Sort-of Urban Myth - Tumblr Posts

A Sandman Urban Myth

I was re-reading @arialerendeair's "Hopefully" series (which, if there's anyone who hasn't read it, you all should go do that right now!). I absolutely love it, and afterwards I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Not, I wouldn't call it a continuation of Aria's fic, just an insane idea, a sort-of Urban Myth that might come to be in the future in her verse:

There's a place in the South of London, near the river, called "The New Inn" (though if you ask anyone, it's not new at all. Some claim it's been there for at least a few decades, others, centuries... while there are even those who'll insist the Inn has simply Always been there. The place is managed by a very... peculiar group. They claim to all be family, though very few have any physical similarities among them. And yet, despite it very much being a pub, most regulars claim that they feel as if they were visiting an old friend's home when they're there. An old, well-loved home, the kind they used to only be able to think of when remembering their early childhoods. But that's not all. Aside from the official bartender, there are two people who usually help. One will always make your drink, blind, before you ever ask it of them; the other will make you a drink of them, and even if it's not what you planned on ordering, it will always be what, deep down, you truly wanted. In the kitchen there's a young woman who's not the cook, but claims she loves learning to cook new dishes, usually pies and cakes and pastries, that use fresh fruit and vegetables. Her dishes are never on the menu, but she'll always share them with whoever is around, and her food will make you feel a peace most will insist can only be found in the afterlife. In a corner in the back of the room, away from the fireplace and the windows, there's always a woman seated. She's almost always by herself, drinking cold coffee and saying nothing. But if you're having a bad day (or a bad week, or a bad month!) you can sit with her, and she'll listen to you. She'll give you the chance to vent all your grief, and your pain and your anger. Won't give you any false platitudes, or lies, and won't judge you. And when you're finished, when you're ready to move on, she'll smile at you, just a small smile, barely there at all, and you'll feel relief... It's an old place, so of course things break sometimes, but that's okay. Because there's this huge mountain of a man who's always there when something needs to be fixed... or when someone needs a hug. And this girl who's always running all around the place, giggling and saying all sorts of things, but she never bothers anyone. It's... nice, to see that there's still some delight in the world. Even when things seem so crazy. And then there's the owners. They always sit together in the same table by the fireplace. Always talking among themselves, like they're in their own little world. Until someone approaches them, a child, or a yound student, or an aspiring artist. All sorts of people will aproach them, looking for help of some kind, asking questions, or sometimes just needing a kind word, and they'll always get it. The owners never seem to mind the interrupt, seem to even thrive on talking to others, on listening to their stories, on helping them out. Some say it's like they can almost make dreams come true... No one knows just how long The New Inn has been there, or the people there, some say it's been forever. But well, that's just a myth, right? In any case, I hope they always will be...

So... am I insane or what? Aria, I hope you don't mind this little piece of insanity. I just couldn't help myself. I love your fics so much!!!

P.S. "Hopefully" can be found right here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/3178776