Welcome to my ‘Short Story Series’ ๐
I frequently ghostwrite short stories, and I write short stories for university assignments as well as for my own amusement. I’ve decided to share some short stories with you, in hope that you’ll enjoy them – and if you’d like to share with me your opinion of these short stories, I’d be grateful!
ยฉ D.E. Kendall
The Stolen Book
Lana stole a look at the bar over the pages of Affinity, her latest literary purchase. The barโs cluttered appearance somehow added to its charm, with rustic cask ale pull taps, mirrored shelves laden with dusty spirit bottles, and her.
โGood book, luv?โ
Snapped unexpectedly from her reverie, Lana dropped her book and accidentally dipped a sleeve of her designer blouse in her latte as she fumbled to catch the paperback.
โSorry, luv, didnโt mean to scare ya.โ
Rory slapped the back of the ancient wooden chair Lana was sitting on. She scowled at the woodworm-infested oak table her coffee-soaked arm was resting upon before turning to face the enemy. โItโs alright.โ
Lana was as unnerved by his yellow-toothed, gappy smile as she was by the light bouncing off his balding, middle-aged head. As far as leering men were concerned, Lana was thankful that this one was at the less threatening end of the spectrum.
โNew book?โ Rory almost sloshed his half-a-pint of flat, amber liquid on Lanaโs shoulder as he leaned over her to ogle her cleavage under the pretence that he cared what she was reading.
โUm, yes,โ Lana shifted uncomfortably as the letchโs foul breath lingered, cutting through her personal space. โTtโs by Sarah Waters, have you heard of her?โ
Assuming that Rory didnโt read โ he may not have been able to for all she knew โ Lana hoped thatโd be enough to get rid of him.
โCanโt say I โave, noโฆโ he seemed briefly contemplative. โSay, luv, why ainโt a nice girl like you home with the mister? You gotta โave better things to do on a Monday night.โ
โI like the coffee here, I like the atmosphere,โ Lana vividly recalled having almost the exact same conversation with the man last week, โand itโs on my way home from work.โ
โSpeakinโ of drinks, can I buy ya one?โ
Smooth, she concluded.
โNeed a top-up there, Smythe?โ Alysโ melodic tones were enough to send Lanaโs heart thundering, and turn her ears red.
โAye, luv!โ
Lana felt an increasing sense of relief each step Rory took away from her as he made his unsteady journey towards the bar.
Alys collected a few stray glasses from a neighbouring table. Lana couldnโt help but turn to the source of clinking and clashing, gazing unnoticed while subconsciously tucking her hair behind her ears โ as if itโd help her see more clearly, and cool her crimson complexion. Captivated by the cheerful barmaid, everything about Alys lifted Lanaโs spirits: those flowy, patterned, knee-length dresses she always wore, even in winter; her brightly-coloured tights; her heavy, deep-soled, shiny black shoes; her half-shaven, half-pixie-cut hairstyle that was currently dyed blue; her shimmering red lips forming the trademark smile that never failed to brighten Lanaโs day; and that nose ring Lana wanted for herself but never had the courage to get. The confidence Alys exuded opposed all that society had taught Lana to be โ she often wondered whether her conventional fashion sense, tall, slim frame, and high heels ever inspired such a glance from Alys. A moment spent beyond those dark brown eyes and thick, winged eyeliner would make putting up with a thousand leering men worthwhile, Lana frequently thought.
Catching her by surprise, Alys asked Lana if she was enjoying her coffee and whether she wanted anything else. A flustered โNo thanks,โ followed by an escape to the Ladiesโ allowed Lana to avoid any awkwardness and take a minute to compose herself.
Thankful that the bar wasnโt too busy, Lana returned to her seat, only to discover her book was missing. Oddly, if someone had stolen her book for profit, they had completely ignored her expensive, lightweight jacket with her nearly new smartphone in the pocket.
Scanning the area, all she noted was Alys serving Rory another pint from behind the bar as he hunched over in an attempt to invade her personal space. The sizeable stone pillar in the centre of the pub, separating the bar from the tiny restaurant area, blocked her view beyond the small collection of tables dotted around the faded ruby and gold flecked carpet. All Lana could see was a pair of suit-clad businessmen huddled over a hefty-looking laptop.
