William always stood out for being different from his friends. He loved philosophy, geopolitics, history, books and coffee. His first job was teaching classes on the subjects he mastered to perfection. His father always advised him to make a living doing the activity he enjoyed the most.
At the age of 28 he married Theresa, a loving, tolerant and enthusiastic woman, the perfect complement to a fulfilling life. Over the years they became the parents of three sons.
One day while chatting in a coffee shop with a co-worker, William became interested in learning about the world of trading, stock market investments, stocks, among others. This new universe of possibilities became his hobby.
At home, he would spend all his time on the computer studying the markets to make what he called his "Master Move". He invested his children's college savings in trading, later stocks began to fall in price. Hoping that the world economy would improve, he remained anxious until the worst happened....He lost absolutely everything, including the family home
With a wife and three children to support, he was forced to ask his parents for shelter for himself and his family. Getting an immediate response, a week later, they left town. William's parents planned their retirement by acquiring a small coffee plantation, their harvest was exchanged for whatever supplies were needed for the household.
A few days later, William became interested in learning about coffee harvesting, as he wanted to give back in some way what his parents were doing for him and his family. He thought that he could take care of everything that had to do with coffee. As a good coffee consumer, he looked for quality coffee beans.
When the rainy season arrived, an isolated event marked the destiny of the family.
William was in town exchanging coffee beans for food, when he observed that all the people began to run while shouting... "the river has left its course, run for your lives".
For a few seconds the movie of his life appeared in front of him. He remembered that his family, including his parents, lay in the hacienda located on the top of the mountain. Like a statue he remained until the water reached his feet. For a moment he thought that this liquid was not normal in a watercourse.
He tried to reach the truck and while he was moving as fast as he could, a huge wave approached him, taking everything he found on the way. His amazement was more at the color of the wave than the size of it.
Dark brown like coffee. "Yes, it's coffee. How can this happen?" exclaimed Wiliam. For an instant he forgot that his life was in danger. Then he climbed a tree and from the highest branch, he could see a river of coffee flowing down the main street of the town. A second later, the huge wave swept him along with the tree. He almost drowned, but his survival instinct flourished.
A kilometer further down he was able to cling to a safe structure. The worst was over. As the water level dropped, sorry coffee, the locals began to come out and corroborate what William was shouting.
"It's not mud, it's coffee" he repeated over and over again.
He immediately began to return to his parents' farm, the uncertainty of not knowing anything about his family devastated him. He imagined that perhaps they had not survived.
A few hours later, he crossed the entrance gate, Theresa saw him and ran out to hug him, they also thought that something bad could have happened to him. Once it was confirmed that everyone was safe and sound, his children invited him over to appreciate what had happened.
The family had arranged the coffee seeds to dry, when the rain fell these seeds began to release their essence (aroma, color and flavor) and a river of coffee moved down the village. In addition, a coffee lagoon was formed in the middle of the hacienda.
This natural disaster, which could have ended in tragedy, was the beginning of a new stage in the life of William and his family. The hacienda became a tourist attraction in the region. Everyone wanted to visit the coffee lagoon and the site that gave rise to the first and only coffee valley in the town.
They formed a tourist business, with lodging, restaurant service, recreation, a trip to the coffee lagoon, quality control of the coffee beans and a bar for the preparation of the preferred beverage (coffee) by the client and to their liking.
The town that had remained invisible to many, benefited from tourism, as well as each of its inhabitants.
I conclude my entry for another creative writing challenge in this warm coffee community.
I bid you farewell wishing you good vibes 💞
I made the templates in Canva with the free version. link
