The Midnight Visitor
She hurried along, her heels clicking against the deserted pavement. Above, the moon leered down, smug and bright. The city melted into the night haze, its buildings occasionally catching the cold, haughty glow of the moonlight. Streetlamps fought back the darkness, illuminating patches of road. Windows glinted like spectacles perched on the faces of the houses.
Up ahead, a tram blazed with lights, twinkling like a Christmas tree. It rattled around a corner and vanished into the night, fading like a ghost.
The clicking of her heels grew quicker, echoing off the walls. She hadnt made the last tram. The moon seemed to snicker overhead.
Shed stayed too late at her friends, then stubbornly refused an escort, sure shed catch the tram. Now, her steps slowed, then stopped. Exhausted, she sank onto a bench and wept in frustration.
Suddenly, brakes squealed. A cheerful voice from inside a car called out, «Fancy a ride?» She shrank back, wishing to disappear. No adventures tonightjust home. A man leaned out. «Dont be scared. Ill get you there in no time.» The passenger door swung open, and she hesitantly slid into the plush leather seat. The car smelled cosy, with a hint of something indefinably pleasant. On the back seat, a child slept curled against a huge dog, whose warm breath stirred the curls at her neck.
The man chuckled. «Dont worry, Bess is gentle. Wont hurt a fly.» He introduced himself»James»and offered a hand. She mumbled, «Eleanor Whitcombe.» He burst out laughing. «Bit grand for someone your age!» Glancing in the mirror, she saw her smudged mascara and frightened face, barely recognising herself. «Suit yourself,» she muttered.
«You a teacher?» James guessed. She stayed quiet, lost in thought. «Were out late too,» he continued. Slowly, her fear melted. It felt as if theyd known each other forever, slipping naturally into first names. The night had taken on a strangely homely air.
James handed her a handkerchief. She dabbed her face, then smiled gratefully. He grinned. «Youre quite pretty, you know.» The compliment lifted her spirits. They joked and laughed, while Bess gave an occasional warning barkquiet, now, youll wake the boy.
The car turned into a dark alley. Her heart lurched. «Just popping into the late-night chemist,» James explained. «Promised Mum her medicine. No time later.»
It was well past midnight, tomorrow a day off. No one waited for Eleanorjust stacks of schoolbooksso they drove on, slicing through the night with their headlights. Then James invited her home. She wasnt surprised.
His flat was on the seventh floor. James carried his sleeping son gently. In the ghostly lift light, they stole glances, then laughed like mischievous children. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with sun-kissed skin and fair hair. Eleanor, even in heels, stood half a head shorter.
The flat was tidy, everything in its place. James settled his son into bed, Bess flopping down beside him. They drank tea, listened to classical musictheir tastes matched perfectly. Strange, how at ease she felt in a strangers home so late. That old feeling returnedas if theyd always been a family, little Charlie her own.
Over wine in the kitchen, James grew wistful. His wife had left them no, died three years ago. The birth had been too much. Shed insisted they save the babytheir long-awaited firstborn. His mother helped with Charlie now, stepping in when work overwhelmed him.
He asked Eleanor to stay till morning. She agreed silently, whether from the wine or some deeper pull.
Dawn found her in his bed, woken by a tiny whisper. «Mummy,» Charlie lisped, patting her cheeks. Bess sprawled heavily across her feet. Tears pricked Eleanors eyes as she hugged him. «Mine, mine.»
James squeezed in with a steaming breakfast tray. «Getting on well, I see,» he beamed. Then, abruptly: «Marry me.»
She blinked. «You barely know me.»
«I know enough. Lifes longwell learn the rest. Charlie and Bess like you. Youll be a good mother.»
Outside, the first pink rays of sunrise crept in. Eleanor lay still, eyes closed, replaying the strange dreama night where the city nearly swallowed her, until a stranger saved her and proposed.
She peeked open her eyes. Her husband James slept beside her, little Charlie between them. Bess weighed down her feet, cracking one eye open before dozing off. The alarm wouldnt ring for ages. Eleanor drifted back to sleep, planning her lessons as the sun chased away the dark. The moon, high above, winked down at her dreams.
