The Little Restaurant Where Jazz Plays

The fictional city of N (around 1950). A small provincial town: paved paths, colorful houses, neighbors know one another well.

“An eatery where jazz is played” is a small, popular, cozy café—one of the few in this city. It was opened by a young married couple—Antoine and Janette—who live across the café. But one day around New Year’s, the neighbors heard an argument at the café; then everything quieted down, yet no one ever saw the husband and wife again. Only their little daughter and her grandmother remained in their home—so neighbors say, the grandmother was a witch. Over time, the townspeople began to forget this mysterious story. The girl grew withdrawn, and then became a recluse; the children even nicknamed her the town’s “mad one.”