Stories: The return

    Although it was many years since he had been there, he could see clearly in his mind’s eye the little seaside town that he and his wife used to visit: the broad sweep of the beach, where the tide always seemed to be out (he had never had a decent swim there), the unpretentious hotel where we always stayed, the shops, and their favourite café. Now he was alone, but he was going there again.

   He remembered the villages they drove through on the way; the crossroads where, more than once, they had taken the wrong turning; the railway station on the outskirts. And now he was there at last.

   He was delighted to say that it was all just as he remembered. The tide, of course, was out, but there were the rocks at the left-hand end of the beach, and on the far end, the trees where they used to go for walks. The café was in the same place, and so was the curio shop. He was delighted to discover one innovation: a small bookshop. That would provide something to keep him occupied while he waited for his wife: she had not arrived yet, but he was sure that, if he waited long enough, she would come.