Just in case the perp might be hiding there, Lana amused herself by checking the imposing fireplace to the right of her table. If the summer weather wasnโt enough to give away the fact, Lana ascertained that the fireplace hadnโt been lit for quite some time โ owing to the scent of aged ash it emitted.
Smiling to herself as she enjoyed playing detective for a minute, Lana decided that despite her reservations regarding the floor’s hygiene โ and the concern about creasing her palazzo trousers โ she had to get down on all fours to clamber under the table in search of her missing book.
โEverything okay?โ
โOuch!โ
โSorry, didnโt mean for that to happen,โ one of those suited businessmen stood beside the table, โI saw you dive under the table and wanted to check everything was alright.โ
โIโm fine, thank you.โ
He offered a helping hand to Lana, which she didnโt accept, opting instead for the assistance of the nearest chair to pull herself to her feet.
โI lost the book I was reading, thatโs all,โ she smiled politely, avoiding eye contact as she pretended to be checking the floor for any sign of her book.
โIโm Devon, by the way,โ he reached out a hand once again, โDevon Charles.โ
โLana Myers.โ
Subtlety didnโt work, so Lana decided to go for the blunt approach instead. Rarely did men like Devon continue on their path of intrusion if they met with such resistance.
โI work in the city, here on business.โ
Shooting a swift half-smile at Devon, Lanaโs eyes darted about the pub as she panned for the best escape route. However, her lack of response only spurred Devon on.
โIโm staying here for a couple of nights with my colleague, Alan,โ Alan reacted to Devonโs gesturing toward him with a wave, โwe like the coastal setting. Nice views. So, do you come here often?โ
โYes.โ
If it werenโt mid-summer, icicles would have offered a softer response. Lana started shuffling items around in her handbag as if searching for car keys.
โHello, Mr. Mayhew!โ
Saved by the belle, thought Lana.
โOh, Iโm not Mayhew, Iโm Devon Charles.โ
โTerribly sorry.โ Alys shot a cheeky smile at Lana, whose knees weakened to such an extent that she slunk into the battered, old chair beneath her. โI need to check something; itโs to do with your room. Would you mind popping over to the bar with me a sec?โ
Visibly disappointed that his attempt at courtship had been thwarted, Devon reluctantly bid Lana farewell before following Alys to the bar.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, grateful that she no longer had to share her personal space with a man, Lana engaged in an internal debate as to whether she should buy another latte to drink in the beer garden โ away from the testosterone floating around the bar. The search for her purse was disturbed, however, by a familiar voice.
โI hear youโve lost a book?โ
Turning to take in a rotund figure with a friendly face, Lana was pleased she wasnโt being harassed by yet another middle-aged man.
โHi, Cathy! How are you?โ
They shared a hug before Cathy continued the interrogation.
โNever mind that. Canโt have one of my finest patrons losing their stuff on my watch, in my pub. Even if she never buys alcoholโฆโ
โYou know I canโt, Cathy.โ Lana knew Cathy was speaking in jest, though couldnโt prevent that pang of sadness that accompanied any thought of her late father.
โI know, I know. Iโm just messinโ with you,โ Cathy placed a comforting hand on Lanaโs shoulder, โNow Missy, when did you last see that book of yours?โ
Within ten minutes, there was a full-blown, pub-wide investigation into the case of the missing book. Lana couldnโt help but feel embarrassed by the fuss her oldest family friend was making, but then, Cathy was somewhat of a motherly figure to her since Lanaโs mother disowned her when Lana was just twenty-one. Sometimes, Lana considered telling Cathy her secret, though the thought of losing her friendship was too devastating to contemplate. Of course, the alternative was Cathy trying to set Lana up with her niece, but Lana had never been much of a gambler.
โI sha-haw her re-heeding it yonder,โ Rory slurred in response to Cathyโs questioning.
โI noticed the young lady almost dropping the book in her tea when he startled her.โ Alan answered, with an accusatory finger pointing directly at Rory.
