Pearls of Another World

By Brooke Merrett

Posted on October 4, 2026

Cover Image Title: Bubble Tea Shop

Cover Image by: Jasmine C.

Classification: Photography

Specifications: Resized from 4032 x 3024 pixels

Year: 2026

Anya walked into the bubble tea shop her mom ran, having nowhere else to go on a school evening. She approached the counter, where she saw her mother smiling brightly at her.

“Hello, Anya! How was school? What did you learn? Fill me in on all the hot gossip! Is that what you kids say now?” Anya’s mother enthusiastically chimed.

“Um… my day was okay.”

Anya always felt that her mother was desperate to be involved in every part of her life. Anya was nearly a teenager and she didn’t think she needed her mom anymore. Her mother had a distinct style, and the bubble tea shop reflected that perfectly. Anya hated the rustic vintage décor set up throughout the shop. The family heirlooms and grandfather clocks didn’t exactly make the place seem new and fresh. She thought it was time her mother gave the place an update, even though her mother loved the shop with her whole heart.

“I’ll make you the usual. Large brown sugar milk tea with extra pearls. I’m trying out a new recipe—let me know how you like it,” her mother said.

“Yep, thanks.” It was Anya’s favourite drink, but to be honest, she found the neighboring boba store made a much better bubble tea.

“Also, Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? You need to get this place updated. Business is never going to pick up if it looks like a dump.”

“Anya, I love this shop. It does not look like a dump.”

No matter what Anya did to convince her mother to give the place a renovation, she wouldn’t budge. Anya wished her mother would give the shop an update.

Anya picked up the drink her mother set down on the counter. The bubble tea recipe her mother was trying certainly had a new look. As she inspected it, Anya saw flakes of shimmer in the drink. Weird, she thought, but she didn’t question it too much.

As Anya took a sip, the flavor burst onto her tongue. It was the most incredible thing she had ever tasted. The creaminess of the tea mixed with the chewiness of the pearls was absolutely delightful, and the brown sugar brought it all together perfectly. She closed her eyes to enjoy the magical taste of the drink, and when she opened them again, her hope had come true. Somehow, the entire boba shop had gone through a complete makeover. The place looked exactly how she had dreamt it would—only better—decorated with the trendy style she saw all over social media.

After marveling for a few moments, she walked back over to where her mother was standing, and there she was—only… different. Her mother had blonde hair now, contrasting with the red hair that made her who she was. She wore baggy jeans and a T-shirt, a trendy outfit Anya herself would wear, but one that didn’t match her mother’s typical style at all.

“Uh, hey, Mom. That new boba recipe you tried out was really good.”

Her mother looked confused. “Huh? What new recipe?”

This day was getting weirder and weirder. “Oh, uh… never mind…” Suddenly, Anya felt an overwhelming sense that something was off about this place—wherever she was.

Anya sat back down and started her homework, distancing herself from the bubble tea, worried about what might happen if she drank any more. She looked around at the décor items hanging on the walls. One poster read: Here, wishes come true. What? And then Anya realized she had wished that the shop would get an upgrade. This disastrous switch was her own fault. She was stuck, with no obvious way to return to the real world—to her real mother, as annoying as she sometimes could be.

Anya racked her brain for ways she could possibly return to her real life. If the posters and signs in this place told her that her own wish had caused whatever inter-dimensional reality swap this was, maybe they could tell her how to return home. She carefully read the signs posted around the café. One read: Every sip transforms you. Every sip? Did that mean every sip of boba she took would switch her back and forth between her own reality and… wherever this was? She eyed the nearly full drink in front of her. If this drink had gotten her into this situation, it must be able to get her out as well.

Then, just as Anya was about to take a reality-shifting sip of the heavenly boba, her “mother” came out of nowhere and swept up the drink.

“It’s getting late, darling. You should probably ease off the sugar if you want to sleep tonight.”

Anya frantically reached for her lifeline of a plastic cup, but her mother walked away before she could grab it.

“Mom! Come on, I need that drink.”

“Are you really that addicted to the stuff? Maybe you should go off my bubble tea permanently.”

“No, you don’t understand. Listen to me—you need to give me back that drink right now.”

But whoever this woman was, she wasn’t giving in. Anya missed her real mother so much. She would give anything to go back to the way things were, with her mother’s admittedly charming retro décor all over the shop. Suddenly, Anya had an idea.

“Oh well, you’re probably right. I think I’ll head home now and get some sleep. It is late.”

Anya noticed a slight smirk on her mother’s face before it quickly shifted back to a phony sympathetic look.

“Alright, honey. Have a good night.”

Anya started to walk toward the door, but at the last second, right before the exit, she swiveled around, grabbed her mother, and snatched her drink back. Before her fake mother could react, she drank the magic bubble tea and closed her eyes to enjoy the flavor, just as she had before.

When she opened her eyes, she was unimaginably relieved to see the familiar boba shop she used to hate. She turned around; She had never been so happy to see her mother, back to her usual self.

“Mom!” Anya screeched.

“Yes, honey!” Her mother rushed toward her. “Is everything okay?”

Anya smiled at her. “I just changed my mind about redoing this place. I think it’s best if you keep it just the way it is. I’m not sure about the new bubble tea recipe, though—I think it’s one of those things that’s best kept classic.”

“Really? Oh, well that’s lovely. I’m glad you’re starting to appreciate the time-honored pieces I have up here.”

“Me too, Mom. Me too,” Anya chimed, making a promise to herself never to take her mother or this bubble tea shop for granted.

[ Writing Editor: Sahana Prabu ]