the text have endorsed the book.

First edition

Cover design by Canva.com

Illustrations by Canva.com

To contact the author:

[e-mail]

Instagram: @Ikigaiandme_  /  @authorkellylk

To my dearest Alexandria.

My moons orbit your sun forevermore.

Warning:

This is all for funsies.

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✾ ⋆ ┊. ˚.

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Viola

A ballerina, an abuse victim, and a war veteran walk into a mystical bar.

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Begin.

Content Warning.

Topics mentioned in this book may be unsuitable for some. Mentions of abuse, self-harm, suicide, and trauma are present in this book. If any of that may bother you, I advise you to read this with your own caution. Your triggers are valid.

Pub Viola 

Interlude: Do You Know Brahms? 

Chapter 1: A Ballerina Walks Into a Bar 

Chapter 2: Mariposa Fouetté 

Interlude: Would You Harm A Fly? 

Chapter 3: An Abuse Victim Walks Into A Bar 

Chapter 4: All’s Well That Ends Well 

Interlude: Misfortune 

Chapter 5: A War Veteran Walks Into A Bar 

Epilogue: Pub Viola

Pub Viola

They say a mystical bar pops up in the neighborhoods of those who most need it. With it comes an alleyway that was never there before, a team of loyal bartenders, and an angel cloaked in black. But the bartenders aren’t what they seem, for their touch can share memories of those who shall visit the place, and the angel in black is no threat. Then why is it a mystical bar? For its drinks contain magic, of course. Magic that can make you laugh until you double over. Magic that can make you cry until your tears create an ocean. Magic that can make you forget who you once were if you desired it. This mystical pub goes by the name of Pub Viola, one of many havens scattered across the globe for the miserable and forgotten. It is a haven for those who are neither alive nor dead, for those who are in between the ripples of reality.

Daidus Tepes and Olivier—Liv—Harmon are the traveling siblings. They are labeled as such because they appear wherever the moving pub appears. One night they’re in a desert at the end of the world, and the other, they’re in the busiest of cities. Wherever the pub goes, they follow. Wherever the pub goes, they maintain it for their Headmistress, who has brought them under her wings, raised them, fed them, clothed them, and trained them to become the best bartenders in the Yūgen Tree System For The Wholehearted And Overwhelming Good.

As Daidus Tepes prepares the shelves with jars of labeled, colorful emotions and sets the edible delicacies in chronological order in the display case, Liv Harmon dusts the tables and places the chairs that were put upside down the night prior onto the ground. She sets down a cloth made of fine fabric, not a wrinkle in sight, and sets a vase with a single red rose in it. The rose is a bright contrast to the brown and dark exterior of the rest of the pub. The Headmistress was the one who insisted on the unique color scheme—dark tables and walls, from dark brown to dark navy and black. With bleak yet captivating decorations, the grandfather clock shakes the room once it chimes at the very back of the pub, adding to the ambiance. Color? That is preserved for the food and drinks.

Pastel, vibrant, and eye-catching food is displayed. Each drink is bright and colorful and served marvelously. You’d want to drink everything and anything you lay your eyes upon. It all looks way too good to be actual food. In some drinks, you can see clouds. Waterfalls. The moon and stars illuminated. Space with endless nebulas. Hell and Heaven both. The beginning and the end of the world. Vast universes left to explore.

Gradient purple cheesecake, milkshakes, and smoothies you’d only find in cartoons. Forbidden fruits that make you want to sin over and over again. Simple bread full of modesty and humble feelings. Pure black refreshing coffee. Omelets and waffles molded into animal shapes. Late-night ramen that tastes as good as your first-ever kiss.

The food is nothing but pure euphoria on the tongue. But the star of the pub, the most essential part, is the drinks. The drinks carry fragments extracted from the labeled jars of emotions. They carry the rawest feelings crafted into oils and clouds of smoke. They make the drinker feel what is in the drink as if they are truly experiencing it to the extreme.

For laughter and joy, you have Ecstasy — designed after the gardenia flower — a white, fizzy martini drink that bubbles with merriment. It is topped with whipped cream resembling diamonds, a single olive, and what looks like marbles swirling at the bottom of the drink, all served in an old-fashioned cup.

The drink that presents itself with sadness is the Blue Devils — designed after the zinnia flower — a bright blue cocktail drink that brings tears to one's eyes in an instant—topped with mint leaves and a single citrus slice. Served in a cocktail cup.

For those who would like a punch of confidence, they have Belle Amé — The dahlia flower — a pink drink that spikes your adrenaline levels. Topped with two cherries. Served in a champagne flute.

Other drinks include whiskey for stress relief.

Gin and explosive tonic for child-like energy as if you’re at a carnival.

Mojito for the tender-hearted.

A simple margarita for the pleased.

Pina colada to feel pure bliss.

It is truly an excellent menu for the palette.

And, of course, non-alcoholic beverages for those who would rather stay sober to have a good time.

But, as the Headmistress has said many times, only the worthy can find the pub and taste its offerings.

And since it is a new day in a new neighborhood plagued with quietness, the hardworking Daidus and Liv are preparing to open up. It will be a couple of exceptional days, for they are preparing to welcome their Headmistress for an annual visit.

Miss Fortune Hiqqins is the angel cloaked in darkness. She is merely an old-looking lady adorned in seemingly expensive dresses. She is the owner of the pub who shows herself only to her customers and her workers. She is one special lady, for she gives a kiss to the lonely, the sad, and the dying. With one kiss, they are able to follow the destined paths that will lead them to their final, significant conclusion. She is connected to Liv by the core, for she is the one to rescue Liv. She was the one to house Daidus, who shares a strong bond with Liv.

Miss Fortune is their one and only Headmistress, their mother, and their guardian angel.

She shall visit and grace them with her calming presence.

And so, let the day begin.

Interlude: Do You Know Brahms?

D aidus, do you like classical music? Asked Liv while cleaning the counter. Her body ringed and chimed as her jewelry clinked and clacked, adding noise to the empty pub. A single soul who had walked through the walls had sat on one of the nearby tables, ordering breakfast. The soul was the ghost of a well-dressed man, suit and tie and everything, his head bashed into the skull. Gore dripped off of the large hole in the side of his head, exposed membrane and soft tissue completely wrecked by whatever had impacted his delicate head, and whatever remained of his poor brain hung loosely to his body, exposed. Flies flew about his noggin, nesting in the gooey warmth. A car