The scent of coffee was wafting throughout the café. Faint music plays in the background, nearly masked by the sound of soft chitchat. People on dates, people taking a break from their hectic lives, people just trying to buy a cup of coffee before going back into the office. A man, Elliot, sits in the corner finishing schoolwork; a junior in college, he wants nothing more than to pass his classes and graduate summa cum laude.  

* * *

     Elliot sat wrapped up in his own little bubble, an easy thing to do because he was here so often. Because of this, he was unaware of the person standing across from him attempting to grab his attention.

     “Excuse me, you’re Elliot right?” The question came from a gentle voice, a fishing line being thrown in an attempt to lure him out of the bubble.

     It worked. 

     A bit startled, Elliot looked up and shifted his headphones off of his ears. “Yeah, why?”

     “We actually have a few classes together, I’m Grayson.” 

     “Oh, you’re the one who made the muffins last thursday, right?”

     “Yeah! I can make you something if you’d like, how about cookies?” 

     “That would be nice,” Elliot replied with a smile.

     Grayson then walked away, disappearing as fast as he had appeared. Elliot felt it was kind of an odd thing though, seeing as he didn’t seem to have a drink or anything. Maybe he finished already? 

* * *

     Grayson got to work making the cookies he promised Elliot the other day at the coffee shop. Putting on his gloves he began measuring ingredients, scooping them into the bowl and mixing them. Just before he finished combining everything, he pulled out a small pink box: inside, a stem of water hemlock lay nestled into paper towels, a plant known for its poisonous nature. An inflorescence of small white flowers in umbrella-like clusters. After gently removing some of the flowers, he crushed them up in a mortar and pestle. Once he felt satisfied they were ground finely enough, he efficiently whisked them into the cookie dough, scooped it onto a baking sheet, and cooked them.

     This is going to be great fun, Grayson thought, smiling maniacally to himself.