Say it in Red | Episode 46: Necrobarista

It's that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, a time when chill autumn pushes us from the sidewalks into warm cafes for a thickly spiced latte and a hearty baked treat to ward us against the cold. Far to the South, spring arrives and the cackling trees and warming sun make a streetside coffee shop a delightful stop for an iced coffee and a delicate pastry as you pass the time. Is there anything so versatile, so timeless, and so persistent in our cities as coffee and the pleasantry of a soothing drink on a hard day? Yes, in fact.
It's Death.

In this Halloween special edition of Say it in Red, Sara and Runa are joined by returning guest and featured Melbourne Correspondent Bismuth who guides them, their Australian Psychopomp, through the laneways and backrooms of Necrobarista (2020). The game begins as a wayward and tired millennial, Kishan, wanders into a cafe and finds himself surrounded by a lively cast of people almost as odd as his present condition.  Kishan is dead, freshly so, and while coming to grips with his mortality and surroundings he also gets to know Maddy, the owner of The Terminal - a cafe that serves as the liminal space where spirits of the dead can linger for just 24 hours before passing on to whatever awaits them after the mortal world. Maddy is also a Necromancer and the cafe's current head barista, hence the title, and she spends much of her time wrangling drinks as Ashley, a teenager obsessed with robotics and caffeine and communism, fiddles with complex and paranormal machinery around the building. All the while Maddy's former boss and mentor, Chay, tries to keep everything in balance and everyone happy even as Kishan plummets into an existential crisis and paranormal debt collector, Ned Kelly (yes, the historical Ned Kelly) arrives to remind Maddy of what The Terminal owes. You see, people are only supposed to stay in the cafe for 24 hours before moving on, but Maddy and Chay aren't fond of kicking people out or keeping a stopwatch running for each and every customer. They've let far too many people stay far longer than a single day, and that Council of Death needs those hours back to preserve the balance. One way or another, the debt of time has to be paid even as those in the Terminal grapple with the weight of grief and loss seeping in around them.

In addition to this discussion of Necrobarista, Bismuth prepares an Australian Slang quiz for Runa and Sara - let's stick around to see just how many times our hosts are fooled by fake terms, misdirections, and how often they manage to mangle the meaning of this Melbourne terminology.

As always, if you enjoy our show please consider rating us and leaving a review wherever you listen to podcasts! Our patreon (at patreon.com/sayitinred) also hosts a growing number of bonus episodes, released around the second week of each month, so subscribe now to get access to even more Say it in Red to see you through the autumnal (or vernal) season.

Content Warnings for this episode:
In-depth discussions of death, mortality, and loss occur throughout this episode.