{"id":311,"date":"2026-04-01T15:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/?p=311"},"modified":"2026-07-03T19:12:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:12:10","slug":"whiskey-cigarettes-and-mind-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/2026\/04\/01\/whiskey-cigarettes-and-mind-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0423\u0438\u0441\u043a\u0438, \u0446\u0438\u0433\u0430\u0440\u0438 \u0438 \u0447\u0435\u0442\u0435\u043d\u0435 \u043d\u0430 \u043c\u0438\u0441\u043b\u0438"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Genre:<\/strong> Romance, Fantasy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type:<\/strong> Short Story<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary:<\/strong> This is a short story, which I wrote some years ago for a course I took. The task stated \u201cA short story in which the protagonist can read minds\u201d. So, follow Jack\u2019s third meeting with a beautiful woman whose mind he’s struggling to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publish date:<\/strong> 01\/04\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words count:<\/strong> 1K<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read time:<\/strong> ~ 6 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is an original work by Lina Dimitrova and is protected by copyright.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMind your own thoughts, will you?\u201d she said inside her head as she puffed the cigarette smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It quickly went up and slowly spread above their heads, gently fondling the dimmed lights of the bar and disappearing into the nothingness. One could not complain of her smoking, for the entire premise was filled with the heavy aroma, slightly mixed with alcohol fumes and the sweat of middle aged men who had nothing better to do with their miserable lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have no idea what you\u2019re talking about,\u201d Jack said and smugly took a sip of his whiskey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The liquid burnt his throat and he winced. Why did he bother once again? He was no drinker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smirked and leaned upon the bar. Her mysterious green eyes were piercing right through his soul like they knew more than they told. Could it be that she also read minds? This thought struck Jack and he looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if she could read minds, too, surely, she would have shown it somehow. After all, she would have learned on that particular evening the redness of her lipstick and her sweet perfume were secretly enchanting him. And the way her hair was held up with a few strands gently falling down at the sides of her face. Jack could read minds but somehow he just couldn\u2019t read her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you do it?\u201d she asked out loud while extinguishing her cigarette in the ashtray. \u201cYour head, your own mind must be like a beehive! All noisy and all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack chuckled at her little comment. He couldn\u2019t deny her high intelligence, but such silly conversation was always welcome when one wanted to forget the seriousness and monotony of everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do I do what?\u201d Jack asked playfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on, you teaser,\u201d she replied raising her tone which made the bartender look in her direction. \u201cYou know what. How do you read minds?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack could see the fascination in her eyes and the way her mouth was slightly open. Then, imperceptibly, the right edge lifted up in a slight curved smile. If she wasn\u2019t so busy staring back into Jack\u2019s eyes she would have noticed that the bartender was still staring at her. The elegance and simplicity of her red dress was the reason for many heads turning in her direction across the entire bar. Some in attraction, some wondering what a beautiful woman like her was doing in such a godforsaken dump, posing as a bar. However, she didn\u2019t notice any of that. Who and what could possibly be more interesting than a man with the ability to read minds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat am I thinking about now?\u201d she asked inside her head while smiling even wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot about your name,\u201d Jack replied with a smirk. \u201cYou never think about your name,\u201d he added and this time drank from his glass to reinforce his most likely to be lousy attempt to get more connected to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, is that so?\u201d she replied as she took out another cigarette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her lips barely touched the filter and the bartender was already holding a lighter up. As if during the entire evening he had been waiting for this little opportunity. But she couldn\u2019t care less. She lit her cigarette and blew the smoke in the bartender\u2019s direction. He quietly coughed and walked away like a dog with its tail between its legs. He got the hint. Her eyes, however, never left Jack\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, that\u2019s so,\u201d he was insistent for he dared to drink yet another sip in hopes he looked at least somewhat manly. \u201cIt\u2019s the third time we meet and I still don\u2019t know your name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut do you really need it?\u201d she opposed him with a forthright question that he couldn\u2019t have anticipated. \u201cWe meet for a little non-engaging chitter chatter to relief each other from the stressful life we\u2019re constantly trapped in. I thought that was the deal,\u201d she finished with an imperceptible smirk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack was observing her very carefully. Her game was strong, her thoughts blank. How was she doing that? He had to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell you what,\u201d he decided to try another strategy. \u201cPick a random person from this bar and I\u2019ll tell you what they\u2019re thinking about. However, on one condition \u2013 you\u2019ll tell me your name,\u201d he smirked as he thought this time he won for he was very aware of her wonderment towards his unusual gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled at his little challenge and her eyes ran through the entire bar. The scene was very typical \u2013 lonely or unhappily married men whose only pleasure in life remained to be the everyday drinking at a distant from their home bar. She frowned, nobody interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess that guy over there,\u201d she said disappointed while looking back over her left shoulder. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t seem to belong here. Young and neat. What\u2019s his story?\u201d she asked enthusiastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack cleared his throat and looked at the boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI still can\u2019t believe I failed my physics exam. I studied so hard and I was so prepared\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack looked back at his lady companion. \u201cHe\u2019s just failing his studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh no,\u201d she said sounding entirely genuine. Perhaps not the answer she was expecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack cleared his throat as a hint. \u201cI believe we had a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at him with a foxy smile. \u201cRen\u00e9\u00e9\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack looked away to take a deep breath. At last! Not even the smothering scent of cigarette smoke deeply penetrated into the walls of the bar could have ruined that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, if you excuse me, I have to go,\u201d suddenly she said and got up from her chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack stood up, as well, to show his mannerism. He was surprised by her sudden leaving. Also disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh? So soon?\u201d he tried to protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid so,\u201d she replied softly and extinguished her cigarette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They said goodbye to each other and she left for the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s not your real name, is it?\u201d Jack said just before she got out of his reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she replied inside her head without even looking back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 2026 Lina Dimitrova \u2013 Lina Narratives. All rights reserved.
This story is an original work and is protected by copyright. Reproduction or redistribution without permission is prohibited.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Genre: Romance, Fantasy Type: Short Story Summary: This is a short story, which I wrote some years ago for a course I took. The task stated \u201cA short story in which the protagonist can read minds\u201d. So, follow Jack\u2019s third meeting with a beautiful woman whose mind he’s struggling to read. Publish date: 01\/04\/2026 Words […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":257333782,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7224,8154],"tags":[1747,40287],"class_list":["post-311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fantasy","category-romance","tag-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph2CI6-51","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/257333782"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":937,"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions\/937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linanarratives.com\/bg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}