An Enquiry (3) - Contact

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Jim took the long way to the pub. The short way was a mile there and a mile back. The long way took more than 2 miles over the hill on the journey out and made for a circular walk. As he walked the midday sun warmed his face, but the wind was cold, and he could see frost remained in the shadows.

The pub was warm when Jim went inside. A log fire burned in the grate and Jim went over and rubbed his hands in front of it after he had stuffed his cap and gloves in a pocket and hung up his waterproof jacket. He nodded to Ned who started to pour a pint of bitter.

Jim sat at the window table, reading the newspaper he had picked up from the bar. There was nobody else there apart from Ned the landlord and he was busy arranging glasses and stocking up the bottle-cooler cabinets at the back of the bar.

Jim knew the television suspended high on the wall was on but the sound was turned down. He hadn’t noticed what channel it was tuned to, but at this time of the day it was probably tuned to one of the rolling news channels. He wondered about what he should do about lunch. It would be easy to pick something up in town, but he would have to eat it there. He knew there was food in the house, so he decided that, in the interests of his waistline he would walk home after his second drink.

He had just started his second pint of beer, when the phone in his pocket vibrated. Pausing to fold the newspaper, put it to one side and put on his reading glasses, he fished it out and looked at the screen. He had been sent an eMail by Anastasia Litvenyenko. Now that was a surprise!

(Part of the “Tyson” project: 4th January 2017 – 315 words)