LeVar Burton Reads · LeVar Burton and Stitcher

"Three Roses" by Karmen Špiljak

December 5, 2023·44 min·4 clips

It feels like a long hug, all warm and soft and a bit tingly.

The night begins with inventory. Burton introduces a story set at the end of the calendar year, when plans and relationships start feeling harder to shrug off. Barbara and Tina, new graduates in Ljubljana, are out on Christmas Eve looking for an open pub and a little warmth. The future is already sitting between them. Tina is nearly gone, with Canada waiting beyond this night, and Barbara hears that distance more sharply than Tina seems ready to name. Strangers pick up on the tension. A man with a walrus mustache and another with kind eyes turn curiosity into hospitality, bringing schnapps and a brief escape from the cold. Barbara bristles, then gives in a little. The drink arrives with blueberries to chew, in a bar full of flickering lights, brass hooks, mason jars, and preserved fruit. Tina fits in almost annoyingly well. Within half an hour, she is talking with Milan as if they have known each other for years. Barbara feels the sting. Her envy turns every easy laugh into evidence that Tina has already left. Then the mulled wine appears. Cinnamon, orange slices, and crimson heat replace the schnapps, offered for Barbara's cold and maybe for the deeper chill under it. She burns her tongue, which is funny for a second and sad right after. That is the bite of the story: missing out while standing right beside someone you love. Burton keeps the frame light. He names the author, the collection, and the culinary-noir angle without pinning the story down. After the reading, the episode closes with credits, links, and a plain nudge to pass the short fiction to someone else.

As heard by us

A Christmas Eve pub crawl in Ljubljana turns into a tight, dark look at two friends and the night between them.

Set on Christmas Eve in Ljubljana, the story follows two close friends, both fresh graduates, as they look for an open pub. One keeps thinking ahead, while the other just wants the night to end, and that difference gives the piece its low-key tension.

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Why you'd press play

When a Christmas Eve pub crawl in Ljubljana starts to turn strange.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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