The Will-O-Wisp Cafe

The Will-O-Wisp Cafe can only be found by accident. If you are a fan of travel, you're sure to hear about it eventually. Just don't expect any consistency of detail.

Some say the quick service restaurant's eerie lights flicker on a distant mountainside of the Ashlume Mountains. Other travelers will swear it's in the Sunken Sea, glittering like salvation on the hot sand of the endless desert. Many more will argue that it's only in the forest, linked to fog.

Then there are the niche opinions. Wander long enough and you'll meet a fair few who've been there more than once. That is, if folks who trade stories over campfires are to be trusted about such things. Some say the correct mind frame is needed to find the cafe's doors.

Heartbreak, intoxication, fear; you name it. There are perhaps innumerable stories about Will-O-Wisp Cafe, and they only share one detail in common. The food.

It's said that when you stumble upon this elusive location, the first thing you will notice is the smell. Inside, foods are served from a steaming wooden slab that stands as tall as the average Dwarf.

You will find a line leading up to it, flickering entities behind it's expanse dishing plates of food out. They say when it is your turn, you will get to pick from an assortment of unrecognizable but tantalizing dishes.

No matter what your confused mind lands on, legend says it will be the best meal of your life.

Oh! The stories that are told of the offerings at Will-O-Wisp Cafe!

If you arrive with a fierce hunger, your eyes will land on hearty selections aplenty. Rich broths filled with tender ingredients that own no names in any dialect. Hunks of bread filled with strange flowers, accompanied by fragrant pitchers of what seem to be water.

It's said the food is so good that you may begin to feel delirious.

Some travelers report finding the cafe with weariness, but little hunger in their guts. Perhaps they pick a quick snack from the line instead.

The Will-o-wisps have perfected the art of snack making. Bards and healers across the realm have remarked on this skill, as the snack can be the most beneficial deployment in a crisis.

Although you may be thanking your lucky stars as you bite into the creations of these mystical creatures, soon you may find that you curse the day it happened. No chef, nor baker, nor street cart vendor can recreate these eats.

Men pine to companions found on the road, expressing a consuming desire to visit again.

Yes, you'll hear plenty of stories of snacks that were so good, that they plague the ones who enjoyed them. Bites that are crispy, creamy, sweet with a kick... Many speak of forever craving a food that they know can never be found again.

The meat that is served at the cafe is often spoken highly of. Particularly the fish is well known for being the item to keep your eyes open for. If you can guess what dish on the line is fish, that is.

Carrying the same distinct texture and vague smell, travelers who were rushed along the serving line and ended up with this fish claim it is heavenly. Yet, they can never compare it to a fish of this world.

They say there are flat and stretchy breads incorporated, odd plant materials as a wrapping, or sometimes doughy pods.

For those who will argue to the bitter end that Will-O-Wisp Cafe is found in the desert, the water like substance becomes a focus of the memory.

Although few visit the cafe without enjoying some of the invigorating liquid that centers each table in a metallic pitcher, those from the desert slug it down. Tales are told of parched mouths reconstituted in the dining area of the restaurant, and the oddities that come after.

You see, aside from the tales of how amazing the food is being consistent, the stories of a feeling of intoxication are as well.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself at The Will-O-Wisp Cafe, and things begin to get even stranger. Your plate may begin to shift, become something your eyes cannot comprehend.

You may find that your hand cannot stop reaching for the pitcher as you eat, its scent reminding you of everything you truly love. No account of its taste is the same, yet there is some sort of emotion that comes across in each telling.

The more a storyteller remembers drinking, the wackier their recollection will be.

It's not uncommon at all the hear that someone does not remember leaving the establishment. They don't even want to talk about that moment. As you ask, they will remember another detail about what they saw inside. By the time they complete the account, you likely will not remember what you asked them at all...

This is my take on Worldbuilding Prompt #700 - Quick food. When I joined Hive, I was writing short stories about characters in my novel to help me develop them. I think I joined the world building community sometime around then, but I've never actually posted here.

In the world I built, most quick meals would be found in a tavern. It was fun to think of something a little different... As a lurker of this community, I often find new angles to consider from the daily/weekly prompts here. It was fun to finally write for one, thanks for the inspiration! 😎

All photos are random things that I've cooked and photographed, edited in the Clip2Comic app to look trippy.