AUTHOR'S NOTES: With coffee being an important part of Colombian culture, I've had a crossover with these two in my head for quite a long time.

If you haven't had a chance to read up on the Coffeehouse Mysteries, they center around a coffeeshop in New York's East Village called the Village Blend. The manager, Claire Cosi, often gets entangled with various homicides that she helps her boyfriend (and later fiancé) solve. Claire's ex-husband (Matteo Allegro) is the Village Blend's coffee buyer and he's not always a fan of his ex-wife's 'hobbies'.

I'm always happy to fill in any gaps or answer any character questions.

Also, the cafe and town this story starts out in can be translated as 'Home Sweet Home Cafe' and 'River of Dreams'.

MAGIC BEANS

(An 'Encanto' crossover with the Coffeehouse Mysteries)

Hogar Dulce Hogar Cafeteria

Rio Suenos, Colombia

"You leaving here already, Coffee Man?"

Matteo Allegro looked over at the old man sitting by the kitchen, raising an eyebrow in interest as he saw the fellow feed bits of arepa con queso to a pair of rats and a coatimundi who had been sitting at his table.

The old man had been there every day when Matt had come by in the morning for coffee and breakfast but had never said a word to him until now. The man was tall and lean, and although he had to be at least 60 years old, he looked strong and the twinkle in his eyes gave him a youthful appearance, while the streaks of white and gray in his his long, tightly curled hair were a clear sign of age.

"I came here looking for some exceptionally rare coffee beans," Matt explained, sipping his espresso, dejectedly. "My daughter's getting engaged next month and this was supposed to be my present for her." Rubbing the back of his neck, he added, "I, uh... I-I've been pretty hostile to her fiancé in the past."

Taking a sip of his own coffee, the old man's eyes widened ever so slightly as he prompted, "Tell me about this coffee you've been hunting."

Waving a hand dismissively, Matt huffed as he tossed back the rest of his espresso, signally a waitress for another. "What does it matter? I've been searching all over the mountains near here but either everyone I've spoken to has given me the wrong coordinates or the valley they're talking about doesn't actually exist."

A flash of delight brightened the old man's gaze as he straightened up, looking eagerly at Matt. "Ahhh..." he murmured, knowingly. "You're looking for the encanto beans."

The forbidden beans...

The magic coffee...

The protected valley...

There had been numerous names for what Matteo Allegro had sought, but this was the first time anyone in town had used the actual word 'encanto'.

Matt's eyes focused on the old man as he approached, sitting down at the table.

"Don't listen to anything mi Abuelo tells you, senor," the cook hollered as he came out of the kitchen. "Stories of magic 'Gifts' and living houses..."

The coatimundi chirped at the old man before turning to the cook and squeaking angrily.

"Calm down, Ivy," the old man soothed, petting the coati like it was an oversized house cat. Turning to Matt, he explained. "My grandson is just upset because he takes after mi prima, Mirabel. She didn't have a Gift either," he said, pointedly, watching his grandson storm off.

"You know where to find the encanto coffee," Matt clarified, leaning forward and trying not to stare at the rat who was eyeing his breakfast. Pulling the plate away, he wanted to know, "Have you been there before?"

The old man nodded once before standing up and patting Matt's shoulder. "You meet me here tomorrow morning at dawn. I'll take you there."

X

The sun was just starting to rise over Rio Suenos when Matt pulled his rental car into the cafe's parking lot. He'd half-expected his guide to stand him up - a sure sign that the man had been lying about knowing where the valley was - and was therefore surprised to see the old man sitting near a pair of horses, feeding them by hand. Both animals were already loaded with packs and Matt raised an eyebrow at the two identical camping backpacks sitting on the ground nearby.

"Morning, Coffee Man!" the old man greeted, cheerfully, getting to his feet and coaxing one of the horses forward. "We're wasting daylight. Here," he handed the reins and one of the backpacks to Matt, watching him climb onto the horse before easily swinging onto his own ride, his backpack on his shoulders.

"Mind if we at least spend a moment getting to know each other?" Matt asked, realizing that he hadn't asked his guide's name.

"Antonio Madrigal," the old man replied, grinning as he held out a hand.

Shaking it, Matt nodded, cordially, as he replied, "Matteo Allegro. Most people call me 'Matt'."

"Come," Antonio said as he turned his horse toward the east. "If we hurry, we can make the base of the mountains by nightfall."

x

By noon, Matt had grown weary of traveling in silence and when he and Antonio stopped to rest the horses, he repeated his query from the previous day. "How do you know where this valley is?"