โDonโt ya go pointinโ those manucurried digeds at me!โ Rory flopped off of the barstool and wobbled to his feet, swaying slightly as he tried his utmost to point a finger at Alan โ failing miserably on account of beer-induced double-vision.
โHow dare you threaten my business partner like that?!โ Devon attempted to demonstrate his masculinity by standing up for his slightly shorter colleague.
โCome on โen!โ Roryโs chubby fingers suddenly clasped into fists as he stumbled forward with the effort of his threat.
โLetโs calm it down, fellas,โ Cathyโs authoritative tone was usually enough to suspend alcohol-addled spats, โI just need to know what happened to this young ladyโs new book. Now, what did anyone else see?โ
As Lana and Cathy turned to talk to an elderly bystander โ who didnโt know what happened to the book but wanted to hear the day’s specials โ a kerfuffle broke out between Rory, Devon, and Alan.
A chef who had been minding the bar rushed over in attempt to prise the drunken brawlers apart. Cathy got stuck in too, as soon as one of her beloved antique bar stools got knocked over.
โWhere the hell is Alys?!โ Cathy shouted, tactfully dodging an errant hand.
โSheโฆ sheโฆโ Maurice the chef struggled to answer as he almost took a shoe to the face, โshe went to chโฆ change a barrel, then she went on bโฆ break. Whoa man, watch it!โ
Lana didnโt know what to do. The closest she ever came to such a scene was having to deal with a situation during last yearโs Black Friday Sales at the department store she worked at involving two women who fought over the last pair of high-end, bargain-price hair straighteners.
Kicking, hitting, and elbow-jabbing intensified as thudding sounds resounded about the pub, drawing an audience to the scene. Since it resembled something out of an old American western movie, Lana channelled inspiration from that and took the first action that sprung to mind; she grabbed a pitcher of iced water from the bar and threw it over the assailants, accidentally splashing Cathy and Maurice in the process.
Expletives flew about the once quaint pub as all five adults reacted irritably to Lanaโs snap-decision.
โSorry,โ Lanaโs cheeks resembled mini beetroots, โI didnโt know what to do and was afraid someone would get hurt.โ
The atmosphere calmed as the crowd of spectators dispersed, and those remaining on the scene guffawed.
โLook, Cathy,โ Lana stepped aside out of earshot of the others, indicating for Cathy to join her, โIโm sorry things got so out of hand. Itโs just a book; honestly, itโs no big deal. Please let the issue go.โ
โAlright love,โ Cathy put an arm around the shoulders of her unofficial daughter, โyou get home, and Iโll get this all cleaned up. Seems these gentlemen canโt control themselves around you.โ
โVery funny.โ
Cathy always knew how to put Lana at ease.
โThank you.โ
โNo worries,โ Cathy started the clean-up operation as she lifted the fallen bar stool, โnow get gone, before I have you barred from my pub!โ
After a final, fleeting hug with Cathy, Lana collected her remaining belongings. Rushing out of the door, Lana refused to cave into the curiosity daring her to look back at the carnage she was leaving behind.
Stepping outside into the refreshingly salty air, Lana admired her surroundings for a moment. Beams of light from the dayโs sunset glinted off the calm, kinetic peaks of the sea. Small fishing boats creaked in the harbour as gentle waves lapped against the harbour wall. A solitary seagull cawed overhead as it flew by. Then, Lana lost all sense of her surroundings as she tripped over something left in the middle of the pathway.
Swiftly scrabbling to her feet, brushing remnants of sand from her once pristine clothing, Lanaโs embarrassment faded the second she saw what sheโd tripped over โ Affinity.
Collecting her book from the ground, Lana was puzzled. How on earth did my book get here?
Upon opening the book, Lana discovered an inscription: 06222100723 โ Alys <3
Awestruck, Lana shook her head as if to reset her brain, in case what was happening was a dream. Yet to her delight, the inscription was real. Lana turned back to look through a window of The Coastside Inn. There, framed by blossoming clematis climbing the pub walls, stood behind the bar, was Alys โ beaming back at her.