(¯'*•.¸,¤°'✿.｡.:* ᏖᏋᏗ ᏕᏂᎧᎮ *.:｡.✿'°¤,¸.•*'¯)

Wind howled in distance like a wounded beast. Nina wrestled with the front door for a moment before finally shoving it shut and stepping onto the frozen doorstep. Instantly the chill slapped her with force, sharpness of the frost biting into the exposed parts of her cheek above the thick wool muffler. She pocketed her keys and brought her hands to her mouth, blowing air into the dark blue mittens and trying to conjure a bit of warmth.

A few muted stars peeped from a thick blanket of clouds, so few and so far in between they were that looked like guiding lights in a raging sea. The trees lining up her street screeched and twisted their naked boughs, wind beaten and weary. Nina hesitated for a moment. Faced with the storm outside the dilapidated one bed roomed rent apartment suddenly started to look cozy and inviting. Although crammed up it offered warmth and shelter.

She blew a breath and decided to go nevertheless. Nina was in no position to reschedule this meeting and a little storm hardly put a dent in her resolve. She needed to confide in someone and it could hardly wait.

Snow fell in a muted ballet and melted creating tiny rivulets when she revived the engine of her ancient car. It huffed and puffed clearly complaining about aches of old age and worst patch up jobs it had to endure on the top of Nina's odd working hours. But pulled out of the drive nevertheless.

The roads were frozen over and the temperature pummeled further. The falling ice was no ballet but an angry swirl that thrashed upon her windscreen obstructing her view every so often. The roads were empty and the hour late. People with sane minds and deep pockets kept into their homes. Nina cursed under her breath and stepped on the accelerator - just like every other luxury time was something she could not afford.

It happened just then - unbidden and instantaneous. The wanes wiped the windscreen clean of another bout of snow and Nina was blinded by a beam of orange light that flashed directly at her.

She control slipped as the stirring wheel whipped a full circle and the car glided across the slippery frozen asphalt hardly leaving a mark as it hurled away like a snapped branch in the storm and hit the lone standing street lamp.

A shower of sparks landed on the split second it remained there before the worn out wheels whined in protest and slipped towards the dark mas of trees many many feet below.

Nina had been screaming the whole while hands scraping at the doors and shutters and feet slamming against the peddles - searching an escape like any drowning man. She remembered the darkness swallowing her vision as the headlights smashed against something, her own scream and how it melted against the howl of the wind. Strangely though...she recalled no more.

**

A hand encased in black leather wiped a strap of her snow covered shutter clean. She had her head against the stirring wheel Nina realized as knuckles tapped against the glass. The wind was not howling anymore. She felt no pain - no cold. The black gloved hand tapped the shutter again prompting her to open the window and step out.

For a moment a distant prickle of surprise ran down her spine. She was no longer parked in the side of her forest edged road. There was no snow or screeching trees. Instead she was parked in a cobbled street warm with the orange glow of street lamps. The stars overhead were bright and joyful, the night humid and cloudless Nina looked around in surprise before her eyes rested on the stranger who had tapped on her glass.

It was a woman wearing a wide beamed velvet black hat and a black coat rimmed with white fur. As she watched the woman briefly checked a card in her hand and nodded at her before shoving it in her pocket.

"Nina Enis..." she spoke in a cold aloof tone. "Get in then - lets get this over with."

Nina rose her eyebrows and opened her mouth to ask at least ten questions before she complied with but the stranger had already turned and was climbing the steps leading to the shop she had parked in front of - her cloak trailed after her in a haunting manner and involuntarily she found herself following after her trail. Her eyes flickered upwards to the board hanging over the entrance. "Nirvana" it read in styled black letters.

"Excuse me?" She called out as the woman stepped through the threshold into what she now realized was a tea shop with the merry smell of brewing herbs floating to welcome them. The ring of the bell on the door punctured her words. For a moment Nina was grateful for the warmth the place offered although the chill of the night she set off was only a distant memory. "But who are you?"

"An agent.." The woman said taking off her hat and hanging it on the hook behind the door. She pointed at the chair already pulled out at one of the little wooden tables.

"Sit down."

"An agent of what exactly?" Nina rubbed her hands out of habit and then realizing it was suddenly too warm for mittens peeled them off her hands.

"Who helps people go on..." the woman ignored her and walked inside her shop where Nina could hear her bustle around and the clatter of china.

"Oh a travel agent?" She puffed out a breath and ignoring the seat walked around the charming little space.

There were bonsai center pieces on each table, empty frames hang over the polished wood walls. Nina stopped at them and frowned for a moment. They were empty but wiped clean without a speck of dirt. Smell of orange blossoms wafted through the air and she sniffed appreciatively before resuming her tour. A collection of porcelain dolls took up a corner, their panted smiles faded away with time. She had the nagging feeling that she had seen them somewhere before. Then a bookshelf in the far corner overflowing with titles new and old. Two doors led away from the tea room - separated by the spiral staircase in between leading to the upper floors.

Nina had only touched one of the doorknobs when the familiar feeling of wintry chill spread from her fingers and twisted around her wrist. The knob turned underneath her palm without much effort and the door was thrown ajar.

