Countdown Cafe

by Kristi Helvig

In this speculative fiction short story, a teenager grieving the death of her twin sister stumbles across an unusual coffee shop only to discover that its inhabitants aren't quite who they seem. It is a contemporary tale with a twist, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone. This story is from the award-winning anthology, Tick Tock: 7 Tales of Time, which was named a Finalist for the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the Anthology category.

42 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2017

About the author

Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. She muses about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and behaviorally-challenged dogs.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star read.

I've had this short story in my Kindle for a while now and for the life of me I don't know why I haven't read it before.

A tale centred around a teen's grief of the death of her twin, we see the protagonist come across a quaint cafe with amazing coffee and pastries which she quickly becomes "addicted" to visiting. However, something is most definitely not right with the cafe and the teen struggles to get a grip on it's mysteries. Adding to her melancholy is her inability to connect with her school friend, who is at home sick.

Without giving anything away I'll be honest and say this story left me feeling quite depressed rather than uplifted. While I enjoyed the paranormal part of the book and the way the teen was trying to overcome her grief, the rest of the happenings seemed to bog down the book in depressiveness.

I received an ebook of this short story from the author via Instafreebie. I have voluntarily chosen to review the book and the gifting in no way influences my review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.

[Tez · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING: Grief

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduces you to to a teenager who lost her twin nearly a year ago.

With "Countdown Café", Kristi Helvig has created a tenderly narrated and thought-provoking story that kept me glued to my Kindle. Kristi Helvig gets you very close to the main character as the story proceeds; I felt with her right from the start. The story is about bereavement and how a teenager handles the loss of her twin sister. The story has a good flow; it certainly will not leave you unaffected as it is touching and has a fabulous paranormal touch.

This is a book for you if you like well-told unusual stories, psychology, and food for thought.

Highly recommended.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A YA story about teens and how they deal with grief. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. A totally unexpected ending.

[Garth Mailman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surreal tale described as something out of the Twilight Zone. Unnamed teen has lost her twin sister and finds solace in a coffee shop that exists in another reality.