"I was born in the encanto," Antonio explained, looking around for a moment. "The Madrigals have called the valley 'home' for well over 5 generations. Tomorrow night, we will tell you the whole story," he promised, grabbing a pair of sandwiches from his pack and handing one of them and a bottle of water to Matt. "Mi nieta, Carmen, she is the most extraordinary storyteller."

Taking a bite of his own sandwich, Matt felt his curiosity getting the better of him and he asked, "What's the hostility between you and your grandson?"

Antonio leaned back, his expression pensive. "Samuel wants me to move with him to the city and I want to stay in Rio Suenos. He thinks I am a tired, senile old man that needs to be cared for by nurses in some rest home."

Matt couldn't help letting out a laugh as he ate his lunch. "You and my mother would get along, then. She's in her 80's but she's as strong and tough as a woman half her age."

His eyes clouding slightly as he frowned, Antonio nodded, thoughtfully, as he went on. "Not being blessed by the family miracle made Samuel bitter as well. He stopped believing in the magic... even when his own daughter was given her Gift. My grandson wants to be as far as possible from here... which sadly means leaving his daughter behind as well."

Straightening up and giving his friend a disapproving look, Matt cocked his head to the side as he inquired, "Why would he abandon his own child?"

Getting to his feet after hastily finishing his own sandwich, Antonio hesitated for a moment before replying, "The answer to that is a long and complex tale. And one which Carmen can tell you much better than I can." Mounting his horse once more, he nodded towards the trail. "Come on, Coffee Man. We're wasting daylight."

x

The sun had begun to set as the pair approached a gently flowing river and Matt watched in fascination as Antonio knocked rhythmically on a post before backing up a bit. "For good luck crossing the river?" Matt guessed, wondering if something was supposed to happen.

Before Antonio answered, there was a rumble from deep below the ground and Matt had to calm his horse who had given a nervous whinny.

"We're perfectly safe," Antonio promised, watching the stones along the river bank tremble, sending ripples through the water.

The sounds of stones clattering together made Matt pull out his smartphone and activate the flashlight feature to better see the bed of the river. "What on Earth...?" Turning on the video recording, he watched in disbelief as the stones and rocks gathered together, creating a bridge to cross. Once on the other side, Matt continued recording as the rocks - which had been quite sturdy under the weight of two men and two horses - broke apart, settling on the river bed once more.

Antonio couldn't help grinning as he watched Matt watching the video he'd recorded. "It's just a few more miles to La Casita Madrigal. Let's go. And keep that thing handy," he added, nodding to his companion's smartphone. "You're going to need it."

"Is it safe to keep going at night?" Matt wondered, thinking of the nocturnal predators that might find them easy prey.

"There's not a single animal in this valley that would want to harm us," Antonio murmured, listening as he heard the faint sound of something large moving in the brush nearby. Following a well-defined path, he led the way to the base of the mountains and he couldn't help feeling a thrill of excitement at the prospect of being home again.

Heading towards a thick cluster of hanging vines cascading down the base of the mountains, Antonio climbed off of his horse, lightly running the tips of his fingers across the width of the plants and stepped back as they parted, revealing a hidden passage. "After you, Coffee Man."

Once he and Antonio were through the gap, Matt turned around, watching as the vines closed, making the gap look like a solid, impenetrable wall. "How did...?" But he stopped as the lights in the distance beckoned.

Heading down the path, Matteo Allegro's jaw dropped as he saw the expansive village spread out before him. "What is this place?" Matt mused, looking about.

"Encanto...," Antonio replied, leading the way towards the hacienda-style estate closest to them.

A pack of children - aged 5 to 13 - came running up to the travelers as soon as they reached the front yard of the estate.

"Abuelo Antonio! You're back!"

"Did you bring us presents?"

"How was the city?"

"Alright, alright!" Antonio laughed, giving each child a hug after nimbly hopping down from his horse. "Oh, it's so good to see all of you again! And yes, Viola, I do have a special gift for your Gift ceremony tomorrow night. But first," He held up both hands to halt any further questions before stepping aside and gesturing to Matt who had climbed down as well. "Say 'hola' to my friend, Matteo. He's from the United States and he's here because..." He knelt down and waited for the children to gather around before whispering conspiratorially, " - he's heard that we have the best coffee in the world!"

"Hola, Mr. Coffee Man," the eldest child said, holding out her hand for Matt to shake. "I hope it's okay for me to call you that. I heard mi Abuelo call you the same."

Matt frowned before looking back towards the mountains. Turning towards the young teenager, he pointed over his shoulder and asked, skeptically, "You heard us from the mountains?"

"Leona can hear anything from here to the river," Antonio explained, kissing the top of Leona's head. "She has the same Gift my sister, Dolores, had." Before he could say anything else, he broke into laughter as the children grabbed hold of Matt's arms, practically dragging him up to the front door of the estate.