Nina sucked in a breath and her eyes bulged. Before her was nothing and abyss of swirling darkness and echoing silence lay beyond the door. A bottomless chasm that was ready to swallow her up. A current of wind pushed her in sweeping her off her feet and Nina almost tumbled inside for hanging on the door handle to maintain her balance. With great effort she pulled the door shut and now convinced this was some twisted nightmare stumbled away from the door to abyss. In the process however she caught her reflection in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall over a tiny wash basin.

And she gasped. Her face was stained with blood. It caked against her forehead with mattered mess of dirty hair. Distressed she looked down at her hands. Seam of her sleeve was torn her palms covered in stains of dried red. She turned around - horrified - to find the woman back with a tea pot and cups setting the table with a placid expression.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded. "Why am I covered in blood."

The woman was young Nina noticed she she looked up. Her face was oddly pale - but hauntingly beautiful. Her eyes were large and heavy lidded. Her mouth tiny and set in a natural pout. As she looked at her however she pressed her lips into a firm line. There was a tired look on her face.

"You were in a fatal accident. The road was frozen, speed was too much and you were distracted." She narrated the incident as if it was the weather report. Her voice was devoid of emotions. "The force of the collision made sever damage to your skull and you had lost too much blood by the time pre - medics got there."

Pre - medics? Accident? Blood loss? Words whirled inside her head as Nina waved her hands. This was a dream - no a nightmare.

"And what? I died?" She asked, sounding more brave than she felt. Giving a humourless chuckle she marched past the woman and wrenched open the door. The bell rang furiously and the woman hardly moved. "Sorry but I think I'll be going now -" She called over her shoulder and took a step outside fully determined to get in her car and drive away. If this was a dream she was going to dream on her own terms. Only her car was no longer there.

When she turned around the woman was standing beside her.

"I don't have the entire night - soon there will be other customers. The bad weather always brings them in troops. So I suggest you get inside and finish your tea." For a moment she did not sound her monotonous self - instead there was an edge of frustration to her tone. Nina watched her mouth agape and the woman flinched as if someone admonished her tone.

"Alright - alright!" She muttered with the corner of her mouth. "I know she is newly dead but I'm working on a tight schedule here! Fine! Fine! I'll play nice-" she bit the last words with repressed venom and turned back to Nina. "Will you please get inside and have a cup of tea?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"What is this place?" She asked although she followed her strange hostess inside. "And why are you hell bent after feeding me tea?"

The woman pointed at the chair once more and when Nina sat down she pulled the opposite chair for herself.

"This is the tearoom," she said simply.

"Only its not just that is it? You said more people will come - the bad weather brings them? You mean more dead people? Is this heaven? Or the in - between? What are you - angel of death?"

"Don't speak of that guy!" The hostess snapped. "Oh I hate the curious ones!" She muttered to herself before pushing a tea cup towards her. "As I told you I am an agent. I help people to go on."

"So I was right? This is in - between!"

"This is tearoom and you are not dead!"

"Wait - I'm not dead? Then why am I here?"

The woman shrugged and clasped her hands.

"You are not dead yet - you will be in time."

"Aren't you a little ray of sunshine!" Nina muttered sarcastically and twirled the tea cup in her hands warming her palms against it. Her hostess scowled.

"I am not sunshine and I'm certainly not little! They get more and more disrespectful over the time..." she muttered to herself again.

"What does this tea do?" Nina narrowed her eyes. "Wait - is it poisoned?"

"It helps you go on - forget everything about this life - good things and bad things. And start afresh somewhere beyond."

"So this tea erases my memory?" Nina repeated and scowled at the golden liquid in the cup. Then her frown deepened. "But - but what am I supposed to forget?" She said in alarm. "I - I don't remember much! Oh God I'm losing my memory! Why am I dead again?"

The hostess sighed audibly and frowned.

"You had an accident. The roads were frozen -"

"Wait -" Nina held out a hand. "I know that part. You told me. But why was I driving? Where was I going? I know it was something important - I just can't remember what. And what was that road? Where is my home?" The more she spoke the shriller her tone got and the hostess slammed a hand on the table effectively shutting her up. Tea cup rattled against the saucer.

"That's an effect of the limbo!" She snapped. "You are stuck in between death and waking up. All the memories will come back as the time of death comes. But -" she leaned closer and spoke in a conspiratory tone. "That's pretty ugly business. So I suggest drink this while it's all lovely pink and choose one of the doors and move on."

"You mean die?"

"You will anyway."

"Perhaps I won't."

"Look -"

"No you look Miss Death or whoever you are! I won't just shut the shop and walk through that door leading to nowhere just because I can't remember who I will be leaving behind. So I suggest you accept that and move on."

The hostess got up and the table rattled again.

"Rose." She said.

"Huh?"

"My name is Rose and you will have to work if you are hoping to stay here young lady."

She walked away face as blank as ever. Nina stood up and brushed her dirty hands on her jeans, huffing. "Who is she calling a young lady? How old is she anyway?"

"Three thousand and eighteen!" The monotonous voice replied from somewhere inside